THE DELIGHTFUL & COMFORTING JOY OF EVANGELIZING!

REFLECTION ON EVANGELII GAUDIUM 9-13

Daily Reading for Dec. 2: Evangelii Gaudium paragraphs 9-13

Reflection by Martha Fernandez-Sardina

Pope Francis is calling the Church to carry out The Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World with a renewed commitment to and appreciation for the delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing so that we and others may experience the joy that fills heaven and must fill earth when what is lost is found and what is dead is brought back to life. 

Is it worth the effort – and can we evangelize any other way?

Yes… and no… to use the same expository style used by Pope Francis in this Apostolic Exhortation on a love that evangelizes or an evangelizing love as I am fond of saying when speaking, writing, and training others for the new evangelization.

Yes, it is worth it! 

• Few joys this side of heaven surpass the delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing! 
• Few things compare to the joy of making Christ and His plan of salvation known. 
• Few things demonstrate greater love for our neighbor and for the God who wishes everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 4: 2). 

No, we should not evangelize in any other way.

• We evangelize with joy because “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.” Both the evangelizer and the evangelized “who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew.” (Evangelii Gaudium, No. 1)
• We cannot effectively evangelize if we are “Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter.” (No. 6)
• We can experience daily the delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing because we have first encountered Love Incarnate: Jesus Christ: “Thanks solely to this encounter – or renewed encounter – with God’s love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship we are liberated from our narrowness and self-absorption. We become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of our being. Here we find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization. For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?” (No. 8; cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 24)
• We, the evangelizer, “must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!” Rather, “Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that ‘delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow… And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervor, who have first received the joy of Christ.’” (No. 10; Evangelii Nuntiandi, 80)

We can. We must. Evangelize with joy! 

Download Martha's in-depth reflection on this section: Evangelii Gaudium Nos. 9-13

About the Author

Martha Fernández-Sardina is an international, bilingual speaker, and consultant touching thousands through radio, TV, articles, training seminars, talks, and new evangelization outreach projects, including Remember You Are Loved™, N.E.T.S.-New Evangelization Training School™, Prepare The Way™, the Hispanic Festival of Faith and the Month of Hispanic Evangelization. Her programs educate, enthuse, and equip Catholics for a new evangelization. Find, friend, and follow Martha and her Mission of Love at RememberYouAreLoved.com, Facebook.com/MFernandezSardina, Twitter.com/iEvangelize, iEvangelize.wordpress.com, and Vimeo.com/MarthaFernandezSardina. For a speaking engagement or a consultation, email her at iEvangelize1@gmail.com.

A JOY EVER NEW, A JOY WHICH IS SHARED

Reflection on Evangelii Gaudium 2-8

Daily Reading for Dec. 1: Evangelii Gaudium paragraphs 2-8

Reflection by Kelly Wahlquist

A RENEWED PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS

How ironic that as the world begins its preparation for Christmas on a day named after darkness and the void of light, Black Friday, the Holy Father invites all Christians, everywhere, to begin their preparation for Christmas with a renewed encounter with the Light of the World, Jesus Christ!

We are invited to prepare for a greater joy than any Black Friday sale can provide. We are invited to a joy ever new, and that joy is found in a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. And that invitation is for ALL. No one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord!

That’s an exhilarating idea, to think that no matter what, I am invited to a renewed personal relationship with Jesus Christ... but then a thought enters my mind: “How do I really do that? How can I have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ?”

Pope Francis gives us beautiful ways to do that in these first 8 paragraphs of Evangelii Gaudium. Simply put we are to: Ask, Seek, Rejoice and Persevere in Faith.

We are to ask and be open at all times to an encounter with the one who loves us perfectly. We are to seek Him knowing that “whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.” We are to rejoice in His Divine Mercy, “radiant with the glory of Christ’s cross” and we are to persevere in our faith, trusting in God’s love, surrendering completely to the love of the Father such that we allow Him "to attain the fullest truth of our being" and we find true joy.

Here are some simple ways to follow Pope Francis' words of wisdom to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ:

Ask 

Begin each day this Advent with the simple prayer: “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace”.

I have a copy of the prayer on the cupboard that holds my coffee cup, it guarantees each day begins with asking for a renewed personal encounter with Jesus. Perhaps write the prayer on a card and keep it next to your bed to say morning and night, or tape it to your bathroom mirror.

Seek

Seek time with to be with Jesus. A renewed relationship requires spending time together. 

Make time to go to Adoration each week during Advent. If an adoration hour is already part of your routine, take one of the Scriptures referenced in the daily readings of Evangelii Gaudium and meditate on it. 

Begin Advent with the Sacrament of Confession. “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy” (Evangelii Gaudium 3).

Rejoice

Find joy in God’s presence in your life: “Do not deprive yourself of the day’s enjoyment.” 

