Simply put, Divine Mercy is the heart of our faith. It not only entails God’s mercy towards us, we must carry out works of mercy in our own lives, becoming an extension of the work of God: “be apostles of Divine Mercy under the maternal and loving guidance of Mary” (St .John Paul II)

The devotion to Divine Mercy is popularly associated with Saint Faustina who was born Helena Kowalska to a peasant family in 1905. At the tender age of seven, she already claimed to feel a call to the religious life. Due to her poverty, she was rejected by multiple convents, until she finally entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Warsaw at the age of 20.

On the 22^nd of February 1931, Jesus appeared to sister Faustina clothed in white and with red and white rays emanating from His Heart. In her diary, Faustina recorded that Jesus made the following request to her:

Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: “Jesus, I trust in You”. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. (Diary 47).

The message of mercy was incredibly timely for our world, as we can see by the fast proliferation of devotional images of the Divine Mercy during the Second World War (a war which was predicted by Faustina). While there was already a feast day dedicated to mercy, no one seemed to know of it. Thus, Jesus requested Faustina that the first Sunday after Easter be especially dedicated to it.

 We begin to see in the writings of Thérèse of Lisieux, who ‘helped to heal souls of the rigors and fears of Jansenism’,[1] the significance of God’s mercy for the tumultuous time the world was about to enter. Both Thérèse and Faustina shared a deep devotion to the loving mercy of God, with Thérèse writing: “I shall begin to sing what I must sing eternally: the mercies of the Lord”. In making Faustina the Secretary of Divine Mercy, God was able to communicate to the world that this was a time of where God’s mercy would overflow.

What exactly does this mercy entail? My favorite prayer can be found in the Divine Mercy chaplet. It wonderfully describes how God’s mercy is something that we cannot even comprehend in our littleness, something that we may only fully grasp on the day that we come face to face with Him. God’s mercy has no limit, in fact, ‘inexhaustible’ is the adjective which is used.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion – inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

No matter how many times we fall away, refuse His will and say no to Him, God is waiting for us with open arms. The care that He feels for us simply cannot be expire, and tirelessly, He waits for us to say yes to Him.

As Catholics, we are not only called to embrace God’s mercy towards us, but also to mirror His mercy in the world. Another saint particularly associated with the Divine Mercy devotion is Pope Saint John Paul II. He practiced incredible works of compassion both throughout his pontificate, and when he was known by the name Karol Wojtyła. He assisted the young Jewish refugee Edith Zierer who had escaped from a Nazi labour camp. When he was shot by Mehmet Ali Ağca in Saint Peter’s Square, John Paul II visited the ‘brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust’. While we may not be able to carry out such extraordinary works of mercy and forgiveness in our lives, we can indeed follow the Little Way of St Thérèse who treated everyone around her with love. One must not be discouraged by the littleness of their actions: they ripple out into the world, like a small stone flung into a pond. The ripples reach further than we could ever imagine: “you are to show mercy to our neighbors always and everywhere” (Jesus to Saint Faustina, Diary 742).

As John Paul II said at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, 1997, there is nothing man needs more than Divine Mercy. May we give thanks to the Lord for His goodness.

Jesus, we trust in You.

[1] http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19101997_divini-amoris.html

Lucy Coatman is a historian in training, currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in History at the University of St Andrews, where she converted to Catholicism in 2015. She holds an MA in Theological Studies from the same institution. Lucy is passionate about the mercy and goodness of God, as well as 19th century Austrian history, Tintoretto paintings, and a good cup of tea. You can view more from Lucy on her website https://www.lucycoatman.com

In his encyclical on moral theology, Veritatis Splendor, Pope St. John Paul II writes:

“Judgments about morality cannot be made without taking into consideration whether or not the deliberate choice of a specific kind of behavior is in conformity with the dignity and integral vocation of the human person… In the case of the positive moral precepts, prudence always has the task of verifying that they apply in a specific situation, for example, in view of other duties which may be more important or urgent. But the negative moral precepts, those prohibiting certain concrete actions or kinds of behavior as intrinsically evil, do not allow for any legitimate exception. They do not leave room, in any morally acceptable way, for the “creativity” of any contrary determination whatsoever. Once the moral species of an action prohibited by a universal rule is concretely recognized, the only morally good act is that of obeying the moral law and of refraining from the action which it forbids… (79).

No room for creativity? Well, that’s not something we are used to hearing. It seems so confining. I mean, isn’t the most important 21st century skill heralded to be “creative problem solving”? Not so with God’s commandments, it seems. Certainly not with the negative precepts: “Thou shalt not…”

While there may be a variety of ways to accomplish a particular good (such as honoring your father and mother) and while the best way to do this given the concrete limitations of a given situation may involve a certain “creativity,” one may never freely choose evil or get “creative” with it. Evil, in fact, is never creative. It is only destructive.

In the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, we see the young George Bailey, working at Mr. Gower’s pharmacy, asked to deliver a prescription to a local family. Mr. Gower, distraught by the news of his son’s sudden and tragic death, and drowning his sorrow in alcohol, inadvertently puts poison into the prescription bottle. When young George questions Mr. Gower, the pharmacist gets angry and tells him to go and do what he was told. What does George do? After an unsuccessful attempt to get his father’s advice, he chooses not to deliver the bottle. When he returns, he gets a beating for his disobedience, until George finally convinces Mr. Gower of his grave error, and Mr. Gower embraces him in gratitude and showers him with words and tears of contrition.

