Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.(John 6:56) We all have a choice in who we choose to follow. What person or group to follow on social media, what bands we listen to, and what authors we will read. We can also choose whether or not we will follow Jesus. In our first reading, the Israelites had been through some difficult times, to say the least. Moses…
The sacrament of charity, the Holy Eucharist is the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us God’s infinite love for every man and woman. – Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, 1 I want to issue a challenge in this reflection. I bet you $10 that if you’re reading this you already believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Either that, or you’re at least a little curious about…
“When the afflicted man called out, the Lord heard, And from all his distress he saved him.” Psalm 34:4 Have you ever cried out to God in the midst of suffering? I certainly have, and it can feel so difficult, because even though God is always with us (Matthew 28:20), our human senses fail us. We cannot see Him, touch Him, or hear Him reply to our cries. We can sometimes feel like Job, who…
“…my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” – John 6:32-33 God is the giver of all good things: “…all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). The very best gift–the most perfect gift– God the Father gave us was the gift of His Son:…
“Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?’” …Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” – John 6:13-14 I often feel like I am running low. Like I don’t have enough time, energy, money, or other resources to do the things that God is calling me to do. I know in my mind that I have a “poverty…
In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. Ephesians 1:7-8 Stand with me at the foot of the cross, like St. John, St. Mary Magdalen, and the Blessed Mother. See the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God flowing, poured out for us (Matthew 26:28). His blood was shed for us from the moment His Passion began: “And…
…when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:10 What was the “thorn” that St. Paul spoke about in this Sunday’s second reading (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)? It actually doesn’t matter what his particular thorn was. Paul used his own experience of weakness to teach us how to see our weaknesses as strengths and to help keep our pride in check. He listed several things that could be thorns we encounter on a…
In our Gospel passage for Sunday (Mark 5:21-43) Jairus, a synagogue official whose “little daughter” is very ill—on the verge of death—searches out Jesus and asks Him to heal her. On His way to Jairus’s home, a woman with a hemorrhage for twelve years approaches Jesus in faith. She reaches out her hand to touch Jesus and His power flows out of Him to her. It’s striking, almost as if she is instrumental in her…
I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. Isaiah 1:2 Have you ever rebelled against God? I know that I have–repeatedly. It might not look like outright rebellion, but I have definitely resisted God’s will for me in various ways. The rebellion usually sounds like this: “I want (insert situation here) to go my way!” This willful disobedience leads to anger, resentment, and conflict in my soul. It’s only…
In a homily Pope St. John Paul II gave on an apostolic trip to America, he offered this inspiring description of the Eucharist as the fullest expression of God’s love: “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 Christ.” Take a moment and imagine how this might work: God sends us…