theROCK

Circle of Love

Every now and then I am struck with how totally awesome our Church is. When I reflect upon the Communion of Saints, I can't help but think this concept is genius! First introduced in the Book of Maccabees in the Old Testament, our faith tradition has since built upon a rich tradition that can bring such peace and hope for all the living and those who are dying. The Saints, those canonized by the Church, and the saints, the faithful departed, create a full circle of love through intercessory prayer. The Saints will have your back, you only need to ask. How lovely that our Church honors this family
and roots it in our creed. Knowing that at any time you can shout out to a loved one or an icon of faith and bring them close to work with you and beside you to gain the graces to stand strong through any situation is AMAZING! We are truly never alone between
our angels and our Saints/saints not to mention through our Blessed Mother and our Holy Trinity. With all that love and support, how can we not have love, joy, hope, and peace. One need only pray and believe.

But wait, there's more. While they are there to help us, we are also here to help them. An often forgotten teaching of the Catholic faith is the belief in purgatory. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," which is experienced by those "who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030).  How can we help our departed loved ones? Prayer! When we offer up Mass or our prayers for them, we assist them in gaining the glory of heaven. They in turn are praying for us. The full circle of 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)