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Taking the Tough Stuff

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Martyr (n.): A person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle or cause. This is one of the many definitions I found on dictionary.com.

Today’s first reading tells us the story of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, who is widely recognized as the first Christian martyr. A deacon in the early Church, his teachings angered many people and so they desired to put him to death. Rather than renounce his beliefs and teachings, Stephen instead faced the cruelty of stoning.

Unfortunately, martyrdom is not some ancient, out-of-touch practice but something that has been present in modern times. Take the recent attack in Sri Lanka on Easter morning, for example. Or back in 2015, the Egyptian Coptic martyrs killed by ISIS.

The cold, hard reality is this – just how far are we willing to go for our faith? Are we ready, willing and able to follow behind Jesus with our crosses on the road to Calvary? Or are we lukewarm? Catholic when it’s convenient to us?

Martyrdom aside, we often face many difficulties and persecutions when it comes to sharing or even simply practicing our faith. Those persecutions can take many different forms – a child who says the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance in a public school gets reprimanded, an employee forced to work on a Sunday to cover a shift, among others.

The fear of persecution, however, can almost do more harm as we choose to stay silent instead, choose to follow the cultural norms. Wishing someone a “Happy Holidays” instead of a “Merry Christmas,” just to name one. We’re fearful of offending someone and being labeled as insensitive or worse – being labeled a Christian.

Christianity isn’t easy, friends! Remember earlier when I asked, “Are we ready, willing and able to follow behind Jesus with our crosses on the road to Calvary?” It’s literally an invitation, an exhortation, from Jesus himself (Matthew 16:24). Persecution comes with the territory.

And sometimes we might not enjoy what is being told to us. We might even hate it. It might make us angry, infuriate us. But it is important that the message doesn’t fall on dead ears, like the elders and the scribes in the first reading. Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves, stone in hand, ready to throw. This time, who will we be aiming at

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Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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In The Moment

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Christ is risen, alleluia, alleluia! Often times, Catholics and Christians alike forget that Easter is a whole liturgical season spanning 50 days and not just the one solitary Sunday. As we continue through this joyful Easter season, I wish to offer you just a simple reflection.

“The two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” (Luke 24:35)

The risen Christ has just encountered two disciples on the road to Emmaus, which is one of the more recognizable Gospel passages. There are many references of “the way” in each of the four Gospels, comparing one’s faith to a journey. Let’s take a look at the two disciples’ faith at this moment between the initial encounter with Christ on the road and the moment He appears to all of the disciples in Jerusalem, which is the rest of today’s Gospel.

Take a moment to sort through the range of emotions that must be flooding through these two disciples in the retelling of the story. Were they disappointed that they failed to recognize Jesus at the exact moment they met on the road? What about later as He interpreted the scriptures for them, explaining why the Messiah needed to suffer all that He did? There were so many opportunities for recognition and yet it took all the way to the end, to the breaking of the bread, for the two to open up their eyes.

And yet, at the same time, there must have been deep gratitude in their hearts that Jesus chose to meet them and reveal Himself to them at all. What a humbling moment it must have been! As I place myself in their shoes, I struggle to find any other words to describe this possible feeling.

I’m sure they wondered why Jesus vanished at the moment they recognized Him, wondered if they would have another encounter with Him ever again. How long would the risen Christ be around? In their hard-heartedness, did they wonder if He would succumb to death again?

Think about the simple act of recounting the story. Did they argue about who was telling the story to begin with? Were there conflicting accounts? Did one forget details that the other was able to fill in? Are they telling the story over and over again out of gratitude? Out of disbelief? Were they trying to commit their meeting with the Lord to memory?

On the other side of the story, what about the other disciples? The listeners? Did they believe the story being told or were there doubts in their minds and in their hearts? Were the two disciples desperately trying to convince the others the validity of what had happened?

I invite you to take these thoughts and questions to prayer with you throughout this season of Easter as we continue to open our own eyes to the glory of Christ’s Resurrection.

