“Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” – John 13:1 At the heart of our faith is something astonishing: Jesus stepped into our place of human weakness, sin, and death so that we can step into His place of strength, righteousness, and life. On the night before he…
“And Jesus wept.” – John 11:35 Those of us who have “the gift of tears” might actually view them as the “curse of tears.” It can be embarrassing to have to keep tissues close and apologize for wearing your heart on your sleeve. But if you have this gift, or know someone who does, I want to help you truly see it as a gift from God instead of something to be ashamed of. First…
“…it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” – John 9:3 Each of us have stories of our own suffering. Sometimes we bring these sufferings on by our own actions, but many times the sufferings we endure are the effects of sin by others and simply the fallen nature of the world (see CCC 324). The Good News is that none of our sufferings ever have to go to…
Last week we focused on the Transfiguration of Jesus pointing us to His Resurrection. This week, Sunday’s Gospel passage of the woman at the well (John 4:5-42) points us toward Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The woman and Jesus are both thirsty for something earthly and something spiritual. She is thirsting for physical water and subconsciously, for love. (Check out some key Old Testament stories of a man meeting his future bride…
“He saved us and called us to a holy life…” – 2 Timothy 1:9 This second week of Lent, we travel up Mt. Tabor with Peter, James, and John and witness Jesus’ Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). This miraculous manifestation of the Holy Trinity seems like a strange detour during Lent. Shouldn’t we be sitting somewhere covered in sackcloth and ashes (Jonah 3:5-6)? Instead, we find ourselves on a mountaintop surrounded by Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, the…
“Restore to me the gladness of your salvation; uphold me with a willing spirit.” – Psalm 51:14 Psalm 51 is one of my favorites. Also known as the Miserere, it is a central penitential prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It’s a touchstone we can come back to again and again when we have sinned, when we feel the weight of our transgressions and those of the world in which we live. It’s one…
My Beloved One, What made you think you could work to build my kingdom without sharing in my royal crown of thorns? jagged – piercing – countless barbsIt was the only crown that graced my head while I walked as King among you. cruel – blinding – breaking inSee the hands of thoseof those who forced itupon my head? mocking – bleeding – themselves tornThe Kingdom I ask you to buildis not of this world.…
Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? – Isaiah 43:18-19 Did you know that I am a convert? Yes! I went through RCIA and became Catholic when I was 17 years old. One of my dearest childhood friends is Catholic, and I sensed something different and beautiful about her family’s faith. The way…
While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 Are you as struck as I am by the love of the father in this Sunday’s Gospel reading, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:1-32? After the sinful son comes to his senses (Luke 15:17), he examines his conscience, prepares to confess his…
…he came in search of fruit on it but found none. – Luke 13:6 What’s going on with the fig tree in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 13:1-9)? It has failed to bear fruit for three years. It’s just there among the other trees of the orchard taking up space and water and depleting the nutrients in the soil. The one who owns the orchard tells the gardener–the one in charge of caring for the…