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Spiritual Seasons / Temporadas Espirituales

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As I write this, the days are getting shorter. In a few weeks we will ”fall behind” and the sun will set earlier. When you read this we will be on the other side, closer to the “spring forward” clock change and longer days. But the leaves are falling now. The summer plants have had enough and the flannel shirts are back in rotation. Soon we will feel like the people in darkness again. 

As I grow closer to God I’m more in awe of his genius and how his creation so beautifully mirrors the spiritual life. The natural seasons guide us through times of literal darkness. We watch plants die and trees go dormant. There is no growth in the darkness. Nature sleeps. 

In the spiritual life there are dark times also. St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. John of the Cross wrote of their dark nights of the soul. A natural part of our spiritual life includes times when God seems far away. Our prayer is dry. We don’t feel the emotions from worship and prayer that we enjoy and associate with a close relationship with Jesus. These are hard times. This is the winter of our spiritual life.

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that those who know him will not walk in darkness. He is the light. In this spiritual winter, we can know that spiritual spring, like natural spring, will indeed come again. While we may not often see the sun, we know from experience it is there. We know that nature will come alive and thrive as the days grow longer.

Winter in the spiritual life is a time when we need to have faith that we will see the Son again. He is there even though he seems to be behind the clouds in our hearts. We can and should have faith that spiritual spring will return and we will be all the more grateful and appreciative because we experienced the winter. 

Jesus is the light. Just as tulips and daffodils push through the cold soil to reach toward heaven, we too push through the dry times reaching toward the light of Christ. 

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Mientras escribo esto, los días son cada vez más cortos. En unas pocas semanas nos cambiaremos la hora y el sol se pondrá más temprano. Cuando leas esto, estaremos del otro lado, más cerca del cambio de reloj de primavera y con días más largos. Pero las hojas están cayendo ahora. Las plantas de verano ya se han muerto y las camisas de franela están de vuelta. Pronto volveremos a sentirnos como el pueblo en la oscuridad.

A medida que me acerco más a Dios, me asombro más de su genio y cómo su creación refleja tan bellamente la vida espiritual. Las estaciones naturales nos guían a través de tiempos de oscuridad literal. Vemos las plantas morir y los árboles quedar inactivos. No hay crecimiento en la oscuridad. La naturaleza duerme.

En la vida espiritual también hay tiempos oscuros. Santa Teresa de Calcuta y San Juan de la Cruz escribieron sobre sus noches oscuras del alma. Una parte natural de nuestra vida espiritual incluye momentos en los que Dios parece estar muy lejos. Nuestra oración es seca. No sentimos las emociones de la adoración y la oración que disfrutamos y asociamos con una relación cercana con Jesús. Estos son tiempos difíciles. Este es el invierno de nuestra vida espiritual.

En el Evangelio de hoy Jesús nos dice que quien lo conoce no andará en tinieblas. Él es la luz. En este invierno espiritual, podemos saber que la primavera espiritual, como la primavera natural, vendrá de nuevo. Si bien es posible que no veamos el sol con frecuencia, sabemos por experiencia que está allí. Sabemos que la naturaleza brotará y prosperará a medida que los días se hagan más largos.

Durante los tiempos de invierno en la vida espiritual hay que tener fe en que volveremos a ver al Hijo. Él está allí aunque parece estar detrás de las nubes en nuestros corazones. Podemos y debemos tener fe en que la primavera espiritual regresará y estaremos aún más agradecidos porque hemos experimentado el invierno.

Jesús es la luz. Así como los tulipanes y los narcisos se abren paso a través de la tierra fría para alcanzar el cielo, nosotros también nos abrimos paso a través de los tiempos secos para alcanzar la luz de Cristo.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Jesus Wants to Transform Us / Jesús Quiere Transformarnos

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As part of my penance a priest told me to pray for a person who’d hurt me. It was a big hurt, one that took much out of me and required many long processing conversations. My feelings toward this person were almost 180 degrees from charitable. My face must have reflected my horror at this suggestion. Praying for this person seemed not only absurd but impossible. 

I then learned that if the penance we are offered is too much, as in truly too much not just challenging, we can request something else. This priest had walked with me during this incident and knew I was not yet ready to pray for this person. He gently suggested I pray for the desire to pray. I wanted to back up even further and pray for the desire to pray for the desire but instead accepted penance #2. 

Jesus’ request to love our enemies is a challenge to be sure. The people I love elicit feelings of warmth and affection. It’s easy to pray for those people. There were no feelings of affection for this individual. The feelings were far away from love. 