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Bio: Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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Show Me

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Let’s be honest. Who actually remembers the responsorial psalm when walking out of Mass? I know I tend to forget the response halfway through the psalm itself, let alone remember what was sung or proclaimed.

Today’s responsorial psalm hit me like a ton of bricks – but in the best possible way.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”

It’s the reality of this statement that hit me, not that I would consider myself brokenhearted though. Over this past year or so, there have been a number of challenges that left me in a spiritual “desert.” However, the Lord has used these difficulties to remind me of His mercy and love. He has been faithful to me in all the storms, invited me to return to Him, even when I haven’t been the most faithful.

Contrary to society’s popular belief, God is not a puppet master who decides to inflict pain on his subjects at will. He does not delight in our suffering. Rather, He uses times of struggle to gently draw us closer to Him. Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.”

I cried out to the Lord about youth ministry struggles, saying “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” and He delivered a boost of confidence in my ability to minister and also answered a very particular prayer of mine. God used even more youth ministry struggles to instead feed a very fruitful and blessed retreat weekend.

That should have been enough to convince me of His goodness but apparently, my fragile heart needed a little more convincing. When all seemed lost and I was braced for loss, despair, and desolation, God showed His healing hand and worked a miracle. He is still working miracles in my life to this day, small miracles but miracles nonetheless.

Through each of those experiences (and more), the Lord has awoken a deeper desire for prayer, the Mass, adoration. He brought me to my knees and I have never felt closer to Him than in the depths of the valley.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if today you find yourself broken-hearted, do not despair! I invite you to close your eyes and picture this image.

A son or daughter in their Father’s lap. Head nestled up against His chest. Every beat of His Heart ringing out, “I love you. I love you. I love you” until you believe it with every beat of your heart. Listen as He draws you closer, secure in His ever-loving arms.

 

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Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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Hold Fast to Fasting

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I had an issue with the Friday after Ash Wednesday. I mean, we just did the whole “no meat” thing two days ago and now we have to do it again?

Then, I would remember that at least we don’t have to fast and I would find a little bit of consolation in that. At least we don’t have to fast.

So, of course, today’s readings have to do with fasting.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the three pillars of Lent. Through these penitential practices, we prepare our hearts for the Lord’s Resurrection and He invites us to return to Him. Let’s take a deeper look at fasting, though.

If you were to poll most Catholics, their view of fasting would probably be the stereotypical response of “two small meals a day that together don’t add up to one large meal.” They would also take solace in the fact that fasting is only required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Much like I did, until my view of fasting changed.

Throughout high school, I found myself heavily involved in retreat ministry. As a part of various retreat teams, we would take up different sacrifices, keeping in mind the sacrifices that future retreatants make in order to attend the retreat.

It was here that I learned fasting can take a different form. Some of our various fasts included technology, social media, snacking, music, etc. It increased our discipline, reminded us of a greater purpose and reordered our desires to the Lord.

Most recently, as a youth minister, I found myself forming a retreat team that chose a particularly difficult sacrifice. For the duration of our formation, the teens decided that the only beverage we would consume was water. That meant no coffee, tea, pop, energy drinks, juices, and others. When the teens pitched this idea, I panicked. I am a hard-working professional adult with two very consuming, demanding jobs. What was I going to do without my morning coffee?

When I panicked at the mere thought without coffee, I realized that my priorities were disordered and saw it as an invitation to return to the Lord on a more personal level. There were MANY days I struggled but I found other ways to “fast,” to continue the sacrifice.

The second half of today’s first reading is titled “Authentic Fasting that Leads to Blessing.” Isaiah pitches many different ideas and ways of fasting, such as sharing bread with the hungry and clothing the naked.

But wait? Haven’t we heard these before? In the corporal works of mercy? Those don’t exactly sound like fasts. Giving out of the surplus of our food to the needy is indeed a fast. Same with giving out of the surplus of our material wealth. These forms of fasting are different but none less important.

A genuine, true fast coming from the heart will reform one’s way of life. It’s a lesson I’m still learning and one I hope you will learn as well.

