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What is it?

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What is it? The thing too impossible to climb like the vastest mountain range or inner chamber of the heart. The thing so ever-present but which constantly makes us shy further and further away. The thing that consumes our every thought as we try to distract from the fact it even exists. What is it that needs to be healed in our hearts?

Have you ever had surgery on the heart tissue? I have never personally had such surgery, but some people very close to me, including my brother and dad have. When it involves the heart there is instantly a worry, a fear, or panic. I remember one time when I was living on my own that I thought I was having a heart attack. I jumped out of bed and drove to the hospital as I thought this was it. After hours of testing, it turns out that the cajun tater tots I had the night before gave me such bad acid reflux that I thought I was dying. When it involves the heart we freak out.

Maybe this is the reason we are so afraid to let God into this very thing that terrifies us. Maybe we know he can heal, but we don’t want him to get that close. Maybe we have faith that he is God, but believe his time is better spent on others. Maybe we believe that our hearts were somehow created differently as if the heart switch in heaven was broken the day we were born, and we don’t function properly. We all have different reasons for believing that God should not get too close. We all have different reasons for our lack of faith. I ask myself today, what is mine? Then I ask you, what is yours?

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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Pre Evangelization

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I love the fact that on the Feast of John the Baptist, the Gospel doesn’t talk about him as much as it does his parents. We hear the story of Zechariah and his lack of faith that caused his mouth to be closed, but then the proclamation that again opened his mouth in order to praise God.

One could see this moment in scripture as the pre-evangelization. We all know that John the Baptist came to preach the name of Jesus and to evangelize, but oftentimes we need someone to come even before that and soften our hearts with a miracle, a prayer, an exclamation, or even just simply sitting and being with us.

This was certainly the case for Zechariah. He was literally visited by the Lord and did not believe that God had the power to give them a son. He needed a little miracle before he was to believe anything his son would later proclaim about Jesus.

Think about your family right now. Who is that one person who needs you to step in with that pre-evangelization? That smile, that prayer, that hug, that miracle granted by the Lord. Sometimes showing our genuine care preaches the Gospel more than literally preaching from the Gospel.

I can remember one time in my life where I was speaking at a retreat and there was a kid attending who was making fun the whole time and being obnoxious. I basically wrote him off as someone who would not find the Lord. After adoration, I saw him crying in the corner and at first, I didn’t believe it was genuine, but I went over and asked him how he was doing. He broke down over the next hour telling me about the profound experience he had in adoration and how it changed his life.

This kid was listening through the talks. He may not have wanted to admit it at first, but his walls were breaking down, and then Jesus came and did the ultimate conversion.

Who is that person in your life that needs their walls broken down just a little so they can listen to the Lord? I pray we all find one today and reach out and ask how they are doing and if we can pray for them. It may make all the difference. God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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Has Christ Won?

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We all know the story of how sin and death entered into the world. Either being told as little children while we scanned the pictures of Eden, or understanding more as adults, we have all heard what happened so many years ago in the garden. We have probably all been in the same boat where we have anger for Adam and Eve and then immediately realize we sin time and time again. You don’t have to look very far to see that death and sin are having a field day in our world, but has death won?

In our second reading today we hear about how sin entered the world through one, but sin was also conquered by one. It’s this second truth that we all know in our mind, but the journey through our hearts to belief seems like a long and winding road filled with uncertainty and fear.

What if we, as Christians, actually believed with all our hearts that Jesus has won the battle? Would we be so preoccupied with the next thing that is happening in society? Would we be so worried about what will happen next? Would we have fear? There is a difference between healthy and unhealthy fear. Unhealthy fear seems to be the one that pushes us inside of the cavern of our insecurity and loneliness and leaves us there where we can despair. All alone, woe is me, there is no hope. Of course, we also know about healthy fear because we talk about a fear of God. This is a fear that inspires us to action. If we fear for the souls of those in our family, that fear inspires us to bring the good news to them.

In today’s world, I think we have become used to living with an unhealthy fear. We almost love it. It’s comfortable for us. It’s consistent. We know it is always there. But this is the anti-Gospel. Jesus reminds us that perfect love casts out all fear. Do we believe that? Now actually stop reading for 15 seconds, say come Holy Spirit, and ask yourself honestly if you believe it. Has that truth affected the way you interact with people on a regular basis? Has that truth inspired you to go outside of yourself and to serve and to love? Has that truth allowed you to look at the world as a vast landscape of potential, as opposed to a broken and worthless set of stairs that nobody could ever possibly climb?