Did George obey the fourth commandment, which includes respect and obedience to all authority figures? I argue that he did. Not delivering the “prescription” was the best way to honor it. And he actually spared Mr. Gower from an even more devastating suffering than the loss of his son.

Yet, let’s take another instance from the movie. George, at the end of his rope and facing prison, financial ruin, and public disgrace for his Uncle Billy’s accidental loss of a bank deposit, likewise drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Then a thought occurs to him – due to his insurance policy, he is worth more dead than alive. He resolves to commit suicide. At least then, he thinks, his family would be spared financial hardship, if not scandal. The rest of the movie is an angel visiting George and trying to convince him that his calculations are wrong and that he really had a “wonderful life.”

George is getting creative here with evil, seeing all sorts of benefits from committing it (or at least believing it is the “lesser evil”). But the moral law does not permit such creativity, which really only amounts to a change in syntax.

Listen to these words of Pope St. Paul VI from his encyclical letter Humanae Vitae in which he reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s teaching on the intrinsic evil of contraception:

“Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good, it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (cf. Romans 3:8) — in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general” (n. 14).

The deliberate choice to do what is evil is never in conformity with the dignity of the human person, who is created in the image of God, or with his vocation to love as God loves. Acts which are evil “by their very nature” must be judged unworthy of man for they are incapable of bringing about our true good and full flourishing, or of being expressions of authentic love, regardless of the intentions or circumstances. They must be judged unworthy of man because they contradict the image of God that we are.

It is the “object” of the act – the “what” that is being freely chosen – that determines the uprightness of our will. As St. John Paul II continues in Veritatis Splendor: “The object of the act of willing is in fact a freely chosen kind of behavior. To the extent that it is in conformity with the order of reason, it is the cause of the goodness of the will; it perfects us morally, and disposes us to recognize our ultimate end in the perfect good, primordial love” (n. 81). This is precisely why the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that there are certain kinds of behavior that are always wrong to choose (see #1761). 

One of these kinds of behavior is contraception: “Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one, or that such intercourse would merge with procreative acts of past and future to form a single entity, and so be qualified by exactly the same moral goodness as these… it is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong” (Humanae Vitae, n. 14). Another one is abortion. St. John Paul II states that while different “in nature and moral gravity” than contraception, abortion is closely connected with it, as they are “fruits of the same tree” (Evangelium Vitae, n. 14). Both are always wrong to choose. Remember, evil leaves no room for creativity.

Thus, “If acts are intrinsically evil, a good intention or particular circumstances can diminish their evil, but they cannot remove it. They remain ‘irremediably’ evil acts; per se and in themselves they are not capable of being ordered to God and to the good of the person… Consequently, circumstances or intentions can never transform an act intrinsically evil by virtue of its object into an act “subjectively” good or defensible as a choice” (Veritatis Splendor, n. 81).  Let’s be clear: conscience can never condone and God will never approve such acts. They simply are not good – they are not good for us or for others; they are not good for societies or for nations – no matter how we creatively restructure the sentences. And not only can we never choose them ourselves, we can never approve them or support them or those that do. 

Could it be that the Evil One’s tactic is to convince us of our creativity? To entice us to engage in “problem solving” when the problem has already been solved? To get us to believe we need to decide what is good or evil and grasp at being “like God,” instead of recognizing that we are “like God,” as creatures made in His image, and that will live “like God” by leaving the Tree alone and conforming our behavior to what God says is good and evil?  I think so. And it is likely to come in the form of well-meaning advice from a seemingly compassionate voice telling you that “God understands.” 

God may understand, but He doesn’t accept it. Our Creator has too much compassion, cares too much about us, and is too good to do that.

David C. Hajduk, Ph.D. has over thirty years of experience in religious education and pastoral ministry, including youth, family life, and pro-life ministries. David did his doctoral work in Theology at Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, England, and wrote his dissertation on the thought of St. John Paul II. Since 1998, David has been a member of the Theology Department at Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, and since 2002 has been the Director of Mission and Ministry. David also has served as an Adjunct Professor of Moral Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University since 2008. He is the Theological Programming Director for Array of Hope, a ministry in service of the “New Evangelization” that shares the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith through high quality media and events that are current, relevant, and engaging. 

David is an acclaimed and versatile speaker, having given keynote addresses at conferences, presentations to high schools and colleges, parish talks to youth groups, Confirmation classes, and parents, diocesan training workshops, and marriage preparation catechetical days. He is the author of God’s Plan for You: Life, Love, Marriage & Sex (Pauline Books & Media, 2006, 2018), a book for teens on the Theology of the Body, which received the Catholic Press Association of the United States & Canada Book Award in 2007. 

David resides in Belvidere, New Jersey. He and his wife, Shannon, have 11 children and homeschool.

There is a crucial difference between learning anything in a purely intellectual way and accepting something as a rule of life. We can read and hear many different ideas without embracing even one of them as our own personal philosophy – we do this every day. This is a great thing, because without this ability to discern different ways of thinking as right or wrong, we would be tossed back and forth by every new idea we are confronted with.