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Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).
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What’s in a Name?

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There was a lot of confusion in the New Testament about who exactly Jesus was. Yes, He was the son of Joseph, the carpenter, but there were a lot of other outside whispers that caused a lot of confusion. We see that clearly at the beginning of today’s Gospel reading.

Jesus poses a question to His disciples. “Who do people say that I am?” Aka, “What have you heard about me?” Many responses followed: John the Baptist, Elijah, a prophet and possibly more. But the more important question is still to come.

Who do you say that I am? Here, Peter makes a BOLD confession of faith, quite the turnaround from the disciples’ blindness and hard-heartedness in the previous chapter. He proclaims Jesus to be the Messiah, the anointed one or, in Greek, literally “Christ.”

In Baptism, the priest takes chrism, makes the sign of the cross and anoints the new Catholic as priest, prophet, and king in imitation and in union with Christ. Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of all three Old Testament offices (priest, prophet, and king).

As the priest, Jesus is both the sacrifice and the one who makes the offering. As king, He sits on the throne of David and he is the King of Kings. And finally, as a prophet, Jesus is both the prophet and the message.

Then it got me thinking about the importance of a name. A title. An identity. What’s in a name? (And no, we aren’t talking about that famous scene from Romeo and Juliet.)

On a basic, human level, we have a first, middle and last name. At our Confirmation, we sometimes adopt another name, the name of a saint. Marriage also brings about a change of our last name.

I am Erin. I am also a daughter. A friend. A colleague. An assistant. A youth minister. You could have figured out these titles by reading my bio and, yet, I am so much more than this simple list of nouns. These words explain what I am but not who I am.

On a deeper level, I am loved and beloved. I am cherished. I am seen. I am wanted. I am a daughter of the One True King. I am Catholic. But I am also bruised. Broken. Weak. A sinner.

Identity is a lifelong struggle but my bruises and brokenness and weaknesses DON’T define me. It’s all a part of the Catholic life, how my Father looks upon His daughter with such tender love and affection.

But, Lord, who do I say that You are? I can proclaim that you are Savior, Messiah, and Redeemer as long as I have breath but if my actions don’t match my words, they may as well be useless.

May we be unafraid to answer Jesus’s question of “Who do you say that I am” every day of our lives. May we be truthful in our thoughts, words, and actions in proclaiming Christ’s true identity and our identity in Him.

Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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The Struggle is Real

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Trying to write this post, the struggle is real. I’ve sat down to these readings and this Google Doc three, four, five times already and still find myself struggling to find the right words. The. Struggle. Is. Real. Not just when it comes to this reflection, though.

Over the past few months, this saying and other variations of it have slipped their way into my everyday conversation and I know that I’m not alone. When we’re dragging without our coffee, when there’s too much on our plate, when we’re having a bad day, week or month, we admit that we’re struggling with a laugh and a wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll shake it off,” “Things will get better,”  “It’s gotta go up from here” and more. We’re afraid to show weakness, to show the depths of our struggles. I know that’s true for me.

When you find yourself in a situation like the one described above, how do you react? When someone approaches you and admits that they are struggling (even if it’s concealed in a joke), how do you respond?

More often than not, you find yourself relating to the person, even through the joke. Burdens, struggles, challenges, trials, etc. are all a natural part of human life. But how often do you offer your help to those in need? We often shy away, afraid that their problems will become our problems, adding to the burdens that are already present.

It’s the same when it comes to living a Christian life, where sin and struggle go hand in hand. We are ashamed of our sin and so we tend to hide not only from each other but from the Lord Himself. When we hide, Satan uses our shame against us. The king of lies takes our struggles, magnifies them and multiplies them, doing anything he can to keep us away from our God.

As Catholics, we commonly refer to our struggles as “crosses.” The difference is that we know the benefits and blessings that can come from carrying our cross. We look to the ultimate example – Jesus – as His Passion and death which led to the glory of His Resurrection and the salvation of all.