Find ways throughout the Advent Season to enter into the “great stream of joy.” Perhaps keep your favorite praise & worship CD in your car and when days get trying, blast the music and sing for joy at the top of your lungs. 

Persevere in Faith

Grow in your faith by simplifying your life and detaching from “things” that consume you.

Let go of meaningless time spent on social media or watching t.v. this Advent and spend that time getting to know Jesus Christ. Making time each day to read and reflect on Evangelii Gaudium is a great start.

Download Evangelii Gaudium from Vatican website

WHAT IS AN APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION ANYWAY?

Tomorrow we begin our daily reading of Pope Francis' first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. Now, while apostolic exhortations have been around for hundreds of years and although Pope Francis seems to speak... well... frankly, words such as "apostolic exhortation" aren't very mainstream words. In fact, most of us are left scratching our heads saying, "Apostolic Exhort-what-tion?" So, let's begin our journey through this document knowing what it is and why is is important to every Christian.

Catholic speaker and presenter, Thomas Smith, explains what an apostolic exhortation is and how it is pertinent for our lives today as he helps us prepare our hearts this Advent in this wonderful to-the-point 4 minute video.

LET THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL FILL YOUR HEART

"THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come" (Evangelii Gaudium, 1).

I am excited to have you join us —yes, us; for I have a few friends joining me in the journey through the "Joy of the Gospel" this Advent and I am thrilled that they will be contributing to our daily reading, reflection and response to the words of Pope Francis' first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. Some of the contributors to our daily reflections are Catholic writers or speakers, some are catechist or leaders of apostolates, some are moms or homemakers, some are religious, some are laity, some are podcasters, some authors and some are bloggers, but ALL of them are passionate about bringing the JOY of the Gospel to the hearts of many.

So let's cut to the chase and get to the why and what we are doing. My life is busy and I'll be honest, sometimes that means my prayer life and quest for knowledge get pushed to the backseat with many a forgotten french fry and art project; but that said, I really yearn to know and understand my faith, because I know that understanding and wisdom will lead me deeper into my relationship with the Lord, and I need a deeper relationship with the Lord! 

With that in mind, I decided (as I do every year) that this Advent, I really want to prepare my heart for Christ to enter ever deeper. This Advent is going to be different. This Advent I am going to stick to my plan... but this Advent there seems to be more to it than just my own personal preparation.

Upon reflecting on Advent and the coming of the Lord, it hit me that Advent is not just about preparing my heart to be a dwelling place for Christ, it's also about going in haste to bring Jesus to others, like Mary did when she was told she was to be the one that would prepare Jesus to enter the world as a baby and become man. 

Advent isn't just about my relationship with Jesus, it's about relationships in the grand sense of the word. It's about my relationship with others and my willingness to introduce them to a relationship with Jesus. It is what Mary did when she heard the first good news proclaimed by the angel. She went in haste to meet Elizabeth where Elizabeth was on her journey and she literally brought Jesus to Elizabeth. And what was the result? Upon hearing Mary's voice and knowing Jesus, "My Lord", was near, John leapt in the womb of his mother. Now get this! What does Mary do? She is so overcome with joy that she breaks out into song, and her heart magnifies the Lord! 

This Advent I want to do that. I want to walk in Mary's footsteps and prepare my heart to receive Christ. I want to meditate on the Word of God. I want to go in haste to bring Jesus to others, and I want to be overcome with the Joy of the Gospel! I want to “Shout aloud and sing for joy!” (Though I guarantee you do not want me to break out in song!) But, here's the catch... every Advent I start out with the goal of setting time aside each day to prepare for Jesus and somehow, at sometime along the journey, I get distracted. So, how am I going to stay focused this year? Simple, I'm doing two little things. First, I'm going to set time aside for prayer each day. I've already posted the prayer from Evangelii Gaudium (see below) on the cupboard that holds my coffee cup, so it's a gimme that I will begin each day with that prayer. Second, I'm going to grow in my understanding of the faith this Advent by reading and reflecting on the words of the Holy Father in his first apostolic exhortation, the Joy of the Gospel.

Ok, I admit, reading an apostolic exhortation sounds intimidating to many. Reading 224 pages of Church talk sounds intimidating to many. Reading 288 paragraphs of papal writing sounds intimidating to many, and reading 48,000 words sounds intimidating to all! BUT, when presented in small doses with some food for thought and a little strong coffee, the apostolic exhortation mountain top appears more accessible. So, that's what we are going to do here for the next 25 days. We are going to take little bites of Evangelii Gaudium and I invite you to join us! 

Each day will have a reflection, challenge or perhaps practical ideas for how to live the aspect of the Gospel that day's words speak to. We will for sure post the 288 paragraphs such that by Christmas we (and hopefully other busy people) will have read and meditated on some 48,000 words, but in small sips. 

So join us for our daily reading and go in haste to invite your friends to do so also. Who knows, perhaps this daily digesting will help us bring about a “revolution of tenderness” by opening our hearts each day to God’s unfailing love and forgiveness.

