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The Gift Of Grace

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Today’s Gospel stands out as one of my favorites. We hear the story of the man who wants to gain eternal life and he asks Jesus what he must do. It’s important to remember here that Jesus can see his heart when he asks this question. He can see that deep down this man wants to know the minimum rules he has to follow in order to get to heaven, but that his heart really isn’t concerned with growing in virtue.

I hate to admit this is me sometimes. Studying theology makes it easy for the faith to be all book knowledge and the virtue stuff kind of falls by the way side. One of my passions to study is morality and this can make that mindset even worse because morality is really the focus on what actions are correct or incorrect.

But as we all know, at the heart of morality is a person. A person who wants a real relationship with us, one of love and not just rules. Now I am not saying that rules aren’t important, but I am saying they cannot be the sole focus. As we read on we hear Jesus say to the man, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.” It is clear that Jesus is telling the man not to focus as much on the laws he must follow and instead put his main focus on the one who will help him follow those same laws.

Rooted in the One who will give us the grace, we can start to live by the ten commandments and we can begin to grow in virtue. It all has to start with God. The man in the story thought he could do it all himself, without any real virtue or grace. So Jesus puts him to the ultimate test and asks him to give up everything and follow. Do I follow in my life? Do you? How often do we try to do it on our own and think that if we just mark the check box by our own power we will attain eternal life? The mark of a saint is humility. They humble themselves to know it is not about them and that they need grace.

I want to end with this great quote from Pope Francis’ new Apostolic Exhortation. It has been helping me so much in my faith life. 

“The Church has repeatedly taught that we are justified not by our own works or efforts, but by the grace of the Lord, who always takes the initiative. The Fathers of the Church, even before Saint Augustine, clearly expressed this fundamental belief. Saint John Chrysostom said that ‘God pours into us the very source of all his gifts even before we enter into battle.’ Saint Basil the Great remarked that the faithful glory in God alone, for ‘they realize that they lack true justice and are justified only through faith in Christ.'”

Let’s ask for the grace to not only enter the battle, but fight and live by the truth in all humility and grace. Amen.

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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Get Behind Me Satan

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As I reflected on today’s readings I began to realize all the times I have had to tell myself to get behind me satan. I know even the way that sentence was phrased sounds strange, but hear me out. There have been many times in my own life where God has spoken to me and I have shut out the voice.

While driving past the homeless man and instead of just saying a silent prayer, wondering why he/she doesn’t have a job. There was one experience I had working a Steubenville Conference and being invited to pray in a charismatic way I never had and I was afraid. Another time I was with friends at a bar and a less than savory topic came up and I laughed awkwardly in the corner instead of standing up for my faith and what I believed was right.

We all struggle with this don’t we? In today’s Gospel Jesus made Peter the head of the Church, and then immediately Peter screwed up by telling Jesus not to do the most important thing in the history of the world. We are among friends here. My beautiful fiance speaks frequently about how she relates to Peter because he denied Christ three times and she hesitated to become Catholic three times.

The Holy Spirit is active in our world and God has a very specific purpose for you. Ok, now stop for a second. Read that again very slowly. Take a few minutes to pray through it. Let it sink in. Let the fact that God has a plan for you be more than just a cute phrase to print on a pencil and hand out to youth group.

God has a special plan for you! So how do we live this pan out? Well thankfully the answer is in the very same Gospel. Jesus rebuked Peter saying you do not think as God does but as human beings do. In order to realize God’s plan and live it we need to trust and pray. We need to trust that God really does see us and want to know us personally and we need to pray because without speaking to God how will His plan become clear in our hearts.

How are you going to pray and trust more today? Something I have been doing in my life is if I ever feel a prompting of the Holy Spirit I just immediately act on it. Instead of standing there wondering if it is God or not, I just trust and reach out to that cashier who seems to be having a hard day, that person at the gym who needs help lifting, the coworker who seems stressed. The worst that can happen is we encounter another person and help them in their walk closer to heaven. Pray and trust. Peace!

