I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. – John 13:34-35 Jesus is very clear with us in our Gospel passage this Sunday: we are to love one another. How we love one another is a kind of litmus test for our identities as Christian…
A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit (Lk 6: 43). What is this “good fruit” that Jesus speaks of in our Gospel this Sunday? Fruits of the Holy Spirit are “perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory…[they are]: ‘charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity’” (CCC 1832). These are most definitely “good fruits.”…
When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. –Luke 5:11 What does it “cost” to be a Christian disciple? Some might say, “Nothing! Discipleship is free!” While that is true on one level, it’s also true that discipleship is actually “expensive.” It costs us time for prayer, worship, and fellowship. It costs conversion of heart, discipline, the acceptance of suffering, and more. The Cost of Discipleship was written by…
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We imagine their happy, loving home as a prayerful place of wholesome work and togetherness. Pope Francis said, “The family of Nazareth is holy because it was centered on Jesus.” Here a few ideas to help you consider how to center your family on Christ. First, if we are parents or grandparents, then we can strive to grow in our…
Jesus, son of David, have pity on me. – Mark 10:47 In the early days of the faith, Christianity was called “The Way.” In our Gospel passage for Sunday (Mark 10:46- 52), Blind Bartimaeus “followed Jesus on the way” after his healing. He became a disciple! Bartimaeus recognized his need for a savior. He knew he couldn’t save or heal himself. He cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” What a good…
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21 Changing up different styles of prayer is one way to encounter Jesus in new, unexpected ways. This week, I decided to use visio divina to help me think about our Gospel passage for this Sunday on the…
Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it (Mark 8:35). This Sunday’s Gospel reading is the heart of discipleship: deny yourself and lift up your crosses every single day in imitation of Jesus. To follow Jesus—to truly be His disciples, day-in…
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…
Penitent Magdalen, Jesus forgave you of much. Pray for us that we might learn to accept the Lord’s forgiveness like you. Restored Magdalen, Jesus healed you of seven demons. Pray for us that the Lord will heal our dark places, too. Loving Magdalen, your healing and restoration led to a great love for the Lord. Pray for us that we might love Jesus more and more. Devoted Magdalen, you peacefully sat at the Lord’s feet…
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…