REAL Word

As Christians, we need to understand the importance of family. To be authentic followers of Christ, we must understand the importance of respecting our parents and loving the members of our family. In doing so, we’re loving and respecting God by following his commands and acknowledging the presence of the Holy Spirit within each other. We have a role model in Christ because Jesus loved and respect...

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, remember that Jesus was born so that we might all be saved. Our faith tells us that his Spirit is active in the world today, working through each of us. You might be the only “Christ” someone encounters today - and someone unexpected might be Christ for you. Our Messiah can be found in unexpected places, so we need to look at the world with our eyes of faith...

Advent is not a time of sorrow and remorse. It’s a time to prepare our hearts for something wonderful, so let’s start celebrating. Let’s open our hearts and place our anxieties in God’s hands. No matter what else is going on in the world, the one thing all Christians must remember is that Jesus is coming, so we need to be ready!

It’s impossible to be true disciples if we close our eyes to the glory of God. When we do, all we can see are the horrible things. But when we look with our eyes of faith, we see the goodness all around. We see the miracles happening. We see the Spirit at work. When that happens, the love we hold in our hearts will start to overflow. We can help the Spirit fill our hearts with love by recognizing...

No one ever said that being a disciple of Christ would be easy but we need to remember that the Lord will hold up his end of the covenant. Even when we falter, God still keeps his promises and the Spirit is here to help us. When we’re trying to live Jesus’ commands, it can be difficult; so we must pray for support. Instead of getting caught up in consumerism and commercialism, let’s focus on shari...

The Church teaches that Jesus is “one in being with the Father,” so he was present from the beginning and he will reign for eternity. But when we say that God is the beginning and the end, we often forget about everything in between. Our mortal lives exist in that in-between time, so it’s our only chance to accept the gift of salvation we’ve been offered. And we accept it - and accept Jesus as our...

As Christians, we believe in the promise of salvation and the gift of everlasting life, but we also understand the need to be prepared. The end will come - for our lives and for this world as well - and only God knows when those things are going to happen. Jesus sacrificed himself to consecrate us and make us holy, so now we have to prepare by living his commands every day of our lives. We have to...

As Christians, we are commanded to love one another as Christ has loved us. That should be enough for us to understand that sacrifice is involved - but we often fail to realize that unselfish generosity involves sacrifice. While we wait for Jesus to come again and bring us salvation, we need to follow his command to love one another. We need to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure. And...

It’s not easy being a Christian - but we make it more difficult than it has to be. We know we’re challenged to love God with all our being and yet that seems like the furthest thing from our minds. We worry about rules and laws and spend too much time pointing out what everyone else is doing wrong. Jesus, the Son, has been appointed as our high priest. Why not just listen to him and love both God...

It’s too easy for us to become blind, especially to human suffering that seems so far away. When we see people on TV who are suffering, we might feel sorry for them but it doesn’t always feel real to us. But unlike many of us, Jesus understands human suffering and there is a special place in the Kingdom for those who are disabled or marginalized. It can be hard for us to understand the suffering o...

It's easy to think of suffering as being solely negative - something we know we'll experience, so we have to just muscle through. But Jesus demonstrated that suffering can be a redeeming force, especially if we're suffering in order to serve others. Jesus understands suffering because he experienced it as one of us, but then showed us there is new life on the other side. As disciples, we are calle...

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” It’s a question we should all ask of Jesus - and then we should pray for the wisdom necessary to discern the personal challenge we’ll be given in reply. To do that, we need to open ourselves up to God’s word, which allows us to become more open to God AND we start to understand ourselves a bit more. Add wisdom to that mix, and we’ll be on our way to discer...

It’s important that relationships are built on a foundation of mutual love and respect; but we have a long history of women being considered less than men. Yet if Jesus is our brother, then we are all children of God and part of the same family and we must strive for equality. We are created to need and depend on each other, so when God brings a couple together and their relationship demonstrates...

By our Baptism, we are called to be “priest, prophet, and king,” and the Holy Spirit can help us avoid exploiting others and help us identify injustices around us. Eternal punishment awaits those who amass their fortunes through exploitation but there are plenty of evildoers closer to home. We are called to face injustice and call it out, otherwise those evildoers will contaminate the entire commu...

The first reading this week describes how the wicked treat the righteous but it doesn't give the reason for their hatred. Is it fear? Embarrassment? Or are they evil, bent on destroying what is righteous? It could be any of those reasons because it comes from one’s heart. For those of us fighting for what’s right and just, it’s a note of caution. Peace must be the root of everything we do. If we f...

No one ever said being a disciple of Christ would be easy, but the Holy Spirit will give us strength - the strength to put our faith into action. Following Jesus can involve great personal sacrifice - giving up something of ourselves - but with the help of the Spirit, we may not even realize we’ve picked up our cross to follow our Messiah!

It’s very hard to be courageous in the world today when “fear” seems to be taking over wherever you look. People are refusing to listen to anyone who doesn’t agree with them. They’re villainizing anyone who’s different from them, terrified that the “other” is going to displace them and take what’s theirs. But this is NOT the way Christians should think or act. We need to let God open our eyes, ear...

When we can move our faith from our heads to our hearts, we’ll be on the right track. Our understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ won’t be an intellectual exercise anymore - it will become an experience of feeling and love. Only then will we be able to truly discern the “spirit” of God’s commands and avoid the hypocrisy of holding on to human traditions and only worshipping God with our lips. Only...

Members of the Church who are educated in its history and theology often fall victim to the arrogance of certainty. If others dare question their proclamations, they believe it shows a lack of faith and a refusal to submit to Christ. But they are not Christ and they are absolutely capable of being wrong. We are challenged to serve the Lord, which doesn’t mean we’ll understand the call - but we nee...

It’s important for us to remember the indispensable role that Mary played in our salvation history but we also need to remember that Mary is a role model for all of us. As the original disciple - the first to say an unequivocal “YES!” to God - she provides an example for every single human being. And how do we follow her example? By hearing and obeying the word of God, which is a true blessing bec...

By our Baptism and reaffirmed through our Confirmation, we are called to share the Good News with the world but it isn’t easy. In fact, it’s incredibly challenging most of the time. It’s far easier to just give up and let people do what they will but that’s not good enough. We’re not just called, we’re challenged to live as true disciples of Christ. Luckily for us, God will nourish us - God will g...

In our materialistic world, it’s easy to see “blessings” as things like the house you live in, the job you have, the amount of money you earn, the education you’ve received, the skills you’ve achieved or even the opportunities that are open to you. And yes, many of these things SHOULD be considered “blessings” - at least in the material sense of the word - but there is so much more that we hunger...

The readings this week remind us of two of our Sacraments - Baptism and the Eucharist - our entry into the Church and the nourishment we need to live and grow in our faith. As I’ve said many times before, it’s not easy being a Christian - it’s not easy answering God’s call - but we’re not in this alone. When we embrace the call to service with faith and love, Christ will bless us. And just like wi...

The three readings this week are interesting when you look at them together, especially if you’re in ministry or are active in the Church or parish organizations. There’s always so much to do and there’s never enough time, money, or volunteers to do it all. Then we have to deal with certain “shepherds” who seem to be focused on tearing the flock apart, destroying what many of us have worked for ye...

It should be very clear that we have each been chosen by God but we’re not expected to have certain status or credentials - we’re expected to exhibit true commitment. And just like the Twelve, we’re called to have an active faith that takes us out into the world, where we can share the gifts we’ve been given. We have been chosen and blessed, so the Christian response is to commit to taking action...