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The Reassurance of Truth

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In today’s Gospel reading, we hear the story of Saint Thomas, Thomas the doubter, and we are blessed for believing without seeing. We are blessed for our faith. 

I read that last line, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed,” and felt guilty at first (John 20:29). I’ll be the first to admit that I have times of doubt. Sometimes I doubt that God can grant me the courage I need to get me through the 24 hours. Sometimes I doubt that goodness exists in people and that they are all children of my same God. Sometimes I doubt that there is peace that my Heavenly Father is offering. Sometimes, I even have flickers of doubt in the existence of God at all. 

Then Jesus tells me, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe” (John 20:27). 

Not in quite as many words, of course, but he does present a moment of reassurance in the truth. 

He sends someone to say, “Hey, we’ve got this. Just one more day,” seemingly out of the blue to you.  He has a stranger at the grocery store pay for your ice cream when you’ve had a terrible day and just need comfort food, only to find out you forgot your wallet at home.  He has the clouds provide shelter from the hot sun and the breeze pick up right when you tell yourself it’s too hot.

He provides a moment of quiet and clarity in the middle of a busy day.  He reminds you that you are loved through friends, family, and even strangers in your life.

You see, Jesus did not condemn Thomas for doubting. He did not call him a fool. He did not tell him to leave. He did not tell him that the Kingdom of God was not right for him. Jesus took his doubt and gave him truth. He gave Thomas reason to believe. 

There are times in our lives when we doubt, but we must know that the truth is being given to us through all the beauty and goodness in the world. First, though, we must seek the truth. We must remind ourselves that our God is providing us with His love and reassurance through the little moments of joy, of peace, of camaraderie, of silence. 

Look for His reassurance.

Together, we pray:
My Lord and my God,
In the moments when the darkness and sadness seem to cover us
Reassure us of your light and your love.
In the moments when we feel surrounded by loneliness,
Reassure us that you are at our side, always.
In the moments that seem too difficult to overcome,
Reassure us of the strength and resilience that resides in us through you.
In the moments of uncertainty and doubt,
Reassure us of your truth through all that is good.
Son of God, we ask that you take our doubts and insecurities,
and transform them into faith in Your truth as you once did with Saint Thomas.

Amen.

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Veronica Alvarado is a born and raised Texan currently living in Michigan. Since graduating from Texas A&M University, Veronica has published various articles in the Catholic Diocese of Austin’s official newspaper, the Catholic Spirit, and other local publications. She now works as the Content Specialist in Diocesan’s Web Department.

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Your Sins Are Forgiven

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I certainly don’t remember my first reconciliation (we called it ‘confession’ then). I do remember feeling really weird in a reconciliation room without a screen or divider for the first time. What does always stay with me after receiving the sacrament of reconciliation is the feeling of relief and acceptance, the freedom that comes from a weight of angst, guilt, shame that has been lifted from my conscience.

I bet the same was true of the paralytic that Jesus healed in today’s gospel. During Jesus’ time, those with disabilities, infirmities, or mental illness were believed to be carrying great sins and usually shunned by society. The people who brought the paralytic on the stretcher had great faith. Jesus told the man, “[y]our sins are forgiven.” He rose and went home and the crowds there were struck with awe and glorified God.

I put the brackets around the ‘y’ above because Jesus came to forgive all of our sins, not just one person. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains reconciliation in this manner:

CCC 615-616 “…By his obedience unto death, Jesus accomplished the substitution of the suffering Servant, who “makes himself an offering for sin”, when “he bore the sin of many”, and who “shall make many to be accounted righteous”, for “he shall bear their iniquities”. Jesus atoned for our faults and made satisfaction for our sins to the Father.

616 It is love “to the end” that confers on Christ’s sacrifice its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction. He knew and loved us all when he offered his life…”

The gospel passage also has Jesus addressing the scribes whose ‘evil thoughts’ he knew, which brings in the social aspect of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus didn’t keep his ministry private, it was out in the open for all to see and hear, just like our forgiveness of sin and our redemption.