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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Bread Of Life

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He opened his eyes, a crescent of light flooding the landscape of his vision. Heat, heat like was never felt before and dryness like an overcooked clay pot. He looked around as he took his first breath. His legs shaking like a newborn deer as he made his way to the first figure he could see. “Excuse me sir,” he cried out. No answer. “Sir, do you have any water?” Still nothing. Frustrated by the lack of compassion, he looked around and realized he was somehow with the Israelites right after God had led them out of Egypt. Suddenly, a sharp pain in his stomach. He needed water and food but nobody seemed to be able to see him. The more he cried out the more desperate he became.

How unfair that he would be placed here. His life back home was not perfect, but this was worse than anything. Why would God lead him here without a plan, without support, barely clinging to life? Without food and water he would surely die soon. Those around him seemed to be in a similar predicament.

In the distance he heard one of them crying out, “Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!”

It was as if they were taking words from his mouth. Finally, a cloud opened and a booming voice provided an answer, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”

It happened just as was foretold. Manna came down like the dewfall and he was able to eat his fill. Day after day he was fed by this miraculous bread, but it wasn’t enough. Eventually he became spiteful, he wanted so much more. If this God was so good why would He continue sending the same old bread? No seasoning, barely palatable. Darkness.

Light like that of a thousand suns. He now found himself comfortable on the side of a hill, his fingers grazing through the soft grass. As he gained composure he noticed thousands of people around him all waiting to be fed. He noticed again that his hunger was insatiable, but only five loaves and two fish for this entire crowd? Impossible to say the least. He doubted that which he could not understand. Then, there came a great commotion in the crowd. Bread was being distributed to all, somehow he would not go hungry. He ate and it fulfilled him for a time, but he eventually became fatigued again. A figure stood in the distance and said, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.” He did not know the full meaning of this phrase, but he knew that this was the bread he was searching for. A bread that would truly satisfy. A bread that would change him from within and make him immortal. A bread that would leave nothing to want. In desperation for the very thing he cried out to God, “Please Lord, give me this bread of life.” Darkness.

Light and the ringing of bells as his eyelids opened almost like a door to a new world. Singing like that of angels rang through the building he found himself in. A rough hand suddenly grazed his shoulder motioning him up and forward. He knew not where he was being led, but it somehow felt familial. Suddenly, from the back of his mind a phrase leapt forward, “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” He drew closer. As his eyes adjusted he realized he was in a church at what appeared to be a wedding ceremony. He had left the reserved seat and was now walking forward, but only a blurry figure stood where the bride and groom would exchange their vows. He continued forward as something overcame him. A feeling like that which he had just experienced moments before. It became too much and he fell to the ground as he proclaimed, “I believe!”

Normally darkness and confusion would set in at this point, but everything became lighter. Like a thousand bright candles had just been illumined all at once. His whole being began to float as he rested in this ecstasy. Oh pure bliss, oh joy unbounded! Immortality was finally his as fear and anxiety melted away. Faster and faster he flew into the heights of this unknown spectacle, his hair flowing freely in the breeze, symbolizing his own newfound freedom. Finally, HE WAS HOME! 

 

This is the story of a man who constantly doubted the goodness and power of God. A man who felt he would be better off at times on his own. A man who was searching for fulfillment in all the wrong places. A man who had to trust and believe in order to truly live. Who is this man? This man is me. This man is you. 

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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Seeking The Good

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“I think there is far too much talk about sin and not enough about virtue.” -The Priest from the movie Calvary

How would you like to be compared to an old loin cloth rotting away in a desert under a rock? In today’s first reading we see God comparing the rot of an old loin cloth with the rot of the pridefulness of the people of Judah. Not a great comparison from anyone, much less God Himself.

I recently had an idea to start something called “out of context bible verses” where I would pick a strange verse from the bible and distribute it with no explanation of where or why it was said. Here we have one that would work; “Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.”

All joking aside though, the wicked people in this passage refused to obey the words of God, they walked with stubbornness in their hearts, and they worshiped false gods. But before all of these sins were committed God says that he clung to His people but they did not listen.

Later in the Psalm we hear, “You have forgotten God who gave you birth.” Throughout these rich readings we see a theme of the people of God ceasing to search for God. They think they can do everything on their own and that rotten loin cloth pride takes over and they get in all sorts of trouble.

