O Dearly beloved Word of God, teach me to be generous, to serve Thee as Thou dost deserve, to give without counting the cost, to fight without fretting at my wounds, to labor without seeking rest, to spend myself without looking for any reward other than that of knowing that I do Thy holy will. Amen.
Author: WebDept ParishAdmin
Not All Are Equal / No Todos Somos Iguales
Not all people are equal. Pretty controversial way to start a blog post right? But it is true that not all people are equal. Or maybe a better way to say it is that not all people are the same. Now, please don’t misread this, we are all beloved children of God and all have equal dignity. Each and every one of us was formed by the hands of the Creator and because of that very fact we all deserve love. But that does not mean we are equal in everything. Think for just a second about some of the noticeable differences. You may be male or female, tall or short, book smart or street smart, artistic or mathematical. Not all people are equal.
We hear as much in today’s First Reading where the apostles see themselves as unequal to the rest of the disciples. We also see it in the Gospel today where Jesus makes it clear that he is the Lord of the Sabbath and that the Pharisees are not. There is biblical evidence that not all men are equal. I propose that many of the problems we have in our society today come from this idea that we all have to be the same. It’s as if we look at our differences as holding us back because we have made inequality the dirty word of the 21st century.
But not all people are equal. God did not make us equal. Now again, we are all equal in our dignity as being made in the image of God, but beyond that we have many differences. I like to think of this by looking at our very DNA. Typically a human being is going to have an XY or XX chromosomal structure which is going to determine your sex. What is similar about these two patterns? They both start with the same letter. I like to think of that as the very life of God written into our bodies. We are all equal under God and made in his image and likeness. But then you get to the second letter in the genetic code. This is where the difference comes in. This one little letter will determine many different factors that will set us apart from others. But instead of seeing difference as a negative thing, I propose we look at it as a positive.
Damon Owens once said that man and woman were not created different from each other, but rather for each other. In other words, the differences we have and the “inequality” that exists in humanity, just might be necessary differences that can help us all build each other up. Think about your parish for a second. It contains a mix of people from all different backgrounds, races, creeds, and families. Every single individual is part of the family of God, but they also have unique and individual talents that can build up that kingdom. It’s the same with you. So I think our question today should not be how to be more like everyone else, but instead, how can we use the unique talents we have been given to serve others and to love God.
If it is hard to tell what makes you unique, then ask God. He is the one who created you with immense dignity, but also with that individual spark that makes you unique. I say we thank God that we are not all the same, jump into the difference, and build the kingdom one gift and one talent at a time. I will leave you with Paul who drives this point home. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” -1 Corinthians 12:4-7
No todas las personas son iguales. Una forma bastante controversial de comenzar una publicación de blog, ¿verdad? Pero es cierto que no todas las personas son iguales. O tal vez una manera mejor de decirlo es que no todas las personas son iguales. Ahora, por favor, no malinterprete esto, todos somos hijos amados de Dios y todos tenemos la misma dignidad. Todos y cada uno de nosotros fuimos formados por las manos del Creador y por eso mismo todos merecemos amor. Pero eso no significa que seamos iguales en todo. Piense por un segundo en algunas de las diferencias notables. Ya que sea hombre o mujer, alto o bajo, que tenga inteligencia para los libros o la calle, que sea artístico o matemático… No todas las personas son iguales.
Lo escuchamos mucho en la Primera Lectura de hoy donde los apóstoles se ven a sí mismos como desiguales al resto de los discípulos. También lo vemos en el Evangelio de hoy donde Jesús deja claro que él es el Señor del sábado y que los fariseos no lo son. Hay evidencia bíblica de que no todos los hombres son iguales. Propongo que muchos de los problemas que tenemos hoy en nuestra sociedad vienen de esta idea de que todos tenemos que ser iguales. Es como si consideráramos nuestras diferencias como un freno porque hemos hecho de la desigualdad la mala palabra del siglo XXI.