I had not taken advantage of the sacrament of reconciliation for much of my adolescence and young adult life (the Church considers youth or young adults ages 18-39yr old). I did begin to receive the sacrament with regularity when I began to have my own children and do volunteer work for the church. I realized I had a lot of work to do to become a better person all around, a better role model for my children and those with whom I worked in ministry (which is with everyone). I needed to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. There are a couple of resources below if you haven’t been to reconciliation in a while.


Pope Francis wrote about forgiveness (love) and redemption in his encyclical Evangelii Gaudium:

“Our redemption has a social dimension because “God, in Christ, redeems not only the individual person, but also . . . social relations.” To believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in everyone means realizing that he seeks to penetrate every human situation and all social bonds. Accepting the first proclamation, which invites us to receive God’s love and to love him in return with the very love which is his gift, brings forth in our lives and actions a primary and fundamental response: to desire, seek and protect the good of others.”   (178)

Today’s gospel acclamation and the responsorial psalm work very well together supporting this theme. The psalm tells us,‘ the judgments of the Lord are true, all of them just.’ The acclamation God reconciles the world to himself in Christ, thus entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. The last sentence of today’s gospel states: ‘the crowds ..were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings.’ Through Christ, we were given the authority to forgive sins (through the apostolic Church: the apostles, bishops and priests).

Our Holy Father  has said,

Being a Christian isn’t just following the commandments, but means being in Christ, thinking like him, acting like him, loving like him; it means letting him take possession of our lives and change them, transform them, free them from the darkness of evil and sin.

Make use of the sacrament of Reconciliation; it sets us free.

Three Minutes: Penance and Reconciliation

Catholicism in Focus: Reconciliation

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Beth is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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Relationship Building

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Do you ever feel like evil has all the power and has somehow won? Well here is a little quote from today’s Gospel reading that hit me in the face; “What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”

Even the evil spirits know the saving power of God and are aware of his strength. They may not like it, but they are aware of it and powerless before it. This has always given me so much hope. No matter what happens in life, Satan does not have the power, that alone belongs to God.

When Christ died on the cross he conquered sin once and for all. Yeah, yeah, yeah we have heard it all before. Jesus saved us. Take one minute. Take a deep breath. Breathe slowly and with every breath invite the Lord into your heart. Now take a moment to actually let the saving power of God work in your life. Let him speak truth into your heart. Let him wrap you in his sacred love.

We know so many concepts of the faith, like Jesus died for us, but let’s not let these be facts on a page. Let’s make them into real and tangible realities that change our lives forever. Take another moment. God loves you. He sees you. He knows you. Let him just be with you for a minute. Take a breath.

You know those moments when you have been away from someone for a really long time and then finally are reunited? Let’s try to live in such a way that we never have these with God. I have found that taking moments throughout the day to realize the reality of God’s love and to let it soak in can be so helpful. We build a relationship instead of just learning facts. That is where the beauty and love stream in. God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith.

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Liminal Spaces

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As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came upon the sea so that the boat was being swamped by waves, but he was asleep. They came and woke him…

Following Jesus can lead us to places where things get out of control, where our emotions feel like a violent storm and our thoughts threaten to capsize our sanity.

Jesus will bring us to liminal spaces. The word “liminal” is derived from the Latin word “limens,” which means threshold. When you find yourself in a liminal space, you are quite literally standing on the threshold between one room and another, one stage of your life and another, one reality and another.

Liminal spaces are disorienting. These fishermen who were quite familiar with having weathered storms before are suddenly disoriented and terrified. More than a potential watery death, this storm at sea is the middle stage of moving from one state to another.