I learned the first rule of survival in an intellectual way the first time I read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. This novel was first published in 1986 and has been a young adult classic ever since. In the story, the main character, Brian, is stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash. His life quickly becomes a series of unfortunate events. After he gets quilled by a porcupine, he has a moment of self-pity where he weeps about his current circumstances. It is then that the first rule is revealed to him. It is in that moment of absolute despair that he realizes that feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t work.

The author points out that it’s not that it was wrong to cry or to feel sorrow for the situation, it’s just that doing so doesn’t actually help to make things any better. In this dilemma, Brian was the only person who could improve his circumstances. He could lay there in his pain and misery, which would most likely lead to his death, or he could rise up and fight for his life.

I took that lesson in as I read the book, but I wouldn’t fully embrace the full truth of it until later in life.

When I was a teenager, I essentially prided myself on how difficult my life was. I was ready and willing to defend all of my bad behavior with explanations about the adversity and unfairness in my life. As I got older, I started to realize that the challenges I had to face really didn’t matter to the world. I was either going to take ownership of my life, or I was not – and that decision would be the one to make all the difference.

Some people have to take on some incredible challenges during their lifetimes. I’ve dealt with some myself. I come from a broken home, used drugs, sex, and alcohol as an escape from reality at an early age, and faced racism as early as elementary school. I’ve been heart broken, betrayed by friends, and questioned the existence and/or love of God. I’ve seen the ugliness that results from war firsthand in Afghanistan. Many people have faced much more traumatizing adversity than I have experienced, but this rule is a universal, unbiased truth. It’s not meant to moderate the harshness of one’s life, but to provide clarity on how to rise above the current difficulties one may be facing.

God has created each one of us to be stewards of our mind, body, and soul. We will ultimately be judged on the way that we developed and used the talents and resources He has given us in this lifetime. Think about your heroes. Whether they are saints, professional athletes, musicians, you name it, these are the people who rose faced their challenges head on and accomplished great things in spite of them. They aren’t remembered for feeling pity for themselves, but rather we admire the fact that they took ownership of who they were, what they had, and what they were here to do.

It is time that we, as the living members of the Body of Christ, stop feeling sorry for ourselves. God is calling each one of us to run to Him so that He can heal our every wound. He wants to make us whole so that we can be sent out into the world to bring the message of His great love to all people. Being sent out into the world isn’t some blissful experience consisting only of nice people, sunshine, and rainbows. The world can be an extremely tough and ruthless place, and it often is. Without the light of Christ, it is incredibly dark out there. Who among us will be willing to take this light out into the world? It must be you and me. There is no other way.

I pray you will join me on this great adventure of bringing the light of love, joy, and hope out into the world. As Jesus told His disciples, we are being sent out as sheep among wolves. We are to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. If we are to survive out here in this dangerous place, it is paramount that we always remember that first rule of survival:  feeling sorry for ourselves does not work.

Nathan Crankfield was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. He converted to Catholicism at age 13, becoming the first Catholic in his entire family. He graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD in 2015. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a US Army Infantry Officer. He served four years Active Duty during which he graduated from Airborne School, was awarded his Ranger Tab, and deployed to Afghanistan. Nathan now serves as a resident director at Benedictine College and is the founder of Seeking Excellence. His work can be found at https://www.thosewhoseek.org. 

“It’s not so much what you know, but who you know.”  Each of us has likely heard this maxim before, touted as the key to making real progress in your professional life. Well, in the Christian life, it’s actually what you know about who you know that is the key to making real progress.

The saints write about a two-fold knowledge without which we can never advance in the spiritual life or grow in Christian perfection: the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self.  If we get either wrong, we cannot move forward. In fact, since in the spiritual life there is only progress or regress – never stagnation – if we get either wrong we wind up heading in the wrong direction on a road paved with good intentions.

Yet, what we know about God and about ourselves are each twofold as well.

As for God, first we need to know that God is the almighty Creator of heaven and earth, who orders all things according to His providence, and will judge the living and the dead. He is the eternal, immeasurable, incomprehensible, infinite One, who is inexpressibly loftier than anything else which exists or can be imagined.  This should evoke in us a “holy fear” and impel us to offer fitting worship, adoration, thanksgiving, and praise to His great majesty, as well as to keep His commandments meticulously. Yet, in tension with this is a second truth about God. He is a Father who chose us from before the foundation of the world, who knows and cares for our needs, and who pays such careful attention to us that He has counted every hair on our heads. He is the God who is Love and whose name is Mercy, and who sends His only begotten Son to die on a cross so we can have forgiveness of sins and hope of Heaven. In the pierced hands, feet, and side of Jesus we see the length to which God will go to seek and save the lost.

We have also likely heard the Shakespearian verse: “Know thyself, and to thine own self be true.” Well, perhaps… if we recall that there are two sides to self-knowledge that likewise must be held in tension. First, we have an exalted dignity. We are created in the image and likeness of God, we are so valuable that we were bought at the price of the priceless blood of Jesus, we are the adopted sons and daughters of God, the King of Heaven and earth, and if a child, then an heir to the Kingdom. Yet, on the flipside, when we consider the heavens, the moon and stars, what are we that God pays us any mind? We aren’t even a sub-atomic particle in the great scheme of the universe. We are mere creatures, our lives a passing shadow, utterly dependent on God for our being and for our continuing in being. On top of that, we are sinful creatures. The dire reality of our metaphysical situation, as Dietrich von Hildebrand put it, is that no human force can heal the wound inflicted upon our nature by original sin – we are powerless to remove the guilt of sin, the inclination to sin, or the lust that is its inheritance (just read how St. Paul describes it in Romans 7:14-25). And sin is no small thing: it separates us from God and its payback is death. If you need more convincing about sin’s seriousness, look again at the pierced hands, feet, and side of Jesus.

