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Perfect Justice and Perfect Mercy

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The National Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. is the largest church in the western hemisphere. The Byzantine structure rises high above the DC skyline, which is punctuated by famous buildings like the Washington Monument and the US Capitol. Each day, tour buses pull into the circular drive in front of the Shrine and unload droves of pilgrims to the steps of “Mary’s House” as locals call it.

Upon entering the cavernous basilica, any pilgrim’s eye will be drawn upward to a massive mosaic of Jesus that spans from the back wall of the Basilica onto the domed ceiling above the altar. If you look closely, you’ll notice that Jesus’s face is not symmetrical. One side of his gaze seems piercing, while the other is more relaxed. 

This asymmetry is intentional and communicates the genius of our Lord’s perfect justice and perfect mercy. We get a glimpse of this perfect justice and mercy in today’s Gospel from John 2:13-22 as well.

Today we read about the first of Jesus’ four visits to Jerusalem recorded in John’s Gospel. In the context of the Gospel, we read earlier in this chapter about Jesus’ first miracle, which was turning water into wine at the Wedding at Cana. This miracle revealed Jesus’s identity but also his love for his mother since it was his mother who prompted the miracle (Jn 2:3-5). This miracle also reveals Jesus’s care for those around him. Jesus is kind, generous, and merciful. Perhaps his countenance was relaxed. 

Yet in this same chapter, we read that Jesus formed a whip out of cords and drove merchants and money changers out of the temple area and flipped over tables (Jn 2:15). This must have been a fierce sight to behold. But isn’t this scene a revelation of Jesus’s perfect justice and perfect mercy? Justice required that Jesus not allow anyone to defile his Father’s house. Mercy required it, too.

In this reading, Jesus’ disciples recalled the words of Scripture “Zeal for your house will consume me,” referencing Psalm 68:10. John is signaling that Jesus will allow himself to be consumed. Out of love for us, he paid the price of our sin through his crucifixion, and he offers us salvation. This is the embodiment of perfect justice and perfect mercy.  

How have you felt Jesus’s justice and mercy in your own life? Sometimes these experiences may be peaceful and miraculous like the Wedding at Cana. At other times, they may be uncomfortable, like the correction and rebuke at the temple. But with focus on Jesus’ with outstretched arms and his gaze from above, we can strive to better conform our lives to his.     

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We welcome new author, Elizabeth Tomlin!

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Asking for Faith

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What even is faith? More than just a blind leap to things we can’t know, faith is an acknowledgement that God is above us and we should trust him in the things he reveals. If the truths of the world are reasonable and we can believe them using logic, philosophy, and science, then faith is supra-reasonable. That is, it is beyond the physical world and allows us to enter into the very life of God. 

 Why so much talk about faith? Well, the Apostles knew how hard it was to believe some of the things Jesus said. In today’s Gospel they are encountered with teachings they may not quite understand. Their response was to pray for more faith. They call out to Jesus and ask him to make their faith stronger. 

 This shows us a couple of things. Sometimes we think that faith relies solely on us. Like we have to work really hard to gain faith and if we work even harder then our faith will grow. But here, it is made clear that having faith at all starts with God. He starts the process of faith. He is the one who makes faith possible for us. On top of that, the Gospel shows that if we ask for faith God is not only faithful but he is super faithful. If we even ask for faith the size of a mustard seed we will be able to do the seemingly impossible. 

So this all leads to a very important question. When was the last time you prayed for and expected faith from God? He is telling us to ask. He wants us to grow in faith every day and wants to bless us with these truths that are beyond the reason we can come to on our own. Do we believe that what Jesus said in this Gospel is true even today? Do we believe that with faith as small as a mustard seed we can do anything? If not, ask for the grace of faith. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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Tommy Shultz is the Founder/Director of Rodzinka Ministry and a content specialist for Ruah Woods, a Theology of the Body Ministry. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. Tommy has a heart and flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith.

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Giving What We Are

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I love the widow’s mite, even as it challenges me every time to give of my substance and not my surplus. It is no act of great trust to give only what is left over AFTER I take care of my needs and probably my wants, and then, once I’m sure my own situation is provided for, give some of the surplus.

As I write this, I am on the couch with one of the most famous illnesses in the history of the world (after Bubonic Plague and the Spanish Flu, I’d guess) and unable to do much of anything. It is hard to be immobilized when you have several jobs, children, grandchildren, charitable activities, writing deadlines. There is a moment when you wonder, “What will happen?!” And then you recognize how the Lord reaches in, fills in the gaps, and makes sure that all the necessaries are actually attended to, that people are generous with their various assistances, and patience is the virtue that will win the day/week.

