How often do we have experiences that we perceive as coincidences?  The times where we think to ourselves, “wow, what are the chances?” or “did that really just happen?”.  The situations and happenings that seem random and like mere coincidences can be seen as something more when we have faith.  The greater the faith we have, the easier we can recognize these occurrences as God moments, moments where we can simply say, “thank you, God.”  Sharing God moments with others can inspire them to think about the small moments in their days where they too can recognize God’s hand at work and see His goodness.

I experienced one of these moments awhile back.  When you work a job with normal hours, it is a bit harder to make it to daily mass.  Many parishes seem to have daily masses at 8:00 AM or another similar time.  While some have masses scheduled over the noon hour, it can be hard to make unless the parish is really close to where you work so you can get there, attend, and get back to work before your lunch time is over.  Working 7:30-5:00, I just assumed over the last several years that I wouldn’t be able to get to any daily masses unless they were in the evening.  However, not too long ago I accidentally found that there is a parish exactly 1.1 miles from my work when I was driving down a side road, different from my normal route.  It is a parish I had been to before, but with my lack of strong directional skills, I hadn’t realized that it was close to where I work.  And upon looking up their website, I discovered that they have a daily mass at 6:45 AM.  Wow, how perfect!  What are the chances that there is a church that close that also happens to have mass at that time?  It was surely a God moment.

Another God moment took place at the beginning of the month.  One Sunday, I was talking with someone about the National Eucharistic Congress event that is taking place in July.  She asked me if I was going.  I mentioned how it would be cool, but that I most likely wasn’t going, because it seemed easier to go with a group.  The next evening, I was at a meeting at UWGB and someone from the diocese was also there.  After the meeting, she came up to me and told me that I was on her list of people to ask if I’d like to attend the event in one of 15 spots as part of the young adult delegation for the diocese.  Again, the chances of this situation seemed unreal.  But I was able to recognize that it wasn’t just by chance, but rather, that it was God.

We all experience different moments on a regular basis, big or small, that seem unlikely, which lead us to believe they just happen coincidentally.  But, God is at work in our lives and guides us each day.  He knows everything that will happen and works within the events of our days to reveal His goodness.
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When something seems too good to be true, we can look to God and thank Him.  He wants to give us good things and provides many opportunities for us to grow closer to Him.  This week, be on the lookout for the moments where you can see glimpses of God in your life.  He is there and He is always good.

I’ve always liked envisioning an image of the desert.  It is a place that is warm, quiet, and probably pretty empty.  A space so different compared to the full and fast-paced environment we live in.  A place with no distractions and where we can hear more clearly.  A place that is still.  While we may at first think that nothing good can come from the desert, especially after hearing this weekend’s gospel, where Jesus is tempted there, we must think again.  We are all called to follow Jesus into the desert, to find our own sort of desert.  Because while Jesus was tempted by Satan, He also overcame the temptations.  And that’s what He wants to teach us too, that we can overcome the temptations and lies of the devil, but only with His help.

This weekend, I was able to spend time in adoration, late at night and also at many other times throughout the weekend, while a men’s retreat was going on.  It was sort of like a desert, or at least I imagined it to be.  Quiet, calm, no distractions, away from the outside world, sitting with Jesus in prayer.  Being in that chapel, it felt like I was on a retreat, and I forgot about anything going on outside in the world.

As I sat in the chapel, truly the best place to be on these weekends, I was reminded that anything we face out in the world, He faces with us, and without Him, we can do nothing.  I think sometimes we are scared to follow Jesus into the desert.  What will we hear?  How will He call us to walk more closely with Him?  How will our lives be changed?  But we don’t have to worry about any of these things.  Because when we sit before Jesus in the blessed sacrament, He reminds us that He has walked the path we are walking and He walks it with us everyday so that we don’t have to face the world and all the lies, evil, and temptations of the devil alone.

Satan wants to whisk us away and disrupt our peace, joy, and ultimately, our souls.  But Jesus fights for us.  He does this not in a forceful, demanding, or aggressive way, but in a gentle and inviting way.  He is always working to draw us closer, even if we do not recognize it or if we wander away from Him.  When you spend time in eucharistic adoration, you will experience peace, joy, and love that you can’t find in the world.  Your heart will be changed and transformed.
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Find your desert- a place free of the stuff and distractions, a place you can experience the deep love He has for you.  Any lies you believe, fears you have, or burdens you are carrying, Jesus will take away.  As you walk with Him this Lent, may you allow your heart to be transformed and may you remember that He is with you, leading you always.

Once a month, the 7th through 11th grade religious ed students start off the class period with eucharistic adoration, usually just for 15 minutes.  Every third week of the month, my 8th grade class, without fail, has rattled off a list of complaints before we head over to the church and also afterwards, once we get back to the classroom.  They complain that it’s boring, their knees hurt, they don’t like the smell of incense, they think it’s weird and have to try not to laugh, they don’t want to stare at the wall for so long doing nothing.  They ask what they’re supposed to do and why no one says anything.  These are some of the many words that I’ve heard from them.  Even though it’s been explained to them that Jesus is present and it is a time to be with Him, they still don’t get it, which is likely why they never feel like going.  But when it comes to our faith, it is not just students who can have this mindset.  Just like these students, for many, it is a lack of understanding that keeps them from practicing their faith actively.  And for others, it may be because they just don’t feel like doing anything.  But our faith is not about what we feel.

While many times, our faith makes us feel a certain way or we feel certain emotions, it is not feelings that we should allow to guide us.  It is a choice.  Everyday, we have to get up and choose to live out our faith.  We have to choose God, even when the world around us is choosing the opposite.  We have to choose to speak certain words and serve others however we can.  We have to choose to pray and find ways to grow in our relationship with God.  Making these choices can be hard; they take effort and commitment.  

All we have to do is look at the cross.  When we look at  and think about Jesus dying on the cross for us, we see the ultimate picture of love.  Love is not about feeling a certain way, it is a choice that is made.  And if we ever feel like Jesus is far from us or we cannot feel his presence, we must remember to choose Him anyway.  Because that is love.

With Lent beginning tomorrow, there may be a lot we are thinking about regarding how we can grow.  As we think about the small sacrifices we might make, the extra money or time we may give, and the deeper and extra prayer we will enter into, we might decide that we don’t feel like doing certain things because it’s too hard.  When we are tempted to take the easy way out, may our love for Jesus outweigh our feelings.  Let us choose to be intentional in what we do, even when we don’t feel like it.
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Choose Jesus this Lent, he has chosen you.

“Do not be afraid; just have faith” (Mark 5:36).  These words in Tuesday’s gospel that Jesus says to the synagogue official are words that he also says to us.  In our daily lives, there are many moments where we might be tempted to fear or worry about certain situations or about what is to come.  However, we must take Jesus’ command to heart.  Faith changes everything.

It’s easy to tell ourselves we have faith.  But is it just an inspirational word that we pull out when we need it or is it a virtue that guides our whole lives?  Do we recognize faith as a great gift that allows us to trust Jesus with everything we have?

Whenever we are going through something challenging or when we are filled with fear or worry, there is often a lot of noise around us, which can block out the truth.  Satan uses fear as a weapon against us and loves when we are filled with doubt and worry because He wants to drive us away from Jesus.  But in these moments, remember that Jesus is right there with us.  He looks upon each one of us with love and says to us, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

These words should be a source of great comfort and peace for us.  They remind us that faith makes a profound difference in our lives and has the power to outweigh any fear, worry, or doubt.  And the thing to remember about having faith is that we have never reached maximum capacity; there is always room for more.  We can always ask Jesus to increase our faith.
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If we allow it to, fear can consume us and take over our lives.  But Jesus has something better for us.  When we are in the midst of the unknown or something challenging, remember Jesus’ words to us.  Just have faith, it will change everything.