Why is this twofold knowledge necessary for progress in our spiritual lives? This can be summed up in the words of the Devil to St. Catherine of Siena: “Damnable woman! There is no getting at you! If I throw you down in confusion, you lift yourself up to mercy. If I exalt you, you throw yourself down.” The fact is, if we were only to focus on God as the almighty Creator and Judge and on our own insignificance and sinfulness, we would be prone to despair.  If we were only to focus on God’s tender care and loving mercy, and on how “special” and “good” we are because of the dignity that has been bestowed on us (key word: bestowed), then we would be prone to presumption. Despair and presumption, incidentally, are the twin sins against the theological virtue of Hope.

To avoid these, we should do what St. Catherine did. When we are tempted with presumption, we need to remember that God is the almighty Creator and Judge and that we are pathetic sinful creatures incapable of saving ourselves. And when we are tempted with despair, whether due to the weight of our sins and our own feelings of insignificance, we need to remember God’s indomitable love and mercy, and that we are each God’s beloved son or daughter, of more value than the entire universe (as Venerable Fulton Sheen was fond of saying). On all counts, meditating on the pierced hands, feet, and side of Jesus will help to jog our memory.

In the end, what we need is a good dose of honesty. Honesty is acknowledging reality. The reality about us and the reality about God. Then, we will begin to make some real progress.

David C. Hajduk, Ph.D. has over thirty years of experience in religious education and pastoral ministry, including youth, family life, and pro-life ministries. David did his doctoral work in Theology at Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, England, and wrote his dissertation on the thought of St. John Paul II. Since 1998, David has been a member of the Theology Department at Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, and since 2002 has been the Director of Mission and Ministry. David also has served as an Adjunct Professor of Moral Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University since 2008. He is the Theological Programming Director for Array of Hope, a ministry in service of the “New Evangelization” that shares the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith through high quality media and events that are current, relevant, and engaging. 

David is an acclaimed and versatile speaker, having given keynote addresses at conferences, presentations to high schools and colleges, parish talks to youth groups, Confirmation classes, and parents, diocesan training workshops, and marriage preparation catechetical days. He is the author of God’s Plan for You: Life, Love, Marriage & Sex (Pauline Books & Media, 2006, 2018), a book for teens on the Theology of the Body, which received the Catholic Press Association of the United States & Canada Book Award in 2007. 

David resides in Belvidere, New Jersey. He and his wife, Shannon, have 11 children and homeschool.

I almost always keep my iPhone on “do not disturb” mode. I’m easily distracted, so it helps guard my mind from the unending notifications coming from text messages, ESPN updates, news headlines, and the like. Luckily, though, Apple Inc. also gives me the option of putting contacts in my “Favorites,” allowing their calls to come through even when I’m on “do not disturb.” This is reserved for a select group of people. We all have people whose calls we would hate to miss. These are people who mean the most to me and will likely have something important that they need or want to say when they call. They have earned one of the greatest honors I have the power to bestow on people – the ability to interrupt me.

Interruptions come in many forms. I can think back to so many occasions where I’ve sat down to read and had a text notification come through on my watch. I think to myself that it will just take a second to respond, then unknowingly find that half my allotted reading time was just spent mindlessly scrolling memes on Instagram. With half of my time gone, it seems almost pointless to read now. Better that I put it off until later, when surely I’ll have more free time to focus and really dive deep into the book. We all know what happens later – an offer from a friend to hang out or an extra episode (or five) of The Office, and my reading time has now officially been moved to tomorrow.

Knowing we can all fall victim to such circumstances, we have to enact “do not disturb” mode, or similar tricks, to place boundaries around our time and attention. However, we also know these boundaries can become excessive when taken to the extreme, which is why we have things like the list of favorites in our contacts. We know that some things are worthy of breaking through our plans and taking our attention by force. Some things are just that important. Some people are just that important.

Is God that important to you?

Does Jesus have your permission to interrupt your day?

All too often, we try to avoid people who want something from us. This is likely why we strive to avoid eye contact with the homeless man on the street or the horribly annoying woman trying to get us to try some eye cream at a mall kiosk. We assume they just want to take our time and money, without giving anything desirable in return. I think people avoid contact with God for the same reasons. We often push God out of our lives because we know He will eventually demand something from us. He wants our time, our money, our talents. He wants our whole being to be dedicated to Him. That’s a large order. Because He wants all of these things, He doesn’t make it into most people’s list of Favorites.

I had this realization as I was watching a live stream of Pope Francis’s holy hour and his urbi et orbi blessing. To be honest, I had pretty much zoned out after about twenty minutes of the event. He was praying/speaking in either Italian or Latin, with no English subtitles or translation. I figured there wasn’t much for me to gain from it, so I began checking emails. About 15 minutes later, I finally realized that it had been silent for some time. I glanced at the screen and saw the Blessed Sacrament exposed in a beautiful monstrance, with the Holy Father in the background deep in prayer. I paused and sat there for a moment. I closed my laptop and just sat there and spoke with Jesus. I had already gone on a prayer walk that morning and planned to do a rosary and stations of the cross later that afternoon, so I really didn’t plan on sitting in silence during this thing, but I felt Jesus calling out to me to just spend some time with Him.

