Tag: Tommy Shultz

Having worked in and out of the Church for most of my life, I can confidently say that parish and diocese offices are a strange mixing pot of some of the holiest and dangerous conversations. What do I mean by that? I think it tends to happen in any job that we have, but people seem to have a tendency to put others down in a way that is not consistent with what they have done. 

Justice, of course, is that hope that all people will be given what they are rightly due. There is a time and a place in the workspace for people to be justly angry that something did not go well or that someone dropped the ball. But justice does not excuse gossip, talking behind someone’s back, or wanting to hurt someone’s reputation. If you are feeling uncomfortable right now because you know you have done those things at different times, join the club. Part of our fallen humanity is that we don’t so much seek justice, but straight up vengeance. 

This kind of mentality can tear an office space apart and it’s exactly what God warns Jonah about in the reading today. Jonah has this anger that God has not yet destroyed Nineveh. I am sure he even convinced himself that he was justified to ask for wrath and blood. But God very simply and gently reminds Jonah that he has no reason to be angry. God has all the reason to be angry but he perfectly balances justice and mercy. 

I think we can learn from this, especially today where our world seems so divided, and always seek to balance justice with mercy. The Catechism defines justice as “the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor” (CCC 1807). What is every person due no matter what they have done or what sin they have committed? We are all due love, respect, mercy, and the benefit of the doubt. It can be easy to foster anger in our hearts, but God shows us another way. 

Something I have found helpful in this regard is to look at my own faults before I try to tear another person down. That makes it much easier to see the necessity of mercy. The Catechism states “God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us. To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (CCC 1847). 

Let’s all try to make the active choice this week to pray for those we have spoken badly of, to ask for forgiveness for ourselves, and to pray for those who have wronged us. We don’t want to end up like Jonah after all, face first down the belly of a beast. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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It would be easy to go the humility route with the Gospel today, as it is the classic verse about childlike faith. But I want to take a slightly different direction by honing in on the last sentence from today’s readings, “their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” There are many Scriptures that speak about angelic reality, in fact, we even speak to belief in the heavens and earth in the Creed, but there are not very many verses that explicitly point to the belief that every person has a guardian angel.

Many don’t know that this teaching is actually a truth of the faith. “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.” -CCC 336

An angel is a purely spiritual being who is a messenger of God. All throughout the Scriptures we hear about angels being active in helping to accomplish God’s will. The beauty that the Gospel reveals today is that they see God face to face and at the same time help us in this life. Think about how we pray to saints. Of course we do not believe that saints by their own power are helping us, but God by his power allows them to participate in his will. So when we pray to a saint or angel, those prayers become even more efficacious since the prayers of the righteous man are efficacious, as we hear in Scripture. 

I grew up praying the guardian angel prayer, but never fully realized the depth of what was happening. Imagine for a second a spiritual battle between the good and fallen angels. Your soul is the object of this fight and your guardian angel, thankfully, has the power of God on their side. Take just a moment today to reflect on the depth of that. God loves us so much that he not only walks with us through everything, but he also has angels and the saints walk with us as well to help us in our spiritual growth. If you haven’t prayed the guardian angel prayer in a while, take just a few moments and ask your guardian angel for their intercession. 

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, rule and guide. Amen.

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The First Reading today seems to make the bold claim that somehow the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus was not enough for the sins of mankind. Of course, this is not what St. Paul is claiming, but it is very important to unpack this verse and see what he is trying to proclaim. 

Is Jesus’ suffering somehow lacking for the sins of mankind? The answer is a bold no. What Christ did on the cross redeems us fully and completely. Nothing is lacking in the sacrifice of the cross when it comes to redeeming us and forgiving us of sin. 

So what are we to make of the First Reading? The most common interpretation of this passage is that Paul is saying God uses us and our own suffering, to bring others into the saving power of his love. Think about it, if someone has rejected God, then it may be our witness, our prayers, our own suffering, that is the nudge that may bring them back into communion with God. 

This is what St. Paul is proclaiming here, not that Jesus’ sacrifice is incomplete, but that the external and practical way that salvation works sometimes takes an extra push. We can be that extra nudge or push for those who are near and dear to us. Now the question is, do we do this or are we afraid? 