But Jesus said to love our enemies and those who persecute us. He doesn’t suggest it or tell us to do it only if we can. Love is not just devotion and closeness. Love is wanting good for the other. That makes it easier. I cannot imagine feeling warmth but I can imagine wanting goodness for this person.

Jesus desires our hearts to be conformed to his. He wants to transform us. This is painful and hard because our human response to our enemies is not love but self-protection, justice, and sometimes revenge. But we can be confident knowing that while Jesus asks much, his generosity is great. He doesn’t expect us to instantly have a change of heart. He knows it is a journey and he is on it with us. 

It is okay if all we can muster is the desire to pray for one who has hurt us and I believe it is also okay to pray for the desire to pray for the desire to pray. If we offer our hearts to Jesus, he will teach us to have a heart like his and ultimately we will be able to love our enemies and those who persecute us and we will experience greater freedom as a result. 

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Como parte de mi penitencia, un sacerdote me dijo que rezara por una persona que me había hecho daño. Fue un gran dolor, uno que me afectó mucho y requirió muchas conversaciones largas de procesamiento. Mis sentimientos hacia esta persona eran exactamente opuestos a la caridad. Mi rostro debe haber reflejado mi horror ante esta sugerencia. Orar por esta persona parecía no sólo absurdo sino imposible.

Luego aprendí que si la penitencia que se nos ofrece es demasiado, como realmente demasiado y no solo desafiante, podemos pedir otra. Este sacerdote había caminado conmigo durante este incidente y sabía que aún no estaba listo para orar por esta persona. Suavemente me sugirió que orara por el deseo de orar. Quería retroceder aún más y orar por el deseo de orar por el deseo, pero en cambio acepté la penitencia #2.

El pedido de Jesús de amar a nuestros enemigos es sin duda un desafío. Las personas que amo provocan sentimientos de calidez y afecto. Es fácil orar por esas personas. No había sentimientos de afecto por este individuo. Los sentimientos estaban muy lejos del amor.

Pero Jesús dijo que amemos a nuestros enemigos y a los que nos persiguen. Él no lo sugiere ni nos dice que lo hagamos solo si podemos. El amor no es sólo devoción y cercanía. El amor es querer el bien del otro. Eso lo hace más fácil. No puedo imaginar sentir calidez, pero puedo imaginar querer bondad para esta persona.

Jesús desea que nuestro corazón sea conforme al suyo. Él quiere transformarnos. Esto es doloroso y duro porque nuestra respuesta humana a nuestros enemigos no es amor sino autoprotección, justicia y, a veces, venganza. Pero podemos estar seguros sabiendo que si bien Jesús pide mucho, su generosidad es grande. Él no espera que instantáneamente tengamos un cambio de corazón. Él sabe que vamos paso por paso y está caminando con nosotros.

Está bien si todo lo que podemos hacer es pedir el deseo de orar por alguien que nos ha lastimado. Si ofrecemos nuestro corazón a Jesús, él nos enseñará a tener un corazón como el suyo y finalmente podremos amar a nuestros enemigos y a los que nos persiguen y como resultado experimentaremos mayor libertad.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Ash Wednesday / Miércoles de Ceniza

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We are reminded today to give alms, pray, and fast. We remember that we don’t do these things for the world, but rather we do them for God and our Father who sees in secret will reward us.

During Lent, we are invited into the solitude, the place in our hearts where God dwells and only we and he have access to. St. John Paul II referred to it as original solitude. We are alone in the visible world. We commune with others and often our focus remains fixed on these others. We get concerned about our relationship with them and what they think. We desire approval and acceptance because without them we are alone. We think.

Original solitude, God seeing in secret, reminds us that we are never truly alone if we open our hearts to God. We can rest in his love at all times. God is inviting us deeper into this solitude this Lent. He asks us to give, to pray, and to fast to help others, yes, but also because those actions help purify us and bring us closer to him. And as we grow closer to him, we become more aware of our original solitude and rejoice in it because it is there that we are known, seen, and loved; there in the secret of our own and our Father’s heart. We learn to turn from our desire to share all with everyone else and instead reserve some things for just him.

Every Lent is a challenge and an invitation to step closer to the One who made us and is always calling us deeper. Choose to answer this invitation. Choose to give a little more, pray a little more, fast a little more, all the while keeping it between you and your Father in heaven. Come up with an answer to the inevitable question “What are you doing/giving up for Lent?” Be mysterious. Be elusive about it. Let it be an offering from you to God. Offer him your desire to share. Accept the challenge. Rsvp to the invitation. Let God work in your heart by meeting him there in that secret place where it’s just you and him. It’s going to be an amazing forty days.

