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Satisfaction

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Today’s readings are all about provision and satisfaction. We see what happens to those who are grateful, and ungrateful for his gifts.

In the First Reading we see the Israelites lamenting about the manna. As we recall, in the beginning they were so excited and happy to be saved from starvation, but after a month or two of eating the same thing over and over again, they grew tired and began to complain, saying things were better off in Egypt because they at least had meat to eat! If you continue to read the Book of Numbers you will discover that God sent them meat like they asked, but it infected them with the plague because of their greed.

Not only did they take his blessings for granted, but they despised them. They claimed it would have been better to stay in Egypt.

This, of course, is ridiculous.

The Lord provides anyway, and gives them what they want. But very quickly they learn that sometimes the things they want that God does not want are not always the best things….

In the Gospel we read about the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus taught them, it got late, and the disciples told him to send the people home so they could get something to eat. Jesus, however, replies that it would not be necessary, because he would provide. (And note that it was a deserted place, farther away from the villages. How many that just got up and followed him would have thought to bring money to buy food on the way home?)

You know the rest of the story: two loaves, two fishes, and he feeds five thousand. Another thing to note is that they had twelve baskets full left! Not only does he provide enough for them, he even has extra.

Now what is the difference between those who got the manna and those who got the loaves and fish?

Those who had the loaves and the fish were satisfied.

The Israelites, who probably had more than enough manna to go around and were not physically hungry, were not satisfied. 

Why does this matter?

The greed of the Israelites was their downfall. The greedy got the plague and died. The satisfied crowd was nourished soul and body by Jesus. Which would you rather happen to you?

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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Stretch Out Your Hand

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When I prepare to write my blog posts, I usually listen to an uplifting Christian song when or before I read the readings. I put my music on shuffle play and the song Confidence by Sanctus Real came on. I wasn’t really paying attention to the song as I read, but, ironically, when I got to the lines “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers,” the first refrain came on:

“Give me faith like Daniel in the lion’s den, Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness, Give me a heart like David, Lord be my defense, So I can face my giants with confidence.”

Something made me stop and relisten to it. “Give me hope like Moses in the Wilderness.”

I switched tabs and turned back to the reading: Stretch out your hand to the sea. Something struck me with that.

I have found that, in the Bible, stretching out one’s hands is associated with healing and deliverance. In Matthew 12:13 Jesus tells the man with the withered hand: “Stretch out your hand,” and it is healed. In Joshua verse 8:18 the Lord tells Joshua: “Stretch out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will deliver it into your power.” Joshua does so; and they end up winning both the city and the battle. 

Stretching out one’s hand is a sign of freedom, whether from illness or oppression. Today’s First Reading from Ex 14:21—15:1 is no exception. God tells Moses: “Stretch out your hand”; he obeys, and not only do they escape the Egyptians, but every single one of the Pharaoh’s charioteers were destroyed. 

I think we underestimate what Moses had to do here. Just put yourself in his shoes. To stop and stretch out your hand, that took guts. Imagine what was running through his head. What if nothing happened, and he just stood there, looking ridiculous as everyone else fled? What if the Egyptians got through the mud and resumed pursuit? What would happen, if he lifted his hand?

It was reckless, it was radical, and it took trust.

It took faith.

It took hope. 

Moses put his trust in God, and they escaped slavery. He had the heart to hope in Jesus, to not give up, even when they were so close to capture.  He had confidence that everything would turn out more than alright because God was in control, and that was what gave him the strength to stretch out his hand. 

So whether by the prompting of your own music or not, look between the lines of the Bible. Get the whole story. Look for the faith, hope, and trust all of these people had. And I pray that you may have the same confidence as Moses, so that when the Lord asks you to, you will stretch out your hand.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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A Leap of Faith

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Today’s Gospel is all about faith. Though the “star of the show” of today’s excerpt from Mark is the healing of the Synagogue official’s daughter (and there is much I could say on the subject!), I would like to address the faith of the woman with the hemorrhages. 

In the Gospel, Mark notes three things about the woman that make her situation so desperate: she had visited all the doctors she could have, she had no money (having spent it all on the medicines), and, after twelve years of trying, she was only getting worse. 

Sounds awful, right?

This woman probably has no idea what she is going to do. She’s in great distress, and has thus far found no cure. Even if she had found one, it wasn’t likely that she could pay for it, now that she was bankrupt. 

