A few weekends ago, the Gospel at mass was John 15:1-8, a passage known as “the vine and the branches” and three days later, the daily gospel was this same passage.   Last week, I was reading a book when I came across a part that reflected on some of the ideas from this scripture passage.  Then, last Thursday I was at a banquet for Vida, a pregnancy resource center in Appleton, and Bishop Ricken gave a reflection on John 15.  John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”  As this scripture passage kept popping up over the last few weeks, I realized that God was clearly reminding me that without Him, I can do nothing and will not bear any fruit.  In everything we do, we must remain in Him.

In the book I was reading, This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, by Claire Dwyer, she talked about how we have all been given a mission and wrote, “we have to believe that the measure of our call is undoubtedly higher than we are and then get out of the way enough for Christ to glorify the Father through our transparent souls” (Dwyer, 207).  If we try to do things on our own, we are not going to be able to do this.  If we let pride take over our lives, we will doubt the mission God has given us and we will feel as if we cannot do what He calls us to each day because we will be relying on our own abilities.  She continues on, “so yes, we must be humble and know that without Christ, we really cannot bear any lasting fruit- but with Him, there will absolutely be basketfuls left over” (Dwyer, 207).  For me, this is a work in progress and I recognize I have a long way to go.  Maybe that is the case for you too.  In the mission He gives us, not only for our whole lives, but in each day, we must get out of the way so that when we do what He asks of us, God will be glorified and we will bear good fruit.  To imagine basketfuls of fruit that would come from our reliance on Christ is a powerful image that can help us remain in Him.

In Bishop Ricken’s reflection at the banquet, He reminded us that the work that we do will not produce any good fruit unless we remain in Christ and His love.  He talked about how it is easy to let the lies from Satan convince us that we cannot do what Jesus asks of us, but we must not be discouraged.  We must let Jesus’ voice be louder so that we can continue doing whatever work that He asks of us.
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It’s easy to think that we are not capable and that we do not have what it takes to do what Jesus asks of us.  But if He asks us to do something, He never abandons us and leaves us to do it on our own.  We cannot do what He asks if we rely on ourselves.  But if we rely on Him, we can do whatever it is He is calling us to.  If you are worried about saying “yes” to anything in your life, big or small, just remember that without Him, we can do nothing.  But if we remain in Him, we will bear good fruit.  May we always remain in Jesus and produce basketfuls of fruit

This past weekend, the church I am a member of held a meeting after mass to discuss a change that is taking place July 1st.  Throughout Holy Trinity’s history, there hasn’t been a clear designation of what the church is.  While it was most often referred to as a mission church throughout the years, it has been operating more as a parish, with trustees  and with a separate checking account.  To ensure the church is in proper order, it is being designated as an oratory of the larger parish, All Saints, July 1st.   At the meeting, I was shocked by the angry responses, the attacking questions, and the comments that people made as if they knew better than the Bishop.  As the representative from the Diocese explained that those attending Holy Trinity would be members of All Saints when the change happens, it was disappointing to see how people acted.  For some reason, there are people who are anti- All Saints, and some who even refuse to step foot into the church to attend mass there.  This is not the way that Jesus calls us to.  We are one universal church with the same mission.

Every week in the creed, we express that we believe in “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”  Jesus established one Church, the Catholic Church.  This means that every single Catholic church is the same and professes the same beliefs and teachings.  We can walk into any Catholic church anywhere and know exactly what is going on and what to do.

For some reason, some people seem to have too much pride in which church they belong to and where they go to mass.  It is good to belong to a church and be an active member, contributing in different ways and with our time and money.  But at the end of the day, what really matters is that we are attending mass weekly.  It doesn’t matter where we are going to mass, as long as we are going.  In the Green Bay diocese, we are blessed with so many Catholic churches.  We live in an area with tons of options.  We should never take that for granted and should be grateful that we don’t have to go far.

