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Be Transformed

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While sitting down to write the reflection for today’s Gospel I was stuck on what to say. I have felt lukewarm in my faith lately, struggling to find the passion and fire that I typically have since converting to the Catholic faith. Life has been so crazy, but good, and I tend to lose track of all the things I need to be grateful for when I hit a slump in faith.

After reading the Gospel a few times I started to think about the word transfiguration. When I think of this word I think of being changed or transformed, and ultimately becoming the saints we are destined to become. We are called to be dazzling and pure with the Lord, and Christ has purchased for us the rewards that we may gain in eternal life. How can I not think of this and automatically be on my knees in thanksgiving?

If I am being honest, I think it is easier to live a life of lukewarm faith, going through the motions. It is harder to stand up for what is right, to live a life full of joy, and to trust God in all the ways He is transforming us. While struggling with depression and anxiety, it is easier for me to feel sorry for myself rather than reflect upon all of the blessings in my life. Anxiety is very debilitating and I pray for all those that carry this cross on a daily basis – be encouraged that with continual prayer and pursuit of Christ He will help us carry this cross on a daily basis, even when we don’t realize it. No matter your cross, ask yourself one question: how is God using this cross to make you more like Christ?

I believe that ultimately this is what God was speaking to me through today’s Gospel: we are all called to be transformed, and we have to go through the highs and lows of spiritual life in order to reach this transformation. We must experience all of these facets of the human experience so that we may more fully realize our call to live according to our original state in Creation and our identity in the Lord.  

Look to St. Teresa of Calcutta for inspiration: she experienced silence while praying to God for decades of her life, but she consistently chose joy and pursued Christ. She exercised virtue and good will in choosing the road that wasn’t easy, a road that was narrow, a road full of trials – ultimately this road led to sainthood and deep relationship with Christ.

Be strong, be brave, and be persistent. No matter how many times you are knocked down ask Christ to help you back up. He is always there and will always be there – all He desires is that we ask great things of Him and trust. Please know of my prayers for you as we all endure the daily struggle and grow in virtue as we choose Love over comfort.

“Joy is prayer; joy is strength; joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” –St. Teresa of Calcutta

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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 ignitedinchristnacc@gmail.com.

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Where You Lead

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“If we wish to follow Christ closely, we cannot choose an easy, quiet life.  It will be a demanding life, but full of joy.” –Pope Francis

Today’s Gospel reading quotes Christ saying, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39). Over the past few years I have had times of feeling like I am right where I belong, and other times I have felt completely out of sorts. There have been joys and their have been trials in life. Navigating the ups and downs of having an anxiety disorder, moving away from my hometown, and changing jobs multiple times have caused me great distress and ultimately increased my desire to follow Christ.

When we face the struggles of life it can be debilitating. Time and time again I have difficulty taking the trials that come my way in stride – I prefer to feel sorry for myself, be depressed, and ultimately feel hopeless. I don’t prefer this approach to trials because it feels good, but rather because it is easier. It is easier to feel bad for myself and feel as though I am being persecuted, and it is much harder to focus upon the positives in life and how God has blessed me along the journey of life thus far.

The road to Heaven is narrow. With the call to carry our cross and follow Christ we are automatically embracing the suffering that will come our way, because we will always face suffering in this life.  When we maintain our peace and trust in God’s promises we grow in relationship with Him through leaning on Him more and more. When we give up control, lose our life for the Kingdom, embrace the suffering, and go wherever Christ calls without reservation He will bless our endeavors beyond our wildest dreams – we belong to Him and we find our lives in Him.

“Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.” –St. Teresa of Calcutta

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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.  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 ignitedinchristnacc@gmail.com.

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Belief in the Son

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“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. –C.S. Lewis

I often think about what it would be like to walk alongside Christ. What if he knocked on my door and asked to go for a walk, or what if He came into the house and sat on our couch? I wish that I could experience Him in the way that the apostles did while they spent time with Him before His ascension into Heaven, the way that the individuals encountered Him on the Road to Emmaus.

While I often imagine what these happenings would be like I am simultaneously wondering if I would truly believe Christ was physically present with me, would my heart be on fire due to His presence, or would I need proof of His presence by touching His side and wounds like St. Thomas the Apostle did?

St. Thomas said he would not believe Christ had appeared to the rest of the apostles unless he could see Christ’s wounds and put his hand into Christ’s side. How often do we doubt God’s presence and power in our own lives, wanting physical signs of God?  I tend to pray for signs, even though I know God does not want me to test Him – rather He wants me to trust with an open heart all of His promises. How do we let our soul ascent to the Heavens rather than let our hearts get stuck in the mud? The answer lies in the Sacraments that God has given us in the Church.

