Tag: Susan Ciancio

In today’s gospel, we are offered just a brief image of Christ and His travels. Luke simply tells us that Christ was traveling with His Apostles and with some women, one of whom was Mary Magdalene, “from whom seven demons had gone out.”

Some people—especially at that time—may think that Mary Magdalene was a strange companion for Christ, but we know that she’s a beautiful example of how Christ can change a person and work miracles.

So as we ponder this relationship, let us look at the people around us. Do we have any Mary Magdalenes in our lives—people who may seem unclean or who may be traveling down a sinful path? It’s likely that we do.

As we think about this person, our job first and foremost is to pray, for there is indeed power in prayer. But then let us also examine how we treat that person. Do we, as they say, “go along to get along” and just let the person remain on his sinful path without attempting to divert them? Or do we embrace the person out of love because he is Christ’s beloved child and work to let the light of Christ shine through us?

Lately, I have heard people point out the fact that Christ associated with sinners, and that is true. But they seem to want to use this fact as some sort of “proof” that He isn’t offended by sin and that people can do what they want as long as they don’t hurt anyone else. As faithful Catholics, we know this is not true. Christ didn’t associate with sinners because He wanted them to think their actions were acceptable or moral. He associated with them because He wanted to teach them. He wanted to change them. And there’s no better way to do that than to spend time with them. Christ did not accept their sins; He taught the truth in charity and in love. 

That is what we should all be doing. 

I recently read the story of Donnie Calloway. Donnie was a very troubled teen who used drugs, ran away, and spent time in jail. Though his mother prayed every day for him, she was beside herself. Donnie had absolutely no interest in God—until the night he read a book on the apparitions of the Blessed Mother. He said that something compelled him to pick up the book one night, and from that night on his life was forever changed. He converted to Catholicism and is now Fr. Donnie—a priest with the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. 

This is but one example of the fact that prayer works and our example matters. 

How we treat others can either lead them closer to God or further away. So let us never feel afraid to talk about our faith or to teach it to others, for indeed it is our job to “make disciples of all nations.”

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En el evangelio de hoy, se nos ofrece solo una breve imagen de Cristo y sus viajes. Lucas simplemente nos dice que Cristo viajaba con Sus Apóstoles y con algunas mujeres, una de las cuales era María Magdalena, “de la que habían salido siete demonios”.

Algunas personas, especialmente en ese momento, pueden pensar que María Magdalena fue una extraña compañera para Cristo, pero sabemos que ella es un hermoso ejemplo de cómo Cristo puede cambiar a una persona y obrar milagros.

Mientras reflexionamos sobre esta relación, miremos a las personas que nos rodean. ¿Tenemos alguna María Magdalena en nuestras vidas, personas que pueden parecer inmundas o que pueden estar viajando por un camino pecaminoso? Es probable que sí.

Al pensar en esta persona, nuestro trabajo ante todo es orar, porque ciertamente hay poder en la oración. Pero luego examinemos también cómo tratamos a esa persona. ¿Nosotros, como dicen, “vamos para llevarnos bien” y simplemente dejamos que la persona permanezca en su camino pecaminoso sin intentar desviarlos? ¿O abrazamos a la persona por amor porque es hijo amado de Cristo y trabajamos para que la luz de Cristo brille a través de nosotros?

Últimamente, he escuchado a personas señalar el hecho de que Cristo se asoció con los pecadores, y eso es cierto. Pero parecen querer usar este hecho como una especie de “prueba” de que Él no se ofende por el pecado y que las personas pueden hacer lo que quieran siempre y cuando no lastimen a nadie. Como fieles católicos, sabemos que esto no es cierto. Cristo no se asoció con los pecadores porque quería que pensaran que sus acciones eran aceptables o morales. Se asoció con ellos porque quería enseñarles. Quería cambiarlos. Y no hay mejor manera de hacerlo que pasar tiempo con ellos. Cristo no aceptó sus pecados; Enseñó la verdad en la caridad y en el amor.

