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Simplicity like St. Francis

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I wonder how many of you are spending today much as I have before. Ah, yes, the simultaneously boring and thrilling adventures of Black Friday shopping. I would be lying if I said that I have only bought gifts for others. There I would be, rushing around the store, trying to find the best deal on the new (insert techie gadget here). It wasn’t until this past year that what I have been working on is being conscious of what I have and being humble about the things I bring into my home and life. Luckily, I have two great role models to look up to St. Francis of Assisi and my mother.

Just about everyone knows St. Francis of Assisi and his story. He talked to animals and chose to be poor, right? The son of a wealthy merchant, worldly pleasures, realization, conversion, preaching, and something about living in the woods. Call me a sorry Catholic, but that’s about all I knew about him until a year or two ago. It took me 22 years before deciding to actually want to learn about my faith. The deeper I dive, the more I am enthralled by St. Francis of Assisi’s simplistic, Catholic outlook on life and want to follow in his footsteps.  

On “holidays” like today, I focus on St. Francis and how he rejected worldly pleasures, something I am trying so hard to do in a materialistic society. We are being bombarded with as many as 5,000 advertisements a day so that it can be increasingly difficult. We not only have to fight the urge to buy everything, but we also have to come to terms with the fact that not having, or even wanting, the newest thing can brand us as a loser or poor, regardless of facts.

My mother is a successful businesswoman, yet it is rare that she ever buys something for herself. Other than food and necessary clothes, I can’t even remember the last time she bought something for herself. Most of her jewelry came from either my father or her children, her purses are Christmas gifts, and how does she do it?

She is happy with and proud of what she has. Her joy is placed in her faith, her family and her work. Her joy is not in the things she has bought and owned, but the things she has created out of love and time. (Yes, it’s okay to find love and joy in your work.) She does not care what others think of her because she knows that our belongings should not dictate if we are popular or rich, but should instead answer the question of where our priority lies.

So yes, society tells us that today should be about buying things, but are they things you truly need? In fact, ask God. God, how could my time be better spent with friends or family? God, how could my money be better spent? God, how could my money be better donated? God (and dare I say it) how could my money be better saved? Finally, God, help me be humble in my choices, charitable in my actions, and strong in my will.  

These are all mini-prayers we should be asking ourselves each time we go to buy something, not just today, but every day.

Veronica Alvarado is a born and raised Texan currently living in Michigan. Since graduating from Texas A&M University, Veronica has published various articles in the Catholic Diocese of Austin’s official newspaper, the Catholic Spirit, and other local publications. She now works as the Content Specialist in Diocesan’s Web Department.

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Gratitude is the Memory of the Heart

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“Gratitude is the memory of the heart,” an old French proverb by Jean-Baptiste Massieu.

What a fitting thought for today, Thanksgiving Day, when all of the Scripture readings center on thankfulness and giving glory to God.

I know we’ve all heard, many times, that we should be thankful and show gratitude throughout our lives. Whether it is as simple as “thank you” for a gift received or as dramatic as the heartfelt prayer when a miracle has happened in our lives, both can be emotional experiences. And, I dare say, would impress themselves on our hearts in memory, to be often recalled for someone’s kindness, or in God’s goodness to us.

Let’s look at gratitude differently today. I know, you will be saying prayers of thanks at your table feast, and may even go around the table, each person saying that for which they are thankful. And that is a good thing, always. But what about the gratitude that is impressed on the heart, the “memory” of God, if you will? Do you believe that God is grateful for you? Do you believe that God is thankful that he created you, no matter who you are? Better yet, can you believe that God is thankful for your existence?

I won’t answer that question for you. Instead, I challenge you to ponder it today as you celebrate with family and friends. The simple concept of God being grateful for us. I am in no way suggesting that your gratitude to God for the good things in your life should be set aside, and you no longer need to praise God, but rather as an exercise in understanding his love for all of his creation. Because when you do this, you will realize that it is not just us who have simple, but good lives with family and friends around us, but rather, his love must also be realized by those who do not have the pleasures of family or a place to celebrate today. Regardless of where we are in this world, God will be grateful for having made us because the memory of us, impressed on his heart, cannot be denied. Should you need a visual reminder of this, think only of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so full and burning with love for us because his Father created us, and their capacity for love knows no bounds. No matter who you are, you have a cherished place in this world. You reside on God’s heart.

“Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.”

-Psalm 145: 2-3

Jeanne Penoyar, an Accounts Manager here at Diocesan, is currently a Lector at St. Anthony of Padua parish in Grand Rapids, MI. While at St. Thomas the Apostle, Grand Rapids, Jeanne was a Lector, Cantor, Coordinator of Special Liturgies, Coordinator of lectors and, at one time, chair of the Liturgy Commission. In a past life, secretary/bookkeeper at the Basilica of St. Adalbert where she ran the RCIA program for the Steepletown parishes. And she loves to write! When relaxing, she likes reading and word puzzles. You can contact her at jpenoyar@diocesan.com.

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Called To Give Our Talent

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Today is the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the First Reading, we hear this descriptive vision that St. John experienced Heaven. He writes about these visions in detail as the Holy Spirit speaks through him for the Book of Revelation.

Embarrassingly, I read the First Reading from Revelation multiple times. I shouldn’t even be embarrassed because this book of Scripture is CRAZY! You’ll probably have to reread it too! No matter how strange or drastic these visions are, it shows us that Heaven is even grander than our childhood dreams and imaginations. Heaven is more than cotton candy clouds and all the ice cream you could have ever imagined. I had a pretty serious appetite as a child, but c’mon who doesn’t like cotton candy and ice cream?

St. John expresses the moment as being caught up in the Spirit as he encounters a beaming throne. Lights and thunder are caught up in this place, torches burn, crystals flicker. He describes a new creature present in his sight. A creature with five eyes in the front and back, which looks like a half man-half animal monster. They all have wings and sing around the throne praising, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!”

I love giving students scripture verses like this. It’s always comical to me as they discover the fact that angels, do not look like regular humans with wings. It’s a misconception in our Christian culture that man becomes an “angel” when he dies. This is a common mistake due to the fact that saying someone is in Heaven as an angel can be a more comforting response for those who are grieving. I find it entertaining to give them a list of Scripture verses that show different situations with angels. Almost all encounters in the Bible that include human beings and angels usually start with fear. The humans are almost ALWAYS terrified. The angel is either begging them not to be scared or the story already states that they are fearful. Automatically we realize, these angels must not look too pleasant. They must look different than cartoons and movies we are used to.

Angels are completely different creatures than humans and animals.  Pure souls which include intellect and will, just like humans. They cannot die and they cannot recreate. Their duty is to be messengers of God! St. John describes them in detail. We know that they are giving glory and honor to God who sits on the throne. They praise Him for Who He is the Creator of all creation, Goodness, Beauty, and Truth.

As I go on to read and reflect on the Gospel of this day, I was a bit confused with the pairing. Really? The Parable of Talents? I was not expecting that to come after this letter from John. If you pay close attention, Luke starts this Gospel with the understanding that people at this moment “thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately.” I love that, they thought it was going to be immediate! Of course, if I was in the presence of Christ Himself, I may have thought that too. From this thought of the people, Jesus starts to tell them a parable. He specifically tells the story of the Parable of Talents, a master gives his servants a different amount of talents, which were equivalent to money back then. He goes away for a while and comes back to find that the first and second servants have duplicated or increased their talents during his absence. The third servant had nothing new to give, but the old coin back. He was scared to lose it, scared to take the risk. He was condemned by his master.

What does this story mean? Well, God wants us to use our talents, maybe that means financially or giftedness. Maybe it means that he wants us to strive in our efforts to give to others and love the people around us. Maybe he just doesn’t want us to waste what He has given. He doesn’t want His children to be lazy or doubting their abilities.

