The symbol of the heart is really prevalent in our society.  Whether it’s the various heart emojis on our phones that can be used when texting and in social media posts, the hearts found in greeting cards, or hearts that are incorporated into logos or billboards, we see heart images everywhere.  The symbol of the heart is used to express and represent love.  But there is one heart that stands out above all others, and that is the heart of Jesus.  In the Catholic Church, the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  This month helps us to dive deeper into this beautiful devotion, which shows us what love is.

We’ve all seen the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, either in statue form, in a picture on the wall, or on prayer cards.  It is one of my favorite images of Jesus, because it reveals so well who Jesus is and helps us to reflect on how much He loves us.

We cannot know what love is or begin to understand what it looks like without knowing the heart of Jesus.  Until we have an encounter with His Sacred Heart, our own hearts are cold and hard.  When we feel our own hearts beating and acknowledge the blood pumping through our bodies, we must recognize that it is Christ’s love for us that is holding us in existence in every moment.

In the image of the Sacred Heart, we see that the heart is on fire.  Jesus’ love for us burns intensely and the flames never die out.   His heart is also surrounded by a crown of thorns and pierced with a lance.  We so often wound Him with our sins and reject Him and His love.  Yet, His heart is filled with mercy and He continues to offer His heart to us anyway.  Do we allow the fire of Christ’s love to penetrate our own hearts so that we can learn how to love?
​
Jesus, thank you for loving us and giving us your heart.  Help us to love you in return.  Give us the grace to reject the false ideas of love that our culture shows us and point us towards your Sacred Heart, burning with love for us.  Draw us closer to your heart, so that we would never forget your desire for us.  Make our hearts like yours.  Set our hearts ablaze.  Amen.

A few weeks ago, I was driving home from a wedding.  It was late and dark outside but I figured I didn’t need to pull up the maps app on my phone because it was only 20 minutes from home and I had driven in that area plenty of times before.  I thought it would be easy enough to take a few side roads that would lead me to the highway.  But this is where I was wrong.  A few apparently wrong turns and I suddenly was in an area that was completely unfamiliar.  I underestimated my poor sense of direction.  I thought I knew the way and didn’t think I needed any directions or guidance from my GPS.  How often in our lives have we thought we knew the way and that we didn’t need direction from God?

Most people like to have a plan, and not just a plan for the day or for the week, but for their whole lives.  And while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can sometimes lead to leaving God out.  How often do we think we know what is best or think that our wants and desires are better than God’s will for us?  We can ultimately drive the car and make our own decisions, but if we think we know the way and don’t ask God for direction, we will get lost.

Our willingness to turn to God all really comes down to trust.  Do we really trust God, fully and wholeheartedly?  If we do, we will stop relying on ourselves and ask Him for direction, placing our whole lives in His hands.  We will acknowledge that we have a poor sense of direction regarding what is best and allow God to guide our paths.
​
It is easy to believe that we have it all figured out or that we know what we’re doing and where we’re going.  But the truth is, we all need guidance and we all need to be shown the way to go.  God will always lead us in the right direction, as long as we place our trust in Him and listen.  The next time you’re tempted to make a decision or go a certain way by relying on your own knowledge, turn to God, the greatest guide and source of direction we have.

In case you didn’t hear or see the news about it, the L.A. Dodgers are honoring a group of men who dress in drag and mock the Catholic faith with a “Community Hero” award.  The members of this anti-Catholic group dress in habits and call themselves the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.  The group’s motto is, “Go forth and sin some more, ” a distasteful twisting of Jesus’ command to “go and sin no more.”  Each of them takes on a vulgar religious name when they join the group and they also mock the various steps in the formation process that Catholic religious women go through (postulancy, novitiate, etc.) when joining an order.  They host lewd and sacrilegious events such as a Midnight Confessional Contest held at a bar, dressing up as Jesus carrying a cross and then performing a pole dance on the cross, a Free Choice Mary pro-abortion event, mock masses with wafers and tequila, and many more acts that are more obscene and sickening than you can imagine.  After the Dodgers received criticism and objections from Catholics, the Dodgers rescinded their invitation to the drag group.  However, a week later, the Dodgers caved to the pressure of LGBTQ groups and proponents, issued an apology, and reinvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be honored at the stadium.  This whole situation is just one example of how the Catholic faith is viewed by the world.  If it were any other group of people being mocked in this kind of way, there would be an immediate stop put to it and it would be widely condemned.  But Catholicism has become some sort of punching bag for our society and people just go along with it.  Our faith is under attack in big ways such as the above example and in smaller, more discreet ways every single day.  
​
Jesus was clear that we would experience persecution as a result of following Him and being part of the Church, so we should not be surprised when it happens.  And thankfully, we live in a country where we do not have to fear for our physical safety when attending mass or praying in public.  While we likely will not face a situation where we have to die for our religious beliefs, the reality is that we still will be hated by the world because of His name (John 15:18-21).  This must not stop us from living out our faith.

Whether it’s in music, movies, TV shows, any sort of entertainment outlet, or just in the jokes of others, our faith is often the target for inappropriate comments, ridicule, or parodies.  Our culture is hostile to Catholics, and especially to those who are serious about living it out.  It can be easy to become discouraged or tempted to hide our faith, turning it into something private.  But our faith is meant to be shared with others.  We must persevere and strive to imitate Christ each day, while taking a stand against those who think our faith is a joke.

Many people just go with the flow or say that there are bigger issues to worry about.  But if our faith is important to us, we will not accept people mocking or defiling it.  We must continue to stand up for the truth and not be ashamed to let the world know not only who we are as Catholics, but more importantly, who Jesus is.

People are starving for the truth and for the love of Christ, even if they don’t realize it.  And it is in this longing and searching that they target what is sacred and valuable.  I don’t think so many people would attack and mock Catholicism if it wasn’t good, true, and beautiful.  In the midst of a culture that hates Catholicism, we must remain firm in our beliefs and stand up against the attacks against our faith.

Dear Jesus, you faced the ultimate persecution.  Thank you for showing us the way.  Help us to recognize the cost of discipleship and strengthen us so that we may persevere through the hardships in order to follow you.  Set us apart so that we would not conform to the ways of the world.  Give us courage so that we would not be afraid to be persecuted for your sake.  May we strive to imitate you and bring your love and compassion to all we encounter, especially to those who are hostile towards you.  Amen.

Yesterday my sister Abbey ran a marathon.  Watching the marathon was genuinely one of the most fun and enjoyable things ever.  We had the race participant tracking app so that we could track where Abbey was and so that we could get to as many spots as possible to see her and cheer her on.  Aside from cheering for Abbey, we cheered for and encouraged all the people we didn’t know who were also running the course.  The amount of times that they said “thank you for being out here” or expressed some other type of appreciation was countless.  They were so grateful for the encouragement and motivation.  Being able to support the runners and encourage them to keep going also encouraged and inspired myself as a spectator.  If you’ve ever watched a marathon or really any road race (10/10 would recommend it if you haven’t), you know the atmosphere is amazing.  People are along the course cheering for anyone and everyone who runs by and the runners themselves are encouraging each other as well.  It would be so much more difficult for the race participants to complete the long and strenuous event without each other and without the support of spectators.  This is a metaphor for our lives, as our faith journey as Christians is very much the same way.

The journey of following Christ is not always easy.  It is long, challenging, and difficult at times.  We need people to pray for us and with us.  We need people who are going to challenge us in our faith and help us rise up and be better.  We need people who will encourage us and cheer us on, especially when it gets hard.  We need people who will hold us accountable.  We need people who are running the race with us.

When I think of Christianity, the key element that comes to mind is community.  Without a community, living out our faith would be so much harder.  We really cannot do it on our own and we need a community that is built on Jesus and our faith.  We need other people to help us keep the fire alive.  We need people who will share their witness with us, inspire us, and help us stay focused on God when our culture is trying to drag us down.

There is so much power in a strong faith community.  Taking time to walk with others on the journey is vital for us to experience growth and a deeper relationship with Jesus.  Whether it’s a text message checking in with someone to see how things are going, a phone call or letter, or sitting down with someone to talk about faith, these seemingly small actions all make a huge difference.

Whether it’s a retreat group, a Bible study or book group, or just a group of friends, there are so many amazing Catholic communities we can be a part of.  We just have to seek them out.  Aside from people who are here and living among us, we also have a powerful community of saints up in heaven, cheering us on, praying for us, and helping us walk more closely with Jesus.
​
We all have a race to run.  It is long and challenging at times.  And even if it seems like we are ever alone, we must remember that we all have at least one community who is there for us, praying for us, sharing their faith, and offering the support we need.  Life is a lot like a marathon, allow others to run it with you and cheer you on and to help you run closer to Jesus.

My sister Sarah lives in North Carolina.  Ever since she has lived out of the state, my mom and whoever else is at home at the time, calls her over FaceTime every weekend.  This past weekend, she was home for my sister Abbey’s graduation.  Since she was with us in person, we didn’t have to FaceTime her.  It’s great to have the technology to call her and talk to her with video, but nothing beats when she is home and we get to see her in person.  Seeing her in person is key to maintaining a relationship.  Similarly, there are many ways to practice our faith and various tools we have to do so, but nothing beats being able to sit in the presence of Jesus in eucharistic adoration and being able to receive Him at mass.  And it is the key to our relationship with Him.

Looking around at mass every week, the pews are empty.  Where is everyone?  One thing I hear from a lot of people is that they can just pray at home or wherever they are.  Other people say that they don’t get anything from mass.  We should pray wherever we are whenever we can.  And now more than ever, we have so many resources that can help us grow in our faith and strengthen our relationship with Jesus.  There are prayer and Bible apps, podcasts, Youtube videos, streaming abilities for getting on a video call with others to have a Bible or book study, and countless other tools.  These are all great options we have to grow in faith.  But how can anyone have a relationship with someone who they don’t ever see face-to-face?

The two best ways to come to know Jesus personally and not just know about Him are in eucharistic adoration and in the mass.  Jesus makes himself present so that we can encounter him, in-person.  It is in these places that we can be more attentive to Him and listen to how He is speaking to us.  When communicating with someone over the phone, we can be doing many other tasks and only giving the person part of our attention.  But when that person is with us in the flesh, we can more easily give our full attention.  It is the same with Jesus.  Praying on our own at home or using an app on our phones to listen to a homily or faith-based podcast only allows us to go to the surface level that can have more distractions.  But when we are in an environment that is conducive to encountering Christ, it is easier to give Him our full attention and to go deeper in our relationship with Him.
​
We have been given a great gift in both the mass and in adoration.  Getting to be in the presence of Jesus should give us great joy.  How can we share that joy with others not in the pews so that they too might want to meet Jesus in-person?

Last Thursday night, as I went up and began doing the first reading at church, it suddenly became a struggle.  It felt like it was one hundred degrees and my head started pounding.  Some of the words on the page seemed to be moving.  It was like my brain was not responding fast enough to what my eyes were seeing and it became difficult to read the words.  The lines on the page also seemed to blur together.  Sometimes, life can be like this; blurry, especially if we try to look at life without Jesus and faith.

Sometimes, the world around us can seem blurry.  There is so much that goes on in our daily lives and our days are filled up so much that by the end of the day, or the end of the week, we often can’t perceive any clear moments of any real significance.  A lot of times, we live each day, just trying to make it through another work week and get to the weekend.  We can become so focused on moving forward that we don’t stop and reflect on the present moment.