I’m not sure what people are so defensive about when it comes to other parishes.  Whether it is a concern about money, an issue with other people, or something else, if that’s what people are worried about, they are probably approaching church with the wrong mindset.  Every Catholic church we walk into has Jesus, and that’s what really matters.

There seems to be a lot of separation and division among people within neighboring churches.  We must not be separated by different church buildings, but rather joined by our faith in Jesus Christ, the eucharist, and the one true Catholic Church.  We are only, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.  Let’s start acting like it.

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church.  Probably her most famous quote she is known for is “if you are what you should be, you will set Italy ablaze, which is commonly altered to “be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”  I think this is a good quote to reflect on every so often.

Oftentimes, I ask myself if I am being who God meant me to be.  I don’t know about anyone else, but for me, this is something I often have a hard time answering.  How do we actually know if we are being who God created us to be?

Maybe you too have had a hard time determining if you are living as the person God meant you to be.  I think the best course of action is to place ourselves before God in prayer and ask Him to reveal the gifts that He has given us to use to share Him with the world, to set it on fire.

God is calling all of us to holiness, to be like His son Jesus.  And as we deepen our relationship with Christ and come to better know who He is, we will hopefully be filled with a blazing fire, a fire that cannot be extinguished by anyone or anything.  And once we ourselves are on fire with His love, we can go out and spread that fire, sharing our faith and love of Jesus in our daily lives.  It may sound like a daunting task, but by trying our best to live our faith and being authentic disciples of Christ, it may just ignite a small spark in someone’s life, igniting their faith and starting a fire.
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Even if we struggle with knowing if we are being who God created us to be, we can be assured of one thing: He is calling all of us to follow Him and to be a witness to Jesus and what He has done in our lives.  He wants all of the world to know Him and to be filled with His love.  Let’s go set the world on fire!

Today’s Gospel contains one of my all-time favorite lines from scripture.  John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”  I think these simple, yet profound words, very clearly sum up who Jesus is.  Thomas questioned Jesus, asking how the disciples would know the way if they do not know where He is going.  We too might sometimes be like Thomas, questioning where to go.  And we must be reminded that the answer lies in Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.

There are a million different directions we can go when it comes to how we live our lives.  And it seems as if the world is trying to pull us into every single one that is contrary to Christ.  Jesus doesn’t just tell us which way to go, which path to walk down on the journey, but that He Himself is the way.  To follow Jesus, the way, is to adopt a whole way of living that reflects who He is.  And it is through this way that we come to know the truth.

Each and every single person has a hunger for the truth, whether he or she realizes it or not.  Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as absolute truth.  And it is found in Jesus Christ alone.  To acknowledge Jesus as the truth is to accept all of His teachings.  If we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we must not be swayed by the influence of the secular world in terms of what to believe.  Apart from Christ and His Church, we cannot know truth.  It is by our knowledge and understanding of truth that we will find life.

It is Jesus who not only gives us life, but also gives meaning to our lives.  It is in Him that we find a deep and rich life-  life that is full and abundant.  Our relationship with Christ is the strong foundation on which our lives should be built.  Without Him, nothing we do would matter.  Our lives and very existence depends on Him.
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There are a lot of things that we don’t know.  But what really matters is that we know where Jesus goes and we know the way because of our faith.  We know that He has prepared a place for us and is drawing us to Himself.  Jesus tells us, “do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1).  Today and every day, take this message to heart, and remember in all of the uncertainties to cling to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.

When I was going into college, I was really scared about the prospect of having a random roommate.  What if I got put with someone who had totally opposite beliefs or someone who was anti-Catholic?  What if I got put with someone who was an angry feminist?  What if I got put with someone who was going to party every night of the week and come back to the dorm room drunk on a regular basis or someone who was going to bring a boyfriend to the room at night?  I had thought of every worse-case-scenario.  But with some help from my older sister and the UWGB  Catholic campus minister and club advisor at the time, I got connected with another Catholic who was looking for a roommate as well.  Early that summer before we started our freshman year, we were able to talk a little bit and signed up to be roommates so that we were not left to the random selection we would have otherwise faced.