Daily Prayer from Evangelii Gaudium:

“Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace”.

PREPARING YOUR HEART, ONE SIP AT A TIME

READ EVANGELII GAUDIUM THIS ADVENT WITH ME...

IN SMALL SIPS

Prepare your heart this Advent over a cup of coffee and little "sips" of the "Joy of the Gospel" with us! Each day we are going to read & reflect on sections of Pope Francis' first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. Fear not, if you don't know what an apostolic exhortation is, fellow co-worker in the vineyard, Jimmy Akin has a great explanation over on his blog www.JimmyAkin.com.

Here’s a little taste of his post:

2) What is an apostolic exhortation?

It’s a papal document that, as the name suggests, exhorts people to implement a particular aspect of the Church’s life and teaching.

Its purpose is not to teach new doctrine, but to suggest how Church teachings and practices can be profitably applied today.

Some apostolic exhortations are devoted to the pastoral challenges faced in particular parts of the world (Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas). Others are devoted to particular themes.

Previous apostolic exhortations include:

    Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi (on evangelization today)

    John Paul II’s Christifideles Laici (on the role of the laity)

    John Paul II’s Redemptoris Custos (on St. Joseph)

    Benedict XVI’s Sacramentum Caritatis (on the Eucharist)

    Benedict XVI’s Verbum Domini (on the Word of God)

Here's our schedule for Advent. We'll post the paragraphs and perhaps a little reflection each day to go with your coffee:

Dec. 1     2-8 (Joy)

Dec. 2    9-13 (Joy of Evangelizing)

Dec. 3    14-18 (Scope of exhortation)

Dec. 4    19-24 (Church's missionary transformation)

Dec. 5    25-33 (Pastoral Activity & Conversion)

Dec. 6    34-39 (Heart of the Gospel) 

Dec. 7    40-45 (Human Limits)

Dec. 8    46-49 (Mary)

Dec. 9    50-58 (Amid Crisis: idolatry of money)

Dec. 10   59-75 (Cultural Challenges)

Dec. 11    76-92 (Temptations of pastoral workers & Relationship in Christ)

Dec. 12    93-109 (No to spiritual worldliness)

Dec. 13    110-126 (People of God proclaim the Gospel)

Dec. 14    127-134 (Person to Person, Charisms, Culture) 

Dec. 15    135-144 (The Homily) 

Dec. 16    145-159 (Preparing to Preach)

Dec. 17    160-175 (Kerygma)

Dec. 18    176-185 (Social dimensions of evangelization)

Dec. 19    186-216 (Inclusion of the poor in society)

Dec. 20    217-237 (Common Good and Peace in Society)

Dec. 21    238-258 (Social dialogue as contribution to peace)

Dec. 22    259-274 (Spirit-filled evangelizers)

Dec. 23    275-283 (Personal encounter with Christ) 

Dec. 24    284-288 (Mary)

FINDING JOY IN THE GOSPEL THIS ADVENT!

READ EVANGELII GAUDIUM THIS ADVENT WITH ME...

IN SMALL SIPS

Today the Holy Father, Pope Francis, gave us the perfect Advent gift, the perfect guide to help us on this journey as we prepare for the coming of Christ. He gave us his first Apostolic Exhortation: Evangelii Gaudium, or for us non-Latin speaking folk, The Joy of the Gospel. So, being the Catholic geek that I am, I poured my coffee into my already 1/2 full cup of Pumpkin Spice creamer and sat down to joyfully read an Apostolic Exhortation at 6:00 am! (I PROMISE, if you knew me in college this scene would shock you! All of it... the early wake up, the coffee chosen over the Diet Coke and above all, the fact that I found excitement in an Apostolic Exhortation, much less knew what it was!) 

The document turned out to be richer than my Nestle's Coffee Mate drenched coffee and I soon came to the conclusion that I could not digest it all in this one sitting. So, I thought... small sips... and I came up with the idea to read a section of Evangelii Gaudium each morning over my coffee during Advent. Then I thought, there's no way I can do this alone! I won't grasp the fullness of the message, and let's be honest, I'd probably quit by day 8 without someone to prod me on (that's what happens with my workout schedule anyway.) Thus, I'd like to invite you to join me. 

Throughout Advent I am going to post sections of Evangelii Gaudium and hopefully a reflection or some practical things I'm going to try to do to live the message of that section with renewed conviction, with confidence and with hope. Again, I invite you to join me. Pour yourself a cup of coffee (or Diet Coke or whatever wakes you up) and join me in reading this rich Apostolic Exhortation in small sips. Join me by sharing your reflections and by offering ways we can live the Joy in the Gospel. We begin this Sunday! You in?