Pero no todas las personas son iguales. Dios no nos hizo iguales. Ahora, todos somos iguales en nuestra dignidad ya que somos hechos a la imagen de Dios, pero más allá de eso tenemos muchas diferencias. Me gusta pensar en esto mirando nuestro propio ADN. Por lo general, un ser humano tendrá una estructura cromosómica XY o XX que determinará su sexo. ¿Qué tienen de similar estos dos patrones? Ambos comienzan con la misma letra. Me gusta pensar en eso como la misma vida que Dios escribió en nuestros cuerpos. Todos somos iguales ante Dios y hechos a su imagen y semejanza. Pero luego llegas a la segunda letra del código genético. Aquí es donde entra la diferencia. Esta pequeña letra determinará muchos factores diferentes que nos diferenciarán de los demás. Pero en lugar de ver la diferencia como algo negativo, propongo que la veamos como algo positivo.
Damon Owens dijo una vez que el hombre y la mujer no fueron creados diferentes el uno del otro, sino el uno para el otro. En otras palabras, las diferencias que tenemos y la “desigualdad” que existe en la humanidad, pueden ser diferencias necesarias que nos ayuden a construirnos entre todos. Piense en su parroquia por un segundo. Contiene una mezcla de personas de diferentes orígenes, razas, credos y familias. Cada individuo es parte de la familia de Dios, pero también tiene talentos únicos e individuales que pueden construir ese reino. Es lo mismo contigo. Así que creo que nuestra pregunta de hoy no debería ser cómo podemos ser más como los demás, sino cómo podemos usar los talentos únicos que se nos han dado para servir a los demás y amar a Dios.
Si es difícil reconocer lo que te hace único, pregúntale a Dios. Él te creó con una dignidad inmensa, pero también con esa chispa individual que te hace único. Yo sugiero que agradezcamos a Dios que no todos somos iguales, entramos plenamente a esa diferencia y construyamos el Reino un don y un talento a la vez. Los dejo con San Pablo, quien resalta este punto. “Ahora bien, hay variedad de dones, pero un mismo Espíritu; y hay variedad de servicios, pero un mismo Señor; y hay variedad de actividades, pero es el mismo Dios quien las activa todas en todos. A cada uno le es dado la manifestación del Espíritu para el bien común”. -1 Corintios 12:4-7
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: Markus Winkler, unsplash.com/photos/97Ncs6x3NTg
Pope Saint Gregory the Great: Saint of the Day for Saturday, September 03, 2022
Pope Saint Gregory I, also known as the Great, was the Pope of the Catholic Church between 590 and 604 AD.
Gregory was born around 540 in Rome. The exact date of his birth is unknown. Although the Western Roman Empire had collapsed long before his birth, many ancient Roman families still commanded great wealth and influence in the city. Gregory was born into one such family. His great-great-grandfather was Pope Felix III who reigned from 483 to 492. (Astute readers may suspect this to be a …
A Prayer to Rebuke Satan: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, September 03, 2022
Heavenly Father, I ask You in the name,
and through the Blood of Your Divine Son,
to rebuke Satan for taking captive
that which belongs to You.
I ask Jesus to place His Crown of thorns around
(Name the person)
so that those with wrong influences
will lose interest and depart.
Mary Mother of Jesus,
place your mantle of love around,
(your son and/or your daughter.)
Amen
St. Michael, protect them.
Case Closed / Caso Cerrado
I had such trouble trying to decide what to write about today. There’s so many good themes across all the readings – conversion, light in darkness, newness, etc. However, I decided to bite the bullet and share with you all one of my not proudest moments.
When I was in college, I served as a room host – meaning prospective students making an overnight visit to campus would sometimes stay in my dorm room with me and my roommate. The first time we got to host a prospective student, I got so excited that I did what any millennial would do. I looked her up on social media. And I did not like what I saw. I didn’t think she was worthy to attend an awesome school like Franciscan. And I most certainly had preconceived notions as to how her visit was going to go. While I don’t remember much of the actual time I spent with this particular prospective student, I do remember what happened after she left. I wept.