During the first week on campus, there was a welcome week for freshmen with tons of events for us to attend- some required and others optional.  There were student leaders on campus who were in charge of helping out and encouraging us to go to as many events as possible.  After lunch one of the days, there was some sort of Sex Education event.  My roommate and I did not really want to attend this event.  However, we were sort of pushed into the room and told to just go in by some of the leaders standing outside the room.  We agreed that we would go but that if it was weird, vulgar,  inappropriate and went against our beliefs, we would leave.  Within the first five minutes, we looked at each other, not even having to say a word, and we got up and left the room filled with several hundred other students.  And in that moment, I knew God had put a true, faith-filled person in my life who was not only going to be a great roommate all four years, but also a great friend who I could walk with in my faith.

As I reflect on my years in college and the time since then, I am filled with gratitude for the faithful, Catholic friends that God has placed in my life.  Regardless of our age, we all need friends who will walk with us in our faith, friends who have the same values as us, and who will hold us accountable.

The journey is not easy.  But, God makes it possible in the form of good friends.  He provides people in our lives to walk with us, because He knows we cannot do it on our own.  We need people who will pray with us and for us.  We need people who will encourage us and lift us up.  We need people who will challenge us and push us along when we get a little lazy or unmotivated in our faith.  We need people who will help us when we think we’re doing good, but when they know we can be doing more to grow spiritually.

Whether it’s a note from a friend letting you know of prayers for you, a suggestion from a friend to read a certain spiritual book, or a text from a friend saying, “See you tomorrow? :)”, asking if you will be at early morning eucharistic adoration, there are countless ways that friends can help us on the journey.

Pray for good, faith-filled, and holy friends.  We truly do become like the people we surround ourselves with.  And if we want to grow deeper in our faith and closer to God, being around people who want the same things will help us.  God sees and hears our desires and will provide if we ask Him.  Over the years, I have prayed for strong Catholic friends in my life and I have seen how God has answered these prayers in the form of placing some great friends in my life.
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If God has put holy and inspiring friends in your life, thank Him.  And if you’re searching for more of these kinds of friends, keep praying.  We all need prayers, we all need encouragement, and we all need people to keep us accountable in our faith.  We are all on a lifelong pilgrimage, a spiritual journey, that can be challenging and difficult at times, but the great thing is, we don’t have to walk alone.

I googled the word trust, not because I don’t know what it means, but because I was curious about the actual definition and what we are really saying when we say we trust someone.  The first definition that came up, from Oxford Languages, is as follows: “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.”  As the Church celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday, we were reminded of the devotion to Divine Mercy that Jesus gave to St. Faustina, and the powerful image, with the message, “Jesus, I trust in You.”  These five simple words pack a powerful punch.  To trust Jesus means to firmly believe that He is reliable, He is truth, He is able, and has strength.  If we trust Jesus, it means we are not afraid to entrust ourselves to Him because of who He is.  Do we firmly believe that He is who He says He is? 

“Jesus, I trust in you” has become a favorite prayer of mine over the last several years.  Throughout the day, at random moments, I find myself praying “Jesus, I trust in you.”  When I’m driving over bridges or through busy traffic, before a meeting or big project at work, when I have to do something I’m worried or nervous about, or when He calls me to say “yes” to something.  The five- word prayer has become a sort of natural response to whatever is going on around me, almost like a subconscious reminder of Who is in control.  It is a reminder that whatever is going to happen in the next month, the next week, the next day, the next hour, or the next moment, we need to entrust ourselves to Jesus and sincerely say, “In the unknown and in whatever is next, I trust in You.”

We will fail many times at trusting in Jesus.  But I believe that the more we sincerely pray, “Jesus, I trust in You”, the more it will sink into our hearts and help us to surrender ourselves to Jesus and live lives fully dependent on Him.