What an amazing Father… He believes He’s given us more than enough for what we are to do. He has given us blessings, gifts, and the talent to start our journeys. Coincidentally, my 8th-grade class has been given a Grant Challenge. Thanks to Ohio Catholic Credit Union, the students were given five hundred dollars- yes, the class was silent as the man from OHCU pulled out the stacks of money. They were quieter than I expected, maybe they were excited or maybe they were scared. I’m not sure, but the money was given as an initiative. This is a project for my oldest class to embark on their own parable of talents. They’re given this amount of talent (500 dollars worth) and Dean from OCCU will return. He will return to ask what they have done with the money and how they have created it into more using our God-given talents. Unsurprisingly, this took a lot of planning and class discussions. Finally, we decided to host a basketball tournament in hopes of raising money for a nonprofit called Kids of Cleveland. There will be nachos, Gatorade, and basketball teams from 3-8th grade. We’re allowing students to pie their teachers in the face for this great cause. Don’t worry, I suggested it because what kid doesn’t want to spend their piggy bank money on that! I see this Parable of Talents as an exciting journey. A journey of our lives. It starts at the beginning of when we are children to when we’re grown adults. Throughout our lives, we come to realize our true gifts. If you read that statement and thought, “Psh, I have no gifts.” Sorry friend, but you’re wrong and you need to ask God to help you see them. Look deeper, give yourself credit for that good parts that make you YOU.  Look at yourself now in a time of reflection for this parable…

What are your true talents? Have you been using them to serve yourself or to serve God? I hope we all want to serve God and Jesus teaches us here that Heaven is no easy-peasy place to get into! Heaven is a major GIFT. We do not expect gifts or need them, but we should be grateful and use them! What is one of your talents that you don’t give yourself credit for? Please, my friend, use this gift today in some way, shape or form. You are talented in many ways because you are created in His image and likeness. You have much to offer this world, be not afraid to use your talents. That’s the only way we can get into those pearly gorgeous gates of Heaven- and that’s the goal people! That’s the goal!

Briana is a Catholic Doctrine teacher at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel school in Cleveland, OH. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH and is excited to use these skills to bring her students closer to Christ and His Church. “My soul has been refined and I can raise my head like a flower after a storm.” -St. Therese

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Christ Has No Body But Yours

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The Tuesday before Thanksgiving finds many folks in the USA preparing on multiple levels. While some are getting grocery shopping done so a feast may be readied, others are cleaning in order to welcome family and friends into their homes. I will travel to be with family this evening, as my adult children have more families and friends to visit within the upcoming days. I count myself blessed to be able to share some time with each of these special people and thank God for placing them in my life.

There are many who are not as blessed. They do not have a bed to call their own, nor do they know where or when the next meal will come. They do not have warm clothing or shelter to keep the chill of winter at bay. They may not have a family to help or the means to assist them in their current situation. They may be too proud to ask for assistance, as I myself am prone to be. They may not be aware of how to get assistance that is there for the asking. There are many who grumble that people need assistance. There are some who feel those in need haven’t done enough for themselves and that’s why they are in need.

The readings today stir all that in me. We find in the first reading those who are good, but not always aware of what’s going on around them, not having the ears to hear the Spirit. Also noted are those who are lukewarm, who do not realize they are wretched and will be spit from God’s mouth unless they repent. Lastly, the Lord tells us that he is knocking at the door. It says those who hear his voice he will join in their home and dine with them. It ends with, “Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  The Gospel tells the story of Zacchaeus in the tree wanting to see Jesus and next welcoming Jesus into his home after being told by Jesus that he would be dining with Zacchaeus that evening. Those around grumbled amongst themselves, knowing the kind of person Zacchaeus was. Jesus closes with, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.”

Ya, so what’s your point, you ask? My point is for we who grumble, who are lukewarm. God wants us to hear His voice. He wants us to repent and do the right thing. He wants us to stop grumbling, to stop playing it safe while taking care of our immediate surroundings. We are all connected through Him: all peoples, nations, all of creation. I hear St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church saying:

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com.

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Have Pity On Me!

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I don’t know about all of you, but sometimes I feel pretty blind… No, I don’t mean blind in the sense that I should call up my optometrist for a check-up, but in the sense that life is moving fast and I feel as though I’m missing it. I feel blind to the present moment due to the chaos that surrounds it. The workload, chores, obligations, and dreams fill my mind. You may roll your eyes and think, “Great another reflection on the present moment- like we haven’t heard that before.”

To some extent, I want to roll my eyes and state that same comment to myself. I get so exhausted from this constant challenge. The challenge to soak in every moment of the beautiful gift of life that passes. It passes by the second, minute, hour, days, and years. Before we know it, we’re done studying high school or finishing our first real job. For some of you, it means babies and grandbabies flash before your eyes. This wild thing called “life” you may wish you could slow down.