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Hoy se nos recuerda dar limosna, orar y ayunar. Nos acordamos que no hacemos estas cosas por el mundo, sino que las hacemos para Dios y nuestro Padre que ve en lo secreto nos recompensará.

Durante la Cuaresma, somos invitados a la soledad, el lugar en nuestros corazones donde mora Dios y solo nosotros y él tenemos acceso. San Juan Pablo II se refirió a ella como la soledad original. Estamos solos en el mundo visible. Estamos en comunión con los demás y, a menudo, nuestro enfoque se fija en ellos. Nos preocupamos por nuestra relación con ellos y lo que piensan. Queremos la aprobación y aceptación porque sin ellas estamos solos. Eso es lo que pensamos.

La soledad original, Dios viendo en lo secreto, nos recuerda que nunca estamos verdaderamente solos si abrimos nuestro corazón a Él. Podemos descansar en su amor en todo momento. Dios nos está invitando a profundizar en este tipo de soledad esta Cuaresma. Nos pide dar, orar y ayunar para ayudar a los demás, sí, pero también porque esas acciones ayudan a purificarnos y acercarnos a él. Y a medida que nos acerquemos a él, tomamos más conciencia de nuestra soledad original y nos regocijamos en ella porque es allí donde somos conocidos, vistos y amados; allí en el secreto de nuestro corazón y él de nuestro Padre. Aprendemos a alejarnos de nuestro deseo de compartir todo con todos los demás y, en cambio, reservamos algunas cosas solo para él.

Cada Cuaresma es un desafío y una invitación a acercarnos a Aquel que nos hizo y que siempre nos llama a profundizar más. Elige responder a esta invitación. Elige dar un poco más, orar un poco más, ayunar un poco más, guardándolo todo el tiempo entre tú y tu Padre en el cielo. Piensa en una respuesta a la pregunta inevitable “¿Qué estás haciendo/renunciando para la Cuaresma?” Sé misterioso. Sea elusivo al respecto. Que sea una ofrenda tuya a Dios. Ofrécele tu deseo de compartir. Acepta el desafío. Responde a la invitación. Deja que Dios obre en tu corazón al encontrarlo allí en ese lugar secreto donde solo estás tú y él. Van a ser cuarenta días increíbles.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Loving God First / Amar a Dios Primero

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This Gospel is challenging. Loving anyone more than I love my family feels impossible. It is hard thinking that God gave me these people to journey through life with only to say “love them but love me more.” 

But that’s exactly how it is. It’s true I love him by loving them, but my goal is to be with him in heaven. We help each other grow in holiness and the goal of marriage is to help your spouse get to heaven but we must always put God first. He even says that if we love our parents or children more than him, we are not worthy of him. 

This isn’t an exhortation to not love my family but an affirmation of how important it is to love God. My heavenly Father must be first in my heart because he ordained it to be that way. In loving God we fulfill our reason for existing. We were created to freely love him and that is where we find true joy and peace.

Yes, we love our husbands and children but we must love God more. We receive the grace to do this through the sacraments. We receive Jesus in Holy Communion and we are reconciled to him in confession. God knows our weaknesses and he sent us his Son to teach us how to love him more. Jesus is a loving and gentle teacher and if we entrust ourselves to him, he will show us how to put our Father first in all we do and are. 

Where in your life do you need to put God first?

Jesus, please teach me how to love you more. Help me to put you first in everything.

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Este Evangelio es un reto. Amar a alguien más que amar a la familia parece imposible. Es difícil pensar que Dios me dio a estas personas para viajar por la vida con solo decir “ámalos pero ámame más”.

Pero así es. Es verdad que amo a Dios amándolos a ellos, pero mi meta es estar con él en el cielo. Nos ayudamos los unos a los otros a crecer en la santidad y el objetivo del matrimonio es ayudar al cónyuge a llegar al cielo, pero siempre debemos poner a Dios primero. Incluso dice que si amamos a nuestros padres o hijos más que a él, no somos dignos de él.

Esto no es una exhortación a no amar a la familia, sino una afirmación de cuán importante es amar a Dios. Mi Padre celestial debe ser primero en mi corazón porque así lo ordenó. Al amar a Dios cumplimos nuestra razón de existir. Fuimos creados para amarlo libremente y ahí es donde encontramos el verdadero gozo y la paz.