God knows that as humans we need our senses to be engaged so that we can be further drawn into the mysteries of our faith.  When you have trouble believing in God’s presence look to the sacraments. God gives us a physical sign of His love through the graces He provides in the sacraments instituted by Christ. While it takes a great leap of faith to believe in the sacraments, who God is, and all that the Church teaches we must remember that the road to Heaven is narrow and will ask great things of us. God sent His only Son to help us walk this narrow path with an open heart and faith in Christ’s promises. If we look to the life of Christ on earth we can be more assured than ever of the truth of who God really is: Shepherd, Bread of Life, the Lamb, and the Light.

No matter the trials we face in believing in God and all of His promises He walks gently beside us through our times of disbelief and doubt, desiring for us to reach out and ask for help when we have trouble trusting in His goodness.  The trials we face of unbelief help us to rely more upon our Lord, and ultimately the times we stumble make the triumphs in faith so much sweeter, increasing our strength on our faith journey towards sainthood.

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. –St. Augustine

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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.  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 ignitedinchristnacc@gmail.com.

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The Heart of Baptism

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“What have I done with my baptism and confirmation? Is Christ really at the center of my life? Do I have time for prayer in my life? Do I live my life as a vocation and mission?”

– Pope St. John Paul II

I have always found water to be beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. One minute water can be still as glass and other times it chops and crashes against the shore. Some individuals will not step into open water, while others go swimming with sharks. I believe that water demands respect – you have to understand the elements and how they work together to impact the terrain ahead.

My great trust in the water started when I was 4, the point in time where I started to take swim lessons. I was that kid that would jump into the deep end with no fear, and so my parents wanted me to start lessons as soon as possible so that I developed an understanding of water. From these lessons, I grew stronger in the water and began swimming competitively. By the time I was 5, I started to compete in meets, and this continued for 14 years of my life. After a 9 year break from swimming, I am finally training again and competing in meets this weekend.

While I have a pretty strong comfort level in the water I still know not to underestimate its power (whether in a pool or open water). When it comes to open water settings the current and tides are major factors of how safe the water is. The weather also determines a good day for embarking on an open water journey.

Why do I keep going on about water? Well, today is the day in history that Pope St. John Paul II was baptized in Wadowice, Poland. One of the greatest saints of all time began his journey in Christ at this key moment in history, and his story is all of our stories.

When we receive God’s grace through baptism it may seem incidental to some. While we receive three drops of water in the name of the Trinity, so much is happening beyond what we can see at the moment. Our baptism signifies our joining the body of Christ, and when we join Christ on this adventure we welcome the calm and stormy seas of life – we say yes to all He wants to give us. More often than not we will be walking towards Christ upon the stormy sea, but the grace of our baptism demands that we follow Him no matter where He leads.

Our Lord is the ultimate Navigator of the waters, so much so that He can cast out demons, calm the storm, and heal the blind. He can move mountains, part the seas, and change water into wine. When we receive our baptism we embark on the seas of life that will test our faith to limits that we are unaware of in the present moment.  Do we call upon our baptismal graces in our times of doubt, fear, and hopelessness? Do we ask great things of God because He is God, and in turn expect great things to happen according to His will?

I remember being baptized when I was 21 – I was fully submerged three times in the name of the Trinity. This was a beautiful moment in my faith journey, and I admit that I didn’t understand everything that was happening within me at that moment. Looking back in time I can see the moments I called upon my baptismal promises so that I could navigate the seas of life through the various calls that God gave me – becoming Catholic, saying yes to marrying my amazing husband, and even moving to another city within the same week of getting married.

Times of consistency and times of conversion will continue to ebb and flow like a river in and out of our lives. How do we respond to these seasons? My desire is to give God my yes with all that He brings my way, trusting in the graces of my baptism and all of the sacraments. I challenge you to meditate upon the rivers of life that God has brought you through up to this point, including all of the turbulence and smooth currents. How have you responded to these times in your life – with fear, doubt, hope, or trust? How can you see your baptism and the promises God has made to you through these times in your life?

Now that I am swimming again in the pool I am learning to listen to my body and know my limits, while not being afraid to try new things. I pray that you learn from the past experiences God has brought you through and that you ultimately learn to trust Him when He asks you to stay away or enter into various waters – this is the Heart of Baptism. He is the ultimate Navigator – He will keep you safe wherever the waters may take you on your journey to Heaven and Sainthood.

“You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” -St. Therese of Lisieux

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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.  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 nshultz@diocesan.com.

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The Joy of a Pup

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“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, ‘Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.’” – Luke 1:41-44

While reading this passage and praying through what God wanted me to receive from the verses the words above popped off the page at me. It is fascinating to imagine being in this scene with Mary and Elizabeth, witnessing baby John the Baptist leaping inside of Elizabeth’s womb. Mary walks into the house and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Both of these events, that is, Elizabeth and John the Baptist’s reactions to Jesus in Mary’s womb, seem so miraculous and so out of touch in our times. The truth is that these happenings shouldn’t be at all abnormal, but rather these should be the norm for our lives in how we rejoice in the Lord – whenever we approach Jesus in the Eucharist and receive Him we should be filled with the Holy Spirit and leap for joy.

