Last week in my 8th grade religious ed class, we were discussing discipleship and how to grow closer to Christ.  The students came up with a fairly good list of the things that are necessary to deepen our faith.  The conversation we had led me to one thought.  We know exactly what we should be doing to grow closer to Jesus and live as better disciples, yet, why do we so often not do those things?

There are so many distractions in our lives and excuses we make.  It’s so easy to attribute lack of prayer time to busyness or being too tired.  While these may seem like valid excuses and God still loves us, the truth is, these excuses usually mean that we are not prioritizing well or making good use of our time.  This is a process and a journey that takes time.  It is easy to become discouraged, but we must not give up.  God sees our efforts and knows that becoming a better disciple is something that we need to work on each day.

I’ve always wanted to be one of those people who prayed the rosary every day.  It was easy for me to admire those people, while at the same time, telling myself that it would take too much effort and dedication.  I often told myself that maybe I would start praying the rosary every day, but “not yet” or “maybe later.”  A few weeks ago at my Bible study, one of the girls said something that challenged and changed my thoughts.  She talked about how she could not make excuses to not pray the rosary because she has a 15 minute drive to work each morning.  After sitting with that for a few days, I decided that I too could pray a rosary on the way to or from work each day, as I have a 20+ minute drive.  I often do not “feel” like praying or would really rather listen to music or a podcast, but I have taken those first steps.  It is a work-in-progress.

That is how the spiritual life is.  A lot of the excuses we have for not trying to grow closer to Jesus may come down to one thing.  When we look below the surface, we will find that it may be laziness, lack of motivation, and overall, that we “just don’t feel like it.”  When we work to limit the distractions, prioritize better, and schedule dedicated time for prayer and other activities that help us in our faith, our lives will be much more fulfilling.  Many times, we may not feel like praying (or any other thing that we should do to strengthen our faith) and we might want to choose to do other things instead.  This is when we need to remind ourselves that being a disciple is not about what we want, but rather, what we need.  And that is to know and love Christ deeply and to follow Him wholeheartedly.

Jesus, we want to become better disciples.  Help us to do the things we need to do in order to grow closer to you.  Fill us with the desire to know you more and love you more deeply, even when we don’t feel like it.  Give us the dedication and commitment that we need to follow your ways and live a life that is for you alone.  Take away the trivial things which are distractions in our lives.  Help us focus on you.  Amen.

Do you want to know something that I really dislike?  When people use the terms “dog mom” and “fur babies.”  It is something seemingly small and simple and maybe it is just me, but when people act like they are parents to their pets, it feels like they are trying to put animals and humans on the same level.  Taking care of a baby and taking care of a cat or dog are two completely different things.  Children and dogs/cats are not the same and they do not even come close.  Last week, as I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw that someone had a whole birthday party for her dog.  Cupcakes, candles, party hats, singing, presents, and all the works.  Come on.  Don’t you think that’s a little overboard?  If you’re six years old, it might be cute.  But a 20-something year old celebrating a dog’s birthday when the dog cannot understand or grasp the concept of a birthday seems a little strange to me.  Don’t get me wrong, animals can very much be a part of a family and provide great memories and value.  They provide companionship, entertainment, fun, exercise, and more.  However, I do think our culture has a bit of an obsession.  The affection people have for animals has become a bit disordered and I think this is evident in the way our culture views human life and its value.

God created both people and animals.  The difference is, He created male and female in his image.  As people, we have the ability to reflect God’s love in different and unique ways.  We have the  ability to pray, to choose to do good, and to have a relationship with God.  We have the capacity to love others and receive love.  This is how God created us.  Because of this simple fact, humans have value, purpose, and dignity that does not compare to anything else and that no one can take away.