Today’s first reading from the Book of Hebrews gives us encouragement in our battles, advice and a reason to hope for the future. We are told to endure our trials as “discipline” (verse 7) “for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines” (verse 6). Through that discipline “brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it” (verse 11).

If we can allow the Lord to use our burdens, He can and will do wonderful things with them. Easier said than done, right? Absolutely. Remembering that our burdens don’t just magically disappear, if we allow Jesus to help us carry them, abundant blessings can be poured out in return.

Embrace the struggle, brothers and sisters. Admit that it is real and that we need help.

Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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Paralyzed

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We are all paralyzed. Not necessarily in the physical sense but mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

 Paralyzed by fear. By tragedy. By anxiety. By overthinking. By addiction. By sin. By Satan. On purpose or by accident, we are paralyzed. And sometimes we are even paralyzed by hope. By joy. By faith. By love.

 Today’s Gospel offers hope for all of us: the healing of the paralytic. Three different aspects of this passage stick out to me.

 One, Jesus was starting to attract so much attention that throngs of people came to hear Him preach, even the religious authorities and scholars who criticized Him. The paralytic couldn’t even get close to Jesus if he tried. Without the help of his friends who opened up the roof and lowered him down to the Lord, the paralytic would not have been healed and forgiven.

 Strong relationships are essential to living the Christian life. Between our families, friends, colleagues, etc., our relationships can either bring us closer to God or tear us away from Him. But relationships run both ways. We ourselves need to be good family members, friends, colleagues, etc. in order to bring others to Jesus through our words, our actions and, most importantly, our love.

 When we are paralyzed, we cannot approach Jesus on our own so we must rely on others to help bring us to Him. Trusting others is hard, especially with the deepest and darkest parts of our lives, those things that paralyze us, but coming to Jesus is always worth it in the end.

 Two, Jesus first forgives the sins of the paralytic. As a result of their faith (the paralytic and his friends), Jesus says, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus has the power to forgive sins, not just heal which He had been previously doing (see Mark 1:21-45).

 The scribes who were sitting among the crowd, scholars of the Mosaic law who studied Scripture, they knew that no human had the power to forgive sins and so they questioned Jesus’ words in their hearts. They were unaware of His full humanity and divinity. But Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking which led him to…

 Three, Jesus poses a question of “which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?” After which, He tells the paralytic to do exactly that. Jesus does the harder thing of healing the paralytic to prove that He can do the easier thing of forgiving sins.

 Forgiveness is the cure for paralysis. When we are so paralyzed by fear and sin, we have the opportunity to receive God’s great mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. All we need to do is approach Him, sometimes with the help of others.

 I invite you to name your fears, what is paralyzing you and keeping you from God, and take it to the Lord in Confession. Bask in His love and grace. And when we are paralyzed again, may we remember that freeing feeling we have when we step out of the confessional and use that power and strength to begin the healing process again.

Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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Trust and a Test

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Usually, when I go through the daily readings, I am drawn immediately to the Gospel. Not today, however. Today, my eyes go to the first reading from the first letter of John for a couple of reasons.

The first reading spans two separate passages, titled “Confidence before God” and “Testing the spirits.” John begins by saying, “Beloved, we receive from him whatever we ask.” We receive whatever we ask? Where does that confidence come from? Obedience.

By following God’s commandments, by believing in Christ and loving others, not even our own hearts can condemn us. Knowing that we remain in communion with Him, we have the confidence to approach the Lord with all of our needs – big or small. Greater trust in God’s plan is another fruit of obedience as well.

I associate confidence before God with the ability to be specific in prayer. He knows the desires of our hearts, He knows what we want, but there is something to approaching the Lord in prayer with a specific intention and feeling confident that He will answer.

It is important to remember, however, that God doesn’t always answer prayer on our own terms. An oft-used saying goes, “God has three answers in mind: yes, not yet or I have something better in mind.” That is where trust comes in and, when we add in confidence, we trust His answer no matter what it is. God’s plan is better than anything we could dream up.