When I was working at a parish collaborative in Michigan I once gave a talk on Catholicism and afterwards one of the parents came up to me. They said they had raised their kids Catholic but that their son no longer practiced the faith and most of their kids had fallen away over the years. They wanted to know the secret sauce to get their kids back into the Catholic faith. I simply asked when the last time was that they prayed together. The parents could not remember a time that they had ever prayed together. Now, this isn’t to shame the parents, but I think it is pretty common. Do we believe in the transformative power of prayer and fasting and are we doing these things for and with our loved ones who need the love of God. St. Paul makes it clear that if we can add anything to the already perfect suffering of Christ, it’s that we can help people to know that there is a God who loves them and wants to be in communion with them. Let’s pray for the grace to be bold, to pray, to fast, and to help others see the love of Christ. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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Sometimes when I am reading through Scripture, a passage tends to fly off the page as if God printed it on a spiritual two by four and whacked me with it. That was certainly the case with the readings for today. I typically like to read through all the readings and pray through them and then decide on a part to focus on. Today, it was clear that God wanted me to reflect on these simple words, “From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.” 

Read through that a few times and ask yourself if you have ever had the care for your fellow man in this same way. I know I need to work on this. It’s such a beautiful greeting because it immediately shows care for the person and a hope for prosperity, joy, and knowledge of the Lord. 

I think in our world today we struggle with being present. We have all these things flying at us throughout the day and they are going so fast that it is hard to focus on the people God has put into our lives. Think about it for just a second, how many advertisements have you seen or heard today from the moment you woke up until now? We receive things through the radio, news on the tv, billboards on the way to work, ads on our web browsers, and the list goes on. 

The world moves so fast that we never take the time to go slow. I am going to try to reflect on this all week. When I ask people how they are, am I waiting for a sincere answer? Do I take the time to pray for those who I say I will? Has “I’ll pray for you” just become a way to neglect the real work of sitting with the person and being with them, while also praying in the moment? 

These are hard questions I think we should all ask in order to get to the point where we can say, “From the day I heard about you, I did not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.” Let’s say it and mean it. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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**Due to server issues, this post was not published on 8/8/21, so we are posting it now.**

Have you ever had a moment where you just wanted to give up on something? Whether work or a situation or something with a friend or family member. I think we all have been in a situation where we don’t feel like we have the strength to endure. I think it’s safe to say that this is where Elijah found himself in the First Reading for today. He was at what he believed was the end of his journey and he just wanted to be done, so he proclaimed, “This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

I may not have had a moment this tragic, but I can certainly remember a time when I felt I couldn’t possibly do it. When I was in High School we went on a backpacking trip to South Manitou Island. The very first day we were supposed to walk around the entire island to get our required miles in. For those who don’t know me, I am a redhead and pale as can be. The mixture of sun beating down on me all day and the absolute exhaustion from hiking on sand was enough to make me want to quit. It took everything I had to just finish that hike for the day and the sad part was that this was just a third of the miles we were supposed to go, or so we thought. After we got to our destination we realized that the map was wrong and that in just one day we ended up hiking half of our miles. We were ecstatic. A seemingly hopeless situation ended in pure joy.

This again, is what Elijah experiences. After thinking his life was over, God promptly fed him and gave him the energy and life to finish the 40 day trip. God brought joy and life out of a situation that seemed to be coated in despair. I am reminded of the movie, The Mist. I won’t give away the ending for those who haven’t seen it, but it is a good reminder that life is precious and we should always hold out hope that God is going to take care of us no matter what. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” -Matthew 7:11

I know I need this reminder constantly. So maybe today, instead of just reading this blog and letting it fade into oblivion, take a moment and tell God what is really going on in your life. Give him permission to enter into your sorrows, joys, failing, and accomplishments. Let him help you along this crazy journey we call life and don’t be afraid to pray for and expect miracles to happen. It’s like St. Teresa of Avila said, “We pay God a compliment by asking great things of him.” Take a few minutes now before going on to your next task to tell God what you need from him today, and wait in silence for an answer. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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The Gospel reading for today is by far one of my favorites, so much so that it was the Gospel at our wedding. If you have never done Lectio Divina before, this is a perfect verse to start with. Lectio Divina simply means “divine reading” and it’s a way to pray through Scripture instead of just reading it. There are many different forms you can find online, but I want to share a simple form with you today and include this verse and my brief reflections. 