Going back to the terms “dog mom” and “fur babies”, not only are these terms just annoying, but they also attempt to diminish the value and sacrifices of parents.  Whether biological parents, adoptive parents, spiritual mothers and fathers, and others in our lives who guide us, teach us, and care for us, they play vital and irreplaceable roles.  I am not a parent, but I sure can appreciate everything that parents do and the sacrifices they make to raise their children.  They work hard to provide for their kids, spend many hours awake and have many sleepless nights, and do all that they can to teach their kids to be good, moral, and hopefully faith-filled people.  Their hearts and the love they have for their kids are a reflection of the love God has for us.  These things do not extend to pets because there is no need.  They do not have the ability to reason or make choices based on what they are taught.  Sure, there is a bit of responsibility that comes with having a dog or cat, like making sure they don’t pee on your carpet or chew up a shoe.  But this responsibility pales in comparison to the responsibility that parents have to their children and other children in their lives.  Adults form kids into who they are going to be as adults.  This is huge and it often feels like our society does not seem to care all that much about how much humans really matter.

One incident I clearly remember that demonstrates this happened about five years ago.  There was a young child who fell into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo.  The gorilla, Harambe, got ahold of the child and began dragging him around.  There was video footage that quickly became viral on social media and the videos clearly showed that the child’s life was in danger.  A zoo worker shot and killed the gorilla in order to ensure the safety of the young boy.  Immediately after this news story spread, the internet went crazy.  There was outrage, grief, and petitions.  There were groups and petitions that sprang forth demanding “Justice for Harambe.”  There were debates about what course of action should have been taken.  The circumstances were unfortunate but it should not have even been a question about whose life to save.  We must always love the human life before we love the animal life.

Looking around at the world, it’s difficult to understand why so many do not appreciate and value the most precious gift God has given us- life.  Legalized abortion has allowed over 60 million babies to be killed in the name of “choice.”  A few thousand abortions take place each day in our country and many don’t even give it a thought.  Abortion is an especially hot topic right now as many fight to enshrine abortion into national law to overturn any existing protections for the unborn.  People have been sucked into the mindset that there is a right to discard the life of the smallest and most vulnerable- babies in the womb.  Physician-assisted suicide, or “death with dignity” as many call it, is becoming more widely accepted and legalized in more states.  The idea that helping to end the life of someone who is terminally ill or suffering is the compassionate and loving thing to do is absurd.  Or what about the widespread use of contraception or IVF.  These practices violate the nature of the person and life itself.  With these practices, babies are treated as commodities that people “have a right to” or products to satisfy rather than as gifts from God.
​
I could go on and on with this post.  But the biggest question is what can we do to change how our society views human life?  While it seems like a daunting task, God can and will use us.  We cannot sit back and do nothing.  We must pray for a culture that values life; that means every single human life.  We must have conversations with others and defend our beliefs when someone says or does something to try to diminish the value of life.  We must receive the good of every person we encounter, no matter who they are because they are made in God’s image and likeness.  Being human sets us apart.  We have dignity and worth simply because God made us.  In the words of St. John Paul II, “Never tire of firmly speaking out in defense of life from its conception and do not be deterred from the commitment to defend the dignity of every human person with courageous determination. Christ is with you: be not afraid!”

I teach eighth grade faith formation and last Wednesday was the first night of class.  I created a handout with several questions for the students to answer just to see where they were at and what kinds of things they knew.  Two of the questions included on the sheet were, “What topics are you most interested in learning about this year?” and “What is one thing you hope to understand or learn more about?”.  After they finished filling out the sheets, we discussed some of their answers to the questions.  I collected all of their sheets and we continued on with the rest of class.  At the end of class I was looking through all of the answers and noticed that for either of the two questions mentioned above, just about every student had written “Jesus” as one of their responses.  At first, upon looking through their responses, I was a little disappointed.  I figured they had written Jesus as a response because of apathy and passiveness.  They didn’t have any ideas of what they would want to learn about and probably didn’t care so they put Jesus as a simple and safe option.  My first thought was, “well, that’s not exactly what I was looking for.  That’s it?  It’s too general.  I wanted them to write something more specific… Of course we’ll talk about Jesus.” 