“The blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.” I don’t know why I got emotional when I read this line from the Scripture readings from today. Perhaps its the fact that I imagine this tiny, weary old man put all the effort and energy he has left, begging in the unknown. He begs in the unknown darkness because he cannot see.  He does not have the sense of sight, yet he begs. He begs to be noticed. He begs to be seen. He begs for food and shelter. He begs for love.

No one would ever guess that I feel so intimately the same as that homeless, dirty, weary old man… but I do. I feel tapped out. I feel down on the ground. I feel as though I am brought to my knees, begging. I can just imagine what it would be like for the blind man, hearing a rushing crowd and quickly asking what is happening around me.

“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

In a moment, the weary blind old man uses all the strength he has left. At the sound of Jesus’ name, he knows. He knows that in this moment of blindness, he must act. He screams at the top of his lungs. He screams not in fear or anger, but in a cry of begging hope.

“Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”

I can’t explain the way I deeply feel this beggar’s cry. I feel as though our voices are one. I cry with him in the exact bold, obnoxious, screaming at the top of my lungs type of way! I continue to do so with him as the crowd around rebukes his cry. I imagine how the people pushed him and walked in front of him, believing they’re better than him. This doesn’t stop him in his commitment to cry out to Jesus. He’s sticking it through, he’s not backing down. He wants the Lord to hear him and see him.

Finally, He comes and he speaks with us. He comes near to those who are hurting. He comes near to the ones on the outskirts, those rejected and rebuked by others. This moment is such a testament to those who are put down by others or care about others opinions.

In this case of scripture, I just adore this blind man… in case you didn’t already get that. He literally does not care about what others think of him, which can be hard to do. He doesn’t care and lets their comments and rebuking annoyance roll off him easily. He gives no time for second thoughts or doubts in his cry out to Jesus. He doesn’t take a moment to think he should stop once they asked him to. Some may think this blind man was being rude, but I think he’s being remarkably real. An authentic moment of dependence, contrition, and worth. This man is no less worthy than those who can physically see Jesus pass by the crowd. This man is no less worthy than those who shushed him down and told him to shut up.

How often do I let what others think of me affect the vigor and glory of my cry, “Jesus, Son of David have pity on me!” Let’s make that our prayer today as we seek to follow the example of this wonderfully holy, humble old, formerly blind, and miraculously cured old man.  May Jesus come and heal the blindness of our hearts as we continue to cry out to him without hesitation or fear.

Briana is a Catholic Doctrine teacher at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel school in Cleveland, OH. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH and is excited to use these skills to bring her students closer to Christ and His Church. “My soul has been refined and I can raise my head like a flower after a storm.” -St. Therese

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Remember Your Death

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“But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on Earth?”

This is the question that today’s Gospel leaves us to reflect on. Jesus being Jesus, He knows if there will be faith on Earth when He returns. He knows everything. As mere mortals, we don’t. So, this question hits us with two realizations; 1. The fact that the way our world is headed, our faith may be in question. 2. The way each of our own lives are headed, our faith may be in question.

At work the other day, there were a lot of people out sick or away on work and we were joking around, saying, “What if the rapture happened and this is who is left?” Some were quick to defend themselves with a list of reasons as if they had already written an article on the subject. (Don’t we all have a laminated copy of our own, handwritten Top Twenty Reasons Why I Would Be Raptured And You Wouldn’t in our desk drawer?) Others half laughed and got a bit paranoid, pulling out their phone and checking out a news website to double check, “Just in case.”

The event clearly had some weight to it because later in the day, I needed to microwave my food and my coworker told me that I could go first. He then followed up with, “This counts as a good deed, right? I thought about it and I gotta be more ready for the rapture, haha.”

Man, don’t we all? I mean, I believe that we should live our lives with the love and dignity that Jesus died to give us, but a little bit of fear of God and the rapture wouldn’t hurt anyone. If anything, it should remind us of our reason to live, our mission as a people.

So now that we have been given our warning question, will we change our acts accordingly? We must be faithful people every day in order to be faithful when Jesus returns. This is how our faith becomes a part of who we are and not just a show we put on for others.

So let’s say the Rosary on your way into work. Pray for each person that upsets you throughout the day. Thank God for every hardship as an opportunity and every easy task as a gift. Be fully aware and active in Mass. Sing openly and honestly to our God. Share welcome words with your fellow parishioners after Mass. Take those feelings of joy and redemption with you out of Mass and into the world.