Here's our Schedule for our small sips of Evangelii Gaudium for Advent

Dec. 1        2-8 (Joy)

Dec. 2        9-13 (Joy of Evangelizing)

Dec. 3        14-18 (Scope of exhortation)

Dec. 4        19-24 (Church's missionary transformation)

Dec. 5        25-33 (Pastoral Activity & Conversion)

Dec. 6        34-39 (Heart of the Gospel) 

Dec. 7        40-45 (Human Limits)

Dec. 8        46-49 (Mary)

Dec. 9        50-58 (Amid Crisis: idolatry of money)

Dec. 10    59-75 (Cultural Challenges)

Dec. 11    76-92 (Temptations of pastoral workers & Relationship in Christ)

Dec. 12    93-109 (No to spiritual worldliness)

Dec. 13    110-126 (People of God proclaim the Gospel)

Dec. 14    127-134 (Person to Person, Charisms, Culture) 

Dec. 15    135-144 (The Homily) 

Dec. 16    145-159 (Preparing to Preach)

Dec. 17    160-175 (Kerygma)

Dec. 18    176-185 (Social dimensions of evangelization)

Dec. 19    186-216 (Inclusion of the poor in society)

Dec. 20    217-237 (Common Good and Peace in Society)

Dec. 21    238-258 (Social dialogue as contribution to peace)

Dec. 22    259-274 (Spirit-filled evangelizers)

Dec. 23    275-283 (Personal encounter with Christ) 

Dec. 24    284-288 (Mary)

Do As I Do

There has to be a top ten list of the dumbest things parents can say to their kids. I don’t want to Google it, because I am certain it will only prove that I have uttered each phase numerous times. So, I will refrain from my Internet research and remain blissful in my ignorance. However, I am certain that if I found such a list, at the very top —above “If everyone else jumped off a bridge...” and, “Because I said so”, and even before, “Money doesn’t grow on trees”—one would find the phrase: “Do as I say, not as I do.” This truly is a dumb statement. Children learn through imitation. No matter what, they are going to do as you do.

This is a lesson every parent learns early on: your child will imitate you. Usually, the imitation comes out loud and clear in a large group of people and leaves the parent a wee bit red in the face and asking the child, “Where ever did you learn that?” Or sometimes, it leaves the parent smiling in delight as their two-year-old son correctly begins a sentence with the word “actually” or they see their three-year-old holding her pretend phone to her ear with her shoulder as she makes an imaginary cake in her little kitchen. (Just a note here from a parent of teen-agers: This imitation doesn’t end in pre-school. It continues on for life, so be aware of what you do.)

This realization hit me hard the other day with my eighteen-year-old daughter. Recently, I have changed my attitude about those I see on the streets holding signs that say, “Homeless, please help” or “Will work for food.” Not that my attitude toward them was ever really bad, it was more one of feeling sorry for them and offering a prayer for them, but I never gave them what they asked for, some money to help them in their situation. I was kind of lukewarm in my Christian attitude. I am ashamed to admit, but I sometimes fell into this lukewarm mindset as a result of believing the reports on television that talk about people, who have nice homes and plenty of money, panhandling for a living and getting rich off the generosity of others. Keeping that in mind, I think I choose not to give to anyone, lest one person take advantage of my kindness. 

A while back, I was talking with my friend and colleague, Jeff Cavins, about this very issue and he said, “I always think of what Mother Teresa said when asked about how she felt knowing that some of those to whom she gave would use the money for alcohol or that some actually had money and were taking advantage of her. She said she wouldn’t ever want to take the chance that she missed caring for Jesus. To her, each one of them was Jesus in disguise.” That concept changed me, and since that day I have kept money in my car to give to those who stand on the corner asking for help, and I don’t care if they are taking advantage of my kindness. I still offer a prayer for them, and can probably count on one hand the number of times the homeless person receiving the money didn’t say to me, “God bless you.” And I can’t think of a time that I didn’t hear, “Thank you.”

About three weeks ago, my oldest daughter and I were heading to the Mall of America to get her a new outfit for her senior pictures. Since she began driving, we are rarely in the same car together, so she probably had never seen me give money to someone asking for help. As we came up to a red light there was a man, about thirty-years-old, holding a sign saying he was out of work, had children and that diapers were expensive. (Having had three kids, I knew his pain. The cost of diapers is almost right up there with the cost of their college education these days!) I rolled down the window and handed him five dollars. He said, “God bless you” and thanked me and we drove on to our destination. We continued our conversation and never once spoke about giving money to the man. Life went on, so I didn’t think anything of the exchange until yesterday.

Last night, my daughter came home from her swim meet and said, “Mom, I got to tell you the most amazing story!” Then she went on to tell me that she was driving to get something to eat with her team before their swim meet and for some reason, she was singing a song from Mary Poppins, called Feed the Birds. My daughter is an excellent singer and sang this song years ago in a competition, so I was not surprised when she said, “I was really getting into it and was singing at the top of my lungs when I came to the part: ‘All around the cathedral the saints and apostles look down as she sells her wares. Although you can’t see it, you know that she smiles, each time someone show that he cares.’ And right then I came to a stop light and looked up, and there was a homeless woman with a sign that read: Show that you care. So, I rolled down the window and gave her the only money I had, my ten dollars for food before the swim meet. I had to. It was like God was speaking right to me and telling me to help this woman.”