But she knew about Jesus. She had heard about Him. About His miracles. Though she was out of money, she was not out of faith. “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” 

She knew. So, she took a shot on the last option open to her: faith in God.And it worked. She was healed of the thing that ailed her most, and her faith was strengthened. 

Oftentimes we, like the woman, go to God as a last resort. We try to have our earthly “medicines” replace a healing that only comes from God. 

It just doesn’t work.

There is no replacement for the healing that comes from God; but just because nothing can take its place doesn’t mean that it’s not accessible. In fact, God’s healing is very accessible. You just have to have the faith to find it.

The woman with the hemorrhages took a leap of faith. After twelve years of failure, I wasn’t surprised if she was wondering if anything, even this, would ever be able to heal her. But she took a dare and placed her faith in God. And it paid off.

Maybe the past year has left a gaping hole in your heart. Maybe you tried to fill it with all sorts of things that just kept slipping through. Maybe you tried to cure it with something that wasn’t medicine, but a mild painkiller that would build up with disastrous results in the future. 

If that is you, that’s okay. I know a healer that never fails, a person who can cure every heartache, every hole, and every single hurt you have ever suffered in your entire life. 

He healed the woman. He can heal you. 

All it takes is a leap of faith. 

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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Remain in My Love

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The word ‘love’ appears nine times in today’s Gospel alone. Why? Because love is what this Gospel is all about. 

Remain in my love. Jesus particularly stresses this as he speaks to His disciples. Who would not want to spend time with their friends? It is the same with Jesus here: 

“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in His love.” 

And later, “I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.”

Jesus loved His disciples, each and every one. He loves us. He loves YOU; enough to die for you, to pay the greatest price one can pay, for YOU. And he wants you to remain in that love.

Now, what does it mean, to remain in His love?

Firstly, though he does say “keep my commandments and you will remain in my love”,  it does not mean that if you follow His commandments he will love you, no! God will always love you, whether you follow His commandments or not. Even if you go to hell, God will not cease to love you. He will always love you.

So then, what does it mean? Remaining in God’s love means remaining in Him. God is love, and remaining in His love means remaining in Him. Being one with Him. My mind goes to John 17:11, where Jesus prays “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are.” 

Remaining in Jesus means living with Him. Becoming one with Him. Not shoving Him outside of the box. Inviting Him into your life. Because life without Christ is no life at all. Remaining in Jesus, remaining in His love, is a choice. A choice to live with Him at the center of your life. Remaining in Jesus’s love is to hold His hand, to choose to be there, to put yourself there, right next to Him, for keeps. 

“If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love…”  We don’t always follow His commandments, and so we fall away. But every time he, the Good Shepherd, comes looking for us. He wants us to be with Him and he continually seeks us out.

Remaining in His love is not a coincidence, it’s a choice. Will you?

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

Feature Image Credit: J_Photo, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/19970-sacred-heart-of-jesus

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A Light in the Darkness

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I stood outside, shivering a little against the chilly night air. Many people stood around me in the dark, all silent. Through a break in the crowd, I could see the fire-lit faces of the priests and altar servers, gathered around the Easter Fire. May the light of Christ rising in glory dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds. With that, the deacon raised the Easter Candle above the heads of the company. I stood there, transfixed, watching that candle; light against dark, flame against sky. One by one the congregation began to light their candles, and, once we got inside, that one flame had lit a hundred others, bathing the entire church in bright, warm light. 

One flickering flame is all that it takes. One flame, one light is all that is needed to breach the darkness.

As I read the readings for today while preparing for this blog, one line in particular stuck out to me: I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. When sitting down to think about what I should write about, one memory kept coming back; the memory of three weeks ago at the Easter Vigil Mass, the memory of that one candle — the Easter Candle — lifted high above the heads of the jostling crowd to stand alone, winking against the night sky.

Jesus is that flame. That light. That love. 

This reading makes me think of the analogy of a room: You’re standing in the doorway, looking into it. In the dark, you can see nothing, other than what appears to be an empty room. Now, imagine someone else flips on a light switch. At first, the light hurts, and you squint. But now that the room is lit, you see that the floor is covered in nails and broken bits of glass. 

Now, would you rather go into the room in the dark or in the light?

In the light, you see things. In the dark, you don’t. But the dark is soothing; our eyes adjust to it quickly. We, unfortunately, do too.