This is how He will find faith on earth.

Veronica Alvarado is a born and raised Texan currently living in Michigan. Since graduating from Texas A&M University, Veronica has published various articles in the Catholic Diocese of Austin’s official newspaper, the Catholic Spirit, and other local publications. She now works as the Content Specialist in Diocesan’s Web Department.

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It Only Takes A Moment

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It’s easy to think, sometimes, that our lives are on a steady and pretty much predictable—even boring—course. That the days are standard-issue: we get out of bed, do our morning routines, go to work, see the same people, come home again. Our lives are punctuated by events—birthdays, moments of career advancement, new relationships, even expected deaths—that are themselves as routine as the contexts in which they nest. We even complain, sometimes, at how unexciting things can seem to be.

And then in a single searing moment that all changes.

I’ve been reminded of that lately when considering the news. Mass shootings at nightclubs, at places of worship, at a yoga studio: normal people living out normal lives that are unexpectedly and forever altered, shattered, even ended. Wildfires in California wiping out entire neighborhoods. The most active and powerful hurricane season ever in both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.

And it only takes a moment, a second even, for everything to change—forever. Life is inalterably different. Whether it’s a road accident, a shooting, a sudden storm, a wildfire, you find yourself wanting to go back in time, take a different route to the grocery store, decide to not go dancing that evening after all, call in sick to work. How many times have you wished for a do-over, from the simplest of difficulties like biting down on the peanut that chipped your tooth, to the most horrible of scenarios, like the moment you found out your nephew overdosed and died? If I could just go back five minutes….

One of the hallmarks of life is it unpredictability, and part of that deal is we have to behave and think and do as if it weren’t going to happen—because no one can live in constant fear of what “might” be. We all have to get on with our lives; the rest is up to God. That’s what Luke is talking about in today’s Gospel reading. “As it was in the days of Noah,” Jesus says, “so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.”

That’s a pretty bleak picture, isn’t it? Everything was just fine… until it wasn’t. Eating and drinking, marrying, going about one’s usual everyday activities with no notion that it was all about to end. It’s a little like watching a horror film you’ve seen before: you’re willing the actor to not open that door, because you know what’s behind it.

But it’s not the same as the door in a horror film, is it? Because the second part of the passage tells us that there’s something far more important than the lives we’ve grown so attached to. When Jesus returns, it will be with that same suddenness. You won’t have time to go and pack a bag, or call a friend or relative: it will happen in an instant.

And that’s the real message: knowing as we do that anything can happen at any time—including the return of Christ—we need to be prepared. We might not be able to pack our clothing up, but there are things we can do to be ready. Is there someone you need to apologize to? Do it now; don’t wait. Does someone need to know you love them? Tell them now. Are you feeling angry about something that happened a long time ago? Let it go now.

And do the things that are what will help you be ready for whatever lies ahead. Pray. Go to Mass and confession. Read scripture. Follow the Gospel edicts and take care of the poor, the lonely, the hungry. Do all the things you keep telling yourself that you’ll get to eventually but never really seem to manage.

Because if the current news and the Gospel have one thing in common, it’s this: do it now. You may not be the person who decides at what point you won’t be able to do—or say—whatever you feel is unfinished. Accepting and living that acceptance is the best way to keep regret away and be as ready as possible for whatever the future holds.

Jeannette de Beauvoir works in the digital department of Pauline Books & Media as marketing copywriter and editor. A graduate of Yale Divinity School, where she studied with Adian Kavanagh, OSB, she is particularly interested in liturgics and Church history.

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The Hidden Kingdom

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The question asked by the Pharisees is one that is running like static electricity throughout the Hebrew world: When will the Kingdom of God come? For thousands of years, they have been waiting for the Messiah, as they grew into a Tribe and a People, enslaved in Egypt, wandering in the desert, fighting for the Promised Land, building a Temple, succumbing to idolatry, exiled in Babylon, and now oppressed by the Romans, with whom they have established a somewhat comfortable but ever-uncertain freedom to live and worship according to the Law.

Expectation and rumor have filled the air for several decades, suggesting that the Messiah would come soon to free them from the enslavement of worldly powers and restore a visible political Kingdom on earth. This is what the Pharisees are looking for: political and cultural independence, international influence, a renewed social superiority, a theocracy even. Jesus knows that what they really want is the glorification and prolonging of their own kingdom, not the dawning of a new and heavenly Kingdom.