Satan has lost the battle, death has lost its sting, sin has lost its power. If the world has forgotten this fact, then we are at least a little to blame. Let’s let love be our battle cry from here on out. The more that love dominates the heart, the less the heart experiences the inhuman trappings of sin and despair.

So let’s embrace fear, but let it be the fear that we don’t want to live without God, and we don’t want anyone else to experience that either. After all, the true saint does not find himself alone in heaven, he has brought his friends with him. God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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Impossible

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When I was in High School I did tech for a production of the musical, Cinderella. One of my favorite songs, that I still sing from time to time, is the song where the fairy godmother tries to convince Cinderella that she can do the impossible. This makes sense to us who know the story but put yourself in Cinderella’s shoes. An old woman appears out of nowhere and claims that she can fix all life’s problems. That’s a hard thing to believe, but she came to believe because of who the fairy godmother was.

Now, of course, it isn’t actually possible for a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage, unless it’s in the imagination, but the message is that Cinderella should trust the fairy godmother because she shows she can do exactly what she says and who she is.

Fast forward to today, the Feast of Corpus Christi. How many times have we said that Jesus being fully present in the Eucharist is impossible? It’s a hard thing to believe. It’s difficult because we continue to see bread and wine and most of what we come to believe is what we can see.

But let’s look at the example from Cinderella, she believed not just because of what she saw, but because of who the fairy godmother was. It’s the same with God. If we put the Eucharist in context with what everything Jesus has done for us, then it should make total sense. It’s possible for the God of the universe to become a little baby. It’s possible for this little child to be the long-awaited savior of the entire world. It’s possible for this person to walk on the earth performing miracles and casting out demons. It’s possible for Jesus to give up his whole life and die the most gruesome death so we may one day be happy for him. But bread and wine turning into his body and blood? Impossible.

See the problem here? Jesus has literally proven who he is and what he can do. He has proven his love. He has time and again proven that he is God, and yet, we don’t believe he can somehow remain with us, even though he told us he would? I think the most striking evidence for the Eucharist is that Jesus is God and he said, “This is my body, this is my blood.” We may not fully understand it, but we aren’t God. He has got this figured out.

If we are to understand how to be Christian, let’s ask God for the faith to see him in the Eucharist, for as the Catechism says, “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.'”

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi and may the precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bless you today and always.

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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It was in Antioch

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Several years ago my cousins and I went on a backpacking trip to South Manitou Island. Within the first hour on the island I decided it was a good idea, redhead white boy that I am, to go lay in the sun. I was out for about 30 minutes or so and quickly realized that I had the worst sunburn that has probably ever existed in human history. My entire body from head to toe was bright red. This was one of the most painful experiences, having a terrible sunburn and having to walk miles with a backpack on constantly rubbing against my skin.

I grew up with all the ginger jokes as a kid. White boy can’t tan, things like that. I always thought they were funny and went along with them, but here on the island, I started hoping beyond hope that my sunburn would turn into a tan. I would be the first fair-skinned Irish lad to have a proper tan. By the time we made it off the island my burn had peeled and actually did turn into a tan. I was more excited than Winnie the Pooh stuck in the honey tree. The only problem was, it only stayed tan for about a day and turned right back to a white that could blind you if you weren’t careful.

I went from one extreme to the other. From a burn that rivaled most lobsters, to a white that could blend in with a polar bear. Living right in the middle for that one day was glorious, my 24-hour tan. Today in the first reading we hear that the word Christian is first used in Antioch. I have been thinking a lot about the world lately. I must admit, even someone as optimistic as me has been looking around very discouraged. My heart breaks seeing good friends label each other over social media from one extreme to the other. I have been thinking a lot about what it even means to be a disciple, to be a Christian. I think the answer comes from this burn I experienced as a kid.

One extreme was no good, the other extreme was not everything it was cracked up to be, right in the middle was a perfect balance. Jesus is all about balance. When he speaks to the woman caught in adultery he first tells her of his love for her, then tells her to sin no more. A balance of justice and mercy. Today, I think we are forgetting about balance. The Christian is one who follows Christ. Christ is perfectly just and merciful, perfectly God and man, perfectly Lord and servant.

Whenever we start to slip into extremes or label other people with them, we forget love. Love does not divide, EVER. Nathalie and I are totally different, but our love brings us together in the perfect balance. We need to remember this, especially today when our country and world seem so divided. Instead of immediately jumping to one extreme or the other with people on social media, let’s try listening. We may be surprised at how much we all actually agree on. I hope we can all at least agree that we all deserve love. God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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Are We Too Far Gone?

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Have we forgotten? Have we forgotten what it’s like to walk amongst a land of freedom, peace, and joy? A land flowing with milk and honey and dominion over the birds of the air and fish of the sea as gifts from our creator.

Have we forgotten the lonely pain that afflicted us striving to give of ourselves but coming up short from what the animals provide, an imitation of flattery, friendship, or affection?

Have we forgotten the deep sleep of our father as he lay to rest and was recreated with a newfound passion and joy? Have we forgotten the look that was given from the first couple in complete and utter love? No use, no ulterior motives, no you vs. me. Just complete trust and acceptance, understanding, and mutual respect.

Have we forgotten the feeling of the breath of our creator filling our lungs as we took each step in freedom from fear? Have we forgotten the experience of wealth beyond our wildest dreams? Not a wealth of this world, but of fulfillment, knowledge, and perfection.

Some would say the chasm between this portal of fantasy and folly is too far to be breached. The past is so far gone it is no longer a distant shadow, but a fading portrait of rumors and tall tales. Swimming around like a massive fish, getting bigger and bigger, but less and less true.

Some would go further and say we misremember our place. That we belong right there next to the animals, not with a dominion but as equals. Equals in freedom, intellect, and will. Debased to the point where our dignity doesn’t come from our creator but wells up from within ourselves. We make our own dignity and it can, therefore, be bought and sold, dragged and destroyed, hung up to dry like a pile of half washed clothes.

We are the “some” who would believe this faux image of man’s original light. The way we treat our fellow man has proven we have bought the bait. Our past not only washed away but erased like it never was. An empty tapestry of hopes and dreams and ambitions. We try to add more paint to cover up the mess, but it gets worse and worse till we cry out in pain for ourselves and others. Something must be missing. Something must have been forgotten. This can’t be all that the human person was meant to be?

“Are you not misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?”

That old dusty book grandma used to read to us late at night so we would quiet down or be stricken with the wrath of God? What could that possibly answer about our current predicament of hatred and fear? Misunderstanding and loneliness abound and some 2,000-year-old tired bedtime story is supposed to have the answer to our purpose? The pages begin flipping in a desperate attempt for something to lurch out and give the answer we so desperately need. Shuffling through the first few pages as the dust settles at our toes. Wondering, pleading, hoping. What is the answer? What does it mean to be human? Can we even begin to get back what we have seemed to have misplaced or completely forgotten? What is this modern-day thorn that pierces our very existence and threatens to choke us till we can’t breathe?

“Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness… So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them… God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

We pause with a deep quizzical look of reflection overcoming our face. The question still remains. What is our modern-day thorn? Is it our disbelief in the scriptures or is it our lack of faith in the restorative power of God?

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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The Father and I Are One

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I love to cook and host people. I think it comes from my family. My house growing up was always a welcome place for people. Parties, barbecue, food, friends, fellowship, endless rounds of euchre, great conversation, bonfires, just the type of gatherings that make you feel good.

I have seen in my parents how they allow people to share in their sacrament of marriage. Each time they reach out, serve, help, cook, or host, they are extending their sacrament to others in a beautiful way. The love they share together overflows to those around them and you can’t help but feel like you are home.

My wife, Nathalie, and I try to emulate this in our own marriage as well. We want to invite people in, help when we can, reach out to the community, serve the Church, help the less fortunate, and invite people into the love that we share.

We have all heard that the trinity is similar to a marriage. God the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father and their love is so real it is the Holy Spirit. Similar to a husband and wife and their love becomes a new child. We have heard this but have we let it sink in? Especially in relation to allowing others to share in the love of the sacrament of marriage?

In the Gospel today we hear over and over that the Father and Son are one and that they desire to bring all people into their love, which is the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 221 tells us that, “God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.”

How does God invite people into his love? One of the ways is through our genuine relationships. When my wife and I love each other like Christ, and we invite people into our home, conversation, life, and love, people can experience the love of God through us.

This is what Christ wants, for us to be walking beacons of his love here on this earth and for us to invite all people into the love of the Trinity, for which we are all destined. The hard part of this is do we do it? Do we actually reach out to people and help them experience God’s love here on this earth. If not, why not? That’s the question we need to ask today. My wife and I should ask it every day.

It would be very upsetting to get to heaven and realize that we forgot to bring anyone with us. Let’s make that a priority today. God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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Christ Ascends to the Father

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“‘So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.’ Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand.” -CCC 659

Have you ever been confused by the Ascension? God becomes a man and dies for our sins only to leave us here on this earth? I always struggled to wrap my mind around it. But this quote from the Catechism gives me such hope and joy.