My point here is, let the light in. Let Jesus in. Just a tiny flame. It might hurt a little to see your broken self, it might hurt a lot, but Jesus will show you the nails and the glass so that you can avoid them. He did not come to shed light on your brokenness and failures so that he can call you out on them, denounce you, and punish you, but so that he can lead you through all the dark rooms you encounter. “And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world.” He will personally conduct you, carry you on his shoulders, even, through the dark world. He is the light. He is the love.

So go, let in the light, and see how far one flame can spread. 

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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It Is I, Do Not Be Afraid

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How do you suppose the apostles felt that night? I mean, think about it. Your  Rabbi and friend was just brutally killed. The Jews might come for you next because you knew him. You’re probably plagued with guilt because you ran away at Golgotha and probably plagued with doubt because you thought he was the Messiah but he still died.

Put yourself in their shoes. 

So, all inwardly jumbled with these thoughts and feelings, what do the disciples decide to do? 

Sail to the other shore. Get away from that place where their friend died, and where all of these angry people who might want to kill them too, are.

Again, put yourself in their shoes. They were terrified. They were probably sad, and full of regret and doubt. So they flee in the middle of the night. Sailing across the sea, wind begins to blow, and once again the poor apostles are terrified. 

But then, imagine this; the very friend they betrayed, the very friend whom they loved, the very friend who was killed, is walking on the water toward their boat. Imagine that.

Now how do you think the disciples felt? Fear? Surprise? Wonder? And then Jesus speaks; “It is I, do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid. After all of the fear, the fear of the stormy seas, the fear of the Jews, the fear that Jesus might not have been who he said he was, Jesus tells them do not be afraid; it is I. 

Do not be afraid.

Think about how reassuring those words must have been for the apostles. After all the chaos and craziness of the past few days, after all the fear and the doubt, Jesus gives them the words they need: It is I; I am alive, I am the Messiah; Do not be afraid;  I am with you, do not fear neither the Jews nor the storm. It is I. Do not be afraid. 

How applicable these words are to today! With the fears of the pandemic still running, how much people need the calming words of Jesus: It is I, do not be afraid.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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Silent Trust

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“Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil, for you are at my side.”

What do you think of as you hear these words from today’s Responsorial Psalm? 

Trust? Courage?

Trust and courage, two essential virtues, go hand in hand through today’s Responsorial Psalm, readings, and Gospel, which is rather a fitting theme as the dangers of COVID-19 still surround us. 

Trust is complete surrender to the One who knows what the plan is, whereas courage is the guts to actually do it.

Courage, in its simplest form, is the guts to trust in the Lord, the one who holds everything in the palm of his hand. In the readings today we have examples of two women who display both of these virtues.

 In the First Reading, we read about a young woman named Susanna, who was unjustly accused of adultery. Susanna, as we all know, was completely innocent of this crime, but notice that she does nothing to contradict the elders who accused her, save pray to God.

“Here I am about to die, though I have done none of these things which these wicked men  have charged against me.”  She does not even ask to be spared from execution, she trusts the Lord completely, that only his will will come to pass, even if it results in her death. 

Trust. She trusts that the Lord’s plan will shine through in the end, and so she is not afraid. She is brave in the midst of dangers because she knows that “You are at my side.”

In the Gospel, again, we come across a woman accused of committing adultery. She, too, was to be sentenced to death (though the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into condemning her, which, of course did not work). For a second time we see men testify to a crime with little to no evidence as proof. 

Jesus is not a man to be taken lightly in the matters of condemning someone. He is also not a man to be tricked into condemning someone. Notice that this woman, too, does not say a single thing except answering Jesus. “No one, sir.” 

Trust. 

Like Susanna, she did not ask for pardon. She does not blurt out her story, or even demand to be heard. I wonder if  she was praying. Jesus ultimately saw in her something that the Pharisees missed: courage and trust. The woman, silent yet brave, trusted completely. That is why she stayed silent. It was not that she did not value her life, it was because she knew that God was in control. She did not have to speak to be saved. Courage does not need words; neither does trust.

Both women had courage, they both trusted in the Lord, and as a result they were delivered from death. 

“Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil, for you are at my side.” These words are very true, as outlined in the readings of today. Be brave. Trust in the Lord. And above all, do not fear any evil, for he is at your side.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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Choices

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Today’s First Reading is pretty intense. The story of Cain and Abel is littered with sins large and small, and worse, the Bible is just getting started! But one of the lessons here is that life is choices.

Cain has many opportunities to avoid the sins he committed, but he chose not to. Cain’s sins are more than just killing his brother. He also sins by lying to God with his response of “I don’t know” among other things. Cain’s lie is mirrored in the Responsorial Psalm:

“You sit speaking against your brother; against your mother’s son you spread rumors. When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it or do you think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.”