Begin as you would any prayer, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Take a few deep breaths. Try to relax and get comfortable. Take your time and do not rush. Read the Gospel for today slowly and as you read, see if anything in particular stands out to you. Take a quick mental note of the things that seem to pop off the page and thank God for speaking to you through this ancient text. 

Next, read it again and try to put yourself into the story and focus on those few phrases that stood out to you. Maybe you were struck by Peter’s faith. Do you relate to his character in the story? Read slowly and prayerfully and allow yourself to enter the narrative. 

Finally, take time to just be in the presence of God. Read it one last time and then simply sit in silence. No expectations, no questions, no fleeting thoughts. Just for a moment let God love you and just sit with him in silence. A good way to do this is pay attention to your breathing and simply say “Come Holy Spirit” with every breath you take. This can help you relax and focus on the Lord’s presence. 

End your time of prayer and take any notes you think may be helpful for you in the future. Whenever I pray through this verse I am immediately drawn to the fact that there are three types of people in the story. There were those who were too afraid to get out of the boat, there was Peter as he was trusting, and then there was Peter as he was sinking and crying out. I ask myself this question often and I will ask it to you today, which of the three are you? From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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Today, we hear about one of the unsung women who is an absolute hero in the Bible. Think back to the situation that is described in today’s First Reading. During this time in Egypt, all Israelite boys were to be killed, under the order of Pharaoh. You could be put to death for hiding children as well. Enter the hero of the story. This unknown woman conceals the child for as long as she can. 

Now I don’t know about you, but my experience with children is that they do not stay quiet for very long, especially without food or comfort. So this woman is constantly trying to keep her child quiet and well fed in order to save him from Pharaoh’s wrath. I think of the scene in “A Quiet Place” where they just had a newborn and have to try to keep the crying down so they are not heard by the invading force in the movie. 

If you have seen the film, you know that it ends in a sacrifice to protect the children. In the same way, this woman sacrifices her very life for Moses, and look at what God did with this sacrificial love. But notice that Moses is not ready right away to do God’s will. In fact, he even commits murder and has to hide out for a time as God slowly calls him to deeper and deeper conversion. 

I think there are two things we can learn from this reading that apply to our daily lives. First, sometimes God’s will can be difficult for us to follow, but we should be courageous just as this woman was in the Bible, because we never know what our actions will do in the long term. Second, we are constantly being purified and sanctified. When I was in seminary one of the major slogans was constant conversion. 

The word conversion simply means to turn away. Turn away from a certain lifestyle or sin or vice in order to turn back to God. John Paul II in his Encyclical Redemptoris Missio said, “From the outset, conversion is expressed in faith which is total and radical, and which neither limits nor hinders God’s gift. At the same time, it gives rise to a dynamic and lifelong process which demands a continual turning away from ‘life according to the flesh’ to ‘life according to the Spirit’. Conversion means accepting, by a personal decision, the saving sovereignty of Christ and becoming his disciple.”

Conversion is not once and for all, but gradual and daily. It is a lifelong process whereby we accept the love of the Trinity.  If we courageously follow God and open ourselves up to his constant love, it may not be what we expect, but it will be what we need. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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We just celebrated the Fourth of July and the Alleluia before the Gospel today really got me thinking about freedom. The reading says, “Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” Christ has conquered sin and death and brought freedom to us. But what is freedom?

Genesis 2 explains, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’”

Adam was free to eat, he was free to choose. This leads to the question that keeps philosophers busy; Why did God allow freedom if he knew we were going to fall? Ultimately, he gave us freedom because he loves us and wants us to freely love him in return. But that necessarily means that the very freedom that is required for authentic love, also allows for rejection.

Currently, our culture tends to think of freedom as doing whatever we want, whenever we want, in whatever way that we want. This was the mistake Adam and Eve made as well. Adam and Eve believed that God was holding out on them. So, they allowed their freedom, which was meant to bring them closer to God, to turn them away from him and toward death.

Now, let’s fast forward out of the echoes of Eden to the present day. We still misuse this God-given freedom to turn our backs on him. John Paul II recognized that, in the beginning, before the fall, this was not God’s will, proclaiming, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” This sounds counterintuitive in our modern era; for freedom to be doing what we “ought,” but think about it. When we live in accordance with God’s order, design and purpose, we are most fulfilled. When a dog obeys his owner, he is man’s best friend. When a child obeys their parents, they are joyful and protected. And so it goes, within his created order, when we obey God, we are living to our fullest potential.

Contrast that with the fact that every time we sin, it is easier and easier to form harmful habits and become enslaved to that sin, even addicted. That’s when evil makes us less and less of who we were created to be. Therefore, the question for us this month, as we celebrate The Fourth of July is, how are we going to use our freedom? Do we want slavery, or do we want fulfillment? Don’t let this be an empty question that slides off the screen. Take 30 seconds right now and ask yourself how you can live in true freedom this month, and then next month and the next (virtue can become habit too, you know). Then pray to be open to receiving the grace God is offering to you. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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Usually I like focusing on one of the main readings, or the Gospel, but today the Responsorial Psalm really stood out to me. The words “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord” fly directly in the face of those who think Christians just believe in this invisible God who can’t be proven or disproven. It immediately flies to the defense of any of those, hopefully all of us, who see the importance of the sacraments and the physical presentation of the invisible grace of God. This is the faith of the Church from the very beginning, our faith is incarnational. That is to say, our faith proclaims the spiritual and physical, body and soul, matter and form.

You see, we love through our bodies and God became man to give up his body for us in the most concrete and tangible act of love. The incarnation is so important to the Church, in fact, that the Catechism in paragraph 1015 says, “The flesh is the hinge of salvation. We believe in God who is creator of the flesh; we believe in the Word made flesh in order to redeem the flesh; we believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the fulfillment of both the creation and the redemption of the flesh.”

The chasm between the human person and the grace of God that was brought about by the fall, was bridged by a human body, a human heart, and divine love. This is why St. John Paul II could say, “Through the fact that the Word of God became flesh, the body entered theology. I would say, through the main door.” (TOB 23:4)

The second Person of the Trinity did not become man solely to save us from sin, but also to remind us of who we are as human persons, and to be an example of who the human person should be. He elevated the human person to a level that was previously unknown and inaccessible. The Church proclaims this loudly and boldly during the Easter Vigil when we hear, “O happy fault that gained for us so great a Redeemer.”

This is what we just celebrated on the Feast of Corpus Christi and this is the key to our faith. We celebrate a God who became man so that we might become God (See Catechism 460). We hear it in the Psalm today, “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”. God is real, his love is real, so real we can quite literally taste it. Let’s never take that for granted. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless! 

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So the other day when I was walking with my guardian angel. Wait what? Yes, you heard me right, I was walking with my guardian angel. You can see how saying something like this kind of shocks us. It isn’t normal language that we are used to hearing. But in the First Reading today that’s how it begins. The angel Raphael is walking with Tobiah.

This led me to ponder why that language is so mysterious or shocking to us today. We believe that angels exist don’t we? We see them all through Scripture helping man on his quest to draw closer to God. So why is it so shocking that angels would be with us? I think this is why the Bible puts it so plainly. It shouldn’t be shocking to us. We should all be aware of this spiritual presence of angels.

I love how the Catechism puts it, “the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.” Take just a second and reflect on the depth of that passage. The entire Church, including you and me, benefit from the powerful help of angels. They are here with us guiding us and helping us just as Raphael did for Tobias.

Aquinas, who is known as the angelic doctor, made the point that every angel is its own species. Here in the animal kingdom we have species to group things together that are common in certain aspects. Every angel, however, is so unique that it is its own species entirely. Think about that. God cares about you so much that he created an angel, that is its own species, to help you. To personally help you.

This isn’t just a fun little theological thing to contemplate, this is an actual teaching of the Church. The Catechism states, “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.”

So there you have it straight from the Church. You can take that to the spiritual bank if you will. You have a guardian angel who loves you, protects you, and guides you. Let’s not forget to ask for help from our angel every day. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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