Posts by John and Kathy Schultz
Trials and Tribulation
In reviewing today’s readings, I felt a keen awareness of life’s trials. The First Reading comes from the Book of Job. Is there nothing sadder than the first two chapters of the Book of Job as all that he possesses is taken from him? The Responsorial Psalm, in my opinion, is one of the darkest…
Read MoreThe Cross and Christ’s Mission
God Calls Us to Our Mission: As Jesus prepares to begin His final journey to Jerusalem, He instructs His disciples what this will entail. Not the triumphant crowning of a new King that some of them are expecting. Instead, Jesus will encounter great suffering and death at the hands of His enemies. Peter, in his…
Read MoreThe Potter and the Fisherman
Language can create images in our minds that remain with us longer than the words themselves. Reading over today’s Scripture passages reinforced that thought for me. In the first reading from Jeremiah, we read about “clay in the hand of the potter.” The potter takes his clay and creates; from the earth he fashions something…
Read MoreBut First, Pray
Please indulge me in a digression. I remember studying the mathematical concept of fractals in school. At its most rigorous level, the study of fractals involves complex equations, of which I do not remember anything. But I do remember one basic concept. As with many seemingly abstract Math concepts, fractals do a surprisingly good job…
Read MoreThe Mystery of Human Freedom
By What Authority? “By what authority are you doing these things?” (Mk 11:28) ask the chief priests, scribes and elders in the temple. What are “these things” that Jesus is being questioned about? Well, it is actually quite a bit! In Mark’s gospel we read that on the proceeding day Jesus dramatically cleansed the temple.…
Read MoreWe are Called
“Amen, amen I say to you no slave is greater than his master…nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him…. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen.” ( Jn13:16-18) John’s Gospel speaks so clearly to the necessity of the Christian call to service, receptivity and…
Read MoreCrazy in Love
The Path to Glory is Set: At this point in John’s Gospel Jesus’s relationship with His followers and with His enemies have reached a frantic pitch. The supreme Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, have met and decided that for them to stay on the right side of Roman power, Jesus must die. The High Priest Caiaphas…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Kingdom of God
Here is sage advice from Saint Francis de Sales. Saint Francis de Sales recommended frequent mental prayer that has our Lord’s life and passion as its objects. Frequent meditation on Christ will fill our soul with Him, teach us His ways and frame all our actions on His divine model. Let us consider Mark’s gospel…
Read MoreBlessed are the Poor in Spirit
I think one could study the Beatitudes for many years due to the rich language and imagery. The first Beatitude was a mystery to me for years; “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Finally, I understood that those who understand that faith and belief are not things we…
Read MoreTearing Away the Veil
Bishop Barron Sunday homilies are one of my favorite podcasts. In one of his recent homilies, he discussed the Church’s emphasis on the end times as we approach the end of our liturgical year. He discussed the word, “apocalyptic,” in describing the readings at the end of the church year. I was interested to learn…
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