We cannot trust everything, however, as the second half of the reading tells us. John explains that there are spirits belonging to false prophets that have gone out into the world and invites us to test those spirits. Through the unity of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit acknowledges Jesus Christ as the true Son of God. Every spirit that does not acknowledge the same truth does not belong to God but to the world instead. Because we are not of the world, we have conquered those same spirits since God, who dwells within us, is greater than the world.

As we begin this new calendar year, I invite you all to practice these few simple virtues of obedience, trust and confidence. Test those false prophets and see where the Lord will take you this year.

Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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The Unsung Hero of Advent

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My eyes lit up when I saw today’s Gospel reading: the Annunciation. I could talk about Mary forever. For the sake of your attention span (and mine as I sit here and write), I won’t. Or, at least, I’ll try not to.

For the longest time, I didn’t know that having a relationship with Mary was even possible. Yes, I knew that she is the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, Queen of Heaven and Earth and all that good stuff. What I was really focused on, however, was cultivating a relationship with God. I didn’t realize that the two could go hand-in-hand until I got to college.

While attending Franciscan University of Steubenville, I joined a Marian household, started praying the rosary at least once a week, did Marian consecration twice, took a Mariology class for one of my electives and so much more. Basically, Mary “stalked” me all throughout college and I couldn’t have been more grateful. She became the perfect model for me in being the ultimate beloved of the Father, in spiritual motherhood and true womanhood, in purity and in obedience to God’s will. I strove for her constant intercession and my faith life as a whole hit a new peak.

Growth didn’t just stop in college, however, as my relationship with Mary actually reached an all-time high this past October. In personal preparation for teaching a youth group lesson on the Blessed Virgin, I felt called to pray a daily rosary. Fitting since October is the month of the rosary, right? During that four-week span, I experienced such indescribable joy and consolation as I grew closer to the Lord through His mother.

What goes up must come down, though, and I fell into a period of spiritual desolation shortly after. Since I was in the midst of such a spiritual high, the desolation felt much deeper, prayer was nonexistent and the Lord seemed so far away.

I knew I wasn’t going to get out of this funk without some help so I went to go see my spiritual director. In the middle of our most recent session, he stopped to ask if I minded praying a decade of the rosary with him, right then and there. After we prayed together, we sat in silence for a few minutes until he asked what the Lord had put on my heart. I told him that those few Hail Marys ended up being the most meaningful prayer I had offered since, well, my daily rosaries and I had no explanation as to why. Looking back on that afternoon, now I know. The peace and the small stirring I felt in my heart was all because of you, Mary. It hasn’t been easy to climb out of desolation but I know I can do it with the help of my mother, your mother, our mother.

Now, you might be thinking, “All of that is great, but what does Mary have to do with the season of Advent?” Everything, really.

Think about it. We celebrate two Marian feast days during this liturgical season – Immaculate Conception (December 8, Holy Day of Obligation) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12). We hear the Annunciation passage today on December 20th and, if we are in Cycle B, we hear it again on the Fourth Sunday of Advent. If you look into the Christmas season, we also celebrate the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, on January 1. Another Holy Day of Obligation. None of these feast days, solemnities and readings, etc. are coincidences.

Mary embodies so much of what the Advent season is about – that waiting and hoping and longing. From the moment of original sin in the Garden of Eden, God prepared for the coming of the Messiah starting with Mary’s Immaculate Conception. She would be preserved from the original sin that her Son would save us all from. All throughout her life, she pondered what was in her heart, the heart united to her Son, patiently endured His sufferings and obeyed the will of God to the fullest.

If you need help preparing for the coming of Jesus during these final few days of Advent, I urge you to fly unto Mary. Entrust your heart to her this season and every season. We can learn a lot from her.

Come Holy Spirit, living in Mary.

Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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Pity and Faith

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Son of David, have pity on us.

We hear this phrase frequently in the Gospels. Today, we hear these words out of the mouths of blind men in the Gospel of Matthew.

Although they could not have seen the miracles He had previously worked, these followers of Jesus knew of His reputation and had faith in His ability to heal them. They address Jesus using the Messianic title “Son of David,” a name not only connected with His royal lineage but one that also reflects His healing power.

