By this holy water and by Your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins, O Lord.
St. Theresa of Avila on holy water: “From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the cross, but return; so holy water must have great value.”
Holy water is a means of spiritual wealth — a sacramental that remits venial sin. The Church strongly urges its use, especially when dangers threaten. …
What do you think of when you hear the word teacher? Do memories rush forward of some great role models in your life who propelled you on the path to success? Maybe you had a negative experience with a teacher at some point. For me, with my wife being a teacher, the word evokes emotions of joy, love, and thankfulness. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, the reality is that no teacher can possibly compare to the Divine Teacher, Jesus Christ.
Whenever I am giving a talk on faith I try to remind those listening that whatever I say is all well and good, but the real work happens after they leave, and I have no control over that. This is to say, Jesus is the one who does the work of walking with us day in and day out, guiding us, loving us, and not just being there for a quick 45-minute discussion.
This is precisely why we can call Jesus the Divine Teacher, because he is teaching us at all times, not just during a specific moment of pontification. The First Reading for today sums it up well by saying, “I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.” With this model of teaching it’s not just about conveying ideas, but it’s journeying with the student to make sure the ideas stick.
In the ancient world there were people known as pedagogues, who would be tasked with tutoring the children of a household, but beyond that they would make sure the teachings that were presented, were lived out in the family. Jesus is the divine pedagogue for us in that he is journeying with us to make sure his teachings are applied to his family.
How is your relationship with the Teacher? Sometimes it can be hard to apply human terms to God because we can have negative experiences with human beings, but how is your relationship with the Divine Teacher? Have you talked lately? Not just about your grades or how much you are able to memorize but have you recently sat down and just enjoyed the presence of Jesus, allowing him into your very heart? If it’s been a while, Advent is the perfect time and if it has been recent, Advent is the perfect time to be present more. More than presents on Christmas we should be asking to be in the presence of Christ. From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
Tommy Shultz is a Business Development Representative for Diocesan. In this role he is committed to bringing the best software to dioceses and parishes while helping them evangelize on the digital continent. Tommy has worked in various diocese and parish roles since his graduation from Franciscan University with a Theology degree. He hopes to use his skills in evangelization, marketing, and communications, to serve the Church and bring the Good News to all. His favorite quote comes from St. John Paul II, who said, “A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”
Feature Image Credit: Robin Worrall, https://unsplash.com/photos/Q8HfuO9udts
He was just standing there, not doing anything special. As a Syrian priest he must have felt a little out of place among the Roman people mourning that day for the dead Pope. As a good preacher, he must have wanted to speak to the funeral procession about Christ’s promise of resurrection. As a learned man, he must have wondered who would follow the holy Saint Gregory II as Pope and where he would take the Church. As a holy man, he must have been praying for Gregory II and for all the people …
O my God, I love You above all things with my whole heart and soul, because you are all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of You. I forgive all who have injured me and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen.
Fear is something that seems to come a little too naturally to me. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being alone. Fear of loss. In this season of Advent, we are so focused on preparing for Christmas, yet I oftentimes find myself dwelling in this fear as the nights seem too long and the days too short.
Christmas is just a few weeks away. I’m supposed to be happy, excited, and joyful. Now don’t get me wrong, Christmas music can still cheer me up from time to time. I love the get-togethers and gift exchanges that are getting so close, but the winter can be hard. The holidays have a tendency to remind us of what we are missing, or even worse, who we are missing.
The last two years have been a real challenge. Whether you’ve lost loved ones, missed out on experiences, or simply have spent a lot of time being afraid, many of us have come to realize how good we had it before Covid.
In the Gospel today we hear “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” That violence seems so real and even literal at times. My family is from a place north of Detroit called Oxford, Michigan. All my Aunts and Uncles went to school there. My parents met there. My uncle is the varsity basketball coach there. My brother teaches at Clarkston about 10 minutes from there. So, when I heard of the tragedy experienced in Oxford last week through horrible violence, fear set in. Stress, anxiety, and helplessness took hold. I think about my 5-year-old and 6-year-old children. The fear of them experiencing an unimaginably horrible situation like that seems too real. And it’s hard.
Today’s First Reading from Isaiah quickly says do not be afraid (which usually makes me think about my fear, and thus be more afraid). Fortunately, Isaiah spends much more time focusing on why we shouldn’t be afraid. Simply because God can do anything.
