Things were finally looking up and going well at work again after a long six months of instability and messiness at the organization, caused by financial struggles and almost all the staff quitting amid sexual assault charges against the director, along with several other issues.  Since March, we had a full team again and several fundraisers and events were planned for the year.  We finally had a great, dedicated team of employees who could focus on the organization’s mission.  But then a few weeks ago, it all changed, again.  Besides the director and a security employee, I was left alone once again as the only employee.  I asked, “Lord, why is this happening?  I don’t want to go through this again.”  Sitting in prayer a few days ago, I realized I have been clinging too tightly onto something that can change in an instant.  Instead of trying to hold onto a job and people I enjoyed working with, I need to hold onto God, who never changes and always provides.

Do you ever find yourself clinging onto earthly and temporary things?  Why do we do this?  Maybe we don’t trust God as much as we should.  Maybe we think what we have is better than anything else God is going to give us later.  Maybe we are scared of change.  As I’ve come to the conclusion that it might be time to start searching and applying for new jobs, I ‘ve been reminded of what really matters.  At the end of the day, it is just a job.  The change and questions about what is to come are small in comparison to God and His providence.  My job and coworkers may change but God never does.  His love, protection, and goodness remain the same no matter what else is happening.

We are not promised the absence of losses, changes, or difficulties.  But God does promise to walk with us always, provide for us, and give us all that we need.

​When we experience change, loss, or disappointment, may we pray:

Lord, I know you are never surprised.  You hold this moment, hour, day, and my whole life in your hands.  You know what I need and when I need it.  Help me to trust in your promises always.  You are so good and you never fail to provide.  It is you alone who can satisfy and give the fullness of life.  Amen.

Over the past several weeks, an abundance of checks were sent to me (church treasurer), as people were determined to have their sacrificial giving in by the end of the fiscal year.  Often called “church dues”, it appeared to me that many people seem to take that term too literally and view being part of a church as a type of club that requires membership fees.  As checks rolled in, I noticed that there were many people who I did not even realize were members of the church.  No volunteering at parish events, no helping out in various ministries, and no mass attendance.  The mindset among some people seems to be along the lines of, “well, I paid my church dues so now I’m set for another year.”  Of course, our churches need financial support and we need to be generous in our giving but what is the point of “belonging” to a church if we don’t gather as a community to participate in the church and embrace the faith?

What gives people the desire to want to be part of a church but not actively involved?  Aside from being in a nursing home, sick, or physically unable for various reasons, there is nothing that makes sense.  What purpose is there to sending in a check each year just to say “we belong” or “we’re members”?  Anyone can throw some money at a building and call it a day.  But guess what?  Jesus doesn’t just want your money.  More than anything, He wants your heart.  He wants you to know Him and love Him in a deep and personal way.  He does not just want to be another obligation you have or an organization you join.  He wants to be everything for you.

What if every single person who was a “member” of the church was a person who attended mass and shared their gifts and talents with the faith community?  The church would look a lot different.  The church would be on fire and all who identify as Catholic would be excited and vibrant in their faith.  Think of how many people out there are Catholic on paper based on membership lists but fail to embrace the teachings of the Church, and even worse, fail to know and have a relationship with God?  Our church membership lists may be long but the list of those who fully participate and really know God are short.

​Each and every one of us has an infinite desire for love.  That infinite desire is ultimately a desire for God, which is written on the human heart.  No amount of “church dues” or money can satisfy that desire.  Reach out to the people you know who belong to the church but who never show up and pray that they will not just give their money, but their hearts.

There’s nothing quite like deep life chats late at night.  My older sister was home for the week, visiting from North Carolina, so naturally, the four of us siblings sat in the kitchen Saturday night talking until 1 AM.  Much of our conversation focused on our dad and how his Frontotemporal Dementia has continued to progress rapidly, causing him to go downhill quickly in the last several months.  It’s been over ten years so it shouldn’t feel hard, yet it is.  Shouldn’t we be strong by now?  For the most part, we laugh at the crazy, unbelievable things that happen on a daily basis.  But sometimes, we cry.  It is only because of being vulnerable and sharing the struggles that we can experience the laughter and joy.

