Know - Grow - Go

When we love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, we become more like Him. As we grow close to God, we gain His peace and can extend His love to those around us. Because God is in control, unshaken by the world's troubles, we can be too, for the love of God calms our fears. Loving our neighbors, even those we disagree with, creates bonds that build unity. When we love as God loves, our neig...

Jesus invites us to reject worldly standards and take on Godly standards with the Beatitudes. They are a kind of roadmap to sainthood, God's standards for leading a joyful, fulfilling life that also prepares us for our reward in heaven. Sainthood is not far from us, but is happening here and now: when we mourn, when we experience tribulations that cause us hunger and thirst for righteousness, when...

On being resilient and persistent in cultivating an upward movement toward God, Saint Cyprian of Carthage says that we must endure toil and fatigue while we are attempting to climb hills and mountains. However, the toil and fatigue are less if we set our eyes on heaven and consider the promised reward. This reminds us to continue to keep our focus on Jesus and remain resilient in inviting God to t...

Real change requires radical honesty, and we could all do with a bit more honesty: in our public lives, our private lives, and in our prayer. Don’t be afraid of the truth when you pray. Don’t ignore what’s going on inside. Embrace who you are – and where you are. Tell it to God like it is. And then, let God go to work.   Readings at this Mass: Is 53:10–11 | Heb 4:14–16 | Mk 10:35–45

Take a moment this week and ask yourself: "What is one thing standing between me and a deeper relationship with Jesus? What is one thing that I am lacking?" Then, take a leap of faith and surrender it. Whatever it is, place it at the feet of Jesus, and then be patient. Wait and watch as joy, like a hidden treasure, reveals itself to you in ways you never expected.   Readings at this Mass: Wis 7:7–...

We heard of the call to bring children from what Jesus commanded the disciples today, ‘Let the children come to me’. When married couples bear fruits in bringing children into this world, they are not only bringing God’s love into the world, but also displaying the inner life of God, the love, which is the Holy Spirit, shared between the Father and the Son.   Readings at this Mass: Gn 2:18–24 | He...

Fundamentally, holiness is not churchiness or being theologically literate. It's not having our act together morally, and certainly not about judging other people. Fundamentally, holiness is about having the courage to let Jesus into the center of your life - and then hanging on for the ride! That might not always look the way we think holiness should look, but it's powerful when we see it. In the...

What is greatness in in the view of God? Jesus makes it clear: "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." Greatness can be a good thing, as long as it has love of God and neighbor as its goal. So, this week, put on your calling of being a disciple of Jesus. Find a way to lift someone up. Whether it be at school, work, home, or just being about. Be a good wi...

Each of us experience some kind of suffering every day, big or small. If we only see our suffering as a punishment from God, we miss that our suffering is also redemptive. In the Cross, we experience the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord, and we are given a promise of eternal life. Part of the fulfillment of that promise is embracing the crosses in our own lives. When you are given a cr...

At the end of the day, it’s not our sinfulness that’s a problem for God. It’s the way we refuse to admit our sinfulness, or even to see it. The way we hide or minimize or rationalize it. That’s what makes us sick, unfree, and lonely. When we allow Jesus to open our hearts to truth, when we let him be our compass and measure, our lives change. This week, ask God for the grace and the humility to ju...

Jesus made it clear that evil thoughts and acts come from within, but the opposite is also true. We heard from St. James today, "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves" (Jas 1:22). In order to be doers of the word, we must begin from within our hearts. The next time you find yourself disturbed by something or someone around you, offer it up. Pray for that situation and pers...

According to C. S. Lewis, having faith is a commitment to and trust in Christian teachings in the face of daily distractions and doubts. Let this Gospel reading today remind you to commit yourself again and again when you come to Mass and receive a very tangible thing: the Lord’s body, blood, soul, and divinity in your hand and on your tongue. Nowhere else outside of the Catholic Church can this f...

Do you know the most common time for a person who prays to stop praying? It’s when they sense God asking them to change or let something go. But every great love requires at some point a willingness to say 'no' to what we want in order to say 'yes' to what love demands. If you’re finding yourself restless, fearful, stuck, or directionless, come to Communion. Open the doors of your heart to Jesus a...