Today’s reading is from chapter 8 of Matthew. In the fourth chapter, there is excitement running through every line. Jesus was calling his disciples and they left everything on the spot to follow him. Great crowds joined an accompanied him as he cured the sick who were brought to him and freed those possessed by demons. In chapters 5 through 7, we listen to Jesus speak to our hearts a new way of life in the Sermon on the Mount. In the first part of chapter 8 before the storm on the lake, Jesus encounters deeply humble people:

  • a leper who approached him and prostrated himself with the words, “if you willing, you can cure me,” and Jesus stretched out his hand,
  • the centurion who begged Jesus to heal his servant boy, stating that Jesus had but to say the word since he understood that Jesus’ spoke with authority and had the power to do as he asked,
  • Peter’s mother-in-law who doesn’t even ask to be healed, but who silently receives this gift and silently serves his needs.

Next, appear disciples who start putting conditions on their following Jesus: “I will accompany you…”; “let me bury my father first.”

And finally this storm at sea where the apostles need to make the transition from human excitement over the amazing life ahead of them as friends of this wonder-working rabbi to deeply humble disciples who have touched their absolute need for Jesus in a very scary situation.

Haven’t we all found ourselves in such a place? A divorce, financial disaster, a pandemic, illness, family difficulties, job loss, emotional problems, the discovery that we are not, and may never be who we thought we were and hoped we would become.

Jesus was in the boat with them and he is with us. He is just waiting for us to cry out to him from the middle of whatever liminal space we are in. Sometimes I think all of mid-life is a succession of these transitional thresholds that resemble the storm at sea. When the apostles cried out, Jesus immediately got up and quieted the storm. He was already there with them the whole time. The amazing gift of this miraculous calming of the waters leads not to the apostles feeling relief but to the intense need to fall at Jesus’ feet in a new type of amazement…in worship.

Being in a liminal state or place can be unsettling. It certainly feels uncomfortable. But if we open up to it, it can be the threshold to a new union with Jesus, to the dream he has for us, to an absolute conviction of God’s close tenderness in our every need.

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Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is the author of the newly released title: Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life’s Disappointments, by Pauline Books and Media. An author and spiritual mentor, she offers spiritual accompaniment for the contemporary Christian’s journey towards spiritual growth and inner healing. She is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey.

Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com
Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/
For monthly spiritual journaling guides, weekly podcasts and over 50 conferences and retreat programs join my Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/srkathryn.

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Who Do You Say I Am?

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In today’s Gospel Christ asks the apostles “who do you say I am?” – reflecting upon this question I realize how often I doubt who God is. I doubt His promises, His love, and His providence.

If God were to ask me this question I would truly not know how to answer. How often do I ask myself this question about God? Do I ask myself this tough question or do I try to make God fit into my own box?

When we don’t know how to respond to the question we can do two things to find the answer. First and foremost we can read Scripture, reading how God reveals Himself in the Living Word. We may also look back at our lives and see how God reveals Himself through the ways He leads and guides us on the journey.

Know that God loves you and deeply desires to reveal Himself to us. We must seek Him in Scripture and in the tapestries of our lives.

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Nathalie Shultz is a joyful convert to the Catholic faith and a competitive swimmer with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  She loves to share her passion for Catholicism with others, including her conversion story and how God continues to work miracles in her life through her OCD. She is the Director of Religious Education for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative of parishes. Nathalie is married to her best friend, Tommy Shultz. Her favorite saints include St. Peter the Apostle, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II.  She is also a huge fan of C.S. Lewis. If you have any questions for Nathalie, or just want her to pray for you, you can email her at rodzinkaministry@gmail.com. 