We heard in this weekend’s second reading, “Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong” ( Corinthians 12:10).  It is through our weaknesses and struggles that we find strength through Christ.  It’s often tempting to think that we have it all together, that we are like cement walls that cannot be moved or shaken.  When we have these thoughts and try to rely on our own human strength we will break much more easily.  When we admit to our difficulties and weaknesses and rely on Jesus’ perfect strength, we become strong.

A lot of times, people think vulnerability is a bad thing.  They see being vulnerable as a sign of weakness.  Being vulnerable means going deeper in our relationships with others and trusting more.  It allows us to connect more deeply.  It means sharing our hearts, thus revealing our weaknesses and struggles.  Being vulnerable requires courage.  Have you ever started crying in front of a group of people while giving a talk or cried in a co-worker’s office?  These types of situations can be embarrassing but usually out of our control.  They show that we are willing to take risks and that our hearts do not have walls around them.  When we are vulnerable, we allow others to accompany us in our sufferings and lift us up in prayer, which is what we are all called to do for one another.

Jesus showed us what it means to be vulnerable.  He wept at times.  He cried out to God the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He hung fully exposed, beaten and bloodied, on the cross for us.  Jesus’ vulnerability was not weakness, but strength.  It is through His strength that He shows us what it looks like to love completely, without barriers.  To be vulnerable means to fully expose our emotions but it also means to love and allow ourselves to be loved.

Rather than trying to cover up our struggles and hardships, we should work to be open and vulnerable.  This allows us to lean into our faith and be drawn closer to Jesus.  Our strength pales in comparison to His.  If we allow ourselves to give up our own strength and walk into our weaknesses, we will find that we are stronger.  

At times when we feel weak and tired may we pray: 

Jesus, many days, this cross feels too heavy.  I am weak and walking this path often feels like a crawl.  Help me to carry this cross with grace, perseverance, and strength that comes only from You.  Help me to have the faith to carry it and help me remember what it means to be your disciple.  When I question the suffering and doubt your goodness, may I offer everything up to you.   Help me know that I do not walk alone and that you are carrying this cross with me, guiding me every step of the way with your strength.  Amen.

Whenever I’m driving at night, particularly on country or back roads, I tend to go below the speed limit, making sure to keep my eyes peeled to all of my surroundings.  I’ve hit three deer in my eight years of driving.  I’ve learned to go slower than necessary, be more alert, and take notice of what’s on my right and left.  Deer tend to pop up out of nowhere, leaping from the woods or ditches and into oncoming car headlights.  If you’re not watching, you will miss them.  Similarly, in our daily lives, God is everywhere, working in every moment.  If we’re not paying attention, we will miss Him.

Most of us have probably been in the situation where we are asked to reflect on and share where we’ve seen God in the last week or few days.  If you’re like me, this question has, at times, left you scrambling to come up with any seemingly profound moments you’ve experienced recently.  You hear other people share their ‘God moments’ and you wonder why God’s been working and doing profound things in their lives but not yours.  Then you realize that God is there but you just are not paying close enough attention!

How do we learn to be more attentive to God in our daily lives?  We must take it slow, be alert, and take notice of our surroundings.  We should spend more time listening and reflecting and work to grow closer to God.  The closer we grow to God, the better we will become at hearing Him and seeing Him on a regular basis, recognizing His presence in the regular moments of our days.

​God never stops working.  He remains with every one of us at all times, whether we notice Him or not.  When we open our eyes, we will see Him and notice all that He is doing in our lives.  Take time at the end of each day to think about a ‘God moment’ for that day.  Ask yourself, “Where have I seen God today?”  Start a journal and write them down or just reflect mentally.  When you look for God in each day, you will become more deeply aware of His presence in your life.  And then, you can’t miss the love and goodness that He is pouring out upon you each and every day.

“Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4:40).  This line from the Gospel we heard at mass this weekend really stood out to me.  Of course I have faith, I told myself as I was reflecting on this question.  As this line from the Gospel floated around in the back of my mind as mass continued on, I was struck again; this time by the song the choir was singing at communion, “Only A Shadow.”  There is one line, sung during the refrain, that hit me; ‘our lives are in your hands.’  If we have faith, it means we know and trust that our lives are in the hands of God.  Do I have a strong, unwavering faith that withstands every moment of my days?  I think the real question you and I should be asking ourselves is do we have faith that is stronger than doubt, fear, worry, and everything else that is not from God?  Do we have faith, not just sometimes, but in every moment of every day?  Do we fully know and trust that our lives are in God’s hands?

When was the last time you worried about something or were filled with fear about a situation?  If we are being honest with ourselves, it was most likely not too long ago.  Last week, yesterday, a few hours ago maybe?  Having these feelings is normal since we are all human.  However, we cannot let these feelings take over. 

 The important thing to do when we experience fear, worry, and doubt is to offer it all to God and dive into our faith.  Our faith needs to be stronger than fear, worry, and doubt so we can remember and trust that whatever happens in our lives, God is the One in control.  His plans are greater than ours and His ways better than our ways.  When we trust that our lives are in God’s hands, it means knowing that God is good and that He will never give us anything that is not good or put us in a situation wherein good cannot come from.

​The God who created the heavens and earth, the seas, and the sky, and you and I holds onto each one of us.  In every moment of our lives, he is protecting us, guiding us, and loving us.  When we experience the wind and storms of life, may we hold tightly onto our faith and trust that there is nothing to fear because our lives are in His hands.

There’s a quote from Saint John Paul II in which he says, “Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.”  It’s a simple quote, yet filled with so much truth.  Many people have the mindset that following Jesus, being Catholic, and having faith is boring.  They think that it’s just about following a bunch of rules that are restrictive and that interfere with the ways they want to live.  Personally, being Catholic is the most exciting part of my life.  When I think of the best, coolest, and most fun things I’ve done in my life, most of the experiences that come to mind are opportunities I’ve had only because of my faith.  Colorado Leadership retreats, a pilgrimage to Washington D.C. for the March for Life, college mission trips, the SEEK Conference, and Biking for Babies are some of the big things that stand out.  These are in addition to the countless smaller activities, gatherings, and events that happen on a more regular basis.  The best things we can do are those which are pure, wholesome, and holy things that lead us closer to Christ. 

​There are so many opportunities our faith presents us that people are missing out on.  People often dismiss the experiences and opportunities that will fill them up and help them grow in their faith, believing that these kinds of things are dull and boring.  The truth is, these kinds of opportunities are the experiences that allow us to enjoy full, abundant, and adventurous lives, which is what God wants for us.  To put it simply, trying to enjoy life apart from Christ is very difficult, yet this is what so many people do.  Pushing faith aside prevents us from experiencing all that is good and holy.

When I think about some of the best experiences of my life, several common denominators stand out.  My favorite experiences have been ones that involve pure and wholesome fun, which means they were aligned with my morals and did not compromise my values.  Also, these experiences have involved a strong community who share the same faith and have the same beliefs, which makes it easier to grow deeper in faith and be encouraged and inspired.  Another factor in these experiences is the Holy Spirit.  Reflecting on each of these experiences, I have noticed that they were all events in which it was very evident that the Holy Spirit was present and at work.  Love, joy, peace, and goodness were fruits that were strong parts of each of these events.  In addition, in each of these events, the focus was on Jesus and centered on encountering Him.  Opportunities I’ve had due to my faith are the ones that stand out as the best for the sole reason that they are unlike anything else in this world.