See, Jesus came to die for our sins, but not only that. That’s a reductionist view of what Jesus did for us if that is our only focus. As if that one moment of death was the epitome of his purpose. That’s simply not giving God enough credit. We must look at his ENTIRE life and mission in order to see how deep his love really is for us.

At the fall we sinned against an immortal being, we could not pay back the hurt that was caused. The only possible hope for our fallen human nature is for God to take it on, dispel the bad, resurrect the good, and then bring it to his Father. That is precisely what he did. Salvation history doesn’t stop with the crucifixion. It doesn’t even stop with the resurrection. Jesus resurrected human nature through his power, but he still had to take his place at the right hand of God and bring human nature with him into divine glory.

He is the one mediator between God and man, as we hear in scripture. Our broken humanity is resurrected when he conquered sin and death, but then he brings humanity fully and irreversibly into divine glory through his ascension. Now for all eternity, Jesus sits next to the father to be a constant reminder that we have been redeemed.

There is a lot of talk that the end of the world is coming. I think fear has entered our hearts through the current pandemic and we start thinking and worrying about things that are outside of our control. Whether the end of the world is coming is not the question we should be trying to figure out. After all, we are told that nobody knows the time or place. What we should be concerned with is the gift God has given us through his ascension. He has taken our humanity into the depths of divine love. What is our response to that kind of action? Do we waste it with our time here on earth or do we thank him and live in joy and hope, longing for the day we join him?

This is a tough question to ask, but it’s the one that needs to be answered in our hearts. Have we said yes to God and his gift? Or have we rejected the invitation into divine life? Let’s pray that we all have the grace to one day ascend into our heavenly home, just as Jesus did. God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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A Servant’s Heart

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On May 13th, Nathalie and I celebrate the anniversary of when we got engaged, on the Feast of Fatima. For those who have followed our story, you know we got married on October 13th, the Feast of Fatima.

One of the reasons we stayed so close to Mary during these important moments is because of her example of service. When we got married we chose to wash each others feet instead of doing the typical garter and bouquet. We did this because we wanted to show the world that our marriage would be one of service, not only to each other but to the world.

It’s always great to be hit with this reading again where Jesus washes the disciple’s feet. It’s good because it makes me contemplate whether or not we have kept that mission as a couple. Have we served whenever we could? Have we served each other and God? Obviously that is a complicated question. I think we certainly have tried our best, with some great moments of service and moments when we can try harder.

This is a reminder for me and I hope it is to you as well. Sometimes we make the faith super complicated and heady. it doesn’t need to be. Are we serving? Jesus came and served. He was the master and put himself in the place of the servant. He gave us an example. Do we follow?

Especially in this world today, we need to serve. There is so much suffering, hurt, fear, anxiety, and worry. We can be the light to the world that goes out and serves without an expectation of getting anything back. All of us can grow in this area and that’s my prayer for myself today. That I grow even more in service during this month of Mary and try to do it in the way she did. God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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Trusting the Lord’s Power

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I can still remember the laughter, head nods, diligent note-taking, and applause as if it was yesterday. I remember leaving the stage after my talk and feeling like it went very well. Sometimes when giving talks on the faith, I feel like I absolutely nailed it. Then other times, I run through the whole talk afterward and wish I had said this or that a different way.

Preaching and teaching, especially about the faith, sometimes requires a lot of prep, study, practice, and prayer. It can go really well, and other times maybe not as well as one might hope.

In today’s first reading, Peter rocked it. He is preaching with fire. He is not afraid to mince words or try to sugar coat anything. I can almost hear his passion, “You killed Jesus. Jesus was the Lord. Repent and be baptized.”

But notice, Peter was not a trained theologian or scholar. He didn’t know the Catechism because it didn’t even exist yet. The scriptures were still being written and put together. He denied Jesus. And yet, three thousand persons were added that day. So what’s the message here?

The message is that we should use our gifts to the best of our ability for the Gospel. If we are good at speaking, we should try to hone our craft. If we are good at a one-on-one relationship, we should reach out to others. If we are good at writing, we should write for the Lord and let our words be as beautiful and profound as possible. But the ultimate factor that is actually going to make a difference is if we believe in and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is what sets Peter apart. He believed in the power of God. Often, with our gifts, it is easy to think it is all about us. “If I just minister to these teens in the correct way, they will be happy in heaven someday.” “If I could only give a perfect talk, all of our parishioners would fall in love with the Lord.” “If I could only give until I have nothing left, then all the poor people I minister to will see the face of the Lord.” I… I… I…

It’s not about us at all. Why do we put that kind of pressure on ourselves? Should we try our very best and use the gifts God has given us and be thankful for those gifts? Absolutely. But in reality, God is the one who converts. He is the one who softens hearts. He is the one who loves unconditionally.