But then it hit me.  Of course we’ll talk about Jesus.  They got it right.  Whether we talk about the Bible, saints, sacraments, the Mass, or church teachings, it will be about Jesus.  The answer seemed so basic and like it was lacking in depth at first.  Then I realized that many of them may not really know much about Jesus or who He is.  They might have a real desire to know who He is and why He matters.  And as a catechist, my role is to help them learn just that.  That evening, a group of 8th grade students unintentionally reminded me of something very important.

It’s all about Jesus.  Jesus is why we are Catholic and why anything else matters.  Every topic we cover and discussion we have should ultimately point back to Him.  It’s good and important to learn about church history, facts, and documents.  But at the end of the day, these 13 and 14 year olds will likely forget a lot of it.  However, if they come to know Jesus and have a better understanding of why we need Him and why we believe what we believe, that is something they hopefully will never forget.
​
Lord, you have called us all to share this deep and beautiful faith you have given us with others- with kids, family members, friends, co-workers, and fellow parishioners.  Give me the knowledge and wisdom I need to carry out this task.  I need you to help me speak what you want me to say and guide me as I teach.  Use me as your instrument to share the truth, beauty and goodness of the church.  May others see You in me.  Work through me so that others may be inspired or touched by You in some small way.  Amen.

(Side note: Rather than cramming through a whole textbook, the goal for the year is to pick a few topics/areas and focus on them.  There are so many possibilities.  What is important for 8th grade students to know?  I would love to get ideas on what you think 8th grade students should learn about/discuss in class.  Drop any suggestions in the comments! On facebook or directly on the blog)

This past week I started listening to a new podcast, the Poco a Poco podcast.  It is with members of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and in the few episodes I have listened to so far, there have been so many beautiful and profound statements and thoughts to ponder and reflect on.  The first episode I listened to was part of a series they were doing on the heart of God.  My main takeaway and reflection from the episode was how vital it is for us to have a deep encounter with the heart of God.

We can talk about God all day and learn all about who He is.  But to know about God and to have experienced His heart are two different things.  It is hard to describe what it is like to encounter the heart of God but when you have that experience, it is quite evident.  It changes you.  And it changes everything.  

God puts people in our lives who help remind us of His own heart for us.  They give us glimpses of the heart of the Father.  What do these encounters with the heart of God look like?  In my own experiences, these encounters have been times when people have spoken encouraging words, prayed over me, offered to help with something, or shared their knowledge and insight with me, just to name a few.  

When the people around us love well, we can begin to experience the goodness of God and come to know His love for us.  Once you have a personal encounter with God and experience His love, everything changes.  Each day, we can pray to be even more open to a deeper encounter.
​
Lord, we want to know you.  Help us to not only know you, but to experience the deep and personal love you have for each and every one of us.  Open our hearts wide so that we may receive your love and all that you want to give us more fully.  Thank you for showing us your love through the people in our lives.  May we see a glimpse of the love you have for us and be a vessel of your love for others.  Lead us to a deeper encounter with your heart.  Amen.

Have you ever had someone ask you how you were and your response was, “I’m busy.  Good, but busy.”   or something along those lines?  We fill our schedules and spend every waking hour doing things to the point of feeling like there is not enough time in the day.  For many of us, from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, we spend so much of our time going and doing that we rarely have time for just being.  Jesus calls us to come to Him and rest. 
 
I don’t know about you, but when I find myself in a season of busyness, my prayer life is the first thing to go.  Wake up, go to work, come home, go to any meetings, events or other commitments we have, make and eat dinner, do a few miscellaneous things, get ready for bed.  Maybe you say a quick prayer to thank God for the day or read a brief reflection.  With the exhaustion and tiredness the day brings, it’s easy for Jesus to be pushed to the side, our efforts lacking.  We can quickly find ourselves trapped in this cycle.  Why is it so easy to find time to open up Facebook or Instagram but more difficult to open up scripture or a prayer journal?  Why do we have the time to see what everyone on Twitter is saying but no time to hear what Christ is saying?