Last week, I spent the week at my sister and brother-in-law’s house in North Carolina and met my now three-week old nephew.  As I held him, and watched him, I was filled with so much love and gratitude for this new, precious and small  life.  As I spent time with him, I saw the work of God.  Babies easily remind us of a powerful, good, and loving Father and Creator.  I can’t help but think about all of the babies who never get to live outside of the womb.  And I wonder, how can anyone look at life as something to discard just weeks or months before in the womb, all in the name of “women’s rights” and “reproductive health.”

Yesterday marked 51 years since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.  The fateful decision on that January day revealed a country who had again lost its moral compass and a culture that had turned away from God.  With the overturning of the decision in June of 2022, our country has seen a lot of states pass laws that ban abortion and favor life.  There has been a lot of progress, but there is still so much work to be done.  We need to stand up for life until abortion is not only illegal, but more importantly, unthinkable.

So many people are complacent and many others have become desensitized to the culture of death that normalizes the absolutely dehumanizing, cruel, and evil practice of abortion.  Others believe the lies that the pro-abortion lobby and media push.  Some people say that we care too much about this issue or to stop talking about it.  But as long as God has given us another day, we must work to uphold and honor the dignity of life, sharing that every single life is a gift from conception to natural death. 

In order to make abortion unthinkable, it takes all of us.  In order to change the culture, we need people who are passionate about life and about helping women in unplanned pregnancies who feel like abortion is their only option.  We need to support and promote pregnancy resource centers and work to steer people away from the abortion-giant, Planned Parenthood and share their corrupt and immoral practices.  We need to study and brush up on our pro-life apologetics so that we have the knowledge and ability to share why life matters with those who disagree.

For any of you who do not feel very passionate about being pro-life or any of you who are scared about sharing your pro-life stance, I’d challenge you to do something this week that helps you to put your beliefs into action.  And for those of you who are already passionate about being pro-life and strive to live it out daily in your words and actions, do not lose your fire and conviction.  The culture of death has permeated our country and the battle over abortion rages on.  But God is on the side of life, and with Him alone, we can change one heart and one mind at a time.
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“We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the “culture of death” and the “culture of life”. We find ourselves not only faced with but necessarily in the midst of this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.” (St. John Paul II)

Nine years ago, as of yesterday, I received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Some pictures from that night popped up in my facebook memories and caused me to think about the sacrament.  As I look back and reflect on the years since, I recognize just how significant and important that special evening was and how much of an impact it has had.  If you know me, you know that I am not a loud and outgoing person.  But with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, He has helped me to share my faith, even if just in small, subtle ways.  And no matter what our personalities are or what obstacles and weaknesses we have, we are all tasked with sharing our faith with others and taking a stand for who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives.

At some points in our lives, we may have had a lot of fear around sharing our faith.  What will people think of us?  We might be seen as weird.  Will we lose friends?  We cannot let this fear and the temptation to conform with the rest of the world stop us from sharing what we believe and why.  It can be uncomfortable and may stretch us past what we think we are capable of.  But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be given the ability and desire to get out of our comfort zones and live our faith.

The key to sharing our faith is to rely on the Holy Spirit and ask Him daily to help us and increase in us the different gifts we need at different times.  We will definitely fail many times, but this is not a reason to stop or give up.  We must call upon the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help us again.  We must not let our weaknesses prevent us from living the lives Jesus calls us to and being who we were created to be.
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At Confirmation, we accepted a mission; to live as a witness to Jesus Christ in the world.  He is counting on us.  Every day that we wake up is another day we have to share Jesus with the people around us.  Sometimes it will be in big ways, but other times, it will be in small, quiet ways.  Whether it is in the words we speak, or in our actions and the way we live our lives, we have the opportunity to make Him known.  May we ask the Holy Spirit to increase His gifts in us and fill our hearts so that we would live out the mission we have said “yes” to.

Who doesn’t love babies?  So small, precious, innocent, and helpless, it is so easy to love them.  Babies cannot do anything for us or for themselves.  They don’t have to do anything to gain our love.  We don’t love them because of what they do or don’t do, we love them simply because of who they are and the fact that they exist.  When we hold a baby in our arms, we are filled with love and admiration and just want to stay close to them.  The Son of God too came to the earth as a newborn baby, when He could have come in any way that God desired.