It was a beautiful experience. I sat there quietly, admiring Jesus along with Pope Francis and millions of other Catholics throughout the world. In that moment, I realized how badly God wants to interject Himself into our lives and how often we deny Him entry. I’ve invited many people to mass or to prayer with me over the years. Sometimes we have legitimate reasons to do something else, but other times you can tell that God just isn’t a priority to people. Our bosses, Instagram, emails, among many other things can always steal our time, but God? He’s going to have to wait. I don’t have time for Him right now. Work, grocery shopping, walking the dog, making dinner, or whatever task is currently at hand is far too important to stop and spend a moment with the Lord.

I stopped, then, and spent a moment asking God to make me aware of the times in my own life that I’ve failed to make time for Him or allow Him to interrupt my day. I often pray that my relationship with God will be the most important one in my life, and I do believe that can be measured by how much authority I give Him to interrupt my life.

The most important people in my life are given the most permission to interrupt me. This list is decided by a number of factors. My mom is on the list because she has known me and loved me longer and more deeply than anybody I know. My boss is always on the list because I desire his approval and want to be readily available to do what he needs done. But who has known me longer and loved me more than my God has? Do I not desire God’s approval above that of man? Do I want to be readily available to serve God as he sees fit?

This idea was solidified further when I dared to ask myself, what else do we do for those we love most?

We put pictures of them up in our house. We seek to stay in touch with them as often as possible through a number of different means. We buy them gifts and do whatever they need to be done through acts of service. We affirm them for their worth and express gratitude for having them in our lives. We seek to spend time with them in their physical presence. We desire what’s best for them to the point that we would sacrifice our own will and well-being in order to bring that to life.

How does what you do for God stack up against these, relatively common, acts?   

I have had many times where a boss, a girlfriend, a family member, or even a task, hobby, or TV show has been far prioritized over the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I do it almost every single day. I choose to watch YouTube or scroll the news before I pray or read some Scripture. I choose conversations with friends over time in the chapel. I choose to sleep in rather than show up to church early for prayer. I choose to make work more urgent and important than connecting with God.

I know that the extraordinary happens when God is brought into the ordinary. I know miracles take place when we fully trust in God and place Him first and foremost in our lives. I’ve heard the stories of Mother Teresa increasing the sisters’ prayer time from one hour to two in times of overwhelming workloads and pressure. I know she watched miracles happen as she gave more time to God and less time to the things of this world. But right now, I don’t need a miracle. Right now, I need to finish this project. I need to respond to this email. I need to text this person back. I need to watch just one more YouTube video. I need to make sure everything is just right. I don’t need to bring God into this moment. I just need some time to get things done. I can do this on my own. I’ll get to God later.

I don’t want to live like that. I have already learned the hard way that when Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing,” He meant it. I want Jesus to be the #1 person in my life. I want to display that both inwardly and outwardly. I want pictures of Him in my house. I want to stay in touch with Him as much as possible through a number of different means (prayer, the Bible, the sacraments, the Rosary, etc.). I want to present Him with gifts through my tithing and serve Him in whatever ways He wants. I want to express my gratitude and affirm His central position in my life. I want to prioritize spending time in His physical presence in tabernacles around the world. I want to sacrifice my own will and even well-being for the sake of His Kingdom.

Jesus is not some annoying mall salesman trying to get you to buy a facemask you’ll later regret spending $60 on. He does want your time and everything you’ve got, but what He promises to give in return is something far greater than we could ever imagine. He commands us to spend time with Him. He commands us to make Him the center of all that we do and all that we are. This demands sacrifice.

When was the last time you did something sacrificial for God?

If you believe Jesus suffered and died for you, give him the opportunity to interrupt you. Jesus is calling out to you, eagerly waiting to show you His great mercy and love.

Will you answer the call of Jesus today?

Nathan Crankfield was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. He converted to Catholicism at age 13, becoming the first Catholic in his entire family. He graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD in 2015. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a US Army Infantry Officer. He served four years Active Duty during which he graduated from Airborne School, was awarded his Ranger Tab, and deployed to Afghanistan. Nathan now serves as a parish consultant at the Dynamic Catholic Institute and is the founder of Seeking Excellence. His work can be found at https://www.thosewhoseek.org. 

At the very beginning of his Gospel, John calls Jesus “the Word.”(1) The Greek word for “word” is logos. However, logos also means “reason” or “logic.” In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul states that, “the word (or logic) of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but for us who are being saved it is the power of God.”(2) Thus, the humble carpenter from Nazareth and the humiliation of His cross reveal God’s way of thinking.

When Jesus foretells His passion for the first time, Peter will have none of it. “God forbid, Lord!” Peter exclaims. The Scriptures go so far as to say that Peter “rebuked” Jesus.(3) Can you imagine? The whole you are the “Rock on which I will build my Church” thing must have really gone to Peter’s head! That would be short-lived.

“Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus returns the rebuke with one of His own, and in front of all the Apostles no less.(4)  I’m sure Peter was stunned by Jesus’ swift and stinging characterization, especially after just having been called “Rock.” Then Jesus continues, “You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” The Greek word for “obstacle” – skandalon – means “stumbling block” and refers to an actual rock over which someone might trip and fall.  An interesting play on the word “rock” that Jesus is making here.

Why did Peter so viscerally react against Jesus’ talk about His suffering and death? There are various reasons perhaps, but, at bottom, it was because Jesus’ death meant “Game Over.” Human nature recoils at suffering and death. They are the great enemies to be beaten or avoided at all costs. Death is the end of all hopes and dreams, one of which for Peter may have been the earthly restoration of Israel, freed from the occupation of the Romans, with Jesus reigning as King in Jerusalem.(5) If Jesus is killed, the dream dies with Him.  Death would mean the end of all His hoped-for accomplishments.  Of course, Jesus would turn this upside down.

Jesus’ suffering and death is the very reason He was born into the world. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once wrote, “Every other person who ever came into the world came into it to live. He came into it to die.”(6) It was the Father’s will(7) and the work Jesus had come to accomplish.(8) His name points to this fact. “Jesus” means, “Yahweh saves.” How does He save? Good Friday will tell the story.

Peter was putting an obstacle in the way of Jesus fulfilling the purpose for which He came into the world. He was putting an obstacle in the way of Jesus obeying the Father’s will. He was tempting Jesus, not unlike Satan had in the desert after His baptism, to opt for the world and the world’s way.

Peter is not thinking like God does. He cannot grasp that suffering and death aren’t the greatest obstacle, but sin is. Anything that makes us veer from fulfilling God’s will for us and stray from the narrow way that leads to eternal life is the real enemy. And anyone who encourages us in that direction is a tool of Satan, whether he or she is aware of it or not. Life is short; eternity is eternal. In the end – and there will be an end – there are only two destinations, one of “no more suffering” and one of the “definitive suffering.” This world is passing away and the life of man is but a breath,(9) like the morning fog, here then gone.(10) When we misjudge the real obstacle, we actually become one to others and to ourselves.

Suffering, as it turns out, is the means to salvation, and God willing it is a sign of His love and mercy. St. Teresa of Kolkata called suffering “The sweet kiss of Jesus” and St. Thomas Aquinas called it “God’s medicine for human beings.” Jesus did not hide from His disciples that they needed to suffer.(11) Suffering is a necessity in the theater of redemption, and we have our part to play. St. John Paul II wrote, “In so far as man becomes a sharer in Christ’s sufferings – in any part of the world and at any time in history – to that extent he in his own way completes the suffering through which Christ accomplished the Redemption of the world.”(12) Our suffering, no matter how small or great, when offered in love and united to Christ’s, can save us…and others!

There is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. There is no resurrection without the passion. There is no new life without death. There is no holiness without mortification. There is no satisfaction for sins without penance. There is no perfection without purification. There is no exaltation without humility. There is no heavenly feast without fasting. There are no heavenly riches without earthly poverty and detachment from riches. There is no rising to a supernatural life in the Spirit without putting to death the inclinations of our natural self.

This is God’s way of thinking. It is the wisdom of the Word. The logic of the Logos.

1 John 1:1, 14
2 1 Corinth. 1:18 (my italics and parentheses)
3 Matt. 16:22
4 Mark 8:33
5 This was even the preoccupation of the Apostles at the Lord’s Ascension. See Acts 1:6.
6 The Life of Christ, 20.
7 Isaiah 53:10
8 John 4:34, 6:38
9 Psalm 144:4
10 James 4:14
11 See Luke 9:23 and Matthew 7:13-14 for starters.
12 Salvifici Doloris (February 11, 1984), no. 24.

David Hajduk received his Ph.D. in Theology from Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, England and wrote his dissertation on the thought of St. John Paul II. He is a teacher, speaker, pastoral minister, and award winning author of God’s Plan for You: Life, Love, Marriage and Sex (Pauline Books & Media, 2006, 2018), a book for teens on the Theology of the Body. David is the Director of Theology for Array of Hope.

Each one of us is a child of God. From the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, we all uphold dignity because God created, redeemed and loved us for a destiny of eternal happiness. This includes all of us and those with a disability are no different. I have had the privilege of knowing and loving many people with Down syndrome and other disabilities and they are the most amazing and beautiful people I have ever known.

Unfortunately we are living in a world where human life is not cherished or protected. 65 -90% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted and disregarded as worthless. If a prenatal test shows that a child has Down syndrome, parents are  often encouraged by their doctors to terminate the pregnancy. They are seen as a burden instead of a blessing right from the beginning. 

According to society’s standards, a person’s dignity is defined by their individual successes and advances. But God tells us that a person’s dignity is not defined by what they are going to accomplish throughout their lifetime, but by the mere fact that they exist and are a child of God.

Genesis 1:27 says“So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them”

Every human person is invaluable. By the simple fact that they were created and they are a child of God, we know that there is a purpose for their life and they possess extreme dignity and worth.  We can all make a successful contribution to our society and help build the Kingdom of Heaven. We all have weaknesses and we all have strengths. God uses that. Every one of us is different and has something to offer, including those with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Their lives are worth living. 

