Shawn The Baptist - Sunday Scriptures

Like Jesus, I'm headed to the wilderness for Lent. 70 miles backpacking the Appalachian Trail. There are lessons to learn in the wilderness.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and today's liturgy reminds us that it is also the start of a great spiritual military campaign.

Many of our sins are similar to the fruit of a tree. If you want to change the fruit, you've got to heal the root.

If you've been hurt, the natural instinct is to want to get even. Mercy is the supernatural practice that breaks the cycle of hurt.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain. But he has been raised! We are now destined for eternal life, and that should make a difference in how we live each day.

When it seems like we're at the end of what we can endure, Jesus asks us to lower the nets one more time. Trying just once more with God's help results in a miracle.

Love is patient and bears all things. At least it should. Love is a choice to remain committed to the good of another. We might fail to live up to this but, with God, love never fails.

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Our country was founded on these ideals. Are we living up to them?

When faced with difficulty, we need to do three things: pray, do what we can for ourselves, then trust that God has got things under control.

Christians are to be a light of revelation to the world. Yet our lives can sometimes reveal that the world is more important than God.

Recent years have left many feeling vulnerable and powerless. This is exactly how Jesus came. Like Jesus, we are also protected.

When most animals are born, they quickly get up and walk. Humans take a lot longer. And that's part of God's plan.

When St. Francis created the original Christmas nativity scene in the year 1223, he insisted that there be an ox and a donkey. Here's why.

Mary believed the message of the angel Gabriel. She believed the prophets and scriptures. She trusted God, and so should we.

Gaudete is a command to rejoice. But to understand why we should rejoice, we need to understand another Latin word.

The coming of Jesus was prepared for since Adam and Eve left the Eden. Part of that preparation was preparing Mary to be the Mother of God.

It's dangerous to be sick and not know it. If we're spiritually sick, God will find a way to let us know. We may be exiled, but we can return.

If things seem like winter in your life, don't panic. Lift up your soul. Get ready to run. God will definitely come. He is to be expected.

Restoration, freedom, right praise... it's all at the beginning of today's Mass in honor of Christ the King.

What happens when we die? The thought should give us all a sense of holy fear, but also hope.

In an emergency, there is always something you can do. For a pilot, the first priority is to fly the airplane.

We think a lot about the food we put into our bodies, but what about the sounds?

In the great backpacking trek of life, Jesus doesn't want to leave anyone behind.

Not only should Christians not be surprised by suffering, we can even learn to be thankful that God permits certain sufferings.

Angels are real. And so are a lot of other things that you can't see.