Come Away By Yourselves

Jesus' visit to Martha and Mary contains great insights for our Christian life.  Mary's attention to our Lord is a great act of appreciation and love.  Jesus' correction of Martha is not owing to her being busy serving, but more for her being distracted and worried.  Love, which includes prayer, is the one thing necessary.   And love unites our attention, giving focus and purpose to...

The Holy Spirit is the great advocate and counselor of our Christian life.  With open minds and hearts, we go to him to learn life in Christ.  The Holy Spirit always teaches us the basics: we are children of God called to live the fullness of Charity free from excessive fear and worry.  https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

"He who loves his life will lose it, he who loses his life for my sake will find it."  Finding our true life, and our true selves, means handing ourselves over to Christ.  Losing our lives for the sake of Christ is a transformative union with him.  This takes work and an acceptance of suffering.  There is no resurrection of ourselves in Christ without the cross. https://comeawaybyyoursel...

On the occasion of the Memorial of St. Augustine, this meditation is inspired by some of his deep spiritual insights.  Augustine reminds us of God's transcendent goodness and his staggering nearness to each one of us.  Finding fulfillment in God takes work, the work of prayer and holiness, but it is a task that God himself promises to help us accomplish. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Returning to the scene of the Transfiguration, we meditate on Peter's exclamation, "Lord, it is good that we are here."  It is good to be in prayer with God and to be wherever God wants us to be.  Prayer is a necessary and healthy escape for the soul.  In a world of false escapes and omnipresent exterior noise, to be souls of prayer we should foster moments of solitude and silence....

Instead of sending a large crowd away hungry, Jesus miraculously feeds them with the multiplication of loaves and fish.  Thousands of people are relieved of their hunger while being fed by the Son of God himself.  God knows our spiritual hunger and also responds to it.  He feeds us in the Eucharist, in Scripture, in prayer, in doing his will.  Warned by God himself, we need to look out for destruc...

Jesus' transfiguration is a momentary manifestation of his divinity.   This event reminds us of Jesus' beneficent power on our behalf.  St. Peter was struck by the wonder of the transfiguration and refers to it in order to bolster our faith in the reality of Christ's life and mission.  God the Father testifies to his Son's authority telling us to "Listen to Him." We d...

To truly meet Christ is to experience a great conversion.  Life becomes centered on his person and his mission.  This conversion entails taking on a new life and leaving behind our sinful ways.  To convert is to turn towards God and away from sin.  Leaving sin behind is no easy matter.   Above all it takes liberation--redemption--by Christ.   It also presupposes a courageous sincerity about how we...

A meditation on Mary Magdalene and Jesus. 

Originally published July 2021 Our Lord Jesus calls Christians the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world."  The presence of believing Christians is fundamental for the health and salvation of humanity.  Realizing the gravity and urgency of our mission, we should put aside all division and distractions and commit ourselves to living our Catholic faith.  This demands da...

Jesus promises rest for those who come to him labored and heavy laden.   To receive rest from God happens in a special way in our prayer.  Accepting God's will and growing in trust help us to rest even when we have serious concerns in our life.  Adoration especially refreshes the soul.  To adore God is to relieve ourselves of the burden of trying to live without him.  https://comeawaybyyourse...

The Bible refers to the moral law as "written on the heart."  In this class we discuss the principles of the natural law.    https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

The Christian life entails a struggle.   Growing in virtue and overcoming vice requires serious effort.  This struggle for holiness, however, may seem overwhelming to the weak and  self-empowering to the proud.   Realizing that God's aid is essential for all spiritual growth helps to overcome these two mistakes.   Our spiritual combat must be carried out bravely and freely but also with full...

For the Feast of St. Josemaria we pray about one of his central spiritual teachings: unity of life.  Our life often seems divided by various distinct tasks and concerns.  To do things for the glory of God, for love of God, is a powerful instrument that unifies our life.  Our awareness of our divine filiation also lends unity to seemingly unconnected realities.  Whatever I do, I should do as a son...

Jesus describes his sacred and merciful heart as meek and humble.   More than anger and disappointment at our sins, Jesus feels compassion for us in our waywardness.  In the Sacred Heart of Jesus we especially see the goodness of God towards sinners.  This makes God approachable in Jesus and keeps us from the mistake of trying to be good without him.     https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

On the Feast of Corpus Christi the Church turns her heart to Jesus's real presence in the Blessed Sacrament.   A marvel of love, in the Eucharist the infinite enters the finite, the Creator his creation and the invisible the visible real.  Adoration, devotion, and gratitude should mark our response to this great mystery of our Faith.  https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Originally published June 2021 The mystery of the Trinity is the mystery of God's inner life.  Revealing it to us in Jesus Christ, God shares with us his own deep intimacy so that we can know and love him.  The Trinity is also a mystery in which every Christian is enveloped.    By the work of the Holy Spirit, we are made children of God the Father in God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. https:...

The Holy Spirit is all about peace.  As consoler and the Spirit of Christ, the working of the Holy Spirit and his seven gifts always establish peace in our hearts and our lives.  Peace is a consequence of having God as our Father, and it is the Spirit of the Son that establishes this reality in our hearts.  https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Pentecost Sunday commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church.  The Holy Spirit is an agent of conversion and purification for our life.  God wants us to be "on fire" as Christians, quick to love and to do his will.  Jesus promises that those who ask for the Holy Spirit will receive him, and that those who receive him receive him abundantly.   https://comeawaybyyourselves.co...

Follow up to the class on suffering.  Question and answer session. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Suffering is an unavoidable reality in life.  What light does the Christian Faith shed on the meaning of suffering?  In this class we will examine the origin of suffering, its relationship to God, and how to make the most of our personal suffering in living the Christian vocation. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com

Our Lady is a perfect model of holiness and love.  Heading towards Pentecost, we can reflect on her relationship with her Divine Spouse, the Holy Spirit.  To have God's Spirit is to have Christ's own motivation, to be inspired by the same spirit that he was.  We see this in Mary, who says "Be it done unto me according to your word."  The Spirit is a renewer of the soul.  To hav...

Jesus encourages us to respond to our troubled hearts with trust in him and in his Father.   To see Jesus is to see the Father, to know Jesus is to know the Father.  Jesus's love and mercy reveal what God is truly like even more than a vision of God's power and majesty.  Jesus's miracles show us that the same God who is the all powerful creator is also our savior and loving father. ...

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  This reality fills us with confidence in following Christ.  Jesus is also the gate into the fullness of life and into eternal life.   Entering this gate entails conversion.  We need to leave behind whatever keeps us from following Christ.  Conversion demands courage, however, because the gate to life is narrow and the path is difficult.   We need courage to fight again...

"He who eats this bread will live forever."  "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him."  In the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus makes wonderful claims about Eucharistic Communion.  In Communion, we share in Jesus' resurrection and are intimately united with him.  This should change the way we think about Jesus.  He is not a merely figure from the...