I know the love and happiness that those with Down syndrome bring to our lives because I have experienced it first hand. They inspire me on a daily basis to be a better person and they have brought me such joy, that I want everyone in the world to experience that same happiness and love. 

We are called to see people the way that God sees you, as a sacred and precious member of His Kingdom. If we started to view people for their souls and really appreciate each person as a child of God, and truly celebrate life as a gift,  I think we could make the world a much brighter place. Spend some time with someone with Down syndrome and experience it for yourself. One look at the beautiful smile of a child with special needs, should convince you that they truly are amazing.  They have the most loving and gracious hearts. They don’t judge others, while we so easily tend to judge. They love without bounds, while we sometimes love sparingly. They can teach us so much about our faith and how to love others the way God loves each one of us. 

Lauren Costabile is a speaker and the founder of Hearts of Joy International, a nonprofit that provides life-saving heart surgery for children with Down Syndrome in countries where families can’t afford medical care. She loves all things gluten free and strives to use her gifts and talents to spread joy and make our world a brighter place.

Here we are again—another New Year! Let’s ask ourselves: When we declare our resolutions and set our goals to improve our lives, do we keep in mind God’s plan for each of us? Or do we make plans with only ourselves in mind?

I don’t know about you, but I have just about given up on making goals for the New Year. Time goes by so quickly and I find that whatever I set for myself tends to fall by the wayside, as I struggle just to keep up with daily demands and unforeseen events. Sound familiar? Well, let your heart not be troubled. For we have a God who meets us where we are and whose grace can move us towards our goals.

For 2020, here are 3 simple tips to help you have a happy and holy New Year!

LISTEN:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

 To get to know someone you spend time with them, talk to them and listen to them. This grows the relationship. How can you grow in your relationship with God?

Find time to read scripture to allow God’s Word to speak truth in your life. Set aside daily prayer time. In the silence of your heart, listen to the ways that God is speaking. When we listen to Christ through His Word and allow that truth to penetrate our being, the Word becomes real to us. We are guided daily by the light of life so that God’s love is evident in our joys, works, and even in our sorrows.

LEARN:

“Teach me to do Your Will for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10

The Sacraments, Mass and the ways of the Saints – all of these are integral elements of the Catholic faith, but how much do you know about or practice them?

Carve out some time to discover the beauty and truth found in our Catholic Faith and strive to follow its teachings and traditions more closely in the year ahead. There are many ways to learn more about our faith and practice it daily; read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and books of the Saints, continually receive God’s Mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist and celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

LOVE:  

“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” John 15:12

You were created by love and for love. When you love well, you become the hands and feet of Christ. In what ways can you love those around you this year?

The love that we receive from God drives us to love those around us. Choose to love when it’s hard. Make a conscious effort to forgive someone in your life  who has hurt you and strive to mend a broken relationship. Love those closest to you [your family, your friends, your spouse, your kids, etc.] Each week, tell 3 people you love how much they mean to you. Reach out and love others. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, shelter or nursing home, donate to charity, go on a mission trip, or pay for the coffee of the person behind you.

Remember, with God, nothing is impossible.

Making resolutions for the new year can seem like a tall task but as long as we listen, learn, and love as we are called to do, every resolution, every goal, and every moment of our lives will be led by our Loving God.

Carol Monaco is an independent writer and speaker. For the past 17 years, she has been the writer/editor of Journey to Our Lady,  a spiritual publication that helps readers seek out a closer relationship to our Blessed Mother, who draws the faithful closer to the Holy Trinity.  From her Journey, Carol has authored Treasures of the Rosary and Heavenly Mother Help Me; Prayers, Poetry and Prose for Daily Living, as companions for individuals trying to live their faith every day.  Her devotional columns can be found in Liguorian magazine, CatholicStand.com and Catholic365.com. Carol’s spiritual reflections, poetry, and prayers are available on her web site: www.journeytoourlady.com and on Twitter: 

Dating? We don’t date in 2019 because we’ve lost the art and value of dating. Instead, we’ve settled and  convinced ourselves that we desire this non-committal, on a whim, temporary “love.”

We have settled for lust, this ugly counterfeit for love.

Why? I mean look around, where do we see examples of authentic relationships?

The other day I went to the movies with one of my friends and we watched this “romantic” movie where the plot paints a committed relationship as safe and boring, while glorifying this lust- filled physical “relationship.” Not once did the main characters of the the movie define their relationship; it you even want to call it that. It portrayed this type of relationship as exciting and freeing.

Wanna know something funny? Even though we are being spoon fed this idea of the type of relationship that we desire, it still doesn’t stop the questions from coming in. I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me a question related to dating and relationships : How to ask someone out; what’s a good date look like; how do you know someone is committed to you, how do you know you’re in love, etc.

These questions point to a real reality.

We each have this desire for an exclusive, authentic, self-giving love.

While we are getting tired of this cheapened counterfeit, I think we also are so wounded by our culture that we fear commitment, we fear the love we were created for. The reality is, relationships end in one of two outcomes: marriage or break up. We’ve convinced ourselves that the heartbreak isn’t worth it.  But when we start acting in the right accordance of what we were created for (hint: chastity), we begin to realize that love is always worth the risk!

It’s time we stop acting out in fear, it’s time we start fighting for ourselves and for this exclusive self-giving love each of us were created for. So the question is, how do we start? Well I’d argue that we start by reclaiming what it means to date. Here are 3 practical ways we can begin to rediscover the art of dating.