As we continue to try our best to be disciples, let’s look to Mary during this month of May.  Why is her example, word, and prayer so effective? Because she knows the power of her son. She is constantly pointing us towards him. It’s not about her. Mary is known as the icon of the Church, as the original disciple. Let’s take her example and go out and preach with the fire of Peter, the humility of Mary, and complete trust in the Holy Spirit and power of God. May God Bless you!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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The Road to Emmaus

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You know that feeling when you are walking through the store or in a large public area and all of a sudden think you recognize someone? Typically excitement floods our being as we try to navigate the crowds to meet with our friend from long ago. Or perhaps we try to dodge this person because the last time we saw them it was not a pleasant experience. Lots of emotions are conjured up when we encounter someone we haven’t seen for a long period of time.

I like to put myself in the place of the disciples in the Gospel today. As Jesus broke the bread and started the blessing, I would not have been able to contain my excitement. This man that I had been reading about in the scriptures and talking about is now here in front of me, about to give me his very self in the sacrament of love.

I also like to think that Jesus was being funny and disguised himself just to see what they thought of him and then dramatically took his disguise off to reveal he had been there all along. Jesus playing a funny prank on the disciples. Of course, that ruins the theological significance of this passage, but it’s funny in my mind.

So what is the significance? Jesus is adamant about the reality of the Eucharist as being fully himself and his love. I mean think about it, before he even died, he knew the importance of giving this sacrament. After he resurrected from the dead and was still with the disciples he taught the importance of it. Then, of course, after Jesus ascended to be with the Father, he left us this beautiful sacrament so he would always be with us.

Then there is the significance that they read the scriptures, the word of God, but they did not recognize Jesus. They only recognized him through the breaking of the bread. The bible itself tells us of the necessity of eating his flesh and drinking his blood in order to have eternal life. So as much as we need the bible to recognize him, the word of God reminds us that we have the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus on every altar in every Catholic church in the world.

This is why the world has such a longing right now for the Eucharist. I have had a very unique experience since the stay at home orders came out. I work for the parish and have been setting up the live stream for daily Mass, so I have had the complete blessing of receiving every day. Though I don’t feel the ache that some have now for the Eucharist, I have been offering my presence at Mass for all those who are not able to attend in person and receive.

I must say this has been a time that my faith is coming alive. I have been able to receive so I have been much more intentional about it knowing so much of the world is going without. It helps me not to take the Eucharist for granted.

Jesus wants to be with us in this sacrament, but until the moment when we can all receive publicly again, let’s all pray for a new understanding of the Eucharist; for an increase in faith in the most blessed sacrament. Let’s make sure that when churches are opened back up and we say “Amen” that we recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread. May God bless you and know of my prayers for you during this time.

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. 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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Divine Mercy Sunday

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We all need Mercy don’t we? I am sure this is what Thomas was thinking after doubting the Lord during today’s Gospel. I love the apostles because they are relatable. Here are men who walked with Jesus, saw him perform miracles, saw him literally die and rise from the dead, and still they don’t quite get it. How often is that us? I know more times than not it is me.

We all need mercy. I love the scene in The Passion of the Christ where Peter denies Christ three times and Jesus looks back at him. You can feel the regret and shame in Peter’s look. But Peter did not despair, he allowed God to give him mercy. If you need a little inspiration for this Divine Mercy Sunday I want to encourage two things as a reflection. The first is a beautiful song from Lamb of God where Peter sings about never denying Jesus.

Then from there listen to this video from a friend of mine, Aly Aleigha, who wrote a beautiful song about when Peter denies Christ.

Use these two songs as a starting point and then come face to face with Christ and his mercy on this beautiful Feast day. We have all fallen short, we have all made mistakes, we have all denied Jesus in one way or another. Today, Jesus reaches out. He let’s us know that his love is always stronger.

Don’t think Jesus can forgive you? Your sins are too big? You are too broken? I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from St. Claude de la Columbiere. God Bless you and give you his mercy.

“I glorify You in making known how good You are towards sinners, and that Your mercy prevails over all malice, that nothing can destroy it, that no matter how many times or how shamefully we fall, or how criminally, a sinner need not be driven to despair of Your pardon…It is in vain that Your enemy and mine sets new traps for me every day. He will make me lose everything else before the hope that I have in Your mercy.”

Contact the author

Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. 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. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith.