Last week, I was reading through The Compass, the newspaper of the Green Bay Diocese.  I came across the Letters to the Editor section.  The two letters that were there were from Catholics who appeared to be mad about some Church teachings, specifically on abortion and gender.  They shared their disappointment and disapproval of the Catholic Church sharing and promoting church teaching- that God created male and female, and that abortion takes an innocent human life.  These are two teachings that are straightforward and clear and there is no room for compromise or disagreement on these issues.  Reading these letters caused me to think about what it means to be Catholic and to follow Christ and about how many people try to make it about their own personal feelings.  If we are looking for warm, fuzzy feelings and to always be comfortable, we might as well look somewhere else.

It’s not about us.  This is demonstrated, first and foremost, in the Mass.  The Mass is where we worship God and offer ourselves to Him.  And even though it’s not about us, God pours His love out upon us and gives us more than we could ever receive anywhere else.  Jesus gives Himself completely to us in the Eucharist and we can receive countless graces from the Mass.  And one of the many, many reasons the Mass is so beautiful is because it is one of the few experiences in our self-obsessed culture that turns the focus away from us and points to God- it gives Him all the glory.  It’s not a time for us to be entertained.

 If we are truly living our faith and as long as we are living in the world, we will likely find ourselves feeling a bit uncomfortable on a regular basis.  As Catholics, we will not blend in when we stand for Christ and the Church’s teachings and for all that the world is against.  When we are around co-workers, friends, or family members who are all in agreement on certain topics and have beliefs that are contrary to what we believe, we will not experience warm or fuzzy feelings.  In these moments, when we have to go against the majority and stand up for truth, we will be uncomfortable.  

When we stand up for the importance of Mass and the truth about the Eucharist, for the dignity of the human person, for marriage, for holiness, for purity, for sacrificial living, for strong values and morals, and more, we are standing for God.  We don’t stand for all that is good, true, and beautiful because of or for ourselves.  We do it for God alone, and that often means sacrificing comfort and “good feelings.”
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Our faith will not make us comfortable, but we can find comfort in our faith.  We can find comfort knowing that this life is about someone so much bigger than ourselves.  We can find comfort in knowing that we serve a God who is so good, forgiving, and merciful.  We can find comfort in the fact that we are fully known and deeply loved by Him.  May you learn to find comfort in being uncomfortable; because if you are uncomfortable it probably means that you are standing for God and His truth.  And that’s what it’s all about.

“Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”  This line struck me when reading Tuesday’s (8/2) Gospel.  I remember this gospel passage where Jesus walks on water coming to life for me back in elementary school, at the summer vacation bible school that took place each summer at one of the local Catholic churches.  Since then, it has remained one of my favorite passages in scripture.  When we read a particular passage over and over, something different can strike us each time or we can gain a new perspective on the words we are reading.  How often do we doubt that Jesus is right there with us?  Do we fully trust that he will always catch us? 

In the passage, Jesus commands Peter to come to Him on the water.  And He does the same to each and every one of us.  Through the joys, sorrows, good times, and hardships, he calls us to come to Him.  He asks that we come to Him with everything and trust Him with it all.  But in our weakness, our trust may waver at times.  And when this happens, doubts may sneak in and fear may overtake our faith.  In these times, we must trust that Jesus will stretch out his hand and catch us.  We cannot put our trust in things of this word because we will always be let down and we will sink.

None of us are promised a life without suffering and challenges.  In fact, we will all go through waves and stormy waters.  There is no way around the storms.  Our only option is to go through them.  Sometimes, Jesus will calm the storms and make them go away.  Other times, he will not.  However, every single time, he will stretch out his hand and help us walk through them and He will be there, whenever we call out to Him.

Jesus deeply longs for us to trust him without any limitations.  We can see this when he asks, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  More than anything, He wants us to fully believe that He will never leave us and never let us drown.  As Christians, we are not immune from moments of fear and other weaknesses.  However, the key is to focus on our faith and keep our eyes on Jesus.  When we become distracted, we must call out to Him to save us, because nothing else in this world will.
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The depth of our faith and trust in Jesus is what allows us to step out of the boat, out of our comfort zones, and through the waves, wind, and storms, walking closer to Him.  Jesus is stretching out His hand, always ready to catch you.  Do you trust Him?

Within the last month, I’ve seen two different people make lengthy Facebook posts stating that they are leaving the Catholic Church.  In one of the posts, the person described his faith and religious beliefs as something he’d been conditioned to believe.  To me, that was the saddest part of the post.  How many more people are out there in the world, living with the view that faith and any sort of religious beliefs are ideas that are forced.  As Christians/Catholics, it is our job to live out our faith authentically in our daily lives and invite others to take opportunities to encounter Christ.  It is these experiences that are truly life-changing.

Ten years ago, I had one of these life-changing experiences.  In July of 2012, I went on my first Colorado Leadership Retreat.  It was on this retreat that I encountered Jesus in a real and powerful way, I became part of a strong Catholic community, and my faith was set on fire.  I am not sure if other people noticed a difference but I remember feeling like I was coming back home different than when I had left.  Nothing about it was forced or conditioned.  

Encountering Jesus, whether in big mountaintop experiences, or in smaller everyday moments, gives us the grace to share Him with others through our actions and by the overall way we live.  When we live out our faith, it is something that should naturally flow.  It should not have to be forced and we should not have to hide who we are.  One of the most basic facets of living out our faith means acknowledging that we are loved deeply and unconditionally by God and allowing that love to overflow into every aspect of our lives.  This is what can touch other people in a deep and profound way.

Ultimately, it is love alone that will draw people to God and to a community of faith.  Through our personal witnessing, invitations, and encounters, people will come to experience the beauty of faith and a relationship with God.

Now more than ever, it seems like so many people are searching and longing for something.  They may not realize it, but it is God who they long for.  Everything else is temporary and will leave them empty and lost after a while.  People leaving the church because they are dissatisfied, hurt, or confused, are searching in all the wrong places and running from the only One who can truly comfort, heal, and restore.  We cannot make anyone do anything, but we can simply love and allow God to work in and through us.  And there is a lot of power in that.
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Today, take some time to reflect on how you live out your faith.  Think about who might be watching and listening.  Ask God to use you.  Whether within the next two hours, the next day, or years from now, someone may just encounter Christ for the first time or in a life-changing way because of your personal witness and the way you live.

If you’re like me, there has been at least one time in your life where you’ve looked around at the people around you and felt inadequate.  There are people who are super intelligent, really athletic, amazing singers, captivating public speakers, or talented in some other way.  Maybe you’ve thought to yourself, “what am I good at?” or “what do I have to offer?”  In these times, I’ve had to remind myself that I have my faith.  And that is enough.

As Christians, our faith in God is what gives meaning to our lives.  It changes everything for us.  When I think about my life and all of the blessings in it, I realize that, aside from life itself, my faith is the greatest gift I have been given.  I cannot imagine going through life not being Catholic or not knowing Jesus.  From my parents taking seriously the responsibility of raising their kids in the Catholic faith, to other adults who’ve shared their faith with me, to the countless opportunities I’ve been given to strengthen my faith, I’ve truly been blessed and try not to ever take it for granted.

One of the best things about faith is that it is a never-ending gift.  There is always more to receive.  There is always more to unravel and discover.  There is always room to grow- we will never be finished.  We can become more knowledgeable about our faith and we can always deepen our relationship with Jesus.  If we open our hands and our hearts, we will receive all that He wants to give us.

If God isn’t enough for us, what is?  We can sometimes become so distracted by everything around us- our jobs, material possessions, social media, etc. that we can fail to see the best gift we could ever have.  Do we really want it?  We have to release all that we are holding onto that pulls us in the wrong direction so that we have room to receive and be filled with a deeper faith and all of the goodness that comes along with it.
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The next time that you are tempted to question what you have to share with the world or what you are “good at,” remind yourself that the one gift greater than anything else is the gift of faith and of knowing and loving God.  Go share it with the world!