Jesus, as he often does, answers the question in a way that refocuses the perspective of the asker: the Kingdom cannot be seen, cannot be announced on a certain date, cannot be limited to one geopolitical territory even if it is the Promised Land. It is already here, among and within you; wherever Jesus is accepted, believed in, and obeyed, he is reigning already. The Kingdom IS Christ. He is standing among them, unrecognized. And then, in the next breath, Jesus warns against running after false Messiahs. The Savior is as bright and unpredictable as lightning flashing across the sky. It is for us to be still and know him in the silence of our hearts, to allow him to reign within us and work through us to extend his glorious, eternal Kingdom.

The glory, universality, and eternity of this Kingdom are hidden. The joy and love and peace of this Kingdom should radiate through the words, actions, and hearts of its citizens. As members of this Kingdom of Love, under the reign of the Prince of Peace, the light of Christ should shine through us, drawing all into the joy of the Lord.

A smile. An act of true kindness. A heartfelt prayer. A word of gratitude. These things spring from deep within our hearts, when they are ablaze with the Fire of the Spirit of Jesus, and the sparks can ignite dry bones and papery hearts with new life. Let’s act from the fires within and be generous with these gifts, so that, as St. Catherine of Siena said, we will set the world on fire.

Kathryn is married to Robert, mother of seven, grandmother to two, and a lay Carmelite. She has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and also as a writer and voice talent for Holy Family Radio. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and presenter, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, individual parishes, and Catholic ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Learn more at www.kathryntherese.com or on Facebook @summapax.

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Heart Of Gratitude

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How does one have a heart of gratitude during the rise of a “Me” culture? This individualism and quest for entitlement has allowed whole generations to believe that they are owed everything and need to earn nothing.

Yet, it has been the case since our first parents. Adam and Eve fell because of this exact mentality that plagues our culture today.

One of today’s main characters in our gospel is a man with a heart of gratitude. He was one of ten leapers, and St. Luke makes a point to tell us that he was a Samaritan. According to Catholic Answers, they were a mixed race of pagan and Jewish ancestry who worshiped the same God of Israel but were looked down upon by the Jews of the New Testament because of their roots.

While traveling, Jews would often go around the land of Samaria in order to avoid contaminating themselves. Notably, the Samaritans also felt a distaste for the Jews, especially by worshipping at a different temple and only accepting the first five books of the Old Testament as canonical.

Yet in faith, this Samaritan calls out to Jesus with his fellow leapers in faith, after hearing about Jesus’ works and believing. His faith surpasses those of his brothers because of his heart of gratitude. He leaves his brother leapers and falls on Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving. Gratitude is a product of faith.

Let us ask the Lord for a heart of gratitude that mirrors the healed Samaritan leper. Make a point to exercise a heart of gratitude in little ways, whether it be intentionally thanking the cashier at the store or telling your family how grateful you are that they are a part of your life.

Then, when the Lord looks upon us in his mercy as he did this Samaritan leaper, we are better able to recognize it and return to him, “glorifying God in a loud voice” and with a heart of gratitude.

Hannah Crites is a native to Denver Colorado and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She has written for numerous publications and blogs including the Chastity Project, Washington Times, Faith & Culture: The Journal of the Augustine Institute, and Franciscan Magazine. She is currently working in content and digital marketing for a small web development and digital marketing agency. Connect with her through Twitter (@hannah_crites) and Facebook. Check out more of what she has written here.

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What Do We Say?

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“Thank you.”

Of the many habits my parents have helped form in me (brushing my teeth before and after the day, scraping my plate before loading it into the dishwasher, making my bed (which I still have to improve), expressing gratitude is one I believe to be the most empowering because it is the perfect response to a person being generous towards me.

It’s possible that the Samaritan wasn’t trained in promptly writing thank-you cards like I was, but he responds quintessentially to the generosity of Christ’s healing and mercy.

“Thank you.”

 It can be easy to simply say the words as a mechanical, scripted response… And sometimes, that’s appropriate. It might be off-putting to perform a song and dance for a Starbucks barista when he makes your vanilla caramel toffee nut espresso iced latte… or maybe song and dance is the only way to respond to a vanilla caramel toffee nut espresso iced latte.