That’s right. I cried. Why? Because I realized I had judged her (and unfairly, at that). I decided who she was as a person before she could even say hi and introduce herself. That wretched feeling of realizing what I had done and even just that I had judged another human being – it’s a feeling that vividly sticks with me to this day, almost nine years later.
I tell this story a lot … and I’m sorry if I’ve used it in another blog post already. But this lesson is just too big to let it go. This truth, that you and I were never meant to judge another human being’s heart, needs to be heard over and over again. God Himself is the only judge of our hearts and that is the reminder we get in today’s First Reading.
When we are about to pass judgment on another person, what is something that can help us in the moment? I offer this: picture Jesus standing right next to that person, with his hand on their shoulder, saying to you, “This is my beloved son/daughter.” That person is loved by God. That person has dignity and deserves not to be judged by you. It’s hard. Even after that experience at college, I’m not perfect at it. But it’s something I keep in mind and something I hope you will too.
Tuve tantos problemas tratando de decidir sobre qué escribir hoy. Hay tantos temas buenos en todas las lecturas: conversión, luz en la oscuridad, renovación, etc. Sin embargo, decidí hacer algo difícil y compartir con todos ustedes uno de los momentos de los cuales no me siento tan orgullosa.
Cuando estaba en la universidad, servía como anfitrióna de la habitación, lo que significa que los futuros estudiantes que visitaban al campus por la noche a veces se quedaban en el dormitorio conmigo y mi compañera de cuarto. La primera vez que recibimos a un posible estudiante, me emocioné tanto que hice lo que haría cualquier otro millennial. La busqué en las redes sociales. Y no me gustó lo que vi. No pensé que fuera digna de asistir a una escuela increíble como la franciscana. Y ciertamente tenía nociones preconcebidas sobre cómo iba a ser su visita. No me acuerdo mucho del tiempo que pasé con esta posible estudiante en particular, pero sí me acuerdo lo que sucedió después de que se fue. Lloré.
Así es. Lloré. ¿Por qué? Porque me di cuenta de que la había juzgado (e injustamente, además). Decidí quién era ella como persona antes de que pudiera saludarme y presentarse. Ese desdichado sentimiento de darme cuenta de lo que había hecho e incluso de haber juzgado a otro ser humano, es un sentimiento que me acompaña vívidamente hasta el día de hoy, casi nueve años después.
Cuento esta historia con cierta frecuencia, y lo siento si ya la he compartido en otra publicación de blog. Pero esta lección es demasiado grande para dejarla pasar. Esta verdad, que tú y yo nunca estuvimos destinados a juzgar el corazón de otro ser humano, necesitamos escucharlo una y otra vez. Dios mismo es el único juez de nuestros corazones y ese es el recordatorio que recibimos en la Primera Lectura de hoy.
Cuando estamos a punto de juzgar a otra persona, ¿qué es algo que nos puede ayudar en el momento? Te ofrezco esto: imagina a Jesús parado justo al lado de esa persona, con su mano en su hombro, diciéndole: “Este es mi hijo/hija amado”. Esa persona es amada por Dios. Esa persona tiene dignidad y no merece ser juzgada por ti. Es dificil. Incluso después de esa experiencia en la universidad, no soy perfecta en eso. Pero es algo que tengo en mente y algo que espero que tú también tengas en mente.