Now, I know God speaks to us in various ways, through Scripture, through prayer, through the Sacraments, through nature, through people who come into our lives, etc... and I know that God was speaking to my daughter through a song that was put on her heart, but I can’t help but wonder if she would have missed seeing the homeless woman right in front of her had she not witnessed her mom give money to a man holding a sign three weeks earlier. 

How often do we see them, the least of our brothers, on the side of the road and not even read their signs? How often do we see them, the least of our brothers, on the side of the road and not give to them in their need? In the past, I have felt sorry for them and prayed for them, and I can certainly see myself saying, “Lord, when did I not see you?” And the Lord would answer me, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40).

As a mom, I know I will probably hear myself say, “Because I said so” another kajillion times in my life, and I will probably cringe when I hear it; but, I will take some comfort knowing that my child imitated me and actually did what I did... and in doing so, who knows, the King just may put her at His right hand and someday say to her: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Mt 25:34-36).

Sometimes Evangelization is Messy!

Our ways are not the Lords ways... thank God! Because God’s ways are so far beyond ours, and let’s face it, they are much neater. We can plan all we want, but when it comes down to it, the Lord always finds a way to not only appreciate our “loaves & fishes” efforts, but He multiplies them.

Take today—a simple day in the liturgical year, the 22nd Sunday of ordinary time; but not ordinary by any means. Today is the day we recognize the Blessed Mother’s birthday. With that little bit of knowledge in mind, and knowing I would be traveling to the west coast, my friends and I thought, “Hey, why not have a birthday party for Our Lady?” So my friend Rita ran with the idea. 

Rita planned a little birthday party for 4,500 families for the Mother of God, not a small undertaking. For the record, when you talk about charisms, Rita oozes the gift of hospitality. So much so, she invited everyone to be a part of the party. Not sure if that was her gift of hospitality shining, or the way Catholics rope in people to volunteer! Either way, it worked, and many gifts came together to create a marvelous celebration for the Queen of Heaven.

In her planning, Rita met with the various parish committees to make the day special. With the Liturgy Committee she decided the recessional song would be “Immaculate Mary” and that once the priest walked up the aisle, the congregation would sing Happy Birthday to the Blessed Mother. With the Knights of Columbus she planned to swap out the weekly donuts and coffee and have them sponsor blue cupcakes and punch. The Spanish Liturgy Committee was in charge of the decorations, and the Hearts Afire, Divine Mercy and Our Lady of Perpetual Help ministries hosted the cupcake soiree after each Mass. Rita made throwing this party a wonderful collaborative endeavor for the members of St. Clare’s in Roseville, California.

All of this was impressive enough, but when the Lord saw Rita’s impressive efforts, guess what, He multiplied them. He took her beautiful efforts to bring an awareness to the importance of recognizing the birth a woman whose “yes” to God’s will would change the world, and He made sure thousands were “fed”, and He did it in ways that we didn’t even think of.

Though we never saw picking up cupcakes at Sam’s Club as an opportunity to evangelize, the Lord did. Three times on the cupcake pick-up excursion Rita was asked if the 500 cupcakes were for a wedding, and she joyfully responded, “No, they are for the Blessed Mother’s Birthday.” You can imagine the looks exchanged and the great conversations started at the sound of those words. 

Though it was planned to sing Happy Birthday to the Blessed Mother after the first verse of “Immaculate Mary” during the recessional hymn, it wasn’t planned to have it broadcast on Immaculate Heart Radio... well, at least is wasn’t planned by Rita and committee. It appears Our Lady doesn’t mind how many people know she’s another year older, because the 9:30 am Mass at St. Clare’s was aired for all to hear, birthday wishes and all. I can’t help but think of the discussions generated as people heard the congregation singing Happy Birthday to the Blessed Virgin.

As if being an outlet to share the Good News wasn’t enough, Our Lady used her birthday celebration to teach the littlest among us how to live the Gospel. As the children left the church to hear the Gospel read to them at the children’s gospel time, they had to walk past a table of beautifully decorated scrumptious looking cupcakes and not touch a one! The Gospel on Sunday was about carrying your cross. You’d be hard pressed to find a bigger cross for a wide-eyed hungry 5 year-old, than a tower of untouchable cupcakes with mountains of frosting.

After all was said and done, crosses endured became blessings as chocolate crumbs littered the floor and blue frosting stained little teeth. Various committees got to be of service to their parish family, and workers at Sam’s Club and listeners of Immaculate Heart Radio perhaps found themselves pondering the birth of the Mother of God, a thought that hopefully did what our perfect Mother always does, pointed to the greatest birth of all, the birth of Our Lord.