The Assumption of Mary is not only a celebration of her glorious destiny but also a powerful reminder of our own future hope of eternal life with Christ. Mary's Assumption encourages us to live our lives trusting in God, in His blessings and promises that prepare us for our own destiny, which Mary has reached: eternal life with Christ.   Readings at this Mass: Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab | 1 Cor 15:2...

God will never abandon you. He knows your suffering; He knows your deepest mistakes and sins; and He desires greatly to receive you back and heal you. Don't be afraid to express your troubles, worries, and fears to Him. Invite Him into your heart, your mind, your soul - for the first time or the 100th time. Be open to His mystical presence here at Mass and beyond. Readings at this Mass: 1 Kgs 19:4...

In receiving the Body of Christ, you are transformed and filled with Him who came to unite you to the Father, to turn you from an ordinary individual to an extraordinary person in God. Let’s set the world on fire for the Lord through His presence in you, the living and walking tabernacle through the fire and power of the Holy Spirit! Be Christ-like to others, so that they may come to know Him and...

Our hunger for transcendent purpose is meant to connect us with God, THE source of meaning, power, and purpose who unites all things. But if God gets relegated to the margins of our lives, it’s easy for idols to take His place - idols that initially offer a sense of connection but in the end destroy us. Think about that as we enter the heart of election season, wherever you are on the political sp...

God is not far from us - He is always by our side, journeying along with us and accompanying us. “When two or three gather in my name, I am in their midst" (Mt 18:20), Jesus says. He is inviting us to help others experience Him through our accompaniment. And as the world is increasingly becoming individualistic, the need to accompany one another is most needed now more than ever. We are called to...

Each of you is Church, bona fide members of the Body of Christ, in whom Jesus lives and interacts with the world. Your relationships are potential vehicles of grace, windows through which God’s love can reach through and touch those who don’t know Him. Think about that when you’re online, or about to get into a political debate, or you run into that annoying neighbor. Your words, your thoughtfulne...

God is the author of all our hobbies; the director of our recreation and guide on our vacations; the maker of your loved ones; the giver of love, joy, and peace. God wants you to delight in these things and know they are His gift to you. But we don't always recognize His sacramental presence in them, whether due to pride, contempt, or fear. To admit to these weaknesses in our lives and surrender t...

God wants so much to save us from those moments of death and sin. "Do not be afraid," He says, "just have faith." He wants us to rely on Him and His Most Sacred Heart. He is here for you and me, so ask Him to carry you, to restore and renew you, to strengthen you and remind you that you are wholesome, you are imperishable, and you are created in God's image.   Readings at this Mass: Wis 1:13–15; 2...

If 99% of our time is spent living for ourselves, focused on our agenda, relying on our own powers, it'll be hard to turn to the Lord or sense His presence when we need Him. So start training now, so you'll be ready. If you've gotten lazy, recommit to daily prayer. If it's been awhile, go to Confession. When you get out of bed in the morning, offer your day to God before doing anything else. Let t...

Our lives are a day-to-day movement toward or away from God. Like a child learning, it's a function of baby steps. Consider this your homework for the summer. Take measure of where you are in your faith today and again at the end of the summer. Try not to be in a hurry; instead, be patient, open to God's grace, and attentive to His still, small voice every day.

We ought to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to carry out the will of God for each one of us as brothers and sisters of Christ. How do we do that? In the moments of our daily life which we seem to be pulling away with temptations and discouragement, while asking whose voice it is that we are hearing, we can call upon the Holy Spirit by saying: “Come, Holy Spirit, Come!”

When God asks us to change, we tend to resist or ignore it and lose ourselves in worldly distractions. The tension that's created is an indicator of where God is pressing on us, where He wants to work. Fr. Bill has a phrase he likes to use: "Mine (as in, 'dig') for conflict". Search your heart for those places of conflict and tension and dig into them. Invite the Lord into those places and ask for...