It would be easy to focus on the sins in these verses, but rather I want to focus on this idea of no longer seeking out God. A basic definition of virtue is to seek the good. I have been reading a lot about virtue lately and I have realized that it is easy to focus on how not to live instead of actually focusing on how we should be living. To hyper focus on avoiding sin and not focus so much on living in the truth.

This has been a huge step for me in my spiritual life. If we stop seeking the good, then we will stop living towards the standard of that same good. I would take this so far as to say that before any sin is committed, first virtue is rejected. If sin truly is a lack of something, then the thing lacking is goodness.

I think for me it is easier to focus on sin because it’s easier to just say that I should not do this or that thing. It is much harder to love the people that bug me, to go out of my way for the poor or marginalized, to sacrifice my time and money for the well-being of others.

Pope Francis in his new apostolic exhortation says, “Just as you cannot understand Christ apart from the kingdom he came to bring, so too your personal mission is inseparable from the building of that kingdom: “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33). Your identification with Christ and his will involves a commitment to build with him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Christ himself wants to experience this with you, in all the efforts and sacrifices that it entails, but also in all the joy and enrichment it brings. You cannot grow in holiness without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this endeavor.”

This is a call to true virtue. A call to come outside of ourselves and instead of hyper focusing on sin, focusing instead on our mission to love, a mission that will bring us the true joy we seek.

Pope Francis goes on to say, “Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy. On the contrary, you will become what the Father had in mind when he created you, and you will be faithful to your deepest self. To depend on God sets us free from every form of enslavement and leads us to recognize our great dignity. We see this in Saint Josephine Bakhita: Abducted and sold into slavery at the tender age of seven, she suffered much at the hands of cruel masters. But she came to understand the profound truth that God, and not man, is the true Master of every human being, of every human life. This experience became a source of great wisdom for this humble daughter of Africa”

Let us take a lesson today from Pope Francis, from Saint Josephine Bakhita, and of course from the Word of God. This week I am going to try to live my life constantly seeking the good instead of letting the fear of sin be my motivation. Let us all ask for this grace. Amen!

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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Contemplative Prayer In An Impatient Culture

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“Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ He said to them in reply, ‘An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.'” Matthew 12:38-39

Have you ever finished a time of prayer and realized that all you did the entire time was ask God for things? And maybe even worse than that, you didn’t have the faith that it would really happen. I know I have struggled with this a lot in my prayer life. The Scribes and Pharisees struggled with this today in the Gospel.

Petition is an important form of prayer, but the Catechism outlines five total forms of prayer that we should be aware of to draw closer to Christ.

These forms are adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise. I am going to try this week to focus more on contemplative prayer which involves adoration. Just sitting before God and adoring Him because He is. Let’s ask for this grace together. Amen.

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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Sheep In The Midst Of Wolves

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“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” -Matthew 10:16

I am on the road currently for some parish visits. I spent the day interacting with parish staff, having some great conversations about faith, praying in several adoration chapels that were open 24/7, and looking at some beautiful churches.

I got into my hotel room after a workout, flipped open my laptop, and found an unsettling video on my news feed. If you haven’t seen the Michelle Wolf video applauding abortion, it is not worth watching. It was enough to make even the biggest optimist sit on the edge of his bed on the verge of tears and just pray for our world. I must admit that every part of me felt defeated and I just wanted to hide.

I searched for the daily readings desperate for some hope from the Word of God and I open to this happy verse, “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves.” It really hit me tonight, being a Christian is hard. But it is hard for a reason I did not want to admit to myself. It is hard because I would rather play the victim and sit in my disgust for the world than look at my own heart. It is hard because I would rather gossip about a coworker or friend than admit my own faults. It is hard because I would rather preach the Gospel in an easy manner like this, than help people in my own family to realize the power, mercy, and love of God.

Some of us love to cower. We protect our ego, sometimes without realizing it, and fear starts to hold us back.

We don’t need to be a Church that mimics a horrible team. An effective team uses their defense to prevent bad from happening and to progress the ball forward. An effective team uses their offense to score a goal and win while maintaining good sportsmanship with the opposing team that stems from the common humanity of all the players.

