O God, great and omnipotent judge of the living and the dead, we are to appear before you after this short life to render an account of our works. Give us the grace to prepare for our last hour by a devout and holy life, and protect us against a sudden and unprovided death. Let us remember our frailty and mortality, that we may always live in the ways of your commandments. Teach us to “watch and pray” (Lk 21:36), that when your summons comes for our departure from this world, we may go forth to …
Month: July 2022
God Alone / Solo Dios
Our readings begin with a clear reminder of God’s all-encompassing providence: “Because of me you bear fruit!” (Hos. 14:9). We hear this theme echoed throughout Scripture, especially in Jesus: “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Like the Israelites in the First Reading, we may think that the works of our hands, our ingenuity, or other nations will be our salvation, providing for us all that we need and giving us the strength to be morally upright and happy. Consider our dependence on technology, news, and scientific knowledge to give our lives meaning. We may not realize it at each moment, but we have a difficult time acknowledging God’s sovereignty and providence in practice.
God’s providence is not something distant. It is necessary for us to exist in the first place — without God allowing us to share in His existence we would not be here. Crippled as we are by Original Sin, we also need God’s providence to be forgiven and even to bear fruit in the first place. This is what our first two readings remind us of.
Once we have acknowledged our guilt and our trust in finite things instead of in the infinite God, there is still much work to be done for the kingdom. This is where we find ourselves in the Gospel. The Holy Spirit takes care of His people and enables them to witness, but we need to trust in Him. Again we run into the temptation to think that if our needs appear satisfied by the things of this world, we do not need God.
Ultimately, as Cardinal Robert Sarah is fond of saying, the choice is between God or nothing. The Lord made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, and He keeps them running harmoniously, actively providing for the things He has created. We can acknowledge that or not, but He is working regardless. As Hosea says, “Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them” (Hos 14:10). We are all governed by God’s providence, but we reap the benefits of His care to the degree that we follow His way. If we ignore Him, we stumble.
Since He provides us with the grace we utterly depend upon, God deserves our constant praise. As Jesus and the Psalmist imply, this praise ought to extend to everything that comes our way, not just what comes in good times. God directs all things in the universe. We cannot forget that although He does not create or will evil, He permits it as a consequence of the free will He gives us. On the Cross, He showed us that He desires to bring good out of every evil, no matter the agony in the moment.
We have a powerful reminder today that without God, we cannot even begin to be good, fruitful, or happy, let alone exist in the first place. He provides us with more than we need. Let us praise Him for His wonderful providence, and trust that whatever comes our way, the Lord intends it to work for our good.
Las lecturas de hoy comienzan con un claro recordatorio de la providencia abundante de Dios: “¡Gracias a mí lleváis fruto!” (Oseas 14:9). Escuchamos este tema repetido a lo largo de las Escrituras, especialmente en referencia a Jesús: “Separados de mí, nada podéis hacer” (Juan 15:5).
Como los israelitas en la Primera Lectura, podemos pensar que las obras de nuestras manos, nuestro ingenio o las de otras naciones serán nuestra salvación, proveyéndonos todo lo que necesitamos y dándonos la fuerza para ser moralmente rectos y felices. Considere nuestra dependencia en la tecnología, las noticias y el conocimiento científico para dar sentido a nuestras vidas. Puede que no nos demos cuenta en cada momento, pero en la práctica nos cuesta reconocer la soberanía y la providencia de Dios.
La providencia de Dios no es algo lejano. Es necesario que existamos en primer lugar, sin que Dios nos permita compartir Su existencia, no estaríamos aquí. Somos discapacitados por el pecado original y también necesitamos la providencia de Dios para ser perdonados e incluso para dar fruto desde un principio. Las dos primeras lecturas nos recuerdan de esto.
Una vez que hemos reconocido nuestra culpa y nuestra confianza en las cosas finitas en lugar de en el Dios infinito, todavía queda mucho trabajo por hacer para el reino. Aquí es donde nos encontramos en el Evangelio. El Espíritu Santo cuida a Su pueblo y lo capacita para testificar, pero tenemos que confiar en Él. Nuevamente caemos en la tentación de pensar que si nuestras necesidades parecen satisfechas por las cosas de este mundo, no necesitamos a Dios.