We are called to invite Jesus into every part of our days.  Whether that means taking a quick break to walk outside and thank God for the sunshine, or to say a brief prayer asking Him to help you through whatever you are working on, these small moments help us to recognize the presence of God in wherever we are and whatever we may be doing.

There is so much going on in our world right now.  So many people look at life without the lens of faith and without the acknowledgement of Jesus.  But without Him, nothing makes sense and life is rather meaningless.  Without faith, it’s no wonder that people question their purpose and have nowhere to turn to when life gets hard and when suffering and tragedies present themselves.
​
By taking the time regularly to slow down and thank God for another hour, minute, or breath, it allows us to recognize Him more easily in the moment.  Instead of our days and weeks blending together, and everything moving quickly and being blurred together, we can see the value of each day, even if nothing particularly eventful happens.  May we all take time to clearly see Jesus in the midst of our fast-paced and continually-moving days.

Have you ever been at a Mass where all in attendance are asked to give applause for a person or group of people to show appreciation, recognition, or for a birthday?  Whether it’s clapping for a class of religious education students who showed up and participated in the mass or to thank a group of parishioners for all the ministries they are involved in and all that they do for the church, it just doesn’t seem like a good time for applause.

One summer when I was in college, I was attending a youth conference and one of the priests from the diocese that was on the trip made a comment that applause doesn’t belong in the Mass.  It was a brief and simple statement, and something I didn’t question.  And since then, any time I’ve been at a Mass where we are asked to clap to recognize a person or multiple people, it has just felt uncomfortable.  Sometime afterwards, I came across this quote from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before he was Pope Benedict XVI, in which he said, “wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment.”  The Mass is not about what we have done, but about what God has done and continues to do.

When we take time to recognize someone’s achievements or show our appreciation during Mass, it takes our focus away from God and directs it to ourselves or to others in the parish.  People do a lot of amazing and great things and serve others and the parish so generously.  And they absolutely should be appreciated and thanked.  But, I think that the recognition and thanks should take place outside of Mass.  Whether it is at a social after mass, a card and gift, an announcement put in the bulletin or posted on the parish website, or just by talking to someone after mass, there are many different ways to go about recognizing and thanking parish members that don’t involve clapping for them before the mass has ended.

The mass is the highest form of worship.  There is a reason that it is called the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  It is a time that demands reverence and respect.  And when we wrap up the Mass with a focus on the things we’ve done by giving our applause, then our focus is taken away from God.
​
Maybe I’m overthinking this, but it is something I’ve been really convicted of for awhile, especially when I’m at mass and see this happen.  What are your thoughts?

In the Gospel from this weekend, we hear about how it is in the breaking of the bread that Jesus is made known to the disciples.  Before they recognize Jesus, they say to Him, “stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”  Jesus is always walking with us, whether we recognize Him or not.  And He has given us the gift of the Eucharist so that we too can ask Him to stay with us.

When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we receive His body, blood, soul and divinity.  And it is when we receive Him that we are the closest to Him we can be.  Sometimes at mass, it can be easy to go through the motions and take that hour of time for granted.  Maybe there are times when we are blind to the miracle and grace at the altar.  But Just as Jesus opened the eyes of His disciples, He can open our eyes too so that we see everything with eyes of faith.
​
Whenever we encounter Christ, whether it is in receiving the Eucharist or in our encounters with Him outside of Mass, our hearts will be set on fire, inspiring us to share Him and His love with the world around us.  We must ask ourselves if “our hearts are burning within us”, just as the disciples experienced (Luke 24:32).

If the flame has died down, we can ask Jesus to increase our faith and love for Him, and to give us a heart that is burning, and not cold or lukewarm.  When we feel far from Jesus or when we don’t recognize His presence at different times in our lives, we should ask Him to stay with us as we continue on our journeys.  Sometimes, all it takes is asking in faith.  The more time we spend with Jesus and the more we desire to be close to Him, the more we will be able to recognize Him and realize that He truly is with us in every moment of our days.