Happy Birthday Theotokos!

Christ Centered Chaos

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As I write this article I am sitting on my deck at the lake on a beautiful sunny, yet breezy morning, and as the gusts of wind hit the already dried-up and fallen leaves on the deck, I can’t help but think, “Really Lord? It’s only mid-August, and this is Minnesota, can’t you just stretch the summer a wee bit longer?” ... and I can’t help but notice chaos ensuing around me as leaves fly everywhere —one just hit me in the face, seriously!  Yet, amazingly through what seems to be deciduous disarray, a certain consistent order appears, leaves grouped in what appear to be random areas gather and begin swirling like mini tornadoes, and it’s actually fascinating to watch. Why do they do that? How can something that seems so random create such an incredible sight? What are they circling around? 

Watching nature’s pandemonium gets me thinking of the chaos in everyday life. There are days I feel like one of those dried-up leaves being blown from swimming practice to work emergencies to the grocery store to conference planning meetings to making a second trip back to the school I just dropped my son off because he forgot his trumpet! Many of those days, I feel like the lone leaf, the leaf that isn’t rotating in the right direction with all the other leaves, and I wonder how I can ever find order.

Three months ago I was invited to speak at a women’s evening in Clearwater, Florida. It was one of those Holy Spirit invitations. A friend asked me to speak about the role of women in the New Evangelization... and here’s where the Holy Spirit comes in, she had no plan, no location, was caring for her husband who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and wanted the evening to happen in three weeks! Her life, as she knew it, had been tossed into turmoil with the terminal diagnosis of Mark, her love of forty-seven years; yet, she had heard the voice of God telling her to gather women together at this moment in time, and years of listening to Him and speaking with Him led her to know, she best respond to His call.

What occurred next was amazing in itself. Carol, and the Holy Spirit, put together an incredible night, everything fell into place perfectly. Msgr. Toups returned from speaking to all the bishops that morning at the USCCB gathering in California to begin the evening with Mass; amazing musicians offered their time and talents; four hundred women from around the diocese came together on short notice to laugh, cry and learn of their beautiful role in evangelization; and from that evening the seed of a new and exciting ministry for women was planted. All of this was impressive enough, but what truly impressed me was what was going on behind the scenes. I can honestly say, I have NEVER seen such chaos!

Carol’s husband was in the end stages of cancer and was being cared for in their home, which now contained a hospital bed, a shelf of medications and care-givers around the clock, and yet they had graciously invited me to stay in their guest house on their property. From the moment I entered their house I could sense a certain peace, but there was also more activity than ever imaginable. 

Days before the talk for women a huge tree had fallen in their yard, barely missing the house. The night of the talk, a pipe had burst and it had caused insurmountable damage to the walls and the floor of the room where Mark lay in his hospital bed. Everything had to be moved, gutted and repaired. I have never seen so many workers go through a house in such a short period of time. It was complete chaos—no sooner would one leave than another would show up. We even joked that it would be the perfect place for a single lady to meet a man because there were so many of them stopping by!

Somehow in all that chaos, in the swirling of the door as a plumber left and the carpenter appeared, there was a noticeable peace—a calmness that comes when everything is properly ordered, and it was there because everything in Mark and Carol’s house centered on Christ. Jesus was the center around which everything in that house rotated. He was the calm in the whirlwind. 

Every person who entered their house that day encountered Christ, and I was blessed to be able to watch it. Carol spoke to workers about their lives and openly talked about Jesus. Mark’s room was adorned with objects of his faith and his eyes and voice were as gentle as one would envision the eyes and voice of Christ to be. The caregivers served with joy. Kids and grandkids came in and out. Friends stopped by unexpectedly and happily learned they arrived just in time to move Mark’s hospital bed into Carol’s office, and that night when Mark was too tired to be moved from the bed to the chair to celebrate Mass, Msgr. Toups and Fr. Malley just moved everything, and Carol’s office, which had become a makeshift bedroom just hours earlier, now became the center of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. 

I think back to that twenty-four hour period often, especially when I find my life is spinning out of control and I feel like that one lone leaf not knowing where to go or how to find peace, and I am reminded that if everything is centered on Christ, there truly is no such thing as chaos. If Jesus is at the center of all we do, then even the most tumultuous times can be overcome with tranquility.

Mark went to be with the Lord on August 17 with Carol by his side, and though I am miles from their home, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the peace of Christ is dwelling there.

God Loves a Cheerful Giver

"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER."  2 Cor 9: 6 - 7

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"My Lord and My God"

While in the Holy Sepulchre one early morning praying in the Chapel of Golgotha, I noticed Mass beginning in the Catholic Franciscan Chapel next to me and our priest was concelebrating —a surprise even to him— with a priest from Africa and his group, so I grabbed our pilgrims and headed over to celebrate the Eucharist. 