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Crossing Over

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In the year 586 B.C.E., King Nebuchadnezzar led his troops from Babylon to Jerusalem, intent on taking the city and its most precious gemstone, the Temple of Solomon. The Babylonian Talmud, a book of Jewish teaching, later recounted how as the fire spread throughout the sanctuary, the young priests took to the roof: “They said before God: Master of the Universe, since we did not merit to be faithful treasurers, and the Temple is being destroyed, let the Temple keys be handed to You.” Taking the keys of the Temple, they threw them upward, “and a kind of palm of a hand emerged and received the keys from them.” The priests then jumped from the roof down into the fire. The idea that the existence of the Temple, the central dwelling place of God’s presence, depended on the people’s fidelity to God was not unique to the Talmud. The Old Testament prophets had repeatedly warned Israel that dallying in the paganism of their neighbors precluded their ability to be “faithful treasurers” of God’s mysteries. The people’s idolatrous entanglements placed them outside the bounds of God’s covenant and therefore outside of his protection. That is why the Temple priests could connect the failings of Israel with King Nebuchadnezzar’s weakness for plunder.

Like the Temple, man and woman were made so as to be consecrated to God and dwelling places of his Spirit. In Genesis, Adam and Eve are introduced as God’s image and likeness, and the divine breath that gave them supernatural life made them children of God (Gen. 1:26, Lu. 3:38). After their fall from grace, the stain of original sin proved to be indelible, causing the author of Romans to lament, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (X:X).

As we know, when Jesus came, he reforged the covenant of God, but in order to do so, he had to confront the reality of death that had been the primeval consequence of sin. Interestingly, he explained this confrontation by likening his own body to the Jewish Temple: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it” (Jn. 2:19). These words were fulfilled when Jesus’ bodily temple was crucified and then raised from the dead three days later. In the words of Romans 6:10, “As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God.”

Because Jesus was the one “faithful treasurer” of God’s temple, his self-offering for sin was accepted. The Church tells us that baptism enables us to enter Christ’s body and become the vessels of holiness we were always intended to be. And yet baptism involves confronting the same reality of death that Jesus did: “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death” (Rom. 6:4). The rite of baptism is meant to be actualized in our daily lives, meaning that this death to sin is simultaneously a death to self. Jesus put the situation plainly: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me” (Mt. 10:37). The good news is that through the power of grace we can die to sin in the here and now, meaning that we can continually cross over into freedom and discover greater levels of union with God. In the words of the Savior: “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

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Nikol M. Jones is in her final year at Franciscan University’s Master’s in Theology and Christian Ministry program where it has been her joy to learn how to integrate the tools of modern biblical scholarship with the principles of biblical interpretation set forth by the Catholic Church in the service of the Word of God. She also has a passion for creating artwork and children’s books that honor the life and teachings of Christ. When she’s not studying or painting, she utilizes her writing and organizational skills as an administrative assistant. You can connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikol-m-jones-4b9893140/.

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What is it?

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What is it? The thing too impossible to climb like the vastest mountain range or inner chamber of the heart. The thing so ever-present but which constantly makes us shy further and further away. The thing that consumes our every thought as we try to distract from the fact it even exists. What is it that needs to be healed in our hearts?

Have you ever had surgery on the heart tissue? I have never personally had such surgery, but some people very close to me, including my brother and dad have. When it involves the heart there is instantly a worry, a fear, or panic. I remember one time when I was living on my own that I thought I was having a heart attack. I jumped out of bed and drove to the hospital as I thought this was it. After hours of testing, it turns out that the cajun tater tots I had the night before gave me such bad acid reflux that I thought I was dying. When it involves the heart we freak out.

Maybe this is the reason we are so afraid to let God into this very thing that terrifies us. Maybe we know he can heal, but we don’t want him to get that close. Maybe we have faith that he is God, but believe his time is better spent on others. Maybe we believe that our hearts were somehow created differently as if the heart switch in heaven was broken the day we were born, and we don’t function properly. We all have different reasons for believing that God should not get too close. We all have different reasons for our lack of faith. I ask myself today, what is mine? Then I ask you, what is yours?

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith.

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How Can We Sing?

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Today’s Psalm is eerily poignant for our current state of affairs.