Two weekends ago I held my cousin’s five-week old baby.  And I saw God.  Her smallness, warmth, and softness, quiet breathing, and tiny hands and feet, completely innocent and seemingly perfect…how can this not be evidence of an all-powerful, compassionate, and loving Creator and Father?  Holding her reminded me of just how precious life is.  What a gift this moment was, to be reminded of the value and inherent dignity of all life, from the womb to the tomb.  How can anyone look at a baby and think that, months or weeks before birth, it would be acceptable to discard his or her life in the name of “choice” or “women’s rights”?  It’s 2022 and I can’t believe our country is having this conversation.  I am deeply saddened that we live in a world where life doesn’t matter to so many people.
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Since the draft of the Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked last month, much of our country has become angrier than ever.  People have become ruthless and extremely brutal over the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned.  There are so many lies and misconceptions being spread by abortion supporters.  The lies and false information keep spreading because they are shouting and screaming.  They are shouting so loudly that they can’t hear the truth about life and the pro-life movement.  And the crazy thing is, there are a whole lot of Christians who either don’t seem to care or who are on the wrong side of the issue.  Abortion is not merely a religious issue.  In reality, everyone should be pro-life, regardless of their religious beliefs.  But, as Christians, one cannot profess to believe in God, while also denying the evil of abortion.  It doesn’t make any sense. 

I don’t remember the first time I learned about abortion or the first time that I really thought about it.  The first real memory I can recall is from when I was 15 and a freshman in high school.  I was on a hike at High Cliff State Park, with a group of other high schoolers and adults, training for a trip to Colorado.  We were standing in a circle at the mid-way point of our hike.  We went around the circle sharing prayer intentions and I remember praying for an end to abortion.  From that moment on, my passion for the pro-life cause has only increased and intensified.

It can be scary to share our pro-life beliefs.  But we must draw the courage and strength from God to share the truth about the beauty and dignity of all human life.  We hear the same worn out pro-abortion phrases and slogans over and over.  “My body, my choice.”  “Abortion is healthcare.”  “No uterus, no opinion.”  “Women have the right to choose/control their own bodies.”  “Pro-lifers are only pro-birth.”  “It’s not a baby, it’s a clump of cells.”  “The baby might end up in foster care or grow up in poverty.”  And the list goes on and on.  But there is not one single argument for abortion that even comes close to being valid.  We often hear various euphemisms and off-topic issues that are used when discussing abortion.  These distract from the actual issue.  But the simple truth is that abortion violently ends an innocent human life and that is never acceptable in any circumstances.  We don’t have to have the answers to all of the world’s problems before standing up for the unborn.

God created you in His image.  He created you with a purpose and with a voice.  How are you using the gift of life that He has given you?  Regardless of what happens with the law, babies need your voice and women in unplanned pregnancies need your help and support.  We have love and truth on our side, and that will save lives and change hearts.

“Christ needs you to enlighten the world and to show it the “path to life”. The challenge is to make the Church’s “yes” to Life concrete and effective. The struggle will be long, and it needs each one of you. Place your intelligence, your talents, your enthusiasm, your compassion and your fortitude at the service of life!”  (St John Paul II).

Shameless plug about Biking for Babies!  B4B is an organization whose mission is to “renew the culture of life one pedal stroke and one pregnancy resource center at a time.”  Want to support women in unplanned pregnancies and their babies?  Donate to Biking for Babies to support the 56 pregnancy resource centers the missionaries are partnered with and to help renew the culture of life!  My fundraising goal as a 2022 missionary is $5,000! 
Link: https://bikingforbabies.com/missionary/katie-wanek-2/

This past weekend, I heard a song that repeated the line, “Jesus, Jesus, All I want is to be like You.”  These words that are so seemingly simple can also serve as a deep prayer for each of us.  If it is not already one of our daily prayers, it should be.  The month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is a great time to reflect on how to become more like Jesus.

Jesus’ love for us is so profound and so immense that we cannot begin to grasp the depth of it.  The heart of Christ reveals the most perfect and selfless love that exists.  His heart, crowned with thorns, pierced and bleeding, reminds us that He poured out everything for us.  

Jesus’ pure, sacrificial love is often rejected.  How often do we think we can find something better or something more satisfying?  We search in all the wrong places and turn away from Him by choosing sin.  The world tells us where to find happiness and fulfillment but these things will ultimately leave us empty.  And when we put something else or someone else first in our lives, Christ is still there, His merciful heart burning with love for us.  The fire of His love is never extinguished.