Without my faith, I know for a fact I would not have had nearly as many amazing opportunities as I have.  Many of the best memories and times of growth are thanks to being Catholic.  The greatest adventures you will ever have are when you choose to fully and wholeheartedly follow Christ.  Open yourselves up to Jesus and the opportunities to encounter Him and trust that your life will be filled with excitement and adventure like you’ve never experienced before.  Will you follow where He leads?

From the moment the month of June started, it’s been everywhere.  It’s been shared on social media and on the news along with other forms of media/entertainment.  Organizations have made statements and updated logos.  Companies that create different products, whether it’s candy, cereal or clothing to name a few, have updated their packaging/designs.  Flags have been put up.  If you haven’t figured out what I’m talking about yet, I’m referring to the endless amount of rainbows that have been plastered everywhere.  As the secular world celebrates Pride Month, we constantly hear the motto “love is love” while being bombarded with phrases and messages about LGBT Pride.  As Catholics, we cannot support the culture, events, activities, and behaviors that this movement celebrates and promotes.  We must, however, respect and love the people who partake in Pride Month events and offer compassion and empathy for all who experience same-sex attraction.  Instead of celebrating pride, we should all pray to grow in the virtue of humility.  Rather than identifying ourselves by our temptations, weaknesses, and sin, we should allow ourselves to be defined by the love God has for us.  What better way to do these things than by diving deep into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion that the Catholic Church celebrates during the month of June.

If you dare defend the Church’s teaching on marriage, you’re usually called a “homophobic, bigoted, hateful jerk” or something along those lines.  What the Church teaches is full of truth, beauty, and goodness.  Whether we are talking about marriage or love aside from marriage, our society does not understand love and often has a distorted view of what it means to love.  However, when we look upon Jesus and His Sacred Heart, it is only then that we can begin to  understand what it means to love others and be loved.

The culture promotes love as something that is selfish and asks questions like “what’s in it for me?” or “how can I get what I want?”.  The Sacred Heart bursts forth with a flame, pierced and bleeding, and crowned with thorns, thus revealing to us His deep, infinite, unconditional love for all of humanity.  The love of Jesus is more powerful and transformative than anything else in this world.  The heart of Jesus is filled with love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and all that is missing from our culture’s ideas of love.

We can only truly love others when we open ourselves up to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Receiving His love fills us with love for those around us.  We are all called to learn from the heart of Jesus and imitate His love and humility.  It’s not easy but with prayer, dedication, and discipline, we can grow more like Him each day and learn how to love like Him.

Contrary to what the world might say, people are not defined by their attractions, temptations, or weaknesses.  While Catholics cannot celebrate Pride month and the behaviors and activities that it promotes, we must recognize the dignity and worth of every single person, regardless of what they struggle with.  Take time to lean into the Sacred Heart and know that Jesus pours out his love and mercy on each and every one of us.  That is something worth celebrating during the month of June and every month after!

“Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours.”

A few days ago, a supervisor from my job in college passed away at the age of 41, after some health problems.  When I learned of this news, I was deeply saddened.  She positively impacted so many students, myself included, and staff at the university.  If I were to describe her with one word, it would be ‘bold.’  I think her boldness is one reason I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her and how grateful I am to have known her.  Her boldness is a trait I admired.  As Catholics and Christians, we are all called to be bold in our faith.

Boldness might not be naturally part of all of our personalities but it is something we need to choose and strive for each day.  Otherwise, how can we expect to hold onto our faith and stand up for what we believe in a world that is actively working against us?  It is easy to sit back and go along with the flow for fear of offending people or being insulted.  Hiding our beliefs or remaining indifferent can lead to adopting the viewpoints of our society and it sends the message that our faith and its teachings really aren’t that important.  When it comes to our faith, we cannot hold back!