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: Tingey Injury Law Firm, unsplash.com/photos/6sl88x150Xs
St. Ingrid of Sweden: Saint of the Day for Friday, September 02, 2022
Born in Skänninge, Sweden, in the 13th century, St. Ingrid lived under the spiritual direction of Peter of Dacia, a Dominican priest. She was the first Dominican nun in Sweden and in 1281 she founded the first Dominican cloister there, called St. Martin’s in Skänninge. She died in 1282 surrounded by an aura of sanctity. Miracles obtained through her intercession followed and led to a popular cult of this saint. In 1405, a canonization process was begun and the Swedish Bishops introduced her …
Prayer for Employment: Prayer of the Day for Friday, September 02, 2022
You govern your creation, O God,
and bring it to perfection by the work of our hands.
Hear the prayers of your people who ask for work
that will enhance their human dignity
and promote the upbuilding of your kingdom.
Enable them to provide for those confided to their care
either by family ties or by charity we owe to one another
for the betterment of human life.
We ask this blessing in the name of Jesus
who laboured with his own hands while he lived on earth.
Amen.
Following in Peter’s Footsteps / Siguiendo en las Huellas de San Pedro
In the Gospel of Luke today, Jesus calls Peter to follow him. While Jesus was asking Peter to fill a unique role in the Kingdom of God, (After all, there can only be one first Pope, right?) we can use the path that Peter follows as a guide for our own faith journey.
In Luke’s retelling, Jesus had already gained a following before assembling the group later called “Disciples”. This means that when Jesus asked Peter to use his boat to teach to the crowds, Peter had already heard of Jesus. He knew Jesus was drawing crowds. He allowed Jesus to use his boat and heard what Jesus had to say for himself. When Jesus told Peter to put the nets down one more time, Peter politely informed him that they had already been at work all night, but he humored Jesus and put the nets down one more time. The nets were overflowing and Peter acknowledged Jesus as more than just another prophet. “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus called and Peter left everything to follow Him.
Peter heard about Jesus. Peter heard Jesus speak. Jesus asked Peter for something entirely doable and Jesus went beyond Peter’s expectations. Peter realized the only logical response to meeting God was to confess one’s sins, give up everything and follow Him.
Just like Peter, God doesn’t ask us for more than we can do and when we comply with his requests, God goes beyond our wildest expectations. We get ourselves up out of bed on Sundays, brush our teeth and head to Mass. God asks for just a bit of our time, and he responds with a total gift of himself; body, blood, soul, and divinity. God asks us to come to him when we have done wrong or sinned, and he responds with a free gift of grace and another opportunity to start again. Whenever we give just a tiny bit of ourselves, God gives us back so much more.
When faced with such goodness, such immense love, like Peter, there is nothing we should do except leave everything behind and follow. But leaving behind isn’t easy for us humans. Peter left behind his livelihood, his family tradition of fishing, the community of fishermen who had lived and worked together for generations. Once he encountered Jesus, he was willing to leave it all, to follow God’s plan. And just look at what came of that!
We can reflect on what we are to give up. What are those habits and ways of life which are comfortable and familiar, but to fully follow Jesus, we need to leave them behind? What are the habits of our current world, the mass media, the constant availability of dopamine-inducing content that hijack our brain and our time?
We have heard about Jesus. We have heard Jesus speak through others. Jesus is asking us to follow him. What we need to do, like Peter, is follow him completely.
En el Evangelio de Lucas de hoy, Jesús llama a Pedro a seguirlo. Mientras Jesús le pedía a Pedro que desempeñara un papel único en el Reino de Dios (después de todo, solo puede haber un solo primer Papa, ¿verdad?), podemos usar el camino que sigue Pedro como guía para nuestro propio camino de fe.
En el recuento de Lucas, Jesús ya había ganado seguidores antes de reunir al grupo que más tarde se llamaría “Discípulos”. Esto significa que cuando Jesús le pidió a Pedro que usara su barca para enseñar a la multitud, Pedro ya había oído hablar de Jesús. Sabía que Jesús estaba atrayendo multitudes. Permitió que Jesús usara su bote y escuchó lo que Jesús tenía que decir por sí mismo. Cuando Jesús le dijo a Pedro que bajara las redes una vez más, Pedro le informó cortésmente que ya habían estado trabajando toda la noche, pero le siguió la corriente a Jesús y bajó las redes una vez más. Las redes estaban desbordadas y Pedro reconoció a Jesús como algo más que un profeta más. “Déjame, Señor, que soy un hombre pecador”. Jesús lo llamó y Pedro dejó todo para seguirlo.