One thing that comes to mind when I think of being joyful is the excitement that our puppy shows when we come home from a day of work or errands. His name is Gizmo, and he has the sweetest little face, and he loves to lick as a way of showing affection. He will make a high squealing noise and jump for joy at the noise of his people turning the key in the back door. The joy and excitement that he exuberates, while animalistic in nature, ultimately demonstrates an innocence and love so strong that we can compare to our own lives and relationship with God. Do we praise Him joyfully, no matter the circumstances in our lives? Do our hearts leap for joy at the beauty and mystery of receiving our Lord in the Eucharist, or does this become a mundane routine that we participate in because it is what we have always done? Do we hold onto our joy in anticipation of the time when we will be fully united with Jesus?

In The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux she often talks about Jesus’s thirst for souls, and how all He wants is to be with us no matter what. What if we approached each and every breath we are given in life with thanksgiving and joy to God? How many souls would be drawn to our joy as a beacon in this dark world? Putting aside all of the misfortune and hurt that we experience in our lives we can be comforted by one thing – our God is the same and always will be. He is Love, the Good Shepherd, and the Living Bread.

The peace of knowing God is constant is enough reason for us to leap for joy and be filled with the Holy Spirit, and He desires that we participate in His goodness with every heartbeat. Jesus gives us all of Himself in the Eucharist – I dare you to approach Him with a leaping heart of joy and be at peace with the Spirit He gives you as you receive Him. While we may not always be happy, as this is a fleeting emotion, joy is and can be a constant in our lives if we keep our eyes on Jesus, the source and summit of our Faith. I pray that we all live with a joyful heart of anticipation just like Elizabeth, John the Baptist, and even little Gizmo.

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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.  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 nshultz@diocesan.com.

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A Martyr for the Anxious

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“Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.”
-St. Francis de Sales

Today is the feast day of St. Dymphna, the patron saint of mental health and anxiety. A young woman that lived in 7th century Ireland she gave Christ her life through a vow of chastity. Amidst this time her mother passed away and her father’s mental health began to deteriorate from devastation at the loss. After time spent trying to find a wife malicious individuals suggested that her father take St. Dymphna for his wife. She immediately fled her homeland with a group of individuals in order to escape her father’s pursuit. Once she settled in Geel she is said to have established a hospital for the sick, but her father discovered her whereabouts. The party traveling with St. Dymphna was killed, and ultimately her own father took her life when she refused to break her vow of chastity.  

I read the story of St. Dymphna, someone I did not know much of before writing this post, and I am in awe. How did she live her life facing all of these trials – the death of her mother, the decline of her father’s mental health, fleeing to another land, and facing death at the hands of her own father? While I do not know what her demeanor was when she faced the moment of her death I imagine her looking to Jesus and trusting Him with her whole heart – in turn, I believe Him to be holding her head in His hands and gazing with love upon her devotion to Him in the worst of times.

I think of the anxieties that I have faced and continue to face in my own life and they are huge stumbling blocks. With obsessive-compulsive disorder it is easy to feel like a prisoner in your own body, feeling as though you have no control over your emotions, reactions, tendencies, and ultimately decisions which makes it difficult to just “let go” of the stress. Often there is a snowball effect with OCD and other forms of anxiety – the smallest things that may not bother someone at all in their life bothers me on a daily basis because of other stressors I have experienced throughout the day. I can start crying at the drop of a hat, to the point where I hate my emotions.

Amidst all of this anxiety, God has presented treasures along the way that have helped me to actually love having OCD. Meeting my husband was one of the first times I realized that my OCD is not a burden, but it truly makes me who I am. He has loved me through all of it, encouraging me to receive the support I needed to manage my OCD. Through my husband I see the eyes of Christ loving me the whole way, walking by my side and showing me the beauty in my diagnosis.

While it is still a daily battle, dealing with compulsions based upon a need to soothe obsessions that come into my head, I have grown ever closer to Christ and Our Mother through the trials that come with OCD and anxiety. It has become a choice to wake up every day and offer it to the Lord, accepting all that will come my way. When we look into the eyes of Jesus He calls us to follow, to be more like him, something of which St. Dymphna abided to the end of her earthly life.  My spiritual director once reminded me that my OCD is helping me become more like Christ, something of which has changed my life forever. Know that any anxieties, emotions, or fears that you face God conquered them all, just like He conquered death when He rose again. In times of darkness be reminded that the light will always shine brighter, all we need to do is ask God to open our hearts and receive the light so that we can navigate this life no matter how dark it may become.

“Let us throw ourselves into the ocean of His goodness, where every failing will be canceled and anxiety turned into love.” –St. Paul of the Cross

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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.  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 ignitedinchristnacc@gmail.com.