Hm.

However good your coffee, large lotto ticket earnings, or extravagant trip to the Caribbean Islands may be, none are even a glimpse of the sweet splendor that Christ gifts to us: His love, eternal paradise and an invitation to partake in the divine life.

“To be a saint is to be motivated by gratitude.”

(Ronald Rolheiser, Our One Great Act of Fidelity 104)

 To be a saint is to receive Christ’s magnanimous love and to respond with every word we speak and every action we take in the only way appropriate.

What do we say?

Thank you.

During the week, Matthew Juliano is a mentor for individuals who have developmental and intellectual disabilities. He has started a Youtube Series that explains and raises awareness about the work he does, which can be found HERE. On the weekends, he is a drummer for Full Armor Band. You can find more content by Matt and his band at www.fullarmorband.com.

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A Perfect Paradise

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“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur.

Can you imagine a paradise where there is no sin, no hate, no war, no suffering of any kind? It has been written about in books and poems, movies have been made about it, many men and women have spent restless nights under the stars dreaming of the very place. A utopia like this is what we all desire because we were made for it.

Journey back with me to the beginning. Imagine the state of Adam and Eve in the garden, complete love of God and each other. They had no sin and did not use the other, but only had room for love. They had no concept even of what sin was. Perfection! Sounds great right?

Well then, something happened that changed the course of history. Adam and Eve fell. They sinned against an eternal God. And the only thing that could save all of humanity is if that same eternal God became one of us and made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. And that is precisely what Jesus did on the cross.

But the beautiful thing is that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross does not take us back to the beginning, it takes us beyond. In the garden, Adam and Eve did not experience the beatific vision, that is, they did not “see” God. They did not perfectly participate in His divinity. This is a state that is reserved for us now because God became a man. This is why the Catechism says that “God became man so that man might become God.”

This is our destiny. This should give us immense hope. So if you are still dreaming or writing about that Utopia, take faith in the fact that this is our destiny, to be happy with God forever, and that truly is good news. From all of us here at Diocesan, God Bless!

Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. Tommy has a heart and a 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. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.

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Be Not Afraid

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Have you ever been at the rock bottom, feeling like you are falling into a pit of despair and hopelessness? This could come from many things; problems with family, work, friends, or health. There are many things in this world that make us feel like we are drowning.

The woman in the first reading today can relate. Here we have a prophet begging her for food and water as she knows full well that her next meal will be her last. She has already prepared for the death of her and her son after they run out of flour and oil. Mixed with this turmoil and fear she was either racked with a distrust of God or the feeling that perhaps this was the Lord’s plan for her and she had come to accept it.

Either way, she had lost hope, and was already preparing for something that she did not know for sure would happen. I am reminded of the movie, “The Mist.” In this film, the main character gives up all hope and thinks he knows what is going to happen to the group of people that he befriends. He makes a decision that results in the deaths of all those present and just as it looks like the creatures are going to take him too, the clouds part and the army comes in and saves him.

The point here is that we have two scenarios where the subject of the story acts as if they have certainty about the future, but it turns out they have no idea what God has planned. The woman with little flour prepares for her death and is then saved. The man in the movie prepares for his death as well and is saved at the last second.

Wrought with heartache and suffering, I think our first response is to give in to doubt and fear and then make decisions based entirely on this fear. But the scriptures today are very clear, “Do not be afraid.” God knows our suffering and our hurt. He is there with us.

Ok stop for a second, you have heard it before, God is with us. Have you let it sink in? Here is the reality, God exists outside of time as we know it. Theologians say He is in what we call the eternal now. This means that every moment that has ever happened or will happen is present to God right now. It was the same at the cross. When Jesus gave His life, He took on all the pain, sin, hurt, despair, and fear of the entire world and experienced it as you and I do. Don’t forget that he was a human with real emotions and he experienced pain.

This should give us such great hope because Christ conquered it all on the cross. He stared your suffering in the face and overcame it so you could one day be in heaven with Him. Don’t let this be just another time that you hear that God cares. Take five minutes today and thank God for His love and ask Him to join you in your current suffering, after all, He already conquered it. Do not lose hope. Be not afraid. From all of us here at Diocesan, God Bless!

Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. Tommy has a heart and a 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. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.