Dear Jesus, sometimes we are blind to You and fail to recognize You walking with us.  Give us eyes of faith so that we can see You.  Give us hearts that are on fire, burning with love of You.  Stay with us, and help us as we continue on the journey.  We need you so that we can share the Good news with the world.  Amen.

Sunday night I was at my college campus for an alumni Mass.  My brother was also there.  A few people made the comment that my brother and I look a lot alike and they could tell we were siblings.  This made me reflect on how we live our lives each day.  Do we look a lot like Jesus?  Can people tell we are Christians?

We should look a lot like Jesus, not physically of course, but rather in our character and the way we live.  We should look like Jesus in the way we love others and in the way we forgive.  We should also look like Him because of the joy we have, the peace we experience, and the humility we serve with.

We are all called to imitate Christ.  When we live as disciples, we are a reflection of Him to the world around us.  When we fail, we should ask the Holy Spirit to help us and to rid us of the traits that do not reflect Jesus.  When we choose sin instead of Jesus, we can go to confession to be forgiven and made new, giving us a new opportunity to be like Christ again the moment we walk out the door.

The way we respond to the events around us, the way we speak to others, and the general disposition we have on a regular basis should be different from the world and from those who are not Christians.  This is not always easy, but with a lot of grace and trust in God, it is possible, as long as we allow Him to transform our hearts and minds.

We all have different desires, some are good, others can become a distraction or be problematic depending on the priority we give to them.  Maybe we want to be successful, do well at our jobs, have a lot of friends, or just become better people.  Nothing is wrong with these desires, but they should not be the focus or priority.

We should all want to look like Jesus.  If people can look at us and see Christ, then we are on the right track.  People should be able to tell that we are Christians.

Dear God, we know we are made in your image and likeness and we thank you for the gift of our lives.  Help us to become like your son Jesus and give us the grace to be a reflection of Him in all we say and do.  We mess up and fail, but You have the power to transform us so that we can keep trying.  May we use our lives to show the world who Jesus is.  Amen.

“Our God is not dead, He’s alive, He’s alive!”  If this doesn’t make you excited I don’t know what will?  This is the basis for our faith.  If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then our faith means nothing and life is pretty meaningless.  Oftentimes, it seems like the resurrection of Christ is downplayed.  For some people, it is treated as just an event that happened a long time ago and that has a minor significance to our lives today.  But Jesus’ resurrection is a really big deal.  Our lives should reflect this not just one day of the year, but every day.

It’s easy to go to church on Easter Sunday and bask in the joy of the resurrection during that time, and afterwards, put any thoughts of Jesus’ resurrection on the back burner until the next year.  Maybe we too have at some point glossed over what it means for our lives.  But the resurrection is ultimately the reason for our faith.  It should impact the way we live each and every day of our lives.

If something as brutal and excruciating as Jesus’ crucifixion can turn into the greatest event in history and the biggest source of joy just a few days later, then everything we experience in our lives can also be an opportunity for joy.  If we allow Jesus to resurrect our hearts and let the truth of His resurrection change our lives, our suffering and burdens can be transformed into joy too.  The world sees suffering as meaningless, but as Christians, we know that our suffering can be offered up and that it can unite us to His Passion, even when it is hard to accept or when we don’t understand it.  We know that Jesus can transform us through the trials and challenges.

Jesus’ resurrection also gives us a reason for hope.  Because he defeated sin and death, he has opened up the path to eternal life with Him.  This reality should impact the way we live.  Who doesn’t want to get to heaven and live with God for eternity?  It is the resurrection that gives us reason to believe that we will be able to have life after death.
​
Christ is risen from the dead!  And this is no small event.  We must realize the significance this has to our lives and allow it to impact the way we live.  Today and everyday, may you live in a way that allows others to believe in the power and beauty of the resurrection!