I think we often find ourselves so tired from our regular, daily routines that we forget how much we really need Jesus.  Scrolling endlessly through social media after a long day at work seems so relaxing.  It is that never-ending scrolling and searching that we can find ourselves more exhausted and restless.  It leaves us unsatisfied and wanting more.  Social media can definitely be used for good.  We can use it to stay connected with family and friends, watch videos on topics of our faith, read reflections and find inspiration, and much more.  Social media does not have to be something that hinders our faith.  It can be something that helps.  Social media, Netflix, or whatever other things take up our time are not bad.  However, the key is to remember and know that we need Jesus always and especially in the midst of our busyness, exhaustion, and restlessness.  He alone can give us the rest we so desperately need.

In the times where we find ourselves too busy and needing rest, may our prayer be:
​
Jesus, it is only you who can give us the rest we need.  Help us to take time to be still so that we can listen to your voice.  Allow us to hear you amid the busy, loud, and quickly moving world around us.  As we fill our days with activities and commitments, may we do it all for your glory and to make you known.  Give us the desire to take time for silence and stillness.  Take our restless hearts and set them on fire for you.  Amen.

Last week I was listening to a podcast and they were talking about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.  They were discussing the part where a character is about to meet Aslan the lion, who represents Jesus in the book.  When talking about Aslan, one of the characters responds, “Who said anything about being safe?  Of course he isn’t safe.  But he’s good.”  A few days later, this same exact line came up in my Bible study.  Coincidence or not, over the last few days, this line has kept coming back to me.  Jesus isn’t safe.  But he’s good.

In this context, “safe” is not referred to as the opposite of harm.  Because of course, Jesus never does anything to hurt us.  In this context, “not safe” means uncomfortable, out of our control, challenging, unpredictable, adventurous, and the list goes on.  Jesus is all of these things.  When we choose to live for Christ and give Him everything we have, we are not promised a life of safety and comfort.  We are asked to give up certain activities, make changes in our lifestyles, offer up pain and suffering, and ultimately surrender our lives to Him.  This is hard. And scary.  And it’s a life-long process.  But it is so good.  Every time we take a small step in the right direction, we can see Christ’s goodness and He reveals to us how He alone satisfies.  The path will not always be smooth and easy though.

We will be called to do things we might not want to do or things that we are hesitant about and things that are outside of our comfort zones.  We will be asked to do things we would have never thought of on our own.  These things, big and small, that we are asked to do reveal God’s goodness and draw us closer to Him.  They also help us strive for holiness.  Have you ever experienced God putting something on your heart but all you wanted to do was ignore it, brush it away, or pretend that it wasn’t there?  Or maybe you’ve experienced God calling you to do something but have feared what would happen if you said “yes.”  

God calls all of us to serve Him in different ways each and every day.  Maybe he’s calling you to share your faith with students by volunteering as a religion teacher.  Maybe you’re being asked to give a talk at a retreat.  You might be called to go on a mission trip or volunteer with a charitable organization.  You could be called to serve as a missionary, start a different career, or to talk to that new person you see at mass.  A few months ago, I was talking to a friend and she said something really profound.  “The scariest words we can pray are ‘Jesus, make your desires my desires and your will my will.’  But this prayer is the greatest and best thing we could pray.”  Following Jesus into the unknown can be scary.  Once we take those steps, we will find joy and fulfillment we can’t find anywhere else and see that He is good.
​
It would be so much easier to stay sitting on our couches with a blanket, some ice cream, and a good movie (There is nothing wrong with enjoying these good things).  But we are being called to get out there and serve Him and follow Him with everything we have.  We will have to walk through deep and sometimes treacherous waters.  It won’t be safe.  But it will be good because Christ is with us and He is so good.