Jesus shows us how to love.  He shows us how to be humble, patient, kind, and faithful.  These are all fruits that our lives should bear if we are following Him.  A line in the prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus says, “I offer you this poor heart of mine.  Make me humble, patient, pure, and wholly obedient to Your will.”  Reflect on Christ’s sacred heart and open yourself up to receiving that love and giving that love in return.
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Each day, we have the opportunity to accept Christ’s love for us and to allow it to transform our lives.  May we become vessels of His immense love, sharing it with the world.  May our hearts be set ablaze and may we become more like Him.

The Gospel for today (Tuesday) emphasizes the need for us to make God known.  Whether in big ways or small ways, it doesn’t matter.  But we must be giving it our all in our efforts.  What ways are we attempting to make God known to others?

When we are living our lives to make Christ known and when our attempts and efforts are strong, then others will see Christ in us.  In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth””  and “You are the light of the world.”

So what exactly does this mean?  In Jesus’ time, salt was a very important and necessary ingredient.  It was used for flavor and preservation of meat and other foods.  As disciples, we are called to preserve our faith by passing on and sharing the Gospel with others.  We also must be different from those in the world around us by adding something that the world doesn’t have: Jesus and his love.  His mercy.  His forgiveness.  His compassion.  By sharing these values with those around us, we can help enhance the world with a flavor that it so desperately needs.  There is a lot of darkness in the world.  So many people are without hope.  There is despair, fear, violence, hatred, bitterness, and anger.  As Christians, we need to bring the light of Christ to the world around us.  Our witness to the Gospel and our lives as Christians can have a huge effect on the world and other people.  Each one of us is only one person and our witness may be small, but it can grow the kingdom of God, one person at a time.

When we are determined, open, and willing to share our faith with others, we will find ourselves in many different situations that may be unexpected.  In these times, we must make the choice to stand by Christ and our faith, even when it is hard, uncomfortable, and it seems like the whole world is against us. 

How can we do this?  It starts with listening to the Holy Spirit.  If we pray to be open to the Holy Spirit and listen to how we are being led, we will be able to better recognize the ways in which God is calling us to glorify Him and make Him known to others.  This requires not only listening, but then also trusting and surrendering.
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If we are truly following the call to be the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world”, we will be required to get out of our comfort zones.  May we all go out into the world, being salt and light, making Him known!

You’ve probably heard the quote that says, “nothing worth doing is easy” or something along those lines.  Following Jesus is not easy.  If we think it is, we are probably doing something wrong.  We will still experience suffering, hardships, challenges, and trials.  These things do not go away just because we choose to follow Jesus.  But the peace, love, and joy that we can experience through it all is a reminder that following Christ is worth it, no matter how difficult it may be at times. 

The Gospel for today (Monday) ends with, “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.  In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:33).  This is one of my favorite lines in scripture.  Jesus tells us that we will have trouble, but he has conquered the world- he has defeated sin, death, and evil!  Are we convicted of this deep within our hearts?

If we all truly knew His peace and allowed it to sustain us, the world would be a different place- maybe not the whole world, but maybe just our little corner of the world.  When a person is filled with the deep, interior peace of Christ, it is visible.  It can be seen in someone’s words, actions, and just his or her overall disposition.  And I think if we shared this peace with the people around us, it would overflow into their lives and make a big difference in the interactions we have.  It would spread within our circles and help others to experience Christ.

Something to remember is that peace is not simply a calm atmosphere, a certain state of mind, or a time of rest.  While we may experience these things when we experience peace, these are all temporary.  Real peace is a person- and that person is Jesus Christ.  There is a book I read a few years ago called Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart by Fr. Jacques Phillippe which covers the topic very well.  One quote from that book encapsulates it well:

“Consider the surface of a lake, above which the sun is shining. If the surface of the lake is peaceful and tranquil, the sun will be reflected in this lake; and the more peaceful the lake, the more perfectly will it be reflected. If, on the contrary, the surface of the lake is agitated, undulating, then the image of the sun can not be reflected in it. It is a little bit like this with regard to our soul in relationship to God. The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us.”
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When you wake up each day, remember that following Jesus is not easy, but it is always worth it.  You will have trouble, but find peace in Him and know that He is right there with you.  Allow His peace to be reflected in your soul so that others may come to know Him a bit more.

