Know - Grow - Go

Borrowing heavily from the book Managing from the Heart , Fr. Bill offers these five principles when engaging with others, as we commit to and work towards greater unity: 1. Hear and understand me 2. Even if you disagree, don’t steamroll me 3. Acknowledge the greatness within me 4. Remember to look for my loving intention 5. Tell me the truth with compassion

During this Ordinary Time, when you leave church after Mass, share your faith. Bring God into your conversations. Be an agent of Christ and his Church in the world in the small moments, even those perceived as insignificant. It is in these seemingly small, ordinary encounters in which Grace abounds.   Videos referenced in homily  —  "Newhart" final scene   |   Bob Newhart on "Newhart" finale

Darkness is everywhere. Sometimes it comes from evil actors or outside forces; sometimes it comes from us. But, as baptized Catholic Christians, do not lose sight of the good things born of God’s amazing grace which abound everywhere. His light has been entrusted to you by virtue of your baptism, and you are called to be a light unto the nations. When you watch the news, pray for every news item,...

When you became part of the Body of Christ, you became a child of God, and He loves you with the very same love with which He loves Jesus, His only-begotten Son. There’s power in knowing that, and even more power in making that the pole – the stillpoint – around which your life revolves. A parent's love is only a shadow of the love that the Father has for each of us – and we can trust in His love...

If you are feeling down, left out, lonely; if you are struggling with selfishness, greed, envy; if you struggle with self-worth or are being too critical of yourself: give yourself over to God. Surrender to Him. Then, God can give you a profound gift, one that will set you free to love as He loves and to to be rescued from whatever binds you. Christmas is a time to celebrate what God did when He l...

A litmus test of our faith can be, in part, how thankful we are. The Church even proclaims how giving thanks to God is ultimately the best response in the Preface at Mass (“Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.” “It is right and just.”). God is the author of all we give thanks for, so it is right and just to give that thanks back to Him after it passes through us. May we put our gratitude into a...

Do you find yourself captured or afraid? Does the weight of sin or its consequences feel like it will crush you? Know that Jesus sees you. He wants to rescue you from whatever pit you have found yourself in and carry your yoke together. He knows what you are going through - He too was mocked, lied to, felt abandoned, a failure, and wished that his suffering would pass him by. But while he experien...

When you're struggling with something - including church teachings and dogma, like that of the Immaculate Conception - remember: nothing will be impossible for God.

Why is the world so broken? The short answer is because we've believed the lie that we are not okay as we are; that the life God has given us is not enough. Doubting God, doubting His care and His plan for us, we place our hopes elsewhere and set up new lords in our hearts. And just when those lords have their hooks in us, they turn on us, robbing us of our peace and freedom and leaving us unhappy...

Our Advent homily series will focus on the kerygma — the basics of Salvation History. Salvation History is the story of God’s work in his creation, specifically how he interacted and saved us. It's the story of what God has done, is doing, and why. God created us in his image and likeness, to have an eternal soul. Every person is called to live in harmony with God in heaven. As we gaze into the st...

What are you thankful for? That’s the question Fr. Bill asks of our Thanksgiving Day Mass attendees. Consider what you are thankful for as you listen to their responses!

God knows our sufferings. He knows our failures. And he wants to rescue us from these things, to heal us from our sins and transform our minds to know that we part of his plan regardless of where we fall short. What we need to do is reorient ourselves to let Jesus take over, abandoning everything else in favor of God's will. Thus, when failures come our way, we will not be shaken - for our hope is...

It's important to be "audit ready" now, for the end may come at any time. But let's not lose sight that there is life after death. We will experience trials, illness, and even death, but in the final analysis, God will completely restore his faithful to a state of perfection in heaven. This week, make a point of thanking God out loud for accompanying you through the disturbances, catastrophes, and...

Pope Francis has said many times that at this time in history, there’s no more important job we have than to seek out the lost, remember the forgotten, and accompany the lonely. If we look, it wouldn’t be too hard for any of us to find a person in our lives that fits that description. Your challenge is to seek out that anonymous individual, to call them by name, and to be the hand of God stretched...

We all have times when we are lost and distant in our faith. Think about someone (a friend, sibling, child, or parent) whom you know to be living in a way that is not of the faith. Seek them out. Invite them to a dinner or lunch. Rekindle your friendship regardless of the other person’s situation. Have no agenda other than love. Perhaps, if you yourself feel lost, both of you may be found.

Our lives aren’t meant to be a soliloquy; they’re meant to be a dialogue, with a Father who loves us. This week, take a look at your prayer; are you talking at God, or are you talking with Him?

If you struggle to find time to pray, start small: this week, strive to find just 5-10 minutes each day to be alone with God, pour your heart out to Him, and listen for His reply. Try the bathroom (seriously!) if you struggle to find a space alone. It doesn’t have to be rigid; you can open simply with, “Hey! God! It’s me. Here I am. Open my heart to your presence. This time is your time.” Then all...

Every day this week, make a concerted effort to recognize someone and thank them - and then, thank the one who sent them (God, from whom all good things come). Watch what happens. Gratitude is contagious!

When the spirit is stirred in our hearts, the extraordinary becomes ordinary. Grandparents stepping in to raise their grandchildren; parent who stay at a job they dislike so they can feed their families; a teen giving special care and attention to another teen who is marginalized by others; those who go into harms way in order to rescue others trapped by devastating storms. Despite the destruction...

If we look, we all have a person or a situation in our lives that's prodding us, pricking our conscience a bit, asking us to step out of what’s comfortable, to buck the voice of the crowd, to take a risk. That’s often the Holy Spirit in disguise, nudging us towards a fuller, more abundant life - even if it’s a little painful to get there. Notice those situations that make you uncomfortable; pay at...

Let the steward in the parable in today’s Gospel remind us to always be ready to change our minds and reprioritize our lives, and allow others to do the same. As Christians, that means making sure God is first - and when we get that right, everything else will fall in their rightful places.

What is 'mercy'? The Latin root of the word means, literally, “misery of the heart." This speaks of a person who feels for those who are in misery, afflicted, or sorrowful, and acts to help remedy those individuals. In Jesus, we have the ultimate example of this through his suffering, death, and resurrection. Who needs mercy? We all do! We all have sinned and need to admit our faults (repent). Rem...

In order to live freely, we often have to say ‘no’ to some things in order to say ‘yes’ to others. This week, consciously choose to put Jesus before all else. Look around your home and consider what possessions possess you; then, pick three and give them away. When we put things in their rightful order - with God first and foremost - we become free to enjoy the affections and attractions of this w...

Christian love isn’t easy. Jesus takes humility and makes it the measure of how mature or real our love really is. Do we truly have a servant’s heart, like Jesus, or is our love self-seeking? Will we lay down our life, or will we protect our ego? It’s easy to love those who are attractive and agreeable. What about those who are insignificant, troublesome, or even offensive? Take some time to sit w...

As Catholics, we know that we cannot “earn” our way to heaven, since salvation is a free gift, nor is salvation absolutely guaranteed, for we have free will and can always reject this free gift from God. Instead, we are to have faith. What we do with our lives may help or harm our faith journey. We are all sinners. We struggle with shame, addictions, or any number of sins or disorders. But one thi...