Al fin y al cabo, como le gusta decir al Cardenal Robert Sarah, escogemos entre Dios o nada. El Señor hizo los cielos y la tierra y todo lo que hay en ellos, y los mantiene funcionando armoniosamente, proveyendo activamente para las cosas que Él ha creado. Podemos reconocer eso o no, pero Él está obrando a pesar de todo. Como dice Oseas: “Derechas son las sendas del Señor, por ellas andan los justos, pero en ellas tropiezan los pecadores” (Os 14,10). Todos estamos gobernados por la providencia de Dios, pero cosechamos los beneficios de Su cuidado en la medida en que seguimos Su camino. Si lo ignoramos, tropezamos.
Dado que Él nos proporciona la gracia de la que dependemos por completo, Dios merece nuestra alabanza constante. Como lo insinúan Jesús y el salmista, esta alabanza debe extenderse a todo lo que se nos presenta, no solo a lo que se presenta en los buenos tiempos. Dios dirige todas las cosas en el universo. No podemos olvidar que aunque Él no crea ni quiere el mal, lo permite como consecuencia del libre albedrío que nos da. En la Cruz, Él nos mostró que desea sacar el bien de cada mal, sin importar la agonía del momento.
Hoy tenemos un poderoso recordatorio de que sin Dios, ni siquiera podemos comenzar a ser buenos, fructíferos o felices, y mucho menos existir en primer lugar. Él nos proporciona más de lo que necesitamos. Alabemos a Dios por Su maravillosa providencia, y confiemos en que cualquier cosa que se nos presente, el Señor tiene la intención de que obre para nuestro bien.
David Dashiell is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader based in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. His writing has been featured in Crisis Magazine and The Imaginative Conservative, and his editing is done for a variety of publishers, such as Sophia Institute and Scepter. He can be reached at ddashiellwork@gmail.com.
Feature Image Credit: remehernandez, www.cathopic.com/photo/18254-oracion
St. Grimbald: Saint of the Day for Friday, July 08, 2022
Benedictine abbot also called Grimwald, invited to England by King Alfred in 885. Grimbald arrived in England and declined the see of Canterbury, preferring to remain a monk. He became the abbot of New Minster Abbey at Winchester appointed by King Edward the Elder. Grimbald is credited with restoring learning to England.
Look over me lord : Prayer of the Day for Friday, July 08, 2022
Make me deserving of the faith that I need to get near you. Forgive my shortage and light my way to the right path. Endow me with the gift of humility and courage to confront the temptations of this world. Please Father never leave my side and give me a shield to protect against envy from others and my own self-pity.
Amen
The Father / Dios Padre
Throughout scripture, God’s relationship with his people is described as like a bridegroom to a bride. You have probably heard the analogy that just as a husband and wife give up everything for the other, so too, Jesus gives up everything, even his very body, so that we might experience his love.
We also have the analogy of the Trinity being like the relationship of a family. Now, of course, it is hard to talk about the Trinity without accidentally slipping into heresy and no analogy is perfect, but I think the image of a family is a good way to begin to describe the relationship of the Trinity. The husband loves the wife and the wife loves the husband and their love is so real that ordinarily in nine months you would give it a name. Similarly, God the Father loves God the Son and the Son loves the Father and from their loves proceeds the Holy Spirit.
I love all of the signs and symbols we use to describe God and his relationship with us, but perhaps my most favorite is the example we see in today’s First Reading. This one has hit home even harder for me since I became a dad. A father has to protect, guide, care for, and love his child but he also eventually has to let them make their own mistakes, grow, and learn. This is gut wrenching to even think about because all we want as father’s is for our kids to be ok.
Now take that gut wrenching feeling that us imperfect humans have and multiply it by a million. We are seeing a fraction of what God feels for his people, knowing full well he is the way, the truth, and the life, but yet they still don’t believe, trust, or hope. The line that really strikes me is, “The more I called them, the farther they went from me, sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols.” God is calling each of us. Rather, he is chasing after us. Sometimes the more he calls the further away we run. Just like the Israelites who were freed from slavery turned to idols, we take up idols in our own lives to replace the relationship we should have with God.
I think the question that is provoked from the First Reading is, what are your idols? What are mine? When God calls, what is it that allows us to easily turn and run? My encouragement to you today, as well as myself, is to pick one idol in your life that distracts you and for the next week try to break its power over you. One day, one minute, one second at a time.