The other, more obvious failing of Cain is his jealousy of Abel. God recognizes this, and even warns Cain about it before it is too late. He tells him:

“Why are you so resentful and crestfallen. If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.”

God warns Cain about the devil, and the direction in which he is going. Cain pays no heed, but still gives in to Satan and ends up killing his brother. 

After Cain had murdered his brother, God asked him where he was. Cain not only lies with his “I don’t know,” but he is mocking and sarcastic with his response of  “Am I my brother’s keeper now?” 

But God already knew what happened. He gave Cain a chance to repent and to tell the truth. Cain did not, and God went forward with the punishment that Abel’s murderer deserved. Cain is not very happy with his lot. He replied saucily to God’s words with “My punishment is too great to bear. Since you have now banished me from the soil, and I must avoid your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, anyone may kill me at sight.” Cain concludes that he can get out of God’s punishment if he dies. God replies: “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold.”

God’s hand is firm. But Cain had a choice, and he chose. He chose to lie. He chose to mock. He chose to kill his brother. 

Cain had a choice. He was even warned. 

Life is choices.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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He Cares

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“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

When we read these words in the Gospel it’s easy to think that the apostles are acting ridiculous. “Of course he cares!” We say “Shame to think that he wouldn’t!” But, the irony here is that we, whether we realize it or not, often ask the same thing: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Now, it may not be literally perishing, but this is the sentence of doubt. “Do you not care?” We ask it so much!

Think of all of the hard days you have. You finish a long day of zoom calls and are exhausted, but have to go and help the neighbor shovel his car out of a snowbank. You argue with your spouse, you are behind on the laundry, and dinner is a blackened pile of ash in the bottom of the oven. 

“Do you not care?”

It’s easy to get frustrated and to not believe that he cares. After all, why would such a kind and loving God let unpleasant and even terrible things happen to his followers? “Do you not care?”

Yes, he does, in fact, care. He cares more than you think. More than you comprehend.

You see, the reason he allows such frustrating things to happen is because they are not merely annoying (or even terrible) events, but opportunities.

An opportunity to do a kind and helpful deed.

An opportunity to be patient with your spouse.

An opportunity to laugh at the mistake.

An opportunity to offer the little inconveniences to God.

This is how you store up treasure in heaven. Everything is an opportunity to add to that store.

What matters is how you respond; how you use that opportunity.

So, asking if he does not care is the wrong kind of question. Of course he cares! He cares so much to send you numerous opportunities to grow in faith, hope, and love!

He cares.

The apostles were given an opportunity to trust. Though they woke up Jesus in terror, he did not  scold them. I see him gently asking them “Do you not yet have faith? Why aren’t you using this opportunity?”

Notice that he says “Do you not yet have faith” and not “You have no faith.” He knows that they will have many opportunities in the future to grow in their faith, and they will. We know from history that they did. 

So, “Teacher, do you not care?” is the wrong kind of question. The right kind of question is “Teacher, how do you want me to use this opportunity?” And he will tell you. He always does.

May the Lord help us to cast out all doubt and use every opportunity to glorify him.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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We Are Blessed

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Looking back at 2020, it is easy to say with disgust that it was a terrible year. No doubt about it. In a sense, yes, it was terrible, but it was also rich. 

Think of it this way.

Miners don’t become rich unless they know where to find the gold. It does not always sit in a lump on the ground, waiting to be picked up and marveled at by a passerby. You have to look for the gold — you have to find it. Just because you don’t find the gold does not mean that it is not there. You just aren’t looking hard enough. 2020 has been hard, true, but perhaps we are not looking at it with the eyes of God, the eyes that see every blessing and every gift that is and was given to us.

In the First Reading, the Lord said to Moses, “Say to them, The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace! So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.” God will bless us. God has blessed us. We should be full of joy because we are blessed. We should invoke his name in praise. May the nations be glad and exult. God has given us so much.

The Second Reading calls attention to the blessing of Christmas, the greatest blessing of all. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. As proof that you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” so you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.” This is the blessing of blessings. God sent his Son to redeem us, to ransom us so that we might be his adopted children. What a gift! Sending Jesus not only to save us, but to welcome us as adopted sons and daughters into His family, the Holy Family. 

We have been blessed. 

We are blessed. 

The shepherds, too, are good examples of those who invoke the name of the Lord. They “…returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.” 