Eso es lo que todo deberíamos estar haciendo también.

Hace poco leí la historia de Donnie Calloway. Donnie era un adolescente muy problemático que consumía drogas, se escapaba y pasaba un tiempo en la cárcel. Aunque su madre rezaba todos los días por él, estaba fuera de sí. Donnie no tenía absolutamente ningún interés en Dios, hasta la noche que leyó un libro sobre las apariciones de nuestra Santísima Madre. Dijo que algo lo obligó a agarrar el libro una noche, y desde esa noche su vida cambió para siempre. Se convirtió al catolicismo y ahora es el P. Donnie: sacerdote de los Padres Marianos de la Inmaculada Concepción.

Este es solo un ejemplo del hecho de que la oración funciona y nuestro ejemplo importa.

La forma en que tratamos a los demás puede acercarlos a Dios o alejarlos. Así que nunca tengamos miedo de hablar de nuestra fe o de enseñarla a otros, porque de hecho es nuestro trabajo “hacer discípulos de todas las naciones”.

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In today’s Gospel, Luke retells the story of Jesus driving a demon out of a man. Before the demon lets go and leaves the man, he says to Christ, “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus commands him to be quiet and to come out. The demon then leaves the man, and all of the onlookers are amazed that Christ could make the demon obey. 

The scene must have been both scary and amazing. Imagine witnessing a demon do as Christ commands. God’s words are so powerful that even a demon had to obey.

As we think about this obedience, let us reflect upon our own lives. Do we obey God? Do we do as He commands? Or do we prefer the commands of the world or our own desires to God’s?

It is extremely easy to get wrapped up in a life that takes us far from God’s words. We allow the false idols of society to take His place and to overshadow His voice. We allow vices to prevail. We permit things to interfere with the time we should be spending in God’s house or listening to His words. These are our demons. These are the things that make it so that we cannot even hear God’s voice.

But God persists. He wants us to be free of our demons just as He wanted the actual demon to leave the man. He keeps calling. He keeps commanding. 

And why does He do this?

He does this because He loves us. We belong to Him. Just as the demon possessed the man and rendered him unable to live a holy life, our demons possess us. Our demons create a rift between us and God. They keep us from growing closer to Him. 

But we can make changes in our lives that will lead us to God instead of away from Him.

How do we do that? We begin with prayer and confession. We prayerfully examine our lives, our actions, and all of the things that interfere with our relationship with God. And then we tell God that we are sorry for our sins. We go to confession and apologize. We thank Him for the grace to pick ourselves up again. We promise obedience. 

We do this because we know, just as the demon knew, that Christ is “the Holy One of God.”

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En el Evangelio de hoy, Lucas vuelve a contar la historia de Jesús expulsando a un demonio de un hombre. Antes de que el demonio suelte y abandone al hombre, le dice a Cristo: “Sé que tú eres el Santo de Dios”. Jesús le ordena que se calle y que salga. El demonio luego deja al hombre, y todos los espectadores se asombran de que Cristo pudiera hacer que el demonio obedezca.

La escena debe haber sido tanto aterradora como asombrosa. Imagínese ver a un demonio hacer lo que Cristo ordena. Las palabras de Dios son tan poderosas que incluso un demonio tuvo que obedecer.

Mientras pensamos en esta obediencia, reflexionemos sobre nuestras propias vidas. ¿Obedecemos a Dios? ¿Hacemos lo que Él manda? ¿O preferimos los mandatos del mundo o nuestros propios deseos a los de Dios?

Es extremadamente fácil quedar envuelto en una vida que nos aleja de las palabras de Dios. Permitimos que los falsos ídolos de la sociedad tomen Su lugar y eclipsen Su voz. Permitimos que los vicios prevalezcan. Permitimos que las cosas interfieran con el tiempo que deberíamos pasar en la casa de Dios o escuchando Sus palabras. Estos son nuestros demonios. Estas son las cosas que hacen que ni siquiera podamos escuchar la voz de Dios.