The Psalmist is wallowing in his own misery while exiled in Babylon. There are many things he could have been weeping about.

Perhaps it was over the deaths of loved ones. We can relate to that right now, in the throws of a worldwide pandemic that has claimed the lives of so many.

Or perhaps he was weeping over the destroyed city & great temple of Jerusalem, and the loss of almost everything he owned. I’m sure small business owners whose stores have been ravaged and destroyed during the nationwide riots can sympathize with that.

He proceeds to remember in lamentation the great Zion, which was one of the hills that they had built the city of Jerusalem on. In Jerusalem, they were free to pluck their harps in joyful song to the Lord. The Psalmist is looking back on his past with longing of once-had pleasure and blessings, sitting in the present of forced captivity and cruelty, and looking toward the future with bleak hopelessness.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds almost exactly like what I have been feeling these past few months. Even the simple pleasures that we took for granted, like going to the park or enjoying a meal with loved ones, seem so distant. If God is good, how can He allow all of the brokenness, hurt, anger, and sickness that are surrounding us on every side? If we were created for love, why is there so much hatred amongst mankind right now? This is the age old question, isn’t it?

Like today’s Psalmist, I cry out to the heavens from my 3 bedroom place of captivity in desperation. I throw yet another load of laundry in the dryer, wash yet another dish, scramble to answer yet another email during naptime. How can I sing a joyful song to the Lord in this time, when I am barely able to mutter a sleepy Hail Mary as I trail off to sleep during my Rosary?

And then I remember my “Zion”. My 16 month old, bright-eyed, food-loving angel. Some mornings, he is the only thing that gets me out of bed. I turn on praise music and watch him raise his arms and sway with a reckless abandon that I wish I had. His first name (Judah) means ‘praise’, and he is the hill on which my hope is found right now.

How is it possible to cling to faith in the face of desperation? Look into the eyes of a child.

The world insists that “what you see is what you get!” If that were true right now, I don’t know if we would be able to find any reason to keep on living in today’s world. However, faith says otherwise – what we see is not what we get. We long for what is unseen by our mortal eyes. We await what we do not know because we have yet to experience it, almost like a baby that has yet to be born has no experience of the world.

In the Old Testament, hopelessness is often expressed by the narrator lifting up his voice and crying out to the Lord in desperation. Brothers and sisters, right now we are being called to echo the Psalmist. This is the great paradox of hope – being called to hang on to the branch even as it is beginning to break. In this year of 2020, we are being brought to our knees so that we can praise Him in the driest of valleys. Have faith that our Heavenly Father will come to draw you out. Your Zion will come again. But for now, let our tongue be silenced if we ever forget Him.

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Sarah Rose hails from Long Island and graduated from Franciscan University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Theology & Catechetics. She is happily married to her college sweetheart John Paul. They welcomed their first child, Judah Zion, in 2019. She is passionate about her big V-vocation: motherhood, and her little v-vocation: bringing people to encounter Christ through the true, the good, and the beautiful. She loves fictional novels, true crime podcasts/documentaries, the saints (especially Blessed Chiara Luce Badano), & sharing conversation over a good cup of coffee. She is currently the Coordinator of Young Adult Ministry at St. Cecilia Church in Oakley, Cincinnati. You can find out more about her ministry here: https://eastsidefaith.org/young-adult OR at https://www.facebook.com/stceciliayam.

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Set Solidly

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“How easily we could win Heaven day by day just by doing what we have to do — but doing it for God!” -St. John Vianney

In today’s Gospel, we hear the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The first words we hear are powerful and clear: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Later, Jesus uses the analogy of a house built on a rock–a strong foundation. Those who build their houses on rocks are safe and protected from dangers such as floods and winds. Those who build their houses on sand–a weak foundation–however, are susceptible to those dangers. In a homily on this Gospel, Pope Francis distinguishes between “Christians of words” and “Christians of action and of truth”. The “Christians of words” are those that say “Lord, Lord” but do not bear witness to those words with their actions; these Christians build their houses on sand. The “Christians of action and truth” are those that bear witness, through their actions, to the Truth of Christianity; these Christians build their houses on rock.