Something happened at that Mass that has changed me forever. After the priest said the Words of Consecration, "Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my body which will be given up for you," and  elevated the body of Christ, the African group all said in awe: "My Lord and my God." And they did it again when the chalice was raised. 

To this day at every Mass when the priest, in the Person of Christ, echoes the words of Jesus himself at his Last Supper, when consecrating bread and wine and raises them, in my heart I say, "My Lord and my God!" (Sometimes I even say it in a beautiful African accent :)

Blessings to all on this wonderful feast of St. (doubting) Thomas

Come Holy Spirit!

"Whenever the Spirit intervenes, he leaves people astonished. He brings about events of amazing newness; he radically changes persons and history." ~Bl. John Paul II

I love the Holy Spirit! That seems like a pretty normal thing for a Christian to say, but truth be told, it wasn't long ago when I would have said, "Holy Spirit, Who?" Then slowly and patiently the Holy Spirit weaved His way into the muddled tapestry of my life. Soon I was talking to Him. Gasp! (As the kids say, "I know, right?") I was forging a relationship with the Spirit—I didn't even know Catholics did that kind of thing! Turns out, the Catholic Church is the oldest Pentecostal Church, the very roots of the Church are Pentecost.

Pentecost was an astonishing encounter with the power of the Holy Spirit that gave birth to the Church, empowering the apostles to go forward with boldness and confidence and bring others to that experience with the living Christ. How cool is that? And how cool is it that it is still happening today.... unceasingly!

People experience the Risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and as such they enter into a deep personal relationship with Jesus. That's so cool! That's what happened to me, but as on the day of Pentecost there was no "mighty wind", nor did I speak in tongues. It was just the constant soft gentle sound of His voice tenderly guiding me home, and as I began to listen and be open to the Spirit, joy began to take hold of my heart and a clarity of the gifts He had given me to build up the kingdom began to emerge. Soon the muddled tapestry began to take on form in the design God has planned for my life.

God has given me a transforming power in the power of the Holy Spirit, and He has given it to you too. Now it's up to us to call on the Spirit, to surrender to Him, to pray for the gifts, to rejoice in the fruits, and to allow the Spirit to lead us to a personal experience of Jesus' actions in our lives such that we respond to His will for us.

So today, I'm sitting down with "The Sound of His Voice" and I'm going to do my best to calm and quiet my soul and listen to the tender call of the voice of my Rabbi, and something tells me -in the depths of my heart- that with each moment spent with the Spirit another thread will find it's proper place in the tapestry of my life—a beautiful design that was planned for me since the moment I was conceived in the heart of the Father.

"Open yourselves to the gifts of the Spirit! Accept gratefully and obediently the charisms which the Spirit never ceases to bestow on us!" ~Bl. John Paul II

Embracing My Inner Martha: Living the Lesson Learned

Marta... Marta... Marta.... What do you mean, “Did you make a Facebook Evite yet?” Don’t you know I just zipped that last email about the upcoming event off quickly so I could get to my cut and color appointment ten minutes late, race to my 14-year-old’s lacrosse game, leave early to bee-line it to the batting cages to pick up my son, find him food, drop him off at home, throw in a load of whites, pick up my 17-year-old from play practice, drive her to her babysitting job, pick up toilet paper and syrup at the grocery store, dash home to feed the dog, and sit down to frantically write this article that is due in... um... 3 hours! And all on a night that I promised myself I was going to let go of my inner “Martha” and connect with my inner “Mary”. So how am doing so far?

Ya... ya... ya... I know. Martha has snubbed out Mary again, and that can be such a discouraging feeling—especially on days when I tell myself I am going to schedule time to just sit and pray. 

When I find myself overcome by daily activities that cut into my time with the Lord, I can easily beat myself up and conclude, I am the worst disciple of Christ, ever! And it gets worse; Truth be told, I like my inner Martha, busy though she may be, I am comfortable with her. Often times, I welcome the distraction she brings, because when I sit with my inner Mary, I find myself fidgeting, or wondering what I’m going to make for dinner, or lamenting over all of the things I could be getting done. Then I think, I can’t even concentrate on prayer, I am the worst disciple, ever! It is at these moments I hear, “Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” Yep, Lord, you got me pegged there. Then I hear the soft gentle voice of Jesus saying, “One thing is needful” (Luke 10:41), and my heart settles because I know that just being with Him is enough. I need not worry that I am fidgety or that my prayer isn’t good enough, I am with Him. I need not fret over the fact that beef stroganoff has entered my mind, I’ll acknowledge it might be a great dinner option and go back to rest in Him. I need not worry over what activities I’ve put on hold: discipleship sometimes requires that tasks be suspended while the relationship is nurtured. All I need to do is keep my eyes on Jesus.