Pero Dios persiste. Él quiere que seamos libres de nuestros demonios tal como Él quería que el demonio real dejara al hombre. Él sigue llamando. Él sigue al mando.

¿Y por qué hace esto?

Él hace esto porque nos ama. Pertenecemos a Él. Así como el demonio poseyó al hombre y lo hizo incapaz de vivir una vida santa, nuestros demonios nos poseen. Nuestros demonios crean una brecha entre nosotros y Dios. Nos impiden acercarnos más a Él.
Pero podemos hacer cambios en nuestras vidas que nos lleven a Dios en lugar de alejarnos de Él.

¿Como hacemos eso? Comenzamos con la oración y la confesión. En oración examinamos nuestras vidas, nuestras acciones y todas las cosas que interfieren con nuestra relación con Dios. Y luego le decimos a Dios que nos arrepentimos de nuestros pecados. Vamos a confesarnos y disculparnos. Le damos gracias por la gracia de levantarnos de nuevo. Prometemos obediencia.

Hacemos esto porque sabemos, tal como lo sabía el demonio, que Cristo es “el Santo de Dios”.

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In today’s First Reading, we hear Jeremiah tell the people: “Reform your ways and your deeds; listen to the voice of the Lord your God.”

If we take time to reflect on Jeremiah’s words, we will see the importance of applying them to our lives, for we must realize that he doesn’t just mean to stop sinning. Of course, we must always strive not to sin. That’s an integral part of our faith. But living a faith-filled life is much more than that. 

So often we find it easy to not break the commandments. As we prepare for confession and perform an examination of conscience, we may feel buoyed by the fact that we have not missed Mass, said God’s name in vain, hurt another person, or stolen anything. And, yes, those are vital.

But what Jeremiah meant when he said to reform our ways and deeds was to do something that will make a difference for others. We must take action and do good works. We must put others and their needs first. In short, we must learn to perform the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy regularly.

What are these works of mercy? The Corporal Works of Mercy instruct us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit prisoners and those who are sick, bury the dead, and give alms to the poor. The Spiritual Works of Mercy teach us to pray for the living and the dead, to counsel and comfort others, to forgive, to admonish the sinner, and to teach the faith.

All of these things take time, effort, and love, and if we are to live as God commands and as Jeremiah instructed, then we must incorporate some of these into our lives.

There are countless ways to help the vulnerable and those in need. Increasing our prayer life is a good start, especially if we aren’t sure what God wants us to do. Of course, we cannot perform all of these works of mercy all the time, but we can do many of them frequently. So pray for God’s guidance. Ask Him where He wants you to start. 

Maybe He wants you to donate time to your parish. Maybe He is calling you to volunteer at a pregnancy resource center. Maybe He is spurring you on to clean your closets and donate gently used items to a homeless shelter or to serve food at one. Maybe He is calling you to become a foster parent or adopt. Maybe He sends you to the grocery store at the exact time a needy person has found he doesn’t have enough money for groceries. Or maybe He wants you to visit the forgotten elderly in a nursing home. 

All of these are tangible ways to help others and to follow the words of Jeremiah. Yes, we must reform our deeds if we want to spend eternity with God. What will you do?

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En la Primera Lectura de hoy, escuchamos a Jeremías decir al pueblo: “Corrijan su conducta y sus obras; escucha la voz del Señor tu Dios”.

Si nos tomamos un tiempo para reflexionar sobre las palabras de Jeremías, veremos la importancia de aplicarlas a nuestra vida, pues debemos darnos cuenta de que él no solo quiere decir dejar de pecar. Por supuesto, siempre debemos esforzarnos por no pecar. Esa es una parte integral de nuestra fe. Pero vivir una vida llena de fe es mucho más que eso.

