theROCK

Love Your Enemies

I recently found myself sitting in Eucharistic Adoration thinking about how weird this practice must look to someone who isn’t Catholic. A bunch of people sitting around a bedazzled piece of bread on a pedestal thinking it was God. How weird! But I believe it. I know it! First and foremost because Jesus told me He was in there. He says it at the Last Supper. It’s recorded in all four Gospels; one of the only things they all agree on. I believe in His presence in the Eucharist and I adore His presence in the Eucharist because I know Him and I trust Him and if He said it, it must be true.

So why don’t I take that approach with everything else He said?

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

When I read this line (and this whole Gospel), I can immediately think of people who fall into these categories; people who make my blood boil, my eyes roll, and my fist shake. Loving my enemies is so easy to do in the abstract. Okay Jesus, sure thing! But then when that driver has the audacity to drive the speed limit in the left-most lane of the highway, suddenly it’s more challenging to love that enemy. Or when the news is on and the pundits’ anger starts making my anger rise at people I don’t even know.

I think our culture thrives on creating enemies. Hatred and anger are very “in” right now. A common enemy is the number one way to unite a group of people, according to my AP World History teacher. And we are so very good at finding enemies—people to blame for the problems we have.

But Jesus didn’t leave wiggle room. Just like our stance on the Eucharist is black and white—it’s not a symbol, He really is there—so too our stance on our enemies, on those who hate us and persecute us, is crystal clear—love them. Bless them. Do kind things for them. Pray for them. Give them even more than what they take and ask for nothing in return. THIS is what makes us different from the rest of the world. THIS is what separates Christians.

Remember the saying “They’ll know we are Christians by our love?” Well I see a lot more hate than love in our world these days; sometimes even our global Church. Which makes me wonder, would others define how I live my faith more by who I hate, or more by how I love?

On Being Saints

We are called to be saints. To answer that call, we need to redefine what it means to be a person, not by the world’s standards, but by God’s. To be a saint is to be in unity with Christ, the highest call of our lives that requires reordering our life accordingly. As much as we might feel the need to jump to perfection, God doesn’t expect that of us and neither should we. The journey of holiness is taken one step at a time. 

There is so much to say on holiness, so much to say about closeness to Jesus. But it is important to understand: 

Holiness is not primarily something we achieve. Instead, holiness is something God achieves in us.

I used to think that if I just tried harder I would be holier. And to some extent that is true. I need to rearrange my life to make God my priority. I need to actually be the one to keep my mouth closed instead of gossiping or to physically stop myself from sinning. But holiness is a matter of the heart more than anything. And only God can change that.

Our job isn’t to make ourselves holy. Our job is to draw near to Jesus and let Him make us holy.

It’s not about effort. It’s about surrender. We go to Him with a yielded heart, we give Him the time, we invite Him in, and He will do all the work. But you must make the time. You must sit at His feet and let Him transform your heart.

And I promise you, brothers and sisters, you will never look back. You will never regret it. You will never feel like you’ve wasted your time. We were made to be near Him. So especially now, as we approach Christmas, what will it look like for you to draw near to Him? What does it look like for you to approach Him with a yielded heart?

I’m in the journey with you, friends. And I am so very happy to walk with you if you need a companion on the way. Just send me an email and we’ll set up a time to talk. That’s the best part of my job!

Want to talk? Please reach out to me below.

Claire Ziolkowski

From 0 to Canonization

Our primary call is to be saints. How does that make you feel?

Are you pulled to make your kids (or grandkids) your primary vocation? Our love for them is so incredibly strong. I have to check myself daily. They are such amazing creatures, of course we want to make them our everything!

But you know what I have realized in fighting that battle? I am a significantly better mother, better spouse, when I am close to Jesus. I spent the first years of my kids’ lives pouring through parenting books trying to be the best parent in the world and it wasn’t until I gave up that battle and just focused on being close to Jesus that I finally actually achieved my goal – well not perfection, but I think I’m doing okay.

If we were made for unity with Jesus (which is what being a saint is), doesn’t it just make sense that we would be better in all areas of our life the closer we are to Him? Better parents, but also better spouses and better at our jobs, better friends. Jesus is the standard for life. So the closer we are to Him, the more we look like Him, the better we are able to show up for others and ourselves in our own life.

And I’ve got good news for you. No one is expecting you to go from 0 to canonization overnight. Holiness is a journey. Discipleship (the path to holiness) is a journey. And every single journey begins with one single step. So what is it? What is your one step to start with? What is one way you can prioritize your relationship with God over everything else in your life (yes, even your family)? What is one concrete way you can rearrange your life goals to be about holiness aspirations instead of career aspirations?

God is never outdone in generosity. Meaning, no matter how much we give Him, He will always give us infinitely more in return. So rest assured, any sacrifice you make will be returned one hundredfold. Just remember, we were made for union with God. He doesn’t want you near to Him for His sake, but for yours. He is the answer to everything you desire in life. Go to Him and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37: 4)