Month: August 2021

From Despair to Hope

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

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

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

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

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

Feature Image Credit: Carl Hunley, https://unsplash.com/photos/kZ_GzLAy4WM

St. Dominic: Saint of the Day for Sunday, August 08, 2021

Saint Dominic was born in Caleruega, Spain in 1170. His parents were members of the Spanish nobility and related to the ruling family. His father was Felix Guzman, and was the royal warden of the village. His mother, Bl. Joan of Aza, was a holy woman in her own right.

According to one legend, his mother made a pilgrimage to an abbey at Silos. Legend says there were many signs of the great child she would bear. One of the most common legends says that during the pilgrimage, Joan had a dream of …

Prayer to Our Lady, Mother of Mercy: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, August 08, 2021

Blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay you with praise and thanks for having rescued a fallen world by your generous consent! Receive our gratitude, and by your prayers obtain the pardon of our sins. Take our prayers into the sanctuary of heaven and enable them to make our peace with God.
Holy Mary, help the miserable, strengthen the discouraged, comfort the sorrowful, pray for your people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God. May all who venerate you feel …

Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I Dt 6:4-13

Moses said to the people:
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign
and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

“When the LORD, your God, brings you into the land which he swore
to your fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
that he would give you,
a land with fine, large cities that you did not build,
with houses full of goods of all sorts that you did not garner,
with cisterns that you did not dig,
with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant;
and when, therefore, you eat your fill,
take care not to forget the LORD,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
The LORD, your God, shall you fear;
him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear.”

Responsorial Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 47 and 51

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim!
And I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
Extolled be God my savior!
You who gave great victories to your king,
and showed kindness to your anointed,
to David and his posterity forever.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Alleluia See 2 Tm 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 17:14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said,
“Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely;
often he falls into fire, and often into water.
I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
Jesus said in reply,
“O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? 
Bring the boy here to me.”
Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him,
and from that hour the boy was cured.
Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said,
“Why could we not drive it out?”
He said to them, “Because of your little faith.
Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you.”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Great and Beautiful Things for God

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What is faith? How big is faith? How big is it supposed to be?

How big is a mustard seed? Is tiny faith enough to do big things? Why would we ever want to move a mountain?

These are the questions my 7-year-old self asked when I first heard the words of this Gospel:

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.”

Will it? I can’t even seem to say to my children, “Move from here to there,” and they will move…

Well, faith is not a thing that we can hold or measure. And it is not simply an idea that we carry in our heads, where we say we believe all things. Faith is a RELATIONSHIP. Tiny relationships with powerful Persons can indeed move mountains.

Faith is my personal relationship with the reality of God. Relationships are built on deep trust – in this case, deep, unshakeable trust in the power and goodness of a loving God. This relationship, this essential connection with the One Who IS, the One Who IS LOVE, is a sharing in the very power of God.

But it doesn’t stop there. Because if my faith is authentic and selfless, if my connection with the reality and power of God is what it should be, it transforms my attitudes and creates a new vision in which I live and think and act. If my whole self is turned toward the healing and empowering Presence of God, if my faith seeks salvation and justification from God alone in Christ, then I also allow Jesus to act in me and through me AS HE WILLS, because I trust that He knows best, He gives all we need, He makes all things new! As Erasmus Leiva-Merikakis says, “It means the deep and joyful reception of the mustard seed of His life into the earth of our being, where it may grow into a fruitful Tree of Life.” (Leiva-Merikakis, E. Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, (Vol. 2, p. 587). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.).

On our own, we can do nothing. But with faith in God, “Nothing will be impossible for you.”

On our own, we are on our own. But with deep faith in God, we can be made new and filled with Life.

Let’s pray that the Spirit will breathe into us this kind of true, humble, loving faith, which will allow us to be transformed and enable us to do great and beautiful things for God.

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

Feature Image Credit: Joshua Lanzarini, https://unsplash.com/photos/Vct0oBHNmv4

St. Cajetan: Saint of the Day for Saturday, August 07, 2021

In 1523, the Church was in sad shape. People could not get the spiritual nourishment they needed from the large numbers of uneducated and even immoral priests who took their money but returned nothing. When good priests and laypeople turned to the hierarchy for help, they found leaders at best apathetic and indifferent to their concerns. How should a good Catholic respond to this situation? We all known how Luther and others responded — by splitting away from the Catholic Church when their …

Prayer for Enlightenment: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, August 07, 2021

O Holy Ghost, divine Spirit of light and love, I consecrate to Thee my understanding, my heart and my will, my whole being for time and for eternity. May my understanding be always obedient to Thy heavenly inspirations and the teachings of the holy Catholic Church, of which Thou art the infallible Guide; may my heart be ever inflamed with love of God and of my neighbor; may my will be ever conformed to the divine will, and may my whole life be a faithful following of the life and virtues of Our …

Are We Listening?

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Today’s Gospel reading is from Mark and details the Transfiguration of Jesus. As Mark states: “Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. . . .  Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.’”

The Apostles were rightly scared. This would have been quite a scene to witness.

But God’s command was clear: Listen to Christ. 

And nearly 2,000 years later, this command is still something we must follow. 

Yet we often struggle to abide by it. We know we should listen to Christ. We try. But sometimes it’s really difficult. Sometimes the world gets in the way and it’s hard to hear Him. Sometimes we allow the things of this world to push Christ’s voice aside or to obscure it. And sometimes we just outright refuse to listen. 

When do we refuse? When we don’t like what He tells us. When His words are too hard to follow. When we fear being ostracized by coworkers, friends, family, or our communities for adhering to our beliefs. All of the above?

Christ never said that following Him would be easy. And many of us know that it’s often very hard. It’s hard because listening takes effort. According to merriam-webster.com, listening means “to hear something with thoughtful attention: give consideration.” 

Listening is not simply hearing something and dismissing it. Listening requires our attention. It also requires us to think and to open our hearts to Christ. We must allow His words to wash over us, to guide us, and to change us. 

So if we truly listen to God’s words, we must also reflect on and adhere to them. We must let His words transform us. And then we must speak them out to the people in our lives and in our communities, for listening and living out the word of God means that we help transform other people as well. 

This is what Christ called His Apostles to do, and it is what He calls us to do as well.

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

Feature Image Credit: Exe Lobaiza, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/13549-encuentro-con-cristo

St. Hormisdas Pope: Saint of the Day for Friday, August 06, 2021

Pope from 514-523, successor to St. Symmachus, and father of Pope St. Silverius Born in Frosinone, Campagna di Roma, Italy, he was an Italian, although he had a Persian name. Married and widowed prior to ordination, he succeeded St. Symmachus on July 21, 514. One of his great achievements was the ending of the Acacian Schism which had divided the Eastern and Western Churches since 484. The Church in Constantinople was reunited to Rome in 519 as a result of the confession called the …

Praying the Holy Rosary: Prayer of the Day for Friday, August 06, 2021

The Holy Rosary is one of three Sacramentals that the Blessed Virgin Mary has given to the Holy Catholic Church. In the thirteenth century, Mary gave the Rosary as a powerful weapon to mankind to combat the evils that were in this world as a result of the spiritual battle that is taking place between Satan and God. Since then, the blessings received through this Sacramental are beyond man’s count.

STEP 1: Make the sign of the Cross:

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son
and of …