Muy a menudo nos resulta fácil no romper los mandamientos. Mientras nos preparamos para la confesión y realizamos un examen de conciencia, podemos sentirnos animados por el hecho de que no hemos faltado a Misa, dicho el nombre de Dios en vano, herido a otra persona o robado algo. Y, sí, esos son esenciales.

Pero lo que Jeremías quiso decir cuando dijo que corrijiéramos nuestra conducta y obras era hacer algo que hace una diferencia para los demás. Debemos actuar y hacer buenas obras. Debemos poner a los demás y sus necesidades primero. En definitiva, debemos aprender a realizar las Obras de Misericordia Corporales y Espirituales con regularidad.

¿Cuáles son estas obras de misericordia? Las Obras de Misericordia Corporales nos instruyen a dar de comer al hambriento, dar de beber al sediento, acobijar a los desamparados, visitar a los presos y enfermos, enterrar a los muertos y dar limosna a los pobres. Las Obras de Misericordia Espirituales nos enseñan a orar por los vivos y los muertos, a aconsejar y consolar a otros, a perdonar, a amonestar al pecador y a enseñar la fe.

Todas estas cosas toman tiempo, esfuerzo y amor, y si vamos a vivir como Dios manda y como Jeremías instruyó, entonces debemos incorporar algunas de estas cosas en nuestras vidas.

Hay innumerables maneras de ayudar a los vulnerables y los necesitados. Aumentar nuestra vida de oración es un buen comienzo, especialmente si no estamos seguros de lo que Dios quiere que hagamos. Por supuesto, no podemos realizar todas estas obras de misericordia todo el tiempo, pero podemos hacer muchas de ellas con frecuencia. Así que pide a Dios que te guíe. Pregúntale por dónde quiere que empieces.

Tal vez Él quiera que dones tiempo a tu parroquia. Tal vez te está llamando para ser voluntaria en un centro de recursos para el embarazo. Tal vez te esté animando a limpiar sus armarios y donar artículos usados ​​en buen estado a un refugio para personas sin hogar o para servir comida. Tal vez te está llamando a convertirte en padre de crianza o adoptar. Tal vez te envía a la tienda a comprar justo en el momento que una persona necesitada descubrió que no tiene suficiente dinero para comprar alimentos. O tal vez quiere que visites a los ancianos olvidados en un asilo de ancianos.

Todas estas son formas tangibles de ayudar a los demás y de seguir las palabras de Jeremías. Sí, debemos reformar nuestras obras si queremos pasar la eternidad con Dios. ¿Qué vas a hacer?

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In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus teaches the Apostles to pray the Our Father. If we reflect on this beautiful prayer, we cannot help but get a glimpse of God’s love for us.

So today, I want to just focus on three sections of the Our Father. 

The first is “thy will by done.”

How often do we fall into the trap of doing our own will or doing the will of something or someone of this world? We often forget that we were created to know, love, and serve God, and it is to Him we must look for guidance. Our faith teaches us that we must not put anything before God, and while we say that of course we don’t have false idols, we have to remember that false idols come in many forms. They are computer screens, TVs, phones, money, material possessions, even other people. If we are constantly doing our will or listening only to our own words, how will we ever hear God’s? Then how will we do His will? Only when we open ourselves to Him, only when we listen for His voice, and only when we sit quietly will we grow closer to Him and know what He desires for us.

The second is “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Have you ever stopped to think about what this really means? We are telling God that we expect Him to forgive us in the manner in which we have forgiven others. That makes you think, doesn’t it? So often we hold grudges, we become bitter, or we flat-out refuse to forgive someone who has wronged us. But this isn’t the way God wants us to live our lives. If we live like this, we are closing ourselves to His joy and to His love. We are filling ourselves up with anger and resentment when we could be filling ourselves up with His mercy and love. Forgiveness isn’t easy, and God understands that. But we have to at least try. So, today, if you are having difficulty forgiving someone, go to God in prayer and ask for His help. Ask Him to teach you the mercy that He shows when you present yourself in the confessional.