Sí, amamos a nuestros esposos e hijos, pero debemos amar más a Dios. Recibimos la gracia de hacer esto a través de los sacramentos. Recibimos a Jesús en la Sagrada Comunión y nos reconciliamos con él en la confesión. Dios conoce nuestras debilidades y nos envió a su Hijo para enseñarnos a amarlo más. Jesús es un maestro amoroso y dulce y si nos encomendamos a él, nos mostrará cómo poner a nuestro Padre en primer lugar en todo lo que hacemos y somos.

¿En qué parte de tu vida necesitas poner a Dios primero?

Jesucristo, por favor, enséñame a amarte más. Ayúdame a ponerte primero en todo.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Mary Our Mother

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In addition to giving himself in the Eucharist, Jesus shared his mother with us too. When he told John, “Behold your mother,” we all received a spiritual mother and she’s a good one. 

Mary loves us and points us toward her Son. She doesn’t  judge the cleanliness of our house or our appearance or our life choices. She accepts us and welcomes us into her heart. She intercedes for us, bringing our petitions to Jesus herself. Who better to bring them than his mother?

Mary also models for us how to be a mother. In her quiet, humble way she raised the Savior of the world. We know her to be meek, gentle, and good. She is also strong and protective and I’ve learned that she loves my kids as much as I do. 

When my oldest was stumbling through his senior year of high school filled with indecision I felt like I was not being the mother he needed me to be. I decided to give him to Mary. I asked for her help and stepped back. I felt relieved knowing he was in her loving hands. After a year commuting to college from home he announced that he found a school he wanted to attend – the University of Mary. It was the perfect place for him. I believe it was Mary’s intercession that helped him find his path. 

God knows we sometimes struggle with our earthly parents and we sometimes struggle being parents so he gives us help. Whether you have a great or not so great relationship with your mother, you can be assured that Mary is always there loving you and willing to help. 

Where do you need your mother Mary’s intercession right now?

Mary, I ask for your prayers for my special intentions (name them) and trust that all will be well.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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I Know My Sheep

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Our practice is to attend 8:30 Sunday Mass but sometimes that doesn’t work out. One Monday after such a time, I ran into my priest and he asked where we were the preceding day. “I know my sheep,” he said with a smile. I knew he wasn’t chastising me. He cares about his parishioners. It feels good to be noticed and known. And missed.

I love the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. St Therese of Lisieux encourages us to be childlike in our love and trust of Jesus but I often feel more like a sheep than a child. Sheep aren’t really the brain trusts of the barnyard. Left alone, they become overly wooly. Their vision is impaired as is their movement. Recall Baarack, the Australian sheep found with over 75 pounds of wool weighing him down. 

This is a metaphor for the spiritual life. Left alone, my gaze shifts away from Jesus. When I am not diligent in prayer, when I wait too long between confessions, it becomes harder and harder to remember where I should be focusing my vision. It’s easy to get caught up in the issues being played out in the news or on social media. I find I am less patient, less charitable, and less nice. Instead of trying to see Christ in those around me, I see the negatives. My eyes become clouded with the wool of sin.  

I also find I am bearing the weight of my sins and stress.  In times of consolation, I can skip through my busy day of interruptions and tasks, and still feel good. I am energized by my life. Again, when I lose my habit of prayer, the stressors of life grow like uncontrolled wool and weigh me down. Everything is harder. I want to sleep.

Jesus is the shepherd who takes care of me. When I drag my wooly, weighted-down self to him, he shears off the sin and shows me the light again. I know his voice and he never ceases calling me to him. He is waiting patiently to help me. He desires to keep me safe. When I surrender to him, he sleeps at the gate of the sheepfold, protecting me from the wolves prowling outside. 

Jesus came so that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). What a wonderful message! As we journey through this life, we have a shepherd who came for the express purpose of bringing us salvation and abundance. We know his voice. We know he wants us to follow him. It is hard and brings its own set of challenges in a world that has turned away from God, but we may be assured that our shepherd will always be there guiding, protecting, and shearing away the excess that gets in our way.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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God Will Save You

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There are four poignant verses in the story of Susanna that exemplify the battle between good and evil. The two elders saw Susanna’s beauty, and treating her as an object instead of a person, they “suppressed their consciences; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments.” (Dn 13:9)The temptation to sin was so great they pushed aside their moral compass. They made a choice to turn from God and they paid for it with their lives. Evil won in their case. How often do we make a conscious choice away from God, knowing that what we are doing is wrong?

Susanna, on the other hand, never turned her gaze from God. She knew that to acquiesce to their threats would be safest but would also be allowing herself to enter into sin. In fighting against them, she was opening herself to punishment as it was the word of  two elders against hers. In a culture where women were not valued, this was sure to lead to her death. But so great was her love for God, she was willing to risk it all. “Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to sin before the Lord.” (Dn 13: 23) How often do we choose God over what is easy or safe?

She prayed to God and trusted him. When she was in front of the assembly being accused of adultery in a land where the punishment for adultery is death, she called out to God who knows what is true and what is hidden. In front of her accusers, her family, and her husband she spoke the truth. How often do we trust that if we speak truth, God will take care of us?

“The Lord heard her prayer.” (Dn 13:44) He always does. Our God is good and powerful and faithful. No matter how dire the situation, we can know that he is with us, he hears us, and he never abandons us. 

Her faith saved her. In front of all the people, Daniel proved the elders were lying and Susanna was set free. Her faith also helped others because they saw that it was God’s work they witnessed and “The whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in him.” (Dan 13:60)

There is evil in the world. We are tempted on a daily basis. It is up to us to choose to keep our eyes on God or to succumb to the temptations. It is also up to us to trust that God will be with us in that choice and his grace will lead us through. The Lord will hear our prayers and we can rejoice and praise him because he will save us. 

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Our Mountaintop Experiences

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Last summer I attended a Theology of the Body course and had a mountaintop experience. A diverse group of people from around the world came together to learn about St. John Paul II’s teaching and in the span of five days we grew to love each other. Each person I met was amazing, joyful, and in love with Jesus. It was a foretaste of heaven. 

It was a mountaintop much like the one Peter, James, and John were on. It was there they caught a glimpse of what was to come and enthusiastically Peter suggested they build booths for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Peter wanted to set up camp and stay but that was not what Jesus had in mind. Jesus brought them down from the mountain because there was still work to do. It wasn’t time yet. 

I think God offers us these experiences to give us hope in the goodness he has in store for us. Whether it’s a conference, a time of prayer or even a time with loved ones where we are sure of his presence, I believe God offers us this to buoy us up. And even though like Peter, we desire to stay and soak it in, it’s not time yet. 

Those amazing experiences inspire and feed us and now is the time to share them. Share a time when Jesus reached down and touched you, a time when it felt real. There’s someone who needs to hear it. Those moments are good and beautiful and not just for us alone. Don’t stay on the mountain. Come down and do the work. It’s not time to stay yet, but soon it will be. 

What story of an experience with Jesus can you share?

Jesus, please give me the opportunity to share a story about my experience with you and give me the words you desire someone else to hear. 

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Whoever Is Ashamed Of Me

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Being ashamed of someone implies a familial relationship, a deep level of caring.  We can get mad at people in whom we have no emotional investment.  Being ashamed is reserved for those for whom we love. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals that he will be ashamed of whoever is ashamed of him. How painful to see that shame on his face. I want to avoid doing anything that would lead to it but I find sometimes I am ashamed.

 I am ashamed of him when I am too embarrassed to give thanks for my food when in a restaurant.

I am ashamed when I implicitly agree with something wrong because I don’t want to be seen as a weirdo.

I am ashamed when I don’t tell people how profoundly my life has changed for the better because of his love.

I am ashamed when I don’t defend the teachings of the Church as Truth.

It is what I refrain from  doing or saying because I am still too concerned with what others think. The only one whose opinion matters is the Lord’s.

I need to be ok with being judged by strangers, and given today’s faithless and sinful generation, probably mocked or criticized or called names. In this divisive time, secular society has decided what we can and cannot believe and say. Even if we quietly live our Catholic faith, we experience the judgment. As my husband and I went through a deepening of our faith over the past six years or so, we have grown closer to Jesus and farther from some friends. We know that our decision to embrace our Catholicity has turned them off. We don’t preach or condemn but we also don’t hide decisions we have made for ourselves and our family. 

But more and more just living our faith is not enough. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older but I fear for our society. We ran into some neighbors who were telling us how diverse our old block had become but when they described the Orthodox Jewish family as part of a cult, we realized that diversity only applies to lifestyle not religious beliefs. 

I do not ever want Jesus to be ashamed of me – he died to save my soul – so words need to be used. I pray for the courage to use those words and not be ashamed of our Savior.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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You Are God’s Beloved Child

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While admiring photos of a friend’s daughter I thought that how she feels – the pride, love, and joy –  is how God feels about us. Our love for our own children is mirrored in the love of God for us as his beloved children.