I also realized that very often the objective tasks we do (and we are definitely called to certain tasks, by our duties and responsibilities, the needs of the people before us, and the movements of the Spirit within us) can keep us from the deep self-examination that is the call to ongoing conversion. Being forced to hold still can bring this reality to the forefront.

So, as I wrestled a fever for what seemed like endless days, I felt that I “wasn’t doing anything.” But of course, I could be doing something if I accept this unavoidable difficulty as a gift from the Hand of God and offer it back to Him in love. Like the widow who dropped her few pennies into the temple treasury, I am able to give nothing more. It’s all I have. And it’s all God wants. Because it takes great trust to give something that seems so insignificant and know God can do great things with it.

So, the meditation for each of us is about how generously we give. Do we give of our surplus, or do we give to the Lord first, and then trust that the rest will be enough for us? Do we give what we choose to give, what is satisfying to us, or do we give in each moment whatever the Lord is asking us to give? Today it may be to endure this fever with patience, tomorrow it may be to do some great act of charity. Does our giving cost us anything? Or does it simply prop up our own idea of ourselves as generous (which is to make ourselves the actual recipient of our gift… which is no gift at all…)?

Lord, teach us to walk with you in every moment, so that we give of our substance, and give what you are inviting us to give, so that we are truly free.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and four grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is www.KathrynTherese.com

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The Humility of Christ

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Today’s Gospel Acclamation is one of my favorite verses in the Bible: “Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” In this verse from Corinthians, we are reminded of the way Christ sacrificed Himself for our sake. He humbled Himself – He took on the poverty of humanity – in order that we might share in the richness of Heaven.  

This verse, which prepares us for the words of the Gospel, also reminds us that, in His humility, Christ Jesus allowed us to know His heart intimately. In the Gospel, Christ is calling us to follow in His footsteps, humble ourselves, and let Him know our own hearts intimately. The question is: How do we do that? Well, if we listen to this particular Gospel, we get the answer! We must be faithful in small things because that shows that we will also be faithful in big things.

I think the bigger question, at least for me, is: How do we do this in our everyday lives? I think the small things are the things we don’t think about: When we wake up and take a minute to thank God for allowing us another day, when we put something away that our spouse or our children left out, when we say a short prayer at the sound of an ambulance siren, when we smile at a stranger. All of those things are small ways in which we can show the love of Christ to others. Those things all create a habit of virtue which then allow us to do the big things: Go to Mass without hesitation not only on Holy Days of Obligation but other days as well, go to confession regularly, challenge the ones with love to be faithful, improve our prayer life, actively seek further knowledge in the faith. When we are faithful in the small things, we learn how to be faithful in the big things. When we allow the light of Christ to shine through us in our everyday lives and in our everyday interactions, we can truly live out the saying: “Preach the Gospel at all times, use words when necessary”.

May we continually humble ourselves at the foot of the cross so that we may gain the richness of Heaven and be united in Christ with great joy.

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Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO and teaches English Language Development and Spanish to high schoolers. She is married to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others. Check out more of her writing at https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com.

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The (Dis)honest Steward

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Why would the master commend the dishonest steward? And what did the steward do that would be considered prudent? If you are like me, you are probably confused by today’s Gospel and may find yourself asking similar questions. 

Reading the footnote for Luke 16:1-8 (at least in the particular Bible that sits on the desk in my office – Life Teen’s Catholic Teen Bible) gives me greater clarity when it comes to this passage. 

First, the steward is being let go for squandering his master’s property, nothing else. And the steward knows it – he doesn’t even try to fight the loss of his position. He also knows who he is, someone who is not strong enough to dig as he might have to in another position. However, he also admits his own pride in saying he is too ashamed to beg (but talking about pride could be another whole blog post). 

The steward then comes up with a plan that will help him “get in good” with his master’s debtors by reducing the amounts owed to the master. It is easy to see how such an action would ingratiate the steward to the debtors, which was his whole goal. What is not easy to see, however, is the deeper meaning of reducing the debts as it relates to the steward himself. (Hint: it relates more to him than to the master!)

A little later on, the footnote for this passage speaks to the fact that the steward was having the debtors write new notes minus the profit he would have taken for himself. In other words, the steward wasn’t trying to pull one last fast one over the master. Rather, the steward was issuing new notes that reflected only the true amount that was owed to the master. That is certainly commendable, right? How much easier would it have been for the steward to take that extra money, knowingly facing the loss of his position? 

The dishonest steward did something prudent and honest. Not only should we strive to be honest in speech by avoiding sins of gossip and speaking uncharitably, etc. but also we should strive to match that honesty in our actions as well. 

P.S. If you are looking for even further applications of this Gospel, continue on by reading verses 9-13. 

