“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I shall say it again: rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Over and over, Scripture exhorts us to rejoice in our Lord. The Psalms, especially, are full of calls to worship God, praise His holy name, and sing of His glory: “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy” (Ps 66: 1). Rejoicing is a joyful cry of the heart. When we worship—especially when we sing from our hearts at…
This week we will celebrate Independence Day—our day of liberty and freedom. Our political freedoms are protected by the Constitution. More importantly, our spiritual freedom is a free gift from God. Our political freedoms are based on this spiritual freedom. The Declaration of Independence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty…
The Blessed Sacrament—Jesus Himself—is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). This means that, as Christians, our day-to-day living is both nourished and sustained by (the source) and directed toward being united with Jesus Christ (the summit), the Holy Eucharist. “The Gospel of God’s love…finds its highest expression in the Eucharist. In the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration we meet the merciful love of God that passes through the Heart of Jesus…
Experiencing the Holy Spirit is kind of like a visit from a butterfly. You can’t force a visit from a butterfly. You can’t send an invite and expect one to show up for tea next Tuesday afternoon. No, butterflies come and go with the breeze. Jesus describes the Holy Spirit in a similar way: “the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it…
Just before the Ascension the disciples ask, ”Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Lord Jesus, this is what we’ve been waiting for! Is this when you will make all things right here on earth? Will you show everyone that You are the Messiah after all? Jesus replies, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own…
Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (Jn 14:27). We all yearn for this true peace, and Christ gives it to us as a free gift. So why are our hearts still troubled when we believe that His peace is with us? It…
St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “The words of Jesus, ‘Love one another as I have loved you,’ must be not only a light for us but a flame that consumes the self in us. Love, in order to survive, must be nourished by sacrifices, especially sacrifices of the self.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that the defining mark of discipleship is love. “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have…
“For the Lamb that is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water” (Rev 7:17). On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we’re reminded of the loving care that Jesus provides for us. “We know that the Lord is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends” (Ps 100:3). How do shepherds tend their sheep? They protect and defend them from harm. They…
In today’s Gospel, the disciples went fishing but caught nothing. Then, once Jesus directed them where to cast their net, they caught so many fish that they couldn’t lift it into the boat (Jn 21:5-6). Notice how Jesus addresses them: “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” (Jn 21:5). To whom do these children belong? To God, of course! When you were a very small child, you were completely dependent on your parents. You had…
How fitting that the first week after Easter Sunday is the Sunday of Divine Mercy. First we celebrate Christ’s powerful victory over sin and death, and then we celebrate His powerful mercy. Our call today is to accept and trust in God’s ocean of mercy and then pour it out for others. Divine Mercy means that God helps us when we are in distress: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit…