416 N 2nd St, Albemarle, NC, 28001 | (704) 982-2910
Why do we keep critics in our lives?
You probably have someone in your life that seems to be on the hunt for anything they can criticize. It might not be a friend, a coworker, or a family member. It might just be yourself.
Today, Fr. Mike explains how to turn your inner critic into your inner coach.
Learn more about Fr. Mike Schmitz and Fr. Josh Johnson’s Pocket Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation: https://tinyurl.com/yhwfakge
Confession is a place of never ending mercy and forgiveness, and is one of the most beautiful parts of our Catholic faith. But for many, it can also be a very daunting experience, especially if it’s been a long time since your last confession. Whether it’s the first time you’ve gone in a year, or it’s the first time you’ve gone in your life, God is ready and willing to forgive your sins. All we have to do is let him into our hearts.
Today, Fr. Mike explains how to approach going to confession for the first time in a long time.
Is it just us, or does the world seem a bit divided right now?
Human beings were not only created with a unique purpose, but also created to live in community. However, there are two things that can disrupt this call: division and distraction. Why these two? Well, distractions are things that take us away from a given task or goal, taking us away from living with a purpose. Likewise, division takes away from living in community with those around us.
The twentieth century brought with it innumerable inventions of distraction: things like television, radio, computers, etc. All of these products are great innovations that have moved us forward in our abilities to create community and showcase our unique strengths, but they’ve also put distraction at our fingertips.
It’s not just technology that has caused distractions either. We can become distracted by virtually anything: chores, work, leisurely activities. But when we’re distracted, we’re held back from the task at hand, and the ongoing task for all of us is to live in community, and live with purpose.
What does that mean for something like politics? Well, if you’re American, you basically have two political responsibilities as an American citizen: educate yourself well on the politics in your country, and vote whenever elections come around. Anything other than those two tasks are distractions from the purpose of politics.
When it comes to division, our country has definitely had its fair share. So how do we fight against this division that seems to be splitting our country? Through conversation and through kindness. We’re called to be united in community with those around us, so much so that Jesus refers to them as our brothers and sisters. Division won’t be conquered easily, but if we’re willing to converse, listen, and treat each other with kindness, we can get a couple strides closer to the community God desires for us.
If the media has you confused about what should be informing your vote, inform your conscience with over 2,000 years of Church teaching. Read Clear Conscience: A Catholic Guide to Voting (http://tinyurl.com/y3ejf2xj) and get ready to vote!
How should a Christian react to “cancel culture”?
Chances are that if you’ve been on social media or listened to the news in the past year, you’ve heard of “cancel culture.” Cancel culture is that practice of boycotting a person or group of people because of controversial actions or opinions. While it might have a fancy new name, this is nothing new to history. Every time period has had some individuals or practices that society deems as controversial or questionable. But are we supposed to practice this kind of behavior as Christians?
Today, Fr. Mike talks about cancel culture, and how we as Christians are called to respond to it.
“It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God, and with fitting honor to acknowledge him.” – Tobit 12:7
How often do you acknowledge the works of God? How often do you recognize what he’s doing in your life? In this passage from Tobit, the Archangel Raphael is encouraging us to pay attention to the works of God—not only in our lives, but in the lives of those around us. He is constantly present, even in our most mundane tasks. But how often do we notice his works, note his presence and goodness, and declare it to the world?
Today, Fr. Mike encourages us to acknowledge the presence of God in our lives through 3 steps: noticing, noting, and declaring.
This is just an introduction to discovering God in your everyday life. To go deeper, check out Danielle Bean’s new book, Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday.
SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2021
“May the Virgin Mary, who in her life never stopped trusting in God, reawaken in us the basic need of entrusting ourselves to Him each day.”
Pope Francis
Letting go of our external attachments through simple living does help us to show up with our best selves. Finally, though, such lettings-go are prelude and path to the ultimate letting go, which costs not less than everything: our attachment to our own self. Of course, all of us will have to do this at the end of our days. But as Jesus, St. Francis, the Buddha, and plenty of other mystics and spiritual masters have taught and shown us, it’s possible through practice to let go even in this life, to stop taking ourselves so seriously, to walk in the spacious freedom that comes from having nothing to prove, nothing to grasp at. In that condition of complete simplicity, which we may only experience in glimpses during this life, we find our truest belonging in and among all things and their Maker. And we know, as St. Julian did, that “all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.”
— from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction through Simple Living
by Kyle Kramer
//Franciscan Media//
St. Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975) was born in Spain, one of six children of a devout Catholic family. Growing up, he observed his parents faithfully endure painful family trials (the death of three of their young children and devastating financial setbacks) and this had a profound effect on his own faith. As a teenager he discovered his vocation to the priesthood when he saw the path of footprints in the snow left by a barefoot Carmelite friar. He then experienced a radical conversion: he gave up his intended career as an architect and entered the seminary. He spent most of his life studying and teaching in universities, earning a doctorate in civil law and theology. Saint Josemaria Escriva’s lasting impact lies in the foundation of Opus Dei (“The Work of God”), an organization of laity and priests dedicated to the universal call of holiness and the belief that ordinary, daily life is an authentic path to sanctity. Today Opus Dei has over 80,000 members worldwide. His famous written work is The Way, a collection of spiritual and pastoral reflections on the gospels and their application to everyday life. On June 26, 1975, after glancing at an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in his office in Rome, St. Josemaría died suddenly of cardiac arrest. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II. His feast day is June 26th.
//Catholic Company//