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Erin Madden is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is passionate about the Lord Jesus, all things college sports and telling stories and she is blessed enough to get paid for all three of her passions. You can catch her on old episodes of the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter@erinmadden2016.

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Looking Down On Others

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It is hard not to “look down on” other people when they disagree with us. This is especially true when our opinions are well supported by facts and expert opinions. Those who hold different viewpoints than we do can seem ignorant at best and at worst…dangerous. Today’s First Reading reminds us that this temptation to judge others affected the earliest Christian communities as well. 

This reading makes even more sense when Chapter 14 of the book of Romans is read in its entirety. It should help all of us realize that, when it comes to opinions, even regarding the best way to draw close to God, we need to refrain from judging others. If the people we are tempted to look down on are motivated by true love of God and neighbor, this will go a long way in making their actions fruitful, even though it may not be the “ideal.” 

In our parish communities for example, while we may fume over this or that issue, God is looking at the heart and writing straight with crooked lines. And while there will be situations in which there is a “right” and “wrong” way to do things, St. Paul’s words guide us as we seek to improve.

In my own experience, I have been a part of many diverse communities within the church and each one tends to judge the other. As a homeschooling mom, I have felt misunderstood by non-homeschooling Catholics, but when I was heavily involved in Catholic schools, I sometimes felt discredited by the homeschool community. In the past, my husband and I have reverently led music (with the guitar) at Mass and were told by several individuals that our “contemporary” music was not appreciated. On the other hand, I was recently disgusted when one of our greeters at church was making small talk with other parishioners about how “out of touch” the traditional Latin Mass was. I, myself, have harshly judged individuals in each of those camps for one reason or another. Aye Yai Yai! 

Our society at large no longer seems to value calm, respectful dialogue. Our churches and our families should be havens of respite in which we are still invited to share our viewpoints freely. In our parishes, and especially in regard to the liturgy of the Mass, there are many uneducated Catholics with good hearts who need to be willing to learn more about what the Church teaches and why. There are many Catholics whose education and experience allows them to share a more well-informed perspective, and they must wait until a good opportunity arises in which to help educate others, remembering that education can sometimes make a person impatient and/or proud. 

As usual, our good God is calling all of us to stay close to Christ in humble prayer. We need to stop treating our own individual preferences as law and looking down on those who have differing opinions. Yet we need to constantly discern what the essentials of our faith practices are so we don’t lose our way.  And everything we do must be done in a true spirit of love for God and neighbor, so that we can have a clean conscience before God.

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Christine Hanus is a thwarted idealist who, nevertheless, lives quite happily in Upstate NY. She is a wife and mother of five grown children.

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Love and Law

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Imagine with me for a second the scenario of a group of friends playing soccer on the top of a cliff. The cliff rises high above the treacherous waters below and one slip would cause a fall and certain death. Now, they are free to play the game, but they have the constant fear of falling over the edge. Take this same scenario and add a net around the edges of the cliff. They still have the freedom to play, but one could make the claim that they are even more free because now they do not have the fear of death. 

This is an analogy for why we have laws, either natural or divine. God gives us laws to protect us and to help us to live how we ought. Government should make laws to protect all of those in society. So in today’s First Reading it seems as if Paul is making the claim that laws are not necessary as long as you love. How could this be possible? 

The answer is that Paul is in one sense saying the laws are not needed if you love, because you know how you are to live. But in another sense he sees the necessity of the law because more often than not, we forget to love. This is in line with the tradition of the Church and even St. Augustine who is famous for saying, “love and do what you want.”

Notice the importance of explanation here. Paul and Augustine are clearly not saying we can just be good people and the moral law doesn’t matter. When we are truly loving and living rightly we are already in accord with the law, but instead of being edicts that are pushed on us from without, they well up from within. If we are truly loving we know instinctively not to murder, not to lie, not to gossip etc. These are things that a human being who lives in love would not do. 

This is essentially what it means when we are told to form our conscience. Our conscience should be formed in such a way that what we believe conforms with the truth of how we were made. God’s laws make sense if we accept that he is in control and knows what is best for us. So let’s take a few moments today to focus on how loving it is for God to give us laws to help guide us, but also how the closer we get to God the more we live rightly. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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Tommy Shultz is the Founder/Director of Rodzinka Ministry and a content specialist for Ruah Woods, a Theology of the Body Ministry. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. Tommy has a heart and flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith.

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Love Transcends Death

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“And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.” (John 6:39)

All Souls Day will forever carry a special place in my heart, as I delivered my first child into the world on November 2, 2014. My son, Alexander Lloyd, had died in my womb before he ever had a chance to be born into earthly life. To this day, I’ve struggled with trying to understand God’s way. Why give us a son, just to take him away? God can take the hardest of concepts and through it makes all things good.

