Come Away By Yourselves

Martha invites Jesus into her home along with her sister Mary.  Jesus's interaction with them is a great source of insight for us.  "The better part" that Mary has chosen, sitting at the feet of Jesus, tells us of the importance of prayer.  Jesus's correction of Martha, however, also has to do with her inner attitude of distraction, worry, and resentment.  In this sense, Martha...

Jesus wants his joy to be in us and our joy to be full.  Sharing the joy of Jesus means sharing in his victory over sin and death on the cross.  Jesus receives a crown of glory and joy in heaven for his triumph.  We too will be crowned victors if we persevere joyfully in the Spiritual Olympics of life. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

The "Bread of Life" Discourse in John Chapter 6 is a treasure trove of spiritual insights.  Faith in Jesus's person is paramount for the Christian life.  This faith is tested by the audacity of his claims for the Eucharist as well as by the trials and difficulties of our personal Christian vocation.  Jesus promises spiritual satisfaction, eternal life, and, most amazingly of all, in...

Jesus takes his apostles to a lonely place to rest with them.  He offers us the same opportunity in our prayer life and when we practice trust in his constant care for us. We need to distinguish healthy rest from rest that can short-circuit our attempts to refresh ourselves.  https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Prophecy wasn't Amos' original plan for life.  God chose him to be a prophet.  St. Paul speaks of God choosing small and weak people to do great things for him.  God also chooses us for great things: holiness and mission.  Our persona, our role in life, should be more and more determined by God's vision and less by our own or by others'.  https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Prophetic figures are usually violently resisted.  This happened to Christ on the Cross.  Sometimes they are simply overlooked or ignored.   This happened to Christ in Nazareth, with those who knew him well.   Unless we are careful, our own familiarity with Christ could weaken his impact in our life.  We should pray about ways to have new and powerful encounters with Jesus.  https://comeawaybyyour...

On the Feast of St. Josemaria, we reflect on one of his most important teachings: the sanctification of work.  After their conversion, the early Christians were encouraged to continue living the same life which God had already given them.  St. Josemaria encourages us to do the same.  Work is a blessing from God and key to a happy, fulfilled life.  Working well is a condition for offering our work...

In the middle of a violent storm, the apostles find Jesus asleep in the boat.  This divine sleep of the Son of God teaches us important lessons: the need for rest, the importance of trust in God during difficulties, and the great care that God our Father exercises over us.  Only by trusting in God's power and fatherly protection in and through times of trial will we experience our own resurre...

To love God as God we need to think about Him.  Adoration is not just feelings of awe and veneration, but a deep knowledge of the awesome transcendence of God.  This knowledge empowers our ability to love God more profoundly.   https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Jesus fulfills his promise to "remain with us always" with his presence in the Eucharist.  To believe in his real presence is a game changer in our prayer life and in life in general.  Jesus is alive in the Eucharist so that he can be fully alive in us.  https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Jesus' Sacred Heart reveals the depth of his love for us.  Opened on the Cross, streams of blood and water poured out from Jesus' Heart.  Our own love for God hinges on our having a heart full of compassion, concern, and a practical spirit of service towards others.  As disciples of Jesus, we should be known for our love and care for each other and for all people.  Only by growing in cha...

For the Feast of Corpus Christi we meditate on the Eucharistic hymn "Adoro te devote."  Hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lord Jesus is truly present: body, blood, soul, and divinity.  This marvel of our faith reveals God's humble and radical love for us.  Our response should be one of ever greater adoration, wonder, faith, hope and love. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

The Mystery of the Blessed Trinity is a great secret shared with us by God.  He tells us about his inner life so we can know him well in order to love him truly.  This intimacy is a sign of God's love for us and also of his great trust in us.  To know the Trinity is to know that God is love.  This removes all false fear of God from our hearts, filling our souls with wonder, confidence and lov...

The Holy Spirit is a powerful agent of spiritual renewal and transformation.  The virtue of docility and the gift of counsel are needed to tap into the motions of the Spirit which always accompany and surround us.  The Sanctifier will sculpt the image of Christ in us provided that we are humble and willing to follow his lead. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Mary is every Christian's model.   In the first place, her example teaches us about love.  Mary's love is expressed in a radical love for God's will.  This love is made possible by her remarkable humility and emboldened by her great trust.  Imitating her means growing in these virtues, which free us from ourselves and open us to a greater love of God. https://comeawaybyyourselves.co...

Jesus prays that we may be "sanctified in the truth."  The objective truth of our faith is a necessary part of its saving power.  Truth is ultimately personal.  Jesus himself is "The way and the truth and the life."  Access to this truth demands trust in God's word.  Sin, and the devil, are always suggesting the opposite: that God and his word should not be trusted. https:...

"Love one another as I love you."  Jesus has a great confidence in our capacity to love others.  The vocation to charity is a tremendous opportunity to make our lives fruitful.  In loving others we show them the love Christ and the Father have for them and for us.  To do this consistently takes work.  Learning to love like Jesus involves purification, overcoming sin, and a lifetime of pr...

Mary Magdalene's encounter with the Risen Christ is truly a master class in love.   She teaches us lessons of desire, sorrow, responsibility and union with God.  Ultimately, to love is to convert, to make the center of our existence God and others shifting it away from ourselves.   https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

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

Putting ourselves into the scenes of the Resurrection, we can have our own personal encounters with the Risen Lord.  Where can we find him? What is he saying to us? How does he want to help us?   https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Jesus's death is a great mystery of our faith.  It leads to his resurrection and to our eternal life.  In accepting death, Jesus enters into the nothingness of sin and evil to conquer it from within.  Through his death, he is reborn into resurrected, eternal life.  In our Christian life, he invites us into the same dynamic journey.  https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Jesus's sacrifice on the cross is already accepted and offered by him at the Last Supper.  "This is my body, given for you."  Both the Mass and the Cross reveal to us an incredible love.  A love that we are called to imitate and a love that can make us secure no matter what happens to us in this life.   https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

As we enter Holy Week, we contemplate the suffering of Jesus in his passion.  This suffering reveals to us both the gravity of sin and the unfathomable love of God for us in Jesus Christ.  To contemplate our Lord in his passion can and should be a spur to personal conversion.  https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

A short reflection in honor of St. Patrick. 

God entrusts St. Joseph with his most precious possessions, his mother and his Divine Son.  We too are entrusted with a sacred responsibility in life: to care for and love God's children.  Everything and everyone in our life--including ourselves--is a gift from God, something valued by God himself.  This calls for a great reverence and respect on our part.  We can't "do whatever we...