1. Men, ask a woman out. Use the phrase “ I would like to take you out on a date…” Ladies, say yes; it’s not a marriage proposal, it’s just a date. Dating means getting to know a person in hopes of courting them. Understand that while you are dating someone, that doesn’t mean you are in a committed relationship with them. The point of dating is to discern if you are called into a committed relationship with that person.
2. Emotional Chastity. Emotional chastity and dating go hand in hand. Emotional chastity simply means living in reality when it comes to your emotions. We shouldn’t be day dreaming about someone, stalking them on every social media platform, or indulging in the emotions that we feel whenever we are around them. Emotional Chastity orients our emotions to the greater good; it keeps us in the present moment. It reminds us to always love a person and not use them for our emotional gain.
3. Clearly state your intentions. Through every step of the way when we are dating someone or pursuing them, we should be clear with our intentions with one another; we should know where the other person stands. We each deserves clarity and intentionality, none of this roping a person along.

I get it, committed relationships are scary! But I promise you, they are worth the risk! Our hearts were not created for the random non-committal  hookups. We will experience more freedom, love, and adventure when we decide to step out and go against this life-sucking hookup culture our world has convinced us we desire.

You are worth the risk. You are worth the commitment. You are worth loving.

Let this year be the year we reclaim what it means to date and enter into committed relationships.

Bianca Herrera is a 2017 graduate of Radford University with a BA in Marketing. Bianca was born and raised in New Jersey but moved to Virginia where she spent her high school and college years. Bianca answered the call Christ placed on her heart to serve as a missionary with the Culture Project. “Our culture today is hurting because it is seeking love in all the wrong places, this message of true love, of reminding others whose they belong to, needs to be spread. I became a missionary to spread this message.”

Do you feel stressed out and anxious that you’ll “miss” your vocation? Do you get upset with God when you try to do everything right but still don’t receive a definitive answer about what He wants you to do? Are you concerned that you will make the wrong life choices? Have no fear. Read on…. 

Let’s start by examining the definition of vocation.

What is a vocation?

A vocation is a calling from God. It is a path that you choose, with God’s help, as your vehicle to Heaven. It is the path for which you are most ideally suited. The Catechism defines vocation as “the calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter. God has created the human person to love and serve Him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal happiness. (emphasis added) The vocation of the laity consists in seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will.”

My vocation can’t make me happy because the deepest happiness does not come from doing any thing. It comes from RELATIONSHIP.

Any thing that we do must be ordered toward loving the heart of Christ. There is no point in sacrificing your life (and that is what we are called to do when we enter our vocation) for anything. The only reason to give your life is for someone with whom you are in love. Our vocations, whatever form they take, are fundamentally the gift of our lives for the one whom we most love. 

Every action we carry out should be ordered towards a deeper relationship with God. If we start to equate our vocation, the vehicle, with actual fulfillment itself, we begin to make an idol of our vocation.

You wouldn’t marry a guy just for his money, right? I hope not! We know deep down that marrying for what you can get from someone would be wrong. Yet do we prioritize finding our vocation over an actual relationship with God? Do you want what God can give you, or God himself? After all, Heaven is beholding God face to face with nothing between.

Longing for God himself must be our fuel for the striving.

Here’s the reassuring part: you don’t have to wait for your vocation to start in order to have that most fulfilling, deep relationship. Your real life doesn’t start when your vocation does. Whatever weird middle ground you are wandering in now, that relationship is still available to you.

Real life is now! 

In my own life I often used to labor under the illusion that God would only be pleased with me if I “got it right.” If I could marry the exact right person, enter the exact right religious order, etc., then my salvation was practically guaranteed. Hence much of the stress and anxiety that surrounds making decisions. And that is not God’s will for us. Conscientious deliberation, seeking counsel, and dedicated prayer are necessary; however, God does not will that we agonize over decisions or that we choose the one perfect thing right away. The most important part is to intend to do God’s will, and after careful consideration, to begin to act. The desire to do good insofar as our power to know at that moment, is enough for God. When my 2 and 1-year-old children try to bring me my coffee but spill it along the way, I easily overlook the spill because I see that their intention was to do something good for me. The same is true with our Heavenly Father.

A final point on this- and this is important for those who hold on to the belief that vocation is not just the path, but fulfillment itself- I can see things from a different side as a married person than when I was single. My husband and children cannot and should not fulfill me. That is not their job. (Don’t get me wrong; I love them and I would not trade them for anything in the world!) They are my path toward sanctity not because they please me all of the time, but because I serve them for love of God. 

So my question for you is, what or whom do you love the most? Is it God? 

Stacey Sumereau’s unique journey spans from singing to acting in the Broadway National Tours of Beauty and the Beast and The Wizard of Oz, to discerning religious life on Reality TV (The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns), to the vocation of marriage and motherhood. Her mission is to help young people find God’s plan for their vocations and other life choices. Stacey’s unique presentations include singing, humorous storytelling, leading worship music, and even fire-eating! Stacey has spoken at the National Catholic Youth Conference and the LA Religious Education Congress, as well as dioceses across the country. She hosts the Called and Caffeinated Podcast and Blog and leads mission trips for the Carmelite Sisters. For more information visit:  www.staceysumereau.com