In today’s Second Reading, “If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.”

Alexander Lloyd reminds me of one of the many joys I can pray to encounter in striving for life after death. He is my personal reminder that love transcends death. As Catholics, it is our duty to offer prayers for the deceased as frequently as possible. Not just on All Souls Day, but every day, as much as possible. 

As noted in today’s First Reading, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God” and “Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect.”

Today, I offer praise to God for the time he has given me with my unborn Alexander. I will recognize that all things work together for good in the eyes of God. I pray for those who have passed on before me, my family members as well as strangers I’ve never known but who maybe the world has forgotten.

How can your love continue to flourish for those who have passed on before you?

Who of the faithful departed will you take the time to pray for today?

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Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.

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Praising With All the Saints

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“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.” Mt:28

Happy Solemnity of All Saints! In my opinion, this is one of the most complicated celebrations that we as a church celebrate. I say this because we celebrate and remember our loved ones and the unknown saints who have gone before us that are worshiping and praising our beautiful God in heaven. They are experiencing and participating in the full force of looking upon God’s face and praising him. They are participating in the heavenly song, “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb… Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” -Rev 7. 

Yet… we are left here, longing to see our loved ones and God’s face. We are left here to deal with the burdens of daily life. This celebration takes on a sad note when you have lost someone you love. Though we believe we have access to God and all of heaven even on this side of death through our identity as God’s children who are not abandoned, however we can still feel the sting of loss and sorrow. This solemnity reminds us that we are still blessed even when we are mourning the loss of our loved ones because heaven is still open to us and there is still hope. We still have the freedom of salvation from death even though we might still feel a sense of loss. 

The pain of loss is sharp in my life and I speak from experience about the odd paradox of being blessed even while I mourn. I can feel the joy of connecting with the holy ones while I praise my God. I know that I am joining the heavenly songs and joining in one voice with all the saints and angels as tears of joy and sadness stream down my face as we cry out, ‘You are worthy of it all!’ This celebration of All Saints is a word of hope that the power of Jesus has not been overcome by our daily struggles and losses. We know this as we look at the powerful testimony of even the unknown saints and the holy innocents. Their testimony is that God’s love has invaded even the secret places, even the quiet little one who could not merit anything for themselves. 

We are celebrating today the reality of the power of the resurrection that has conquered death. Jesus’ promise that he will give us rest from our labor and burdens is not just fulfilled when we die but from death and its effects in our lives. In other words, death does not have to scare us nor does the pain of loss need to be permanent. We can still connect with our loved ones on this side of death when we enter God’s presence and will rejoin them at the end of our lives. My hope for all of us, is that we are encouraged to press on in faith that God is good and worthy of all praise even through the trials by the witness of all the saints. May Jesus bless you.

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Arthur Richardson is married to his wonderful wife, Gabby Richardson. They will be married for two years this January! Most of his work experience is in ministry. He was a retreat missionary in Wisconsin for two years and a youth minister for three years. He is now the Web Project Manager here at Diocesan, and loves it!

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The Greatest Commandments

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Today, in the Gospel of Mark, we read that the scribes asked Jesus which was the first, or most important, of the commandments. To this, Christ responded: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Love of God and love of our neighbors aren’t simply abstract thoughts or feelings. In order to truly love, we must show that love with our actions. That means that we put Christ first all day, every day. We wake up with a prayer on our lips. We ask God for His help when we need it, but we never forget to whisper prayers of joy, of thanks, or of happiness throughout the day as well. 

And part of showing our love for God is loving those we share the world with. We love our neighbor as we want to be loved. Our neighbors don’t just include the people we like. Our neighbors include every person we encounter. They’re the slow cashier at the grocery store. They’re the grumpy coworker in the next cubicle. They’re the irritable person down the street. 

God didn’t instruct us to be kind and love only our friends. That’s easy! He wants us to be kind to everyone. And when we do, we have the beautiful opportunity to change hearts and minds, to inspire, or to help someone feel important. Too often, people express their sadness or loneliness through negative actions. They’re grumpy or irritable because of something inside that really bothers them or because of the way they’ve been treated by others. It can be very difficult for them to break this cycle when people react to their negativity with negativity.

Sometimes, in order to make a change, people need just one person to treat them with kindness.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch taught Scout an important lesson when he said that we never really understand someone until we “climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Isn’t climbing into someone’s skin—seeing something from his point of view—putting love into action?

When we do this, we show people that they matter. 

As we approach the holidays and Advent, let us remember these two commandments, and let us reflect on the importance of loving others and treating them well. 

We all matter to God. We are all loved by God. And He calls us to help shine His love to others. 

So how will you put love into action today and every day?

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Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Eleven of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program-an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students.

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