An ineffective team’s defense cowers in fear only to eventually be pushed so far back that the undesired event they were trying to prevent repeatedly occurs and is allowed. An ineffective team’s offense scores a goal solely to prove they are stronger, faster, wiser, and better in every way than the opposing team: the epitome of pride.

It seems recently that as the lay faithful we can be in the position to either be constantly on the defensive by a significant portion of society, being pushed further and further into dismay and not making progress in spreading the Good News, or we are on the offensive desperately trying to spout apologetics in the hope of winning the argument over the soul.

Now this isn’t a fluffy “just love people” point that I am trying to make, but rather I want to call us all out: calling us not only to feel good love but to the kind of love that makes us all into Saints.

What is the reason we read blog posts like these? Is it to help us grow in faith so we can go out like the early Christians and preach the Good News, trying to invite people into a relationship with God, or is it because we are comfortable hearing from people who think exactly like us?

Why do we form groups and bible studies at church? Is it to learn the scriptures and invite the outcast in or is it because the world out there is so bad that we would rather maintain our own safe world inside these groups?

The Gospel Today could not be more clear. We are being sent out as sheep amongst wolves, but we must go out shrewd and simple. We must go out with our intellect and empathy. We must meet people where they are at and not leave them there, just as we don’t want to be left where we are. We must come together as a good team and help one another to grow in the fullness of faith and love, which is Love Himself and love for our neighbors.

I have thought a lot about teams lately because I am getting married exactly three months from today. I am so thankful to have formed the best team with my beloved, Nathalie. I am so thankful that God has brought us together to start a team of our own and form our family in going out and helping the world realize the love of the Creator.

So I challenge you and remind myself: what kind of team are you going to form today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life? An ineffective team that cowers in fear or lunges out in anger (either way causing division), or an effective team that is willing to put aside their comfort, pride, and ego, ready to go out and lead with love? Decide and then act.

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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Miracles are Real

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I am an extreme optimist, or maybe optimist is already an extreme? I could be on a sinking cruise ship and be thankful that I will get to see the 80% of the ocean that we have not yet explored. Ok, maybe I am not that extreme, but I always try to think the best of people and circumstances. I have this crazy notion that human persons have an innate goodness and that no matter how depraved or unethical we become, we cannot entirely douse that flame.

At first I thought today’s Gospel was a perfect reading for an optimist. It speaks of the goodness of God and how if any person has a trial, illness, demonic possession, or any other iniquity, God will come and take care of the problem. Then I realized a very important truth about our faith. Miracles are not optimistic they are REAListic. The optimist tends to look at the glass half full, the pessimist looks at it half empty, but the realist looks at it and says that it is a glass of water. And the fact of the matter is that miracles are real. “Miracles are not contrary to nature but only contrary to what we know about nature” (St. Augustine).

We are living in an age where miracles are more important than ever before. “Miracles were necessary before the world believed, in order that it might believe” (St. Augustine). Well I think it’s safe to say we need to remind people that God is active in this world. When news headlines are riddled with division, depression, death, and destruction, miracles counteract with the divine power of God.

It’s easy as Catholics to know miracles exist, just look at the mass. I think it is difficult however to know miracles can be personal to our lives. Sure they existed in the lives of the saints that lived a long time ago in a galaxy far away (click here for some amazing examples of miracles that have happened to various saints), but God’s power has diminished every year since His death right? Or even if it hasn’t, he has no personal interest in me right?

Well the thing about the word of God is that it is living. It doesn’t die even if we put it up on a shelf. I encourage you to read the Gospel one more time and put your current life and situations into the story. What do you want God to heal? How do you need to rely on Him? Do you have faith that He has power and wants the very best for you? Tell him, after all, “We pay God a compliment when we ask great things of Him” (St. Teresa of Avila).

Be like the almost two thousand saints who have been canonized since John Paul the Great became Pope and trust that God wants to work in your life here and now. I am sure these saints struggled with thinking that God personally cared for them at some point in their lives. The difference is that they eventually gave up on their own power and relied on God to the grave and beyond. Let’s pray for grace so that one day Jesus can say to us as well, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

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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The Power of God

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“You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Matthew 22:29

This verse from Matthew coupled with the first reading for today really make me ask the question. Do I know the power of God? I mean, I know God is powerful. I know He created the world. I know if He wants to do anything it will happen. But I don’t know that I believe that any of this power can be applied personally to me.