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
Por todas las Escrituras, la relación de Dios con su pueblo muchas veces se describe como la de un novio con su novia. Capaz hayan escuchado la analogía de como un esposo y una esposa dan todo el uno por el otro, Jesús también da todo, incluso su propio cuerpo, para que podamos experimentar su amor.
También tenemos la analogía de la Trinidad como la relación de una familia. Por supuesto es difícil hablar de la Trinidad sin hablar herejías sin querer y ninguna analogía es perfecta, pero creo que la imagen de una familia es una buena manera de comenzar a describir la relación de la Trinidad. Un esposo ama a su esposa y una esposa ama su esposo y su amor es tan real que normalmente en nueve meses le darías nombre. Del mismo modo, Dios Padre ama a Dios Hijo y el Hijo ama al Padre y de sus amores procede el Espíritu Santo.
Me encantan todos los signos y símbolos que utilizamos para describir a Dios y su relación con nosotros, pero quizá mi favorito es el ejemplo que vemos en la Primera Lectura de hoy. Me ha afectado aún más desde ahora que soy papá. Un padre tiene que proteger, guiar, cuidar y amar a su hijo, pero también tiene que dejar que cometa sus propios errores, crezca y aprenda. Es desgarrador incluso pensar en esto porque todo lo que queremos como padre es que nuestros hijos estén bien.
Ahora, toma ese sentimiento desgarrador que tenemos los seres humanos imperfectos y multiplícalo por un millón. Estamos viendo una fracción de lo que Dios siente por su pueblo, sabiendo muy bien que él es el camino, la verdad y la vida, pero todavía no creen, confían ni esperan en él. La línea que realmente me llama la atención es: “Mientras más los llamaba, más se alejaban de mí, ofreciendo sacrificios a los Baales y quemando incienso a los ídolos”. Dios nos está llamando a cada uno de nosotros. Más bien, nos está persiguiendo. A veces, mientras más llama, más lejos corremos. Así como los israelitas que fueron liberados de la esclavitud se convirtieron en ídolos, nosotros tomamos ídolos en nuestras propias vidas para reemplazar la relación que debemos tener con Dios.
Creo que la pregunta que surge de la Primera Lectura es ¿cuáles son tus ídolos? ¿Cuáles son los míos? Cuando Dios llama, ¿qué es lo que nos permite dar la vuelta y correr fácilmente? Les motivo hoy, y a mí mismo también, elegir un ídolo que tienes en tu vida que te distraiga, y durante la próxima semana intenta romper su poder sobre ti. Un día, un minuto, un segundo a la vez.
De parte de todos nosotros aquí en Diocesan, ¡Dios los bendiga!
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: Derek Thomson, unsplash.com/photos/M1jCmRxO7cY
Bl. Ralph Milner: Saint of the Day for Thursday, July 07, 2022
English martyr. He was born at Stocksteads, Hampshire, and was a convert. He was arrested the day he received his first Communion. A husbands man by trade, Ralph was allowed a leave from prison and aided priests and Catholics. He was executed at Winchester on July by being hanged, drawn, and quartered for giving assistance to Blessed Roger Dickenson. He was beatified in 1929.
Prayer to God the Father: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, July 07, 2022
Almighty God, my Eternal Father,
from the fullness of my soul I adore You.
I am deeply grateful that You have made me
in Your image and likeness,
and that You ever hold me in Your loving embrace.
Direct me to love You with all my heart,
with all my soul,
and with my whole mind.
Direct me to love all Your children as I love myself.
O, my Father, my soul longs to be united to You,
and to rest in You forever.
Have the Holy Spirit touch my soul
so that I may love …
Called By Name / Llamado Por Nombre
We all have that experience of someone trying to talk to us but we are distracted by our thoughts or our actions and so it only barely registers. More often than not, the only thing that catches our attention in a situation like that is when someone calls our name. The simple use of our name is enough to demand a response, which can be a number of different things, such as, “Did you say something?” or “Are you talking to me?”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus summons the twelve apostles and sends them out on mission, proclaiming that “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These apostles weren’t just any random followers – they were known by Jesus. He called them by name and asked great things of them. It’s also significant that their names are given to us in Scripture. We are an apostolic Church, after all. It’s important for us to know our roots, the beginnings of our Church.