We were made to know, to love, and to serve God. It is part of our nature to follow His will. Yet, how often do we find ourselves saying the words but not following them with our actions? St. Teresa of Avila, in The Interior Castle, wrote “What value is there in faith without works? And what are they worth if they are not united to the merits of Jesus Christ, our only God?” Christ died on the Cross to save us from our sins. He did not simply say, “You are saved”. Rather, He became man, suffered persecution, and ultimately sacrificed His life for our sake. He is asking us to follow His example. He showed His love for us through His words and His actions. So too should we show our love for Him and be “Christians of action and truth”.

May we remain set solidly on the rock that is Christ and the Church and may we put our trust in the One who gave His life for our Redemption.

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Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO and teaches English Language Development and Spanish to high schoolers. She is married to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others. Check out more of her writing at https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com.

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Pre Evangelization

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I love the fact that on the Feast of John the Baptist, the Gospel doesn’t talk about him as much as it does his parents. We hear the story of Zechariah and his lack of faith that caused his mouth to be closed, but then the proclamation that again opened his mouth in order to praise God.

One could see this moment in scripture as the pre-evangelization. We all know that John the Baptist came to preach the name of Jesus and to evangelize, but oftentimes we need someone to come even before that and soften our hearts with a miracle, a prayer, an exclamation, or even just simply sitting and being with us.

This was certainly the case for Zechariah. He was literally visited by the Lord and did not believe that God had the power to give them a son. He needed a little miracle before he was to believe anything his son would later proclaim about Jesus.

Think about your family right now. Who is that one person who needs you to step in with that pre-evangelization? That smile, that prayer, that hug, that miracle granted by the Lord. Sometimes showing our genuine care preaches the Gospel more than literally preaching from the Gospel.

I can remember one time in my life where I was speaking at a retreat and there was a kid attending who was making fun the whole time and being obnoxious. I basically wrote him off as someone who would not find the Lord. After adoration, I saw him crying in the corner and at first, I didn’t believe it was genuine, but I went over and asked him how he was doing. He broke down over the next hour telling me about the profound experience he had in adoration and how it changed his life.

This kid was listening through the talks. He may not have wanted to admit it at first, but his walls were breaking down, and then Jesus came and did the ultimate conversion.

Who is that person in your life that needs their walls broken down just a little so they can listen to the Lord? I pray we all find one today and reach out and ask how they are doing and if we can pray for them. It may make all the difference. God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith.

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The Narrow Gate

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The narrow gate. So narrow only the few find it.

When I hear those words my heart sinks. It’s the few. The smart. The strong. The brave. The good. The extra good. The virtuous. The contemplative souls. The self-sacrificing hearts.

That’s not me. Not me…again.

The narrow path makes me think I need to find it. And when I find it I need to stay on it.

But we all know what happens when we are walking on narrow paths.

We step off the path, or fall off the path.

We get so absorbed in staying on the path that we miss the flowers along the way. We forget who we are walking toward and who is walking at our side.

We get curious and take a bit of a detour, or a long detour. Maybe we turn back because it is frighteningly narrow at certain points.

When I look at my life I have to admit, that’s me.

And if the gate is narrow, we need to be thin, small, unencumbered, simple to fit through in order to get where we want to go.

We have to be so careful for the evil one can feed us so many lies that lead to desolation and depression. Lies like: You aren’t good enough. God can’t love you now after this. See you can’t make up for time lost on this or that detour. Admit it, this happened because God is angry with you.

Friends, what if the narrow path was meant to be a joyous announcement, not a moral measure?

Perhaps Jesus was saying:

“Yes the path is narrow, so narrow you can’t find it or stay on it yourself. In fact, I already know that.

