Category: faith

For a long time, I struggled with the concept of “privilege.”  The truth is, I know I am very blessed.  I have enjoyed many privileges in my life.

But this word bothered me because I felt like it fueled the victim-mentality in our culture, elevating certain victims or underprivileged to a bizarre form of elitism.  I think we need to be careful that we don’t do this, and I do think it happens sometimes, which can make us quick to say we’re a victim, too.

Certainly we are all dealt a different hand in life, there can be no denying this fact.  Opportunities unfortunately are not equally available to everyone.

We are all privileged in some ways.  And we are all underprivileged in other ways.  We are all a victim of our upbringing and a product of our choices and life experiences.  But we need to be careful not to turn life into a victim competition.

After much reflection and prayer, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is worth discussing the concept of privilege.

Because our privileges may enable some of us to speak out and be heard more than others, but a lack of privilege should never keep anyone from speaking out or being heard.

No matter your level of privilege or underprivilege, no matter what you’ve endured, no matter how blessed or broken you may feel right now, please know that you are loved.

Mercy is always a privilege, and it is the one privilege that is always available to everyone.  Because mercy comes to us from the Cross.  And the Cross is for us all.

Mercy is “love when it encounters suffering, poverty, brokenness, and sin.”  It requires action, love, and sacrifice, a giving of one’s self for the good of another.  We are all equipped and hard wired to give and receive love in the form of mercy.

The struggle is that this is hard work for us on earth.  The struggle is that all this giving and loving and serving causes discomfort.  And receiving love is difficult because we can feel so unworthy.

True love is never simple.  It is always sacrificial.  

Giving genuine love and mercy is often painful.  It’s often easier to fall into our sinful nature than it is to reject our sinful nature and to seek loving action.  God knows how hard this is for us, and that’s why He came down, humbled himself, and died for us all.

Because without His help, we wouldn’t have a chance at getting it right.

Receiving true love and mercy is shocking and humbling.  “You would do that?” we think, just like the Beast when Belle takes her father’s place in the prison cell.  (I have so many Disney movie references to pull from, guys, stay tuned!)

Someone is ready to take your place in your suffering and pain and brokenness, too.

It’s time to tell the whole world. Mercy is the privilege that’s always available to everyone.  Claim it.  Share it.  You’re worth it.  

I’d love to know your thoughts on privilege – let me know below!

Until next time,

Let’s go and live mercifully!

– Kaitlyn Clare Mason

It started simply.  Deacon Matt Coriale challenged me to read the Gospel straight through, and I had never actually done this before.

When I did, words jumped off the page and into my heart.  I became fascinated with the concept of owning less, and with the concept of giving up everything in service to others.

“He said to them in reply, ‘Whoever has two tunics should share with the one who has none.’” (Luke 3:11)  Well, that verse hit me hard.  I had just moved south from Wisconsin.  I owned so many coats!

I felt restless in my heart, because our home was overflowing with wedding and baby shower gits.  We were well equipped to fully serve the needs of multiple families from our possessions.

At that time, a donation drop-off center stood just a block away from our home.   So, that spring, I often loaded up the stroller in the morning with our superfluous items and passed them on to others during my daily walk with my daughter.

This was just the tip of the iceberg.  It was the very beginning of a long, exciting, often uncomfortable, but always rewarding journey to a simple and more merciful life.

Something shifted in my heart.  It wasn’t that I hadn’t been willing to give before.  It was that a fire had been lit within me, and I saw everything in that new light. 

When we began passing on many of our possessions, freeing up physical space in our home, it felt natural to begin clearing out the mental clutter, too.  So, we drastically cut down on our media intake.  I was already not using any social media outlets, but began to cut back on television and movies until these things no longer interested me much at all.

And something amazing happened with this process.  It freed up so much time and energy!  The physical, mental, and spiritual space that opened up provided room for me to think clearly and to dream big.  My soul finally had room to breathe.

If we want to start living and serving at full capacity, we need to take a look at our excess.  Because the excess steals our time and stifles our creativity. 

Recovering perfectionists, stay tuned, because next I’ll be talking about whether we need to be perfect to carry out a mission of mercy.

Until then, let’s go and live mercifully!

– Kaitlyn Clare Mason

If we’re serious about discovering and fulfilling our God-intended mission in this urgent time of mercy, here are a few questions we can ask ourselves to see if we’re on the right track:

1.  What headlines, tragedies, or crisis situations compel me to anger, feelings of discomfort in my abundance, or deep compassion?

2.  When do I feel most content, peaceful, and fulfilled? Does everyone have access to these types of situations?

3.  God speaks and provides direction in a still, small voice. How much time am I spending in complete silence these days?

4.  What is one service, work, or volunteer opportunity sticks out most in my life as a monumental or life changing experience? What impact did this have on me at the time?  What impact does this have on my life now?

5.  What talents, gifts, skills, resources, privileges, knowledge, and abilities do I have that can make life better for people affected by the headlines, tragedies, or crisis situations mentioned in question 1?

6.  In my daily life, when do I come in contact with people in deep spiritual, emotional, or physical need? What is my reaction to these situations?  Am I helping to bear another’s burden?  In what ways?  How might I be able to better respond to these people and their needs in the future?

7.  What can or should I do to intentionally come into contact with and to be hospitable to people in deep need, particularly to those who may be in moral danger?

8.  What can I provide to the world that perhaps no one else can? Am I staying silent and comfortable instead of speaking out about any important issues that deserve to be addressed?

9.  How can my life and lifestyle help the world see and come to know the mercy and love of God?

10.  What am I willing to renounce for the sake of the Kingdom? In other words, what could or should I part with in life so I can better direct my attention to fulfilling God’s plans?

On Sunday this blog will rest.  But check back on Monday, when I’ll be sharing more about how my family discovered our mission, and how you can start to fulfill yours.

Until then, let’s go and live mercifully!

– Kaitlyn Clare Mason

Yesterday we talked about how we are all being sent on a mission of mercy.

According to St. John Paul II, mercy is “love’s second name.”  Fr. Michael Gaitley further defines Divine Mercy as “a particular mode of love when it encounters suffering, poverty, brokenness, and sin.”

I believe that mercy is the most irresistible, magnetic attribute of God.

And right now, in a world of around 7.7 billion people, with 12.5 pornographic video views for every person on the planet in 2016 on just one website alone, and with approximately 1 documented abortion occurring in the U.S. every 30 seconds, we need to draw in the masses and help everyone know how deeply they are loved.  We need to be showering people with compassion and support.

There billions of people in this world, far too many for everything to be just about you or I, and we are living in an amazing window of time when the mercy of God and opportunity of Heaven are available to everyone.

I’m inviting you to embark with me on an adventure to discover and fulfill your God-intended mission of mercy.

I’m inviting you to step off the cultural treadmill that keeps us far too busy with things that don’t matter, so we can focus on serving the One who made all the things in the first place.

This is not about doing more to serve. It’s about pivoting from what zaps our time and energy in unhealthy ways to fulfilling our God-given mission.

Only by shifting full focus to God can we hope to love and serve Him at full capacity. And when we start loving and serving to the best of our capabilities, well, that’s when we watch mercy unfold full force. And that’s when things really start to get interesting.

Next up, I’ll share a few questions you can ask yourself to help you discover (or confirm) your mission!

Until tomorrow, let’s go, and live mercifully!

– Kaitlyn Clare Mason