Come Away By Yourselves

The Holy Mass makes present Jesus' Resurrection as well as his sacrifice on the Cross.  The Body of Christ, as a resurrected body, is a gift that is given to others.  To receive our Lord is to become like him and moves us to imitate his goodness.   https://comeawaybyyourselves.com Special thanks go to Quinn Grieco the younger for supporting this podcast.  

On Divine Mercy Sunday, we reflect on Jesus's message of peace to the Apostles in the upper room on Easter Sunday.  He brings them peace and joy when they are afraid and sad.  He gives them and us the means to return to peace, the sacrament of confession.  God's Mercy is powerful and enduring, only our pride can keep us from experiencing its marvelous effects.  https://comeawaybyyourselv...

"Behold the man."  These words of Pontius Pilate are an unwitting invitation to contemplation.  To behold Jesus in his passion is to see much more than meets the eye.  The cross reveals God's judgment of the world, a judgment at once harsh and hopeful.  The staggering mystery of good Friday is the mystery of the suffering and death of God himself.  For St. John Henry Newman's s...

Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane is a model of Christian prayer.  His prayer is simple, honest, and focused on God.  He perseveres in trusting petition and is eventually strengthened by his heavenly Father.  The Agony in the Garden teaches us the importance of fidelity to our own prayer life.  We need to pray and in a mysterious way God needs our prayer.  For more information and resources visit ...

When Mary says "yes" at the Annunciation, the divine Word becomes flesh.  The mystery of the Incarnation entails a wondrous exchange of natures.  God takes on our human nature in order to have us share in his divine nature.  God became one of us so that we could become like him.  This lowering of almighty God to share in our human experience and our limitations is very personal.  He did...

As Good Friday approaches, we reflect on Jesus' death on the Cross.  In his Passion and death, Jesus turns suffering into love.   Love gives his suffering meaning and makes it fruitful.  Jesus invites us to likewise accept suffering as a means to loving God and others. Suffering is unavoidable in this life, the real question is what will we do with it?    https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

"All you need is love." https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

The story of the prodigal son's older brother is a cautionary tale for committed Christians.   https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the rich man warns us of the danger of indifference.  Greed, gluttony, and vanity can all make us miss out on seeing the needs of others. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Shortly before his death on Calvary Jesus is transfigured in glory on Mount Thabor.   Our spiritual lives have similar peaks and valleys.  This is no accident but an important part of God's will for us.  Learning how to use the peaks to navigate the valleys is a lesson we can learn from Jesus and the apostles' experience on Thabor and on Calvary.   https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Today we commemorate the establishment of the Papacy, the moment when Jesus appointed Peter as the rock upon which the Church is built giving him great authority.  During Lent, this is a reminder to pray for the Pope by offering some of our Lenten sacrifices for him.   https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Before he begins his public life of preaching, Jesus spends forty days fasting in the desert.   After this time of fasting, he is tempted by the Devil.   In Lent, we imitate Our Lord's forty days of prayer and fasting in the desert solitude.  The desert is a place free of distractions, where we come face to face with ourselves and with God.   Jesus' undergoing temptation reveals to us th...

Lent is an excellent opportunity for conversion.  Turning away from our selfishness and disciplining the needs of our bodies, our souls and our spirits receive a new strength and vitality.   Our ability to focus in prayer and in life can be revitalized especially by limiting our tendency to curiosity, distraction and excessive entertainment.  For more information visit https://comeawaybyyourselves...

Mystically united in the Body of Christ, Christians have the great consolation of depending on the intercession of the Saints.  The Communion of the Saints is also a call to responsibility.  Since we are all spiritually connected, our individual effort to live the Faith well supports all other members of Christ's Body.  For more information visit htttps://comeawaybyyourselves.com.

In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus says, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work."  In the Christian life, the central attitudes of Jesus become more and more our own.  At the core of Jesus's personality, we find his love for doing his Father's will.  This makes him a beloved son, in whom the Father "is well pleased."  Our union with Jes...

The great commandment is to love God "with all of your mind, with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength."  Adoration is how we love God most directly as God.  This humble recognition of God's holiness, transcendence, and radical goodness is essential for our lives as Christians.  Like most things, however, we have to learn to adore God by practicing...

During the stressful and uncertain moments of Holy Thursday, Jesus tells his disciples to trust in God and in Him.  This is the solution to having a troubled heart: a heart dominated by fear, worry and anxiety.  Our trust in God involves trusting in his Providence.  Providence is God's governance of the world and his guiding it to a good end.  Four key principles of our faith reveal to us tha...

Jesus stresses the importance of humility for being "great" and even "first" in the Kingdom of God.  Humility is hard to come by, however, because pride is not easily overcome.  The road to deep humility is a often a painful one, but there is also a shortcut called gratitude.  

In Jesus's Baptism we see Jesus doing something unnecessary and in a sense unfair.  He takes on the role of a sinner, allowing John to baptize him with his baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  At the beginning of his public life, this event foreshadows our redemption at the end of Jesus's life--his death on the cross.  Jesus loves us by lowering himself, forgetful of his s...

Recorded 12/31/20, New Year's Eve.  Each year begins with the Feast of Mary, Mother of God.  The greatest of Our Lady's titles, her motherhood is a cause of wonder, hope, and encouragement for Christians and the world.  Humanity begins again in Mary and we can begin again in her Son who comes to bring us new life.  Jesus shares everything with us, even his Mother.  

How wonderful it must have been for the Shepherds from Bethlehem to enter the stable on Christmas night !  Our times of prayer this Christmas are our own chance to be close to the baby Jesus, to speak softly with Mary and Joseph, to be wrapped up in the mystery of God present in the Child.  The warm light of the fire in the stable lets us see and welcome into our lives him who is the Light of Life...

We can join Mary and Joseph on their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  The divine adventure that they were on was filled with trust in God, which counteracted their natural concerns and fears.  The silent presence of Jesus within his Mother's womb was a source of wonder, love, and prayer for Mary and Joseph.  Jesus's silent presence in Mary and his silent sleep in the manger has a pro...

Advent is a perfect time to develop the virtue of hope.  Christian hope is a powerful force because it is based on God's power and care for us.  Hope is the certain expectation of good things from God and the strength of waiting for them to come from his hand.  Christian desire is shaped by hope.  In hope, our trust in God goes as far as trusting his vision of our happiness and well-being eve...

On this Thanksgiving weekend, we take time to reflect on gratitude.  Gratitude is an essential act of prayer.  Being grateful is closely linked to joy and freedom from sadness and despair.  The grateful soul needs humility, temperance and chastity to continually recognize all of the gifts that come from God.   For the study on gratitude and well-being, please visit: https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/how...

Although we might avoid thinking of it, we all know that this life is passing. Reflecting on this truth gives life its proper perspective.  One day we will die and pass into eternity.   Living a life of faith, hope, and charity will make us ready for that moment.  The prospect of eternal life can help make us resilient, daring and loving in this life.