“The narrowness of the path is not a measure of how perfectly you find or stay on some spiritual trajectory you’ve chosen through life.

“The narrowness is about those who come to realize, through the struggles and failures of their attempts to live in my love, that they need me.

“Because they realize they are helpless.

“And are willing to trust entirely in what I am doing in and through them, even when they see only their sins and failures. The narrowness is the blessing of those who, layer by layer, let go of all they think they need, or want, to be happy.”

Since your Baptism, God has been unfolding within you his life, his way, his Word in us. Taking you along his unique path for you.

It is only gradually that we are taught, mentored, led along, brought back after wandering, personally carried if necessary, broken and rebuilt, renewed, recreated.

Only Jesus knows that narrow path, and only he can carry us on it. It is so narrow there is no room for two. He brings us along in his arms, within his heart, offering us at last to the Father as the greatest treasure of his love, as brother, as sister, as co-heir, as son and daughter of the Father.

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Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is the author of the newly released title: Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life’s Disappointments, by Pauline Books and Media. An author and spiritual mentor, she offers spiritual accompaniment for the contemporary Christian’s journey towards spiritual growth and inner healing. She is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey.

Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com

Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/

For monthly spiritual journaling guides, weekly podcasts and over 50 conferences and retreat programs join my Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/srkathryn.

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You Are Not the Judge

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We are so quick to judge. Sometimes we are a harsh judge of ourselves but, more often than not, our gaze is turned outward as we choose to judge others instead. We try to offer up explanations as to why they (whoever they are) aren’t good enough or successful enough or worthy enough – using ourselves as the measuring stick. We can all admit instances where we’ve done this in the past.

For example, I used to serve as a room host at Franciscan so that prospective students could spend a night in my dorm room and get a taste of residence hall life. When I got my first-ever room-hosting assignment, you better believe that I wanted to know who this girl was so I looked her up on Facebook. What I found (a post that supported beliefs that contradict the Catholic faith) shaped my whole view of this student’s impending visit and I began to dread her arrival and also anticipate her departure from campus. I clearly thought that I was better than her since I upheld Catholic teaching and I also struggled to see how she would fit in on this holy hill if she did not embrace this particular teaching. That weekend ended up being one of the most notably fun weekends of the entire school year and, after this girl left, I broke down in tears. You see, I recognized the harm that was done in having judged someone. This moment has since stuck with me and will continue to be remembered for the rest of my life.

I share that example because of the “after effect,” that sorrow and remorse I felt in my heart for realizing that I was wrong in having judged that girl. Not to say that I am perfect – I am still human and, therefore, I still struggle with the desire to judge others – but this experience has helped me to stop and think about the consequences of my thoughts and actions. Unfortunately, though, I think that many people have never experienced the “after effects” of their judgments and, overall, I believe this tendency of ours to judge has led to a lot of trouble in our current culture. Society has become conditioned to judge based on skin color, tone of voice, gender, and many other things when it is not our place to judge anyone, ever, at all. We still need to learn to see each other as made in God’s image and likeness, to see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, first and foremost.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to look inwardly, to not see the splinter in another’s eye but to actually (finally) notice the wooden beam sticking out of our own eye. In my case, the splinter was this girl’s stance on a particular Church teaching but the wooden beam in my eye is how I looked at her because of that teaching and the judgments I formed in my own heart. It may be a challenge but I would encourage you to start identifying the wooden beams in your life and work hard to remove them. True change cannot happen without interior work, a conversion of our own heart.

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Erin is a Cleveland native and graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Following graduation, she began volunteering in youth ministry at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Her first “big girl” job was in collegiate sports information where, after a busy two years in the profession on top of serving the youth, she took a leap of faith and followed the Lord’s call to full-time youth ministry at St. Peter Church. She still hopes to use her communication arts degree as a freelance writer and statistician, though. You can catch her on the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter @erinmadden2016.