Pedro oyó acerca de Jesús. Pedro escuchó a Jesús hablar. Jesús le pidió a Pedro algo completamente factible y Jesús fue más allá de las expectativas de Pedro. Pedro se dio cuenta de que la única respuesta lógica para encontrarse con Dios era confesar los pecados, renunciar a todo y seguirlo.
Al igual que Pedro, Dios no nos pide más de lo que podemos hacer y cuando cumplimos con sus pedidos, Dios va más allá de nuestras expectativas más grandes. Los domingos nos levantamos de la cama, nos cepillamos los dientes y vamos a misa. Dios pide un poco de nuestro tiempo y responde con un don total de sí mismo; cuerpo, sangre, alma y divinidad. Dios nos pide que acudamos a él cuando hemos hecho algo malo o cuando hemos pecado, y él responde con un regalo gratuito de gracia y otra oportunidad para comenzar de nuevo. Cada vez que damos un poco de nosotros mismos, Dios nos devuelve mucho más.
Ante tanta bondad, tan inmenso amor, como Pedro, no hay nada que debamos hacer sino dejar todo y seguirlo. Pero dejar todo no es fácil para nosotros los seres humanos. Pedro dejó atrás su medio de vida, su tradición familiar de pesca, la comunidad de pescadores que habían vivido y trabajado juntos durante generaciones. Una vez que se encontró con Jesús, estuvo dispuesto a dejarlo todo para seguir el plan de Dios. ¡Y mira lo que salió de eso!
Podemos reflexionar sobre lo que debemos renunciar. ¿Cuáles son esos hábitos y formas de vida que son cómodos y familiares, pero para seguir completamente a Jesús, debemos dejarlos atrás? ¿Cuáles son los hábitos de nuestro mundo actual, los medios de comunicación, la disponibilidad constante de contenido inductor de dopamina que secuestra nuestro cerebro y nuestro tiempo?
Hemos oído hablar de Jesús. Hemos escuchado a Jesús hablar a través de otros. Jesús nos pide que lo sigamos. Lo que tenemos que hacer, como Pedro, es seguirlo completamente.
Sheryl is happy to be the number 1 cheerleader and supporter for her husband, Tom who is a candidate for the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. They are so grateful for the opportunity to grow together in this process. Sheryl’s day job is serving her community as the principal for St. Therese Catholic School in Wayland, Michigan. Since every time she thinks she gets life all figured out, she realizes just how far she has to go, St. Rita of Cascia is her go-to Saint for intercession and help. Home includes Carlyn, a very, very goofy Golden Retriever and Lucy, our not-so-little rescue puppy.
Feature Image Credit: Pascal Müller, unsplash.com/photos/jyFynzFZ9-4
St. Giles, Abbot: Saint of the Day for Thursday, September 01, 2022
St. Giles, Abbot (Patron of Physically Disabled) Feast day – September 1 St. Giles is said to have been a seventh century Athenian of noble birth. His piety and learning made him so conspicuous and an object of such admiration in his own country that, dreading praise and longing for a hidden life, he left his home and sailed for France. At first he took up his abode in a wilderness near the mouth of the Rhone river, afterward near the river Gard, and, finally, in the diocese of Nimes. He …
Three O’ Clock Prayer to the Divine Mercy: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, September 01, 2022
You expired, O Jesus,
but the source of life gushed forth for souls
and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.
O Fount of Life,
unfathomable Divine Mercy,
envelop the whole world
and empty Yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water,
which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus
as a fount of mercy for us,
I trust in You.
Amen.