I think this is one of the major problems in our world today. We all need healing, hope, miracles, love, and power, but yet we don’t believe it is possible to receive any of this. We have lost faith.

Typically when faith in God is lost we disregard Him because we think He is holding out on us. We ask for one outrageous thing after another and when we don’t receive it exactly as we asked, then it is God’s fault and He doesn’t love us. We want our desires to be fulfilled no matter how twisted, instead of looking to the source of all desire and resting in the hope that He loves us.

C.S. Lewis once wrote,

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

It’s as if God looks at our requests and says, “that’s it? I want to give you so much more. Please let me.” But we are content with our mediocre desires. We are content being gods in our own little worlds where we claim God is holding out so we start to do everything ourselves.

Adam and Eve had this same problem. They thought God was holding out on them and not making them perfectly happy, so they turned to their twisted desires for satisfaction and found that they came up empty.

Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete once said, “The only temptation we face on this earth is the temptation to believe that God does not want to fill the deepest desires of our hearts.”

This was the struggle of Adam and Eve. This was the struggle of the people in the first reading. This is the struggle of you and me. Today, as we reflect on this scripture, lets pray for God to fill the deepest desires of our hearts, and then believe with certainty that He will, because He loves us.

“The LORD’s fire came down
and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust,
and it lapped up the water in the trench.
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said,
The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”

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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3 Simple Tips for Stewardship

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Today’s readings are all about stewardship. I know, I know, it’s a big buzzword in the Church. It can mean anything from giving 10% of you money to the Church all the way to serving the poor. But thankfully Jesus teaches us what proper stewardship is.

My fiance and I recently had a meeting with our spiritual director about stewardship. During the conversation I felt a little awkward because I realized that I was not doing enough and that we had not talked about this enough for our future marriage.

But as the conversation went on I was encouraged with some practical examples that I would like to share:

 

Put aside a special fund every month. This is where you will pull your tithing from, but it is also a fund you will use whenever you want to treat friends to a nice dinner, help the homeless man on the corner, or go out of your way to buy a gift for someone. This ensures that stewardship is not just money going to the Church, but to others as well.

 

Realize that the call to give is a God given calling and our hearts are restless until we truly give. Whether it’s money, service, action, or the classic time, talent, treasure, every time we give we are participating intimately in the divinity of God. Gaudium et Spes even goes so far as to say that, “We can never fully find ourselves except through a sincere gift of self.” This is because God himself is an eternal gift, and because we are made in His image, we are not fully alive until we truly give. This is what makes stewardship about more than just finances, but about the whole person.

 

Figure out the amount of gift that stretches you. Part of stewardship is humbling ourselves before God and realizing that all we have is because of Him. Stewardship should make us a little uncomfortable in the sense that it pulls us out of ourselves and makes us rely on God. Think of the bible story of the woman with a few small coins. She gave all she had and trusted in the Lord’s providence. Now, obviously we have to be prudent, but the more we stretch and give, the happier we ultimately become and the more we rely on Our Father.

 

The first reading speaks of love conquering all and of the need to give to others. Then the Gospel tells us what happens when we become selfish and use our means to exploit or take advantage. Let’s take a hint from Jesus today and try to commit to one practical way we will live out stewardship this week. 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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Happy Feast of the Visitation

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Today we receive the blueprint for Marian devotion from the Gospel of Luke. Happy Feast of the Visitation from all of us here at Diocesan!

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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A Light to the World

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“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”

Today is a big day. Not only is it Mothers day, but it is also the Ascension of our Lord into heaven. On a more personal note, it is the one year anniversary of asking Nathalie to marry me, a day that we dedicated to Mary.

I think it’s perfect that all of these events fall on the same day. When I think of mother’s day, I naturally think of my spiritual mother, Mary. The Gospel today speaks about going into the world and proclaiming the good news to every creature. Mary was the perfect model of this. She proclaimed to the world that Jesus was the Savior they had been waiting for. She was given a sign by the archangel Gabriel, and that sign became so real for Mary that she conceived and that sign became a person. A person who would save us from our sins.