A few days ago, I came across an article about Catholics leaving the church.  The conclusion that the author made was that, many times, it is not a situation of someone abandoning Catholic belief, but instead a case of him or her having not ever really found it to begin with “or having not known the fullness of faith which makes it worth keeping even when it feels the most difficult” (Grabowski, 2021).  I think this author is completely correct in saying this.  If people really understood the teachings of the faith, they would not leave or stop practicing.

Oftentimes, people will say they simply stopped believing in what the Church teaches or that the Church is wrong about certain teachings.  The beliefs of the Catholic Church are misunderstood and falsely presented by the world.  Many times, people who leave the Church are unable to see the truth in the midst of the lies the world is feeding them.  When people don’t have a solid foundation in the faith, they will inevitably fall through the cracks.  If people are not standing firmly on Christ and his words, then their ability to understand Church teachings and beliefs will crumble.

Instead of asking, “Why did they leave the church?” we need to ask “Why were they Catholic to begin with?”.  In other words, once they were old enough, what made them take ownership of their faith?  I think what we often see in the church today is a failure of people to take ownership of their faith.  In many cases, people are only Catholic because they were baptized and sent to Catholic school or CCD (weekly religion class).  Just take a look at Confirmation classes.  How many students cannot really tell you why they are being confirmed aside from the fact that their parents want them to or because it’s just the next thing to do.  Many of these students abandon their faith upon going to college.  Or maybe they never had it to begin with.

There are teachings that, although they are filled with truth and goodness, many find difficult to accept.  What the Catholic church teaches on abortion, contraception, IVF, marriage, and the Eucharist are just a few topics that people often attribute to their reasons for leaving.  While some of the teachings on these topics may appear complex and hard, when we dive into the reasons we believe what we do and try to understand, it is evident that these teachings allow us to live the fullness of life.  As we heard in this weekend’s gospel, even some disciples had a hard time accepting what Jesus was teaching, specifically on the Eucharist.  Something that stands out to me  in the passage is that Jesus doesn’t back down or change what he says.
​
Like Jesus, we as the Church need to live and speak on what we believe with the same conviction.  We must be able and willing to defend what the Catholic church teaches even when it is hard.  We need to be available to teach, answer questions, and be there to discuss our faith with others.  We should be ready to help people build a strong foundation so they take ownership of their faith.  And ultimately, may we all live in such a way that each and every Catholic would say, “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  (John 6:68)

Last week at work I locked myself out of my office.  Once I figured out that my keys were sitting on my desk and I really was locked out, I realized that there was only one way to get back in.  I would have to crawl through my sliding glass window.  This window is quite high from the ground and I knew it would not be easy to get in.  However, I could not just sit there and do nothing.  My immediate thoughts were, “What if someone walks past as I’m trying to boost myself up into the window?  This is going to be a bit uncomfortable.  What if I fall?”  I pushed those thoughts aside and reminded myself that if I wanted to get in, I had to just go for it.  When it comes to our faith, how often do we have some of these same thoughts?  “What will others think when they see me practicing and living out my faith?  This might be uncomfortable.  What if I do something and I fall?”  Living out our faith as Christians/Catholics is not a walk in the park.  There are obstacles and times when we will be required to step out of our comfort zones.  We will fall and have to get back up.  If we want to strive to grow in holiness and grow closer to Jesus, we have to just go for it.

To what lengths would you go to completely surrender everything to the Lord and to follow Him wholeheartedly?  I often think I am going all in when it comes to being a disciple.  But then, I stop to reflect and realize that I am clinging to comfort, familiarity, and spiritual mediocrity.  Are we satisfied with who who are and where we are at in our relationship with God?  Are we content to just settle in and slide by, not putting in much effort?  Do we think our faith is strong enough or that as Catholics, we are “good enough”?

What are we doing to grow?  Do we let fears, worries, excuses, or the opinions of others get in the way?  We must not just stand still and expect to get somewhere.  It is only when we remember that the path will not always be easy and comfortable that our faith will be greater, our trust stronger, and our love for God deeper.  
​
When it comes to our faith, there will be challenges and obstacles.  If we want to experience more depth and real growth in our faith, we will have to step outside of our comfort zones.  And that means it will not be as simple as walking through an open door.  At times, we may have to crawl through the window.  It is when we crawl through the windows that we will be able to rise up higher, to the places God is calling us to.