When we say, “Jesus, I trust in You,” we are telling Him that we trust He will give us what we need, rather than what we may want.  When we say, “Jesus, I trust in You”, we are telling Him that we know He will always walk with us.  When we say, “Jesus, I trust in You”, we are telling Him that we love Him above all else.  And the greater the trust we Have in Him, the deeper peace we will experience.
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Jesus deeply desires for each and every single one of us to trust Him.  He is inviting us to a deeper relationship with Him, by way of greater trust.  It is a life-long practice that we need to continue to work on.  Let the phrase, “Jesus, I trust in You” become a regular, daily prayer.  These five simple words can change everything.  May you pray them sincerely and experience a deep trust in Jesus!

In today’s (Thursday) gospel, the disciples are with the resurrected Jesus.  One line that caused me to stop and reflect as I read it is, “While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” (Luke 24:41).  Although the disciples were startled by His presence and a bit hesitant, they experienced joy and amazement that the risen Lord was standing before them.  Are we too filled with joy and amazement by the resurrection of Jesus?  We should be.

The resurrection of Jesus changes everything.  And without it, our faith means nothing.  The resurrection is what gives us hope and gives meaning to our lives.  And this should be cause for us to lead lives marked by joy and a sense of amazement, not just on Easter Sunday, but as we continue throughout the Easter season and every week after.

We must allow the resurrection to change and transform our lives.  The disciples went forward and continued to be witnesses for Christ.  And we too must be witnesses to Christ and to what He has done in our lives.  Because of the resurrection, we can share the reason for our hope, joy, and faith with others.

The resurrection of Jesus should change the way we live.  It helps us to focus on the power and glory of God, instead of the sins, weaknesses, and problems in the world.  The reality that Jesus defeated sin and death by rising from the dead should inspire in us a desire to share this good news by our words and actions.
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Today, and every day, may we continue to be filled with joy and amazed by Christ’s resurrection!

This past Friday afternoon, I sat down and watched the movie, The Passion of the Christ.  It had been several years since I had watched it.  As hard as it is to watch, I knew I needed a reminder.  A reminder of what Jesus did for us and what it would have looked like, beyond what words can convey.  Regardless of your thoughts on the film, one thing it does an effective job of doing is showing just how bloody, brutal, and agonizing Jesus’ journey to the cross, and the crucifixion itself, were.

How often do we gloss over the fact that Jesus was crucified?  I know many times I have found myself allowing this fact to be just a fleeting thought.  Of course, we know what Jesus went through was brutal and bloody.  But we often don’t let the reality of it penetrate and pierce our hearts and minds.  Every weekend at mass, during the creed, we pray, “for our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried…”  But most of us are numb to what this really means.

As I watched the movie, I did not make it through without tears.  During the scenes of Jesus’ scourging and being nailed to the cross, I was struck once again by the immense and extreme suffering He took on because of sin- my own and that of the whole world.  Scourging and crucifixion involve suffering and excruciating pain far beyond what we can comprehend.  And it was all because of a love beyond what we can comprehend.

He took every whipping, beating, and hammering of the nails with each one of us on His mind, all for love of us.  It is a love that we will never find anywhere else.  For the times we deny Him in our words and actions, the times we choose other things above Him, may we be reminded of the ultimate sacrifice He made for us.  He made this sacrifice in hopes that we would maybe choose to love Him back, knowing that many would not.  And He would do it again because He loves us that much.
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This love that Christ has for us is a love that is life-changing.  As we journey through this Holy Week, the most powerful and moving week of the year as Catholics, may we let this love change us just a little more.  May we enter deeply into the liturgies and take time to reflect on everything Jesus experienced this week.  And may we walk with Him to the cross, remembering just how much pain and agony he went through for us.