Jesus coming to us as a newborn baby can teach us a lot.  Maybe one of the reasons He came to the world in this way is so that we would love Him the same way we love any other babies.  God wants us to learn to love Him for who He is and not what He can do for us.  Do we love God because of what he gives to us and does for us or do we love God simply because He is our Father and Creator?

When we feel like our lives are going well and according to our plans, it’s easy to love God.  We thank Him for all of the blessings in our lives and don’t question His goodness.  But maybe when we face obstacles and times of uncertainty, we start to doubt God and question if He really loves us.  Christmas is a season to help us to grow in our ability to love God for who He is and not what He can do.  Taking time to love and adore the infant Jesus can help us to love and adore Him in all seasons and in all circumstances.

Anytime we have the blessing of being around a newborn baby, we want to draw close to them and it’s easy to feel love and tenderness.  And God wants us to have those same experiences when we approach Him.  He wants us to be comfortable approaching Him and to draw closer to Him, to experience His love and tenderness towards us.  When we encounter God, we should be filled with love and adoration for Him, just as we are when we hold a newborn baby.
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This Christmas season, as you continue to meditate on the birth of Christ, think about how His coming as an infant can impact your love for Him.  Continue to open your heart and remember that He wants to be close to you.  Trust in His deep love and care for you and find joy in the greatest gift the world has ever been given.

This time of the year is the busiest time for so many people.  From Christmas parties, baking, shopping, decorating, and everything else this season brings, people are constantly going places and partaking in endless activities.  In all these activities and events that we can fill our time with, there is a deep void within us if we don’t seek Jesus.  We can fill up on all that this season brings, but will still be left with empty spaces if we don’t make room for Him.  So many people feel empty and lost, especially at this time of the year.

So many people are searching; searching for truth, searching for love, searching for joy, searching for Jesus.  However, they may not realize what it is they are searching for.  In a time of the year when there is so much going on and so much to do, it is easy for people to believe that they are happy and satisfied.  People can fall into the temptation of believing that being busy means being fulfilled.  People often think that they will find real joy in receiving presents rather than being in His presence.  If all we’ve done in the weeks leading up to Christmas is busy ourselves with events to go to and tasks to complete, there will be a large void in our hearts and in our lives.

Our society may not know the value and sacredness of this time leading up to Christmas, but as Catholics we must take a different path.  We must take a path that is unfamiliar to the world around us.  The path is a bit quieter, slower, and filled with stillness.  It is this path alone that will lead us to experience Christmas and the birth of Christ with the hope, love, and joy that will fill our hearts to overflowing.
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Don’t try to fill the empty spaces with the noise and hustle of the world around us.  Because the world around us has not properly prepared for Jesus’ birth.  They have been celebrating Christmas for weeks already and will be done and ready to move on by December 26th.  Use this last full week of Advent to really prepare and wait.  Then on Christmas, you will be able to recognize the gift that Jesus’ birth is and be filled by the love and joy that only He can provide.

Back in July, I participated in something called the PIT count.  PIT stands for “Point-in-Time” and it is a count of both sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night.  HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) requires that this count be done every January, but Wisconsin also does it in July in order to get a more accurate count, as more people are likely to seek some sort of shelter indoors in January in WI due to the extreme cold.  I was assigned to the downtown Green Bay area with a group of three others and was not quite prepared for the number of people my group and I would encounter that night.  From the hours of 11:00 PM- 4:00 AM, we drove around and walked to different areas to find as many people as we could.  We collected some data, provided water/snacks and some other basic items, and just talked to each person, meeting them where they were at and in the places they likely regularly spent their nights.  And in the process, I encountered Christ.