At first, Jesus called these twelve men to cure diseases and drive out demons and proclaim the Good News. After his Death and Resurrection, He asked them to continue the mission but with a new dimension – to break bread in His name, to celebrate the Eucharist. And so our Church spread to the ends of the earth.
Jesus calls us by name, too. He gives us the same mission that He gave the twelve apostles. He demands great things of us. And He knows us better than we know ourselves.
At our Baptisms, the first question that is asked of our parents is, “What name do you give your child?” The second question follows, “What do you ask of God’s Church?” One of the common responses is “faith.” It is this moment of our reception into the Catholic Church that we are given the mission of our faith, the same mission that we share with the apostles, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Mt 28:19-20)
Here are a few questions to ponder in prayer: Have you heard Jesus call your name? How have you responded in the past? What can we do differently to fully embrace our mission?
Todos hemos tenido esa experiencia cuando alguien quiere hablar con nosotros, pero estamos tan distraídos por nuestros pensamientos o nuestras acciones, que con las ajustas escuchamos. La mayoría de las veces, lo único que llama nuestra atención en esas situación es cuando alguien nos llama por nuestro nombre. El simple uso de nuestro nombre es suficiente para exigir una respuesta, que puede ser algo como “¿Dijiste algo?” o “¿Me estás hablando?”
En el Evangelio de hoy, Jesús convoca a los doce apóstoles y los envía a la misión, proclamando que “el Reino de los cielos se ha acercado”. Estos apóstoles no eran simples seguidores al azar, eran conocidos por Jesús. Los llamó por su nombre y les pidió grandes cosas. También es significativo que se nos den sus nombres en las Escrituras. Después de todo, somos una Iglesia apostólica. Es importante que conozcamos nuestras raíces, los inicios de nuestra Iglesia.
Al principio, Jesús llamó a estos doce hombres para curar enfermedades y expulsar demonios y proclamar la Buena Nueva. Después de su Muerte y Resurrección, les pidió continuar la misión pero con una nueva dimensión: partir el pan en Su nombre, celebrar la Eucaristía, y así nuestra Iglesia se extendió hasta los confines de la tierra.
Jesús también nos llama por nuestro nombre. Nos da la misma misión que le dio a los doce apóstoles. Nos exige grandes cosas y nos conoce mejor que nosotros mismos.
En el bautizo, la primera cosa que preguntan a nuestros padres es: “¿Qué nombre le dan a su hijo?” La segunda es: “¿Qué le piden a la Iglesia de Dios?” Una de las respuestas comunes es “la fe”. Es en este momento de ser recibidos en la Iglesia Católica se nos da la misión de nuestra fe, la misma misión que compartimos con los apóstoles: “Id, pues, y haced discípulos a todas las naciones, bautizándolos en el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo, enseñándoles a guardar todo lo que os he mandado”. (Mt 28, 19-20)
Aquí hay algunas preguntas para reflexionar en oración: ¿Has escuchado a Jesús decir tu nombre? ¿Cómo has respondido en el pasado? ¿Qué podemos hacer diferente para abrazar plenamente nuestra misión?
Erin is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is passionate about the Lord Jesus, all things college sports and telling stories and she is blessed enough to get paid for all three of her passions as a full-time youth minister and a freelance sports writer.
Feature Image Credit: Jon Tyson, unsplash.com/photos/566CgCRSNCk
St. Maria Goretti: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, July 06, 2022
Born on October 16 1890 in Corinaldo, in the Ancona Province in Italy, her farmworker father moved his family to Ferrier di Conca, near Anzio. When he died of malaria, Maria’s mother had to struggle to feed her children.
Maria’s mother, brothers, and sisters worked in the fields while she cooked, sewed, kept the house clean, and watched her youngest sister Teresa. Though the family’s circumstances were extremely difficult, they were very close and loved God.
On July 5, 1902, Maria was sitting …
Prayer to the Holy Trinity: Prayer of the Day for Wednesday, July 06, 2022
Glory be to the Father,
Who by His almighty power and love created me,
making me in the image and likeness of God.
Glory be to the Son,
Who by His Precious Blood delivered me from hell,
and opened for me the gates of heaven.
Glory be to the Holy Spirit,
Who has sanctified me in the sacrament of Baptism,
and continues to sanctify me
by the graces I receive daily from His bounty.
Glory be to the Three adorable Persons of the Holy Trinity,
now and forever.
Amen.