It is at times like this I remind myself that Jesus liked His “Martha” too. In fact, he loved her. John 11: 5 begins with, “Now Jesus loved Martha.” I imagine he loved seeing her live her many virtues such as hospitality, kindness, and a deep faith. I think many misunderstand His call to her to recognize that she was anxious about many things as a reprimand to her for being busy serving. Jesus didn’t chide Martha for the fact that she was being hospitable. He opened her eyes to the fact that many troubles distracted her from keeping her eyes on Him. He pretty much said, “Martha, eyes on Me.” And get this, not only was it a beautiful lesson for Martha, it seems to have spurred a desire in the disciples to want to know how they too could find that down time, how they could suspend their tasks and work on their relationship with God; for, in the next chapter, St. Luke tells us “one of His disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray...’” As a mom, I know this type of teaching all too well. You teach a lesson to a child in earshot of the others who too need to learn that very lesson.

Jesus, the ultimate teacher, was successful in His lesson that day with all audiences. When we see Martha again she proves her eyes are now on Jesus, meaning she trusts Him. She greets Jesus on the road (again a beautiful act of hospitality) and says, “And even now I know whatever you ask from God, God will give you” (John 11:22). She goes on to say, “Yes, Lord: I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world” (John 11:27). 

At the beginning of the story, the Lord saw Martha’s troubled heart, now she has her eyes fixed on Him and those troubles seem to be replaced with a boldness of faith, a complete trust in Him, a knowledge of the “good portion” (Luke 11:42). Martha learned to let go of the troubles, forego some of the tasks to rest in the Lord, yet she still continued to live out her marvelous virtues. She still greeted the Lord on the road and in John 12:2 we see she continued to serve him supper. The difference is she now had a balance between her active and contemplative life, because she kept her eyes on Jesus.

So now that the kids are fed and tucked into bed and this article is coming to a close, I am going to go put my eyes on Jesus, and just sit with Him, and no matter what distractions enter my mind, I’m going to stay put and know that even the effort is bound to make me a good disciple of Christ; because, discipleship sometimes requires that tasks be suspended while the relationship is nurtured. So last load of laundry, consider your trip to the dryer suspended!

Mediatrix of All Graces? What???

"Mary is the heart of the Church. This is why all works spring from her. It is well known that the heart has two movements; systole and diastole. Thus Mary is always performing these two movements: absorbing grace from her Most Holy Son, and pouring it forth on sinners." ~St. Anthony Mary Claret

The Church, in Union with Mary, Cries 0ut: “Veni, Sancte Spiritus!"

What a blessing to be part of the largest Pentecostal Church in the world, the Catholic Church! What a thrill to rejoice in the coming of the Holy Spirit 2,000 years ago and today to celebrate the liturgy, the great prayer by which the Church, in union with Jesus, raises up to the Father, asking him to renew the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! COME HOLY SPIRIT!

In his homily for the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Father said, "In the light of this passage from Acts, I would like to reflect on three words linked to the working of the Holy Spirit: newness, harmony and mission."

Pope Francis then went on to encourage us to trust in God with all our hearts and to trust in the newness He will bring into our lives, letting the Holy Spirit lead our souls in every decision. He challenged us to remain in the community of the Church and her teachings to ensure harmony—to live in the Church and with the Church. And he noursihed us for our mission, telling us to not stay closed in on ourselves but rather to let the Holy Spirit open us up to the mission stating it is the Holy Spirit who "impels us to open the doors and go forth to proclaim and bear witness to the good news of the Gospel, to communicate the joy of faith, the encounter with Christ!"

The Holy Father concluded his message to the faithful saying, "May each of us, and every group and movement, in the harmony of the Church, cry out to the Father and implore this gift. Today too, as at her origins, the Church, in union with Mary, cries out: “Veni, Sancte Spiritus! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love!” Amen.

Read the Holy Father's homily on the Vatican Radio website : Pope at Pentecost: Newness, harmony and mission

Got Plans for Fishing Opener? ... Ladies

​If you're in the Twin Cities, I'd love to have you join us at St. John the Baptist in Savage for a little luncheon sure to be packed with fun, food, faith and a few laughs! See the flyer below, and feel free to invite your girlfriends!

The Communion of Saints at Work

On the 8th anniversary of his entrance into heaven, a successor pays the tomb of Blessed John Paul II a visit to ask for his intercession. Incredible to see this picture and to know that Pope Emeritus Benedict was bending his friend John Paul's ear today too... and why wouldn't they?

Can you picture Blessed John Paul II turning with that big smile of his and saying to Our Lady, "Let's go talk to your Son about the needs of two of my buddies." :)

My Hero: The Apostle to the Apostles!

“What a joy it is to announce this message: Christ is risen! "

“We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom. God's love can do this.”  ~Pope Francis, Easter 2013

How great that Mary Magdalene was the first to announce that message to the apostles! I love that! At a time when a women's testimony wouldn't hold up in a court of law, Jesus trusts the greatest news of all time to a woman! Beautiful!

Happy Easter my friends!