“Jesus has made Himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, He is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that Adoration.”  Yesterday night, I came across this quote from St. (Mother) Teresa in a little prayer book I was flipping through.  While much of the world was asleep, I sat in Eucharistic Adoration.  From 10:30-11:30 PM, I was able to tune out the noise of the outside world and be still in the presence of Jesus.  And that one hour made all the difference in my week.  How different would our world be if we spent more time sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament?  As the quote says, the Bread of Life is life-giving and He is there at any time, night and day.  

Many parishes offer adoration at some point, at least throughout the month.  Whether it’s in the early morning, late at night, in the middle of the day, or 24 hours, there are many opportunities to go and pray.  Aside from mass, going to adoration is one of the most important things we can do.  The past couple of Sundays, we’ve been hearing the Bread of Life discourse at mass.  If this passage in scripture does not convince us, what will?  We believe that Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist, body, blood, soul, and divinity so why would we not go and spend time sitting in his presence?
​
There are a lot of excuses we may make for ourselves. We all have busy schedules and other commitments.  But making time for and committing to spending time in adoration will be the best thing you do.  Maybe it’s hard to sit in silence for an hour.  The good thing is, there is no time requirement.  Stay for 30 minutes, 15 minutes, or even five.  We might find ourselves distracted or bored.  Nobody is perfect so our minds will wander at times.  Maybe we feel like we can’t hear God or we don’t know what to do in adoration.  Whether we hear God or not, he is there and He sees our efforts and desires to know Him better.  There are so many resources and materials we can use to guide us in our time in adoration.  The world will tell you that this is unproductive and the biggest waste of time, to sit in silence and “do nothing.”  But how could we expect a world that glorifies busyness, noise, and productivity, to understand silence, contemplation, and prayer?

Time spent in adoration will change you.  It will deepen your prayer life and your relationship with God.  It will help you carry on throughout your day and bless you in many ways.  Jesus is waiting, day and night.  Go and spend time with Him because the Bread of Life is truly life-giving and life-changing.

Something I’ve noticed at wedding receptions is how many people head straight into the dining area while staff is still setting up, in order to find their spot for dinner.  They often think they need to reserve their spot ahead of time, as if there is not going to be enough seats for everyone.  Seeing this makes me think of how entitled people think they are.  Are we grateful for all of the blessings we have in life or have we just come to expect them, feeling entitled to them?

It’s not hard to notice the sense of entitlement present today among people and maybe even within ourselves.  Whether it’s a student who is demanding that a professor gives back missed points on an exam, people expecting a certain salary, or people assuming they will always have good health, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of expecting everything to be handed to us.  However, any good thing we have is a gift from God.  God does not owe us anything yet he gives us everything.

In today’s gospel, we read the story of Jesus multiplying the five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand.  He turned very little into an abundance.  And God does that all of the time; showing us an abundance of blessings out of the little bit we have.  We may not witness big miracles like the feeding of the five thousand but if we open our eyes we can see God bringing blessings into our lives that we would not have without Him.
​
We might think that because “we are good people and work hard” we will find success and have everything we want.  We may believe that everything we have in our lives that is good is due to our own hard work and determination.  It’s important to work hard and make good choices.  But, apart from God, we can do nothing.  Everything we have is not solely from our own doing, including our gifts and talents.  All that He gives us is truly a gift.

​Every day, may we remember to be grateful and pray:

Good and gracious God, help me to remember that everything I have is a gift from you.  Give me a spirit of gratitude rather than entitlement.  Help me to see all of the blessings in my life.  When I think I deserve certain things, show me that ultimately, your love is enough and it is the greatest blessing I could ever experience.  Open my eyes and my heart to see you working in my life.  Amen.