I remind myself that God can do anything and God can do everything. It is important for me to remember that I can’t do anything, and most importantly I can’t do everything. We all experience stress, anxiety, trauma, and tragedy in many different ways. As much as I wish I could lift the heartache from everyone affected by the tragedy in Oxford, I can’t. As much as I wish I could ensure tragedies like this would never happen again, I can’t.
I’ve found in my life that when I trust in the Lord, rejoice in the Lord, and let the Lord help me, that is when the stress and anxiety lessen or even disappear. The loneliness, the trauma and the fear will still find ways to creep in, but with God they never take hold.
Whether it’s the little things or the big things, the tragedies or annoyances that consume you, remember that God is with us as we experience our hardships and that we can do anything with him on our side.
Dave Laidlaw spent 6 years working in youth ministry and has spent the last 6 years serving parishes across the country with different technical and administrative issues they have. He is the Founder of Antioch.Solutions. Antioch.Solutions is a company that helps Catholic leaders learn new skills to spread the good news and enhance their ministries. Along with the Church, Dave loves his family, good coffee, sports, history, Star Wars, and being outside. You can find more about Dave at www.Antioch.Solutions
Feature Image Credit: Aaron Burden, https://unsplash.com/photos/lPCu8HnGU2E
Saint Juan Diego was born in 1474 as Cuauhtlatoatzin, a native to Mexico. He became the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas.
Following the early death of his father, Juan Diego was taken to live with his uncle. From the age of three, he was raised in line with the Aztec pagan religion, but always showed signs of having a mystical sense of life.
He was recognized for his religious fervor, his respectful and gracious attitude toward the Virgin Mary and his Bishop Juan de …
May Christ support us all the day long,
till the shadows lengthen,
and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then in his mercy
may he give us a safe lodging,
and holy rest and peace at the last.
Amen.
In today’s Gospel, as we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we are reminded of Mary’s obedience to God. After the Angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her she would be the mother of God, Mary said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Her fiat—her yes—should be a lesson to us all.
Mary said yes because she trusted in the Lord. Trust in the Lord means that we don’t spend time fretting about the things in life we have no control over. As St. Padre Pio said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” We pray. We tell God what we need and what we want, and we do our best to work toward that goal if it’s something we can do. Then we have hope.
But hope isn’t just a wish. Hope means that we understand that Christ walks with us through our trials, that He carries us in times of extreme difficulty, and that He will never leave us. And then we put the situation in God’s hands. When we have done all we can do, we trust that His will will be done. Giving up that control and giving up that worry are hard things to do. But, as we say in the Our Father, “Thy will be done.”
Trust is telling God that we are okay with whatever He decides and that, if it’s the opposite of what we wanted, we understand that He will help us through it.
Mary understood this. She trusted in God, and she told Him yes even though she was very likely confused.
Giving our fiat to God and living our daily lives with a trust in Him like Mary’s can be really difficult at times. Sometimes we just don’t understand what God is trying to do with our lives. We feel hurt, lonely, isolated, rejected, or confused, and we begin to lose hope. Maybe we even begin to feel worthless.
That is when trust is of vital importance. When we trust that God walks those difficult times with us, we become stronger. When we talk to God in prayer, we strengthen our relationship. When we surrender to Him, we feel at peace.
Just as Mary understood that she was a beloved daughter of God, so must we, for we are all beloved sons and daughters of God. And we must have faith that He wants what’s best for us.
So, today, let us ask for Mary’s help and intercession as we grow in faith. Let us ask her to help us say yes to God—no matter what He asks of us. When we do so, we will discover the unbelievable fruits of this trust.
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: GonzaloGY, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/853-estatua-maria-rezando
In the account of St Amatus of Remiremont it is related how he brought about the conversion to God of a Merovingian nobleman named Romaric, who became a monk at Luxeuil; and how they afterwards went together to the estate of Romaric at Habendum in the Vosges, and established the monastery which was later known as Remiremont (Romarici Mons). The father of Romaric had lost his life and his lands at the hands of Queen Brunehilda, and his young son became a homeless wanderer; but at the time of his …
O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, didst prepare a worthy dwelling place for thy Son, we beseech thee that, as by the foreseen death of this, thy Son, thou didst preserve her from all stain, so too thou wouldst permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who livest and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.