I remember my own children as toddlers. Toddlers are uncivilized, irrational, emotional bundles of messiness and dirty diapers and even though I wondered if they would ever be decent enough to be let loose in the world, I loved them deeply. No matter how often they did the same naughty thing, when they said something hurtful to me, or just exasperated me with their childishness, I never didn’t forgive them. I always longed to be in communion with them. 

This is how God feels about us only infinitely more. He sees us doing stupid stuff, hurting each other, and being disrespectful to him. He also sees our goodness. He sees how we strive and when we turn our gaze toward him and ask for forgiveness he welcomes us back with joy because we are his children. 

God said of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son.” Jesus hadn’t begun his public ministry yet. He hadn’t healed anyone or driven out any demons but God loved him and was pleased. No matter how messy you are or were or will be, you can always, always run to God’s waiting arms like a toddler running to her mother. He will be delighted to have you there. He’s waiting.

Imagine God saying the same of you just as you would of your own child. Be bold and insert your name.

“This is my beloved son/daughter ______ with whom I am pleased.”

God, thank you for creating me to be your beloved child. Help me to rest in your love today. 

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Jesus is Born!

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In preparing for Christmas in Italy, a family will assemble an intricate, detailed Nativity Scene called a presepe.  This custom was started by our beloved St. Francis of Assisi on Christmas Eve in 1223.  The presepe goes beyond a mere stable to include a landscape of the village and hillsides.  In addition to Mary, Joseph, assorted shepherds and wise kings who have often arrived too early, are villagers going about their daily chores.  The ordinary life of ordinary people is depicted.  What is not immediately part of the display is the Christ child.  In true Catholic tradition, the baby Jesus does not arrive until his appointed time at Christmas.

One tradition is to hide the babe somewhere in the village.  Viewers are tasked with trying to find him, a subtle reminder that Jesus can be anywhere, even in the mundane and prosaic.  The presepe is also a remembrance that our Lord was born without pomp.  The greatest thing to happen to the human race occurred quietly one night. The next day, all but a handful of people went about their daily life with no change.  Men and women labored.  Children played.  No one knew that the Son of God was in their midst and the world was going to change.

The Son of God is still in our midst.  Men and women still labor. Children still play. Now we celebrate each year.  As we search the presepe for the Christ child we also slow down and search the world for him.  He is present in the people we encounter and the tasks we complete.  Like a snowfall, Jesus brings beauty and unexpected joy.  He softens the harshness of our lives.  He connects us to others.  Everything is the same but so much better.  He comes during the darkest time of the year and brings us hope and light.

If we still our minds and hearts, if we step back from the hustle, if we just pause and breathe, we will find him quietly beckoning to us, inviting us in.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year! Today is the first day of the new Liturgical Year as well as the first Sunday of Advent. Today we begin our watch. Today we begin to prepare for the birth of our Lord.

The days are short and dark now and for those who live in the northern part of the country they are cold. There’s a beautiful purposefulness in this. The darkness we experience is a reminder of the darkness in the world before Christ was born. The prophet Jeremiah writes during the time the people of Israel and Judah were exiled. The tribes were scattered throughout Babylon and Assyria, taken from their homeland, living with strangers in a strange land. The times were dark and they were far from God. 

But Jeremiah writes with hope. He tells of God fulfilling his promise to the houses of Israel to save them. Jeremiah is prophesying the coming of Jesus, the one who will rescue them from the darkness. They were in a period of waiting just as we too enter a period of waiting during these dark months. 

It can’t be a coincidence that the shortest day of the year – December 21 – is just four days before the birth of Christ, our light. The days will be getting longer as we celebrate his birth. We remember that Jesus came so that we may live. He brought light to the world. 

So we begin this time with a spirit of watchfulness as Jesus commands in the Gospel. He is referring to end times but the attitude required of us is the same. We are reminded that this world is fleeting. This time on earth may be dark. It may have trials and it may be frustrating, but it isn’t permanent. 

Jesus is coming to save us and in the end we can be with him in heaven where the light of God will envelop us in pure love and joy. 

Keep watch this Advent. Start this new year watching and waiting for our Lord and believing in Jeremiah’s words that he is coming to lead us out of the darkness and into the light of his – and our- Father. 

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

Feature Image Credit: Engin Akyurt, https://pixabay.com/photos/fire-flame-in-the-dark-burn-yellow-2373327/