And finally, let us think about the words “lead us not into temptation.” 

Temptations abound in our secular world. Sometimes it seems that we are bombarded on all fronts. It could be something as simple as an overindulgence in sweets—a temptation that harms our bodies in a small way. It could be the temptation to sleep in and miss Mass. Or it could be the temptation to a more serious vice. We know our hearts, and we can be assured that God knows them too. Today, let us think about the things in life that tempt us, and let us work to let them go.

And let us take time today to pray this prayer, to reflect on God’s words, and to open our hearts to the Lord who loves us so much that we cannot even fathom it.

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In today’s Gospel, Mark tells the story of Jesus healing the man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ear, put spit on his tongue, and looked up to heaven saying: “Be opened.” The man could then hear and speak without the impediment.

Metaphorically, we are a lot like the man who could not hear and didn’t speak well. When it comes to the word of God and teaching others about God, we often have difficulty listening and speaking.

God only asks for one hour a week, but we know that we cannot build a relationship with Him in just 1/168 of the week. Imagine telling your children or your significant other that you want to just spend one hour each week with them. I suspect they would feel cast aside or unimportant. Now stand in front of a crucifix, look at Christ, and tell Him He only deserves one hour a week. It hurts to do that, doesn’t it?

If we really want to get to know God better, we must talk to Him and learn about Him every day.

We can make it easy to include Him in our daily lives, but it does take a little effort to find the way that suits our life the best. Additionally, it takes some determination to put away the phones, to shut out the outside world, and to really reflect on those two words we want to hear from Christ: “Be opened!”

So take some time today to decide how you want to start improving your relationship with Christ. Do you like to read about Him? Do you want someone to read to you or talk to you about Him—like in a podcast? Do you want to watch videos? Do you want to just spend quiet time in prayer? Do you want to do something different every day?

There’s so much we can do to praise God, to acknowledge His presence, and then to welcome Him into our daily lives. 

With Lent fast approaching, we may have already thought about how we will prepare, but let us not wait until then to transform our spiritual life. Let us make a life change that will last way beyond Lent. 

From this point on, give God 20 minutes of your day. Open your heart, open your mind, and open your life to Him. And rejoice that He is calling you and saying: “Be opened!”

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In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus went into the synagogue and read this passage from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

He then looked at all those who sat listening to Him and proclaimed: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Wow! We hear that and we feel excited. But the people listening then were astounded—so astounded that they became furious. They drove Him from the temple believing He had committed blasphemy. But we know that He did not. We know that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the promises in the Old Testament. 

As Christ said, He was sent to “proclaim liberty to captives.” We desperately need this liberty, for we are all ensnared and held captive by something of this world—our jobs, our friend groups, social media, the news, even our phones. We allow these things to take the place of Jesus in our hearts and minds. We allow these things to fill us, and often they fill us with anger, resentment, anxiety, sadness, or more. 

But Jesus is here—and has always been here—to free us from the chains that come with these things. He doesn’t just fill us, as these things do, He brings us joy, peace, love, and harmony.

Nothing of this world can do that. Sure, many can bring happiness, but happiness is fleeting. Happiness doesn’t last. But a joy in Christ lasts. 

So let us take time to reflect on how we spend our days. Where is our focus? Are we spending so much time watching the news, playing on our phones, or scrolling through social media that Christ becomes secondary in our lives? Are we letting the world fill us with an anger that threatens to destroy the joy we have? 

Because of sin, our world is broken. This should—and often does—bring us sadness, but it’s a sadness we must not dwell upon. Instead, we must turn this sadness into an awareness that only loving and God-centered actions can effect the change we need in this world.

So, as we begin this new year, let us allow God to liberate us from our captivity and truly make this a year acceptable to the Lord. 

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