In the Catholic Church, we call this phenomenon (when a sign is so real that it becomes what it signifies) an efficacious sign. This is what all the sacraments are. They are signs that are so real they become what they signify. (Ex. Bread and wine literally become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.)

Think of it this way. A stop sign is just a piece of metal with some paint. But it has the power to stop a car. It is a sign that is so strong that it effects a change.

This is why I think it is perfect that the Ascension, Mothers Day, and my one year anniversary with Nathalie all line up. There are no two people who I have ever met who show the love, strength, gentleness, power, beauty, grace, and generosity of Mary better than my Mom and my bride to be. They are such real signs to the world of the love of God, that they do not just preach the good news, they live it. It becomes part of them, real, tangible.

When I think of all the problems in our world having to do with marriage, families, and friendships, I am so thankful to have a Mom who has loved me unconditionally through everything. I can honestly say my best qualities are due to the fact that my Mom cares and has taught me so well.

When I think of all the problems with relationships, I am so thankful that I have found someone in Nathalie who compliments me perfectly. Someone who loves me no matter what. Someone who truly realizes the gift of her femininity and how much I need that as a man. Someone who serves tirelessly and gives of herself like I have never seen.

I am thankful to have people in my life who have taught me the good news through their real example. Sometimes it is hard to find these people in our lives because of the brokenness of the world, but no matter what our mother Mary can help us see the love that her Son has for us.

So please join me today in thanking Mary, who brought us the Savior, as well as all mothers. Thank you mothers! Thank you for being a much needed sign to the world of the beauty of God and the good news. Happy Mothers day, happy day of the Ascension, and Nathalie, Happy Anniversary!

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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Universal Communion

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One of the greatest privileges of working on a team is the knowledge and gifts of every person and the unending opportunity to learn new things and improve in my own gifts. One of the things I love most about my job is traveling to various parishes across the country and learning how much effort is put into communication and evangelization. There is a certain strength in numbers, a certainty that my weaknesses may be another person’s strengths and that they can take the torch on a certain task.

Realizing one’s own strengths and weaknesses is important. For me, it is sometimes hard to admit these weaknesses, even though I know they exist. I know that when I do admit them and ask for help I not only realize my reliance on God, but I also realize the tremendous gift of those God has put in my life.

Thoughts of the importance of coming together united in a common goal were running through my mind when I read today’s readings. Here we see the early Church starting to form. Put yourself in these readings for just a second. Imagine you were in the time of the early Christians. Jesus has just risen and there is an excitement in the air to proclaim that good news. But there is also fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of division.

It’s no secret that there is a lot of division in our world today. Even amongst Catholics, we seem to be splitting between liberal and conservative, traditional and non-traditional, American and universal. Shouts of “I only like this certain Pope” or “This certain group in the Church is just plain weird” tend to take over the landscape of Catholic discussion.

Sometimes I think we forget that the word “Catholic” literally means universal. It means that no matter what, we are all one family. We are all a part of the body of Christ and at the end of the day we all have the same mission, to love God completely, to get to heaven, and bring as many people with us as possible. This is what we know of as the Communion of Saints. Eventually in heaven we will experience this perfect communion with God and each other, where there is no more division.

This scene from Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorite examples of the communion of saints. For those who haven’t seen the film, the character Groot can only say a few words throughout the entire movie. He says, I am Groot, over and over again. In the final scene of the film, Groot sacrifices himself for the ones he loves and they all unite in a special way. Finally, the last words we hear from Groot are, “We are Groot.” The perfect example of communion and sacrifice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=217&v=1vSm6HN16aw

The communion of saints is not necessarily an experience that is exclusive to heaven. Today’s readings are a calling to all of us to come together here and now as the universal Church and support and love each other, especially through difficulty and fear. When we admit our own weaknesses, allow others to use their strengths, support and love each other, and put aside our various differences, we will start to live what it truly means to be Catholic. May God help us all to see the gift of others and how that gift can bring us closer to God.

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.