One of my least favorite words in the English language is “tolerance.”  The word wouldn’t be that bad if it wasn’t used in a way that is contrary to what it means to be a Christian.  I think one of the reasons I dislike this word so much is that it presents a false image of love.  The way it is used in our culture promotes the whole “you do you” concept or “do whatever makes you happy.”  We hear phrases such as these and are expected to just go along with whatever it is that someone is doing.  Our culture’s view of tolerance promotes the concept of relativism, the idea that there is no absolute truth, or that everyone has the ability to create their own truth.  As Catholics, we cannot support the idea of relativism.

Our culture rejects the existence of sin.  We often hear people say things like, “that may be against your beliefs, but you cannot tell other people what to do.”  One common example is abortion.  “You can be against abortion, but you can’t tell other people what to do with their bodies” is a prime example of relativism.  We are told we need to tolerate and accept other people’s choices, even if those choices are sinful.

Another kind of behavior we see in our culture that goes along with tolerance is the idea that if everyone is doing something, it must not be wrong.  The behaviors in our society that evoke the strongest pushback are often those such as contraception, cohabitation, and other selfish behaviors that disregard the value and dignity of the human person.  Catholics are told that everyone is doing these things and that the Church teachings are old and archaic, and that they need to change to get with the times.

Jesus didn’t call us to do what everyone else is doing or to just accept choices and actions that are contrary to His teachings.  While we must love our neighbors and withhold judgment of the state of another person’s soul, we are not obligated to approve of or tolerate sin.  We can and should make judgments on the moral state, or lack thereof, of our culture.  We cannot let the shouts about tolerance from others silence us into apathy and indifference.
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Jesus, thank you for showing us the path to follow.  Help us to recognize when we sin.  Guide us back to you when we stray off the path.  Give us the strength to persevere in a culture that rejects You and the truth.  Give us the courage to speak the truth and not lose our deep convictions of our faith.  Amen.

This past Saturday evening, I went on a short run.  As I was running down the sidewalk, a car approaching the stop sign a few feet ahead of me slowed down with unrolled windows.  There were two guys in the car who started yelling out their window.  It was a bit startling and unsettling.  But it gave me a sort of adrenaline rush.  I ran as quickly as I could in the opposite direction, until the car was out of sight.  This propelled me on the rest of my run, and the fact that I was struggling due to being out of shape was no longer an issue.  It was like I was renewed and reenergized, even if it was only because I had a bit of fear.  Sometimes in the spiritual life, we may be tired and struggling.  Maybe we are weary or worn-down, out of shape, or just trying to keep moving.  At various times in our lives, we will all need to be reenergized in our faith- given a boost so that we can be propelled to keep sharing Jesus with others.

It is easy to look at the state of the world and feel despondent.  But as people of faith, we need to bring Christ’s love and light to the people around us.  However, the only way we can do this is if we are on fire.  We cannot give what we do not have.  At times, we may need to reignite the fire.

​Our hearts are not going to be set on fire by sitting around and doing nothing.  Even when we are tired or struggling, we need to take action and make the choice to be energized and renewed.

One of the best ways to do this is to receive the sacraments as often as possible.  Additionally, stay connected to other strong Catholics.  Whether friends, family members, or even co-workers, we need to actively seek out and spend time with people who have the same values and mission.  We need people who can inspire us and hold us accountable.  We cannot do it on our own.  Join a Bible study, small group, or some other community.  If you can’t find one at or near your parish, start one!  Being able to dive deeper into your faith with others in a community will help you grow and strengthen your faith.  Retreats are another way to reignite the fire (and in my personal opinion, one of the best ways).  There is nothing like a powerful retreat experience to set you on fire in your faith.  You can also watch videos, listen to podcasts, and read.  The options are endless.  Just do something!
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Jesus, thank you for showing us how to love.  Help us to continue to move closer to you each day of our lives.  When we grow weary and worn, may we refocus and find strength in You.  Give us hearts that are set on fire with your love, a fire that propels us to share our faith with all those around us. Amen.