In Brown County, the downtown Green Bay area is one of the areas where the highest number of people experiencing homelessness can be found.  The first area on our route we went to that night was by St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church.  As we pulled up, there were probably about 20 people gathered on the front steps of the church, some sitting down, some laying down already trying to sleep, and others standing at the bottom of the steps.  As my group members and I split up so that we could talk with each person, more people made their way to this area in front of the church, getting ready to settle there for the night.  At that moment, I was struck by the reality of homelessness.  I was stretched out of my comfort zone. 

As we went throughout the night and talked to the people we found, I realized that every single person has a different story.  Whether those we encountered were by churches, in parks, in vehicles, under bridges, near businesses, or elsewhere, I was reminded that regardless of how they ended up on the streets, they each have dignity and worth given to them by God that cannot be taken away, no matter what the world may think and say about them.  Maybe they developed addictions to drugs or alcohol, racked up debt, committed crimes and had nowhere to go when released from jail, were fleeing domestic violence situations, have a mental illness, made poor life choices, and the list goes on.  The thing we need to remember is that those who are experiencing homelessness are not defined by their choices or situations.  They are defined by a Father who created them, loves them, and knows their hearts, and they often just want to be seen.  

Even if we fail to understand these situations or choices of those on the streets, it doesn’t change their value or the fact that they are created in the image and likeness of God.  I was reminded that it’s not our place to criticize or condemn those experiencing homelessness, but rather, to love them as Jesus does and to serve them in whatever ways possible.  It’s easy to look the other way and pretend the homeless don’t exist, as we live our comfortable lives with everything we need and much more.  But Jesus commands us to serve those in need, because when we serve them, we serve Him.  

That night in July, as I looked into the eyes of the people we encountered on the streets, I knew in those moments, I was looking into the eyes of Christ.  That night, Jesus broke open my heart just a little bit more, so that I could learn to love more and see those who are homeless with a heart of compassion rather than judgment.  This has been a work in progress for me, as there is always room to grow. 

That night during the PIT count, I encountered many more people on the streets than I thought we would.  The number was overwhelming.  And in those encounters, I encountered Christ Himself, asking me, “Can you see Me in them?  Will you love them as I do?”  May we all ask Jesus to expand our hearts for people experiencing homelessness and reflect on how we can love them and serve them better.
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Jesus, thank you for our lives that are often very comfortable and filled with much more than we need.  Help us to step away from that comfort at times to encounter “the least of our brothers and sisters.”  Remove our hardened hearts that are full of  judgments and criticisms.  Give us hearts filled with love and compassion for those who are homeless and give us eyes that see You in them.  May we never become blind to those in need.  Amen.

A few days ago, I was reading an article about the physical effects of gratitude.  Among some of the many benefits of the practice of gratitude are lower levels of stress, lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and an increase in sleep quality.  At first, it seemed kind of crazy to me that something as simple as being grateful can actually impact us physically.  But after thinking about it for a little bit, it made sense.  We were literally created to worship and praise God- that involves thanking Him for all of the blessings He has given us.

Gratitude helps us to see everything in our lives as a gift from God.  It also helps us to depend more fully on God because we realize that every good thing in our life is from Him, and without Him, we can do nothing.  Gratitude is not just saying “thank you” every once in a while.  It is a disposition that involves acknowledging all of the gifts and blessings in our lives and living lives that glorify and praise God.

Living with gratitude means that we will focus more on our blessings than on any problems or challenges we may be facing.  It also will help us to look differently at these problems.  We will be able to see the good that can come from them and how God may be calling us to draw closer to Him during these times.  Gratitude helps us shift our focus from anything we lack to the abundance of blessings that we have.

The moment we wake up, we must recognize that every breath we take is a gift from God.  His love for us holds us in existence and we need to live our lives with a deep sense of thankfulness for the gift of our lives and for all of the graces He bestows on us.
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As people across the country gather to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, many will express what they are thankful for.  But many will have an attitude of thankfulness for just that one day, and then go back to living in ways in which they fail to recognize their blessings.  May the gratitude and thankfulness we show on Thanksgiving overflow into our everyday lives, helping us all to live with hearts full of gratitude always.