They had been blessed and so they praised the Lord.

They already knew that a savior would come, but that does not dampen their joy. In fact, it probably increased it! We should be like them as well, lifting our arms and praising the Lord, not just when times are obviously good, or when our praise and worship music is uplifting, but now, and always, for he has given us so much.

A new year brings new promise, new hope and new blessings. May we continue to praise God for them this New Year and always.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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Strong Foundations

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Today’s readings are all about foundations. A simple matter, really. Foundations are often overlooked in the everyday world. But that does not make them any less important.

In the First Reading we hear about nations who have a strong foundation and those that do not. “A strong city have we; He sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you”.

This nation is strong, safe, and peaceful because of its trust in the Lord.

On the flip side, “He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; he tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.”

This nation, however, was disintegrated because of the lack of trust. It rose higher and higher with the false belief that it was strong, that it did not need him. Only buildings with weak foundations fall. It’s no wonder that the Lord was able to crush it to dust! We are like the two nations, either with the strong foundation or without. We need a strong foundation, and that comes from trusting in the Lord.

Besides not wanting to crumble into dust, why should we trust in the Lord? The Lord will build us a strong foundation. “For the LORD is an eternal Rock.” We need a solid foundation, and we are given one! Rock! Solid, strong, lovely rock. Our Rock – the sturdy building material that we need – is the Lord.

In the Gospel Jesus brings up construction once more. He tells us the story of a wise man and a foolish man who built their houses differently. The wise man built his on rock, and the foolish man built his on sand. The storm came, and the wise man’s house was perfect, no damage, no nothing. The foolish man’s house however, came crashing down due to a weak foundation. I can only imagine that he was caught under it, trying to shelter from the storm when it did.

The difference between the two men’s houses was their foundation. The one with a sturdy foundation of Rock survived, and the one with a weak foundation did not. The same thing happens in our lives. We need to build up our houses, our spiritual foundations to be strong. We must root them in rock, the eternal rock, the Lord, if we want to weather the storm. If we build on false beliefs and false foundations, when the storm comes the house will collapse.

So, are you built upon rock, or in the sand? Are you ready for the winds that will buffet and blow your house? Are you ready for the unexpected tests and trials that life is going to throw your way? We need a strong sturdy foundation. That foundation can only be found in the eternal rock, the Lord. It’s time to get building.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

Feature Image Credit: IA SB, https://unsplash.com/photos/_MMdxl-jUHo

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Rejoice! You’ve Got a Cross to Carry!

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Are you happy?

A simple question really. If you are someone who says “yes”, good for you. Now, examine yourself. Why? What makes you happy? Are you truly happy or is it an illusion?

Now, if you answered “no”, same thing. Why? What makes you unhappy? Is it really a big deal? Why does an event or a thing, a part of the great plan of God, make you sad?

The mess of our times – with politics, with Covid – is the result of unhappiness, dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction with the laws, with our nation’s leaders, with the virus, and with God.

Then the question becomes how do we fix this mess?

Let’s take a look at the Gospel.

The thing that sticks out and confuses many Catholics in this passage is this line: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

At first glance, that doesn’t sound like fixing things.

Why would Jesus tell us to hate these things, these people? I mean, isn’t Jesus all about love?

Don’t worry. Jesus doesn’t mean literally hate. He is God. He is Love. What He means is that we should love God so much that all our other loves will look like hate compared to His.

Now, you may be thinking, “Isn’t that a bit selfish of God to want everyone to love Him above their wives, children, and family?”

No. Look at it this way.

Is it selfish of your spouse if they want you to love them more than a cookie? Even if the cookie is the most perfectly baked cookie on the face of planet earth?

No. Of course not.

Now, I’m not saying that your spouse is a cookie, to make that quite clear, but what I am saying is that it is that way for God. We are like cookies compared to His greatness.

Later he says “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Easy enough, right?

Sort of.

We hear it all the time. But do we actually do it? Do we meet the challenges, the crosses that are put in front of us? Do we embrace them with open arms like Jesus did?

We should.

If you were one of the people who answered “no” to the happy question at the beginning, found that your happiness was an illusion, or are just going about your day like a normal person, take up your cross. Whatever it may be. You see, the readings of today are all about doing something. Not feeling something, not thinking something, doing something. Now, what use is all of this, all these nuggets of wisdom, if we don’t actually do it? That is Jesus’ point. Do it. Take up that cross and rejoice. The action is what matters in the long run.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.