Too often, we try to take matters in our own hands, believing that our plans are greater than God’s. In those circumstances, we think we are displaying great faith in ourselves, in our abilities, but what we are really showing is a complete lack of faith in the Lord. Think about what courage and faith the blind men must have had to even ask, “Son of David, have pity on us!”

Let’s take a look at the definition of pity. A “feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortune of others.” Remember, Jesus is fully human and He is moved out of those same human emotions of sorrow and compassion to help these men of faith.

As we journey through this season of Advent, let us embrace the spirit of the blind men. Let us have a bold faith. When the Lord asks us, “Do you believe that I can do this?” let us be bold enough to answer with a RESOUNDING “yes.” But let us also be humble enough to acknowledge our spiritual blindness in the first place. Humility and boldness go hand in hand here, working together in faith.

What are the areas of our lives that cause us spiritual blindness? Advent presents a great opportunity to reflect on our shortcomings and take them to Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There is truly no better way to prepare ourselves for His birth than to rid our hearts of sin and darkness, giving Him pride of place instead.

For these next few days, let us take the opportunity to answer, “Yes, Lord. We believe.” You might be amazed at what He works in your life, what He does for your faith.

Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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Spirit of Giving

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Today’s Gospel is short and sweet and yet beautiful deep and reflective.

“He said, ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.’”

We often hear this passage when urged to give alms to the Church or to the poor. Some people may even resent this passage for that exact reason. They may say, “What if I don’t have anything to give?” Whether we believe it or not, we all have something to give to the Lord.

Just over two weeks ago at Mass on November 11, we heard Mark’s version of this same Gospel (Mk 12:41-44). In honor of that passage, I had arranged that Sunday to be “service project day” for my parish’s youth ministry program. Like the poor widow who offered all that she had to the treasury, we were going to offer our livelihood as only teenagers could – by giving of their extremely precious and limited free time to serve the less fortunate.

I had big plans for this service project day. Initially, we were going to rake leaves at the cemetery on our church’s property in honor of November being the month for remembrance of the dead. We were going to open with the Divine Mercy Chaplet, do a small teaching on the importance of service in discipleship and offer Confessions so that the teens could obtain an indulgence for their service. It was one of my favorite service projects I did as a youth group teen so I was excited to bring it back for my current group.

True to form in youth ministry, I had to adapt and went through a couple of different versions of the plan before finally settling on a new service project idea, one that didn’t require us to brave the worsening Cleveland weather. I gave the teens two choices – we could either make thank you cards for veterans in honor of Veterans Day or start and continue making Christmas cards for nursing home residents. I saw merits to both options and left it up to the teens to decide. I wanted them to take some ownership with this service project.

To make a long story short, service project day did not go quite as I had planned and it caused a little crisis of faith as I began to doubt my ability to be an effective youth minister. That day has since offered me a lot of opportunity for reflection about the relationship between ministry and livelihood.

Nobody goes into ministry for the money. I certainly didn’t, and any youth minister, DRE, parish staff member, etc. would tell you the same in a heartbeat. Sometimes, we have to find other ways to give of our livelihood, usually through our ministry.

On that service project day, I felt like I was unable to give the teens anything. I was questioning, doubting and a little upset – not good qualities you want to bring into any ministry setting. As I sit back now and reflect, I gave more of myself, my livelihood, than I realized. Being simply present to the teens that day after a long Saturday at work. Staying up until 1 am the night before to cook lunch to feed them at youth group. Being able to have more personal conversations with the teens that did show up. And more little things I probably don’t realize. I hope and pray that giving out of the poverty of my spirit that day was enough for the teens.

What I hope you take from this reflection is that there are many other ways to offer our livelihood following in the spirit of the poor widow. Especially in this upcoming season of Advent, we are told to prepare for the coming of the Lord through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, just like the season of Lent. Even if you cannot make monetary donations, I urge you to make room for the Lord in your heart by giving of your livelihood in a different way.

Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).