We live in a culture that lives by the motto “Do what makes you happy.  You do you.”  As Catholics, we cannot have this mindset.  In today’s (Monday) gospel, Jesus says to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you.”  And oftentimes, that’s where many people in our world would like to end the passage.  But Jesus doesn’t take sin lightly.  He accepts us as we are, but He doesn’t let us remain as we are, so that we aren’t left  thinking that sin is no big deal.  In the gospel reading, he goes on to say, “Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11).  He calls this woman to conversion.  And He calls us to the same.

We are all sinners in need of Christ’s mercy and forgiveness.  And He freely gives it to us.  Just as He doesn’t condemn the woman, He doesn’t condemn us either.  He opens His arms to us and invites us to draw closer.  In fact, He longs for us to come to Him.  Instead of running in the other direction, He deeply desires for us to repent and be reconciled to Him.  This is exactly what we have the opportunity to do in the sacrament of confession.

To go to confession is to encounter the heart of Jesus in a beautiful way.  Partaking in the sacrament is where we encounter love, mercy, and forgiveness.  And it is a place of conversion.  Whether we think our sins are small or serious, bringing them to Christ with a contrite heart will change us, even if just a little bit.  Every time we go to confession and experience grace washing over us, our hardened hearts will become just a little bit more like His.

We will fail and when we do, we must recognize the ways in which we have offended God with our sin.  But we must not stop there.  We must return to Him by asking for forgiveness.  The Church offers us the opportunity to be made new, to be changed, and to experience conversion every single time.  This is a continual, life-long process.  Slowly and in small ways, our hearts and minds will continue to be transformed.
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Sin is real and we must never let the world around us convince us that it isn’t.  Jesus calls us to follow Him more closely, to leave behind anything that hinders us from Him.  And when we fall, he waits for us to choose Him again.  He opens His arms to us, and calls us to go and sin no more.  May we all listen to His challenge and continually allow ourselves to experience conversion in confession.

Last Thursday at work, I spent the day with some of my coworkers and staff from other area agencies helping sort and divide somewhere around 100,000 hygiene products that were donated throughout Brown County as part of the Help for the Homeless Hygiene Drive.  This took place at Green Bay Community Church.  I walked into the doors and into the main worship space where they had all of the boxes and bags of donated products.  The space was a big, square, auditorium-like space with cement walls, a large stage, and basketball hoops up above.  In that moment, I was reminded of how grateful I am to be Catholic and for the beauty of the Catholic faith.

God can be worshiped and praised anywhere.  But churches are the house of God and He deserves our best.  He deserves places that are set apart and different from other spaces.  We are all drawn towards beauty, and it is one of the three transcendentals.  I think many people on the outside looking in may not recognize the goodness and truth of the Catholic Church, but they often cannot argue with the beauty found.  It may be the beauty that leads them to see the truth and goodness.

Walking into a Catholic church, our minds are raised to God.  There are stained glass windows, murals, and other artwork depicting different religious events and scenes.  Statues of saints that remind us of the holy men and women who are interceding for us in heaven and who serve as examples and inspiration for each of us still walking the journey of faith.  Even the candles that are lit make the space beautiful.  From large and intricate cathedrals adorned with marble, to small, humble country churches with wood paneling, and everything in between, the beauty that is found in Catholic churches points us to God, who is beauty.

The crucifix is one of the central things we see as we look above the altar.  The ultimate sacrifice of Jesus is something that strikes us in a powerful way.  The crucifix reminds us of the painful, bloody, and brutal death that Jesus endured for us on the cross, defeating death.  And that is beautiful.  To be loved so much that this sacrifice would be made for us reveals a God who loves us so deeply.
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The Catholic Church is not only beautiful because of the way the churches are built and what is in the spaces, but also because of Who is in the churches.  We have the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, in the gift of the eucharist.  To receive Jesus in the eucharist is truly the most beautiful encounter we can have with Him. 
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The Catholic Church truly is the most beautiful faith, as it is from Jesus Christ Himself.  Our hearts and minds are drawn closer to God and we experience beauty that cannot be found anywhere else.  Next time you walk into your church, or any Catholic church, thank God for this beautiful faith.  May we never take it for granted.