If we are truly disciples of Jesus, we should be sharing our faith with others.  This means sharing the Gospel message, the teachings of the church, and letting others know how Jesus has and continues to work in our lives.  It doesn’t have to be in front of a crowd or in big ways.  It can be in the conversations with coworkers, family, and friends and in various everyday situations.  These opportunities arise all of the time but we just need to be open to them.  It should be in the words we say, the things we do, and the overall way we live our lives.  We need to be sharing our faith, no matter what people might say or what they might think of us.  In this weekend’s Gospel, we heard Jesus telling his disciples to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19).  This applies to us today too.

What if we lived without hesitation and fear?  What if we shared our faith like it was more important than anything else in our lives?  What if we chose to be bold?  Our country needs Jesus and needs the message of our faith, especially now more than ever.  May we all rise up as disciples of Jesus and choose boldness.

At my job, aside from one or two people who are close to 40, all of my coworkers are at least twice my age.  This means one thing.  Every day, I can guarantee that I will be called into someone’s office to help them with a computer/technology issue or answer a question about how to do something in Microsoft Office or Outlook email.  On the other hand, working with people who are a bit older than me means that there is a lot I can learn.  Having coworkers who are middle-aged means they have more life experience.  They offer advice, career tips, and wisdom on work and life in general.  We are all connected and all have different things to offer and provide to our place of work in order to fulfill the mission of the organization and complete the job.  It is no different in our faith and in the Church.

Every year at my church, there is a retreat called Christian Experience Weekend, also known as CEW.  It is a retreat for anyone 18 and older.  However, once I turned 18, I didn’t immediately jump aboard and sign up.  The way I looked at it, even though it was open to those at least 18, it was a retreat that a bunch of moms and middle-aged or older people attended.  I had rarely heard of any “young” people attending except for usually an occasional one or two per retreat.  How could I connect to a bunch of women who had kids, and enjoyed things like baking and gardening for fun??  For two years, several different people invited me personally to attend the retreat, some even offering to pay the small retreat fee for me.  After coming up with a reason I couldn’t go or saying I would think about it, I finally gave in when I was 20.  And I’m glad I did.  All of the people on the retreat were at different points in their lives.  We all had different experiences, thoughts to share, and gifts to bring.  It didn’t matter that we were all different ages.  What mattered is that we were all connected by Christ and through our faith.  We were all a part of the body of Christ.  That is the beautiful thing. 

We can all learn from each other.  We can be inspired, encouraged and given wisdom and knowledge about faith from one another.  Furthermore, we need each other.  We all have different ideas, thoughts, experiences, and gifts.  God works in our lives in different ways and fills our hearts differently.  As we heard in this weekend’s second reading “there are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit….As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:4, 12).  We each have a role and are each called to participate alongside each other within the Body of Christ.  While we are all unique individuals with different experiences, we are only truly whole when we are part of the Body, united as a community and to Christ.

Sometimes, it might seem easier for us to live inside our own little bubbles; for young people to stray from those who are older and for those who are older to dismiss younger people.  The Church needs all of us right now, at this exact moment.  Not just a little later and not in the future.  We are all tasked with sharing Christ’s love and the Church’s teachings and to help each other along the way no matter what age we are.  May we all see each other as important parts of the Body of Christ and always realize the bond we have through Him.

This weekend I did a half-marathon.  The in-person Cellcom event was cancelled and moved to a virtual format, which meant we had to do the race on our own.  Not being able to do the event in person, there were several things we missed out on.  There were no spectators/people to cheer, no water stations, and no post-race food, just to name a few things.  While we got t-shirts and medals, being able to run the event on the actual course, in the normal format would have been the full experience.  We can run on our own, at our own time and on our own routes but signing up to do road- races is a much different experience that offers so much more.  On a larger scale and in a more important way, it is like this in our faith.  In regard to going to mass, we often hear people say things like, “I can just pray at home.”  Of course we can pray at home.  It is good and important to pray at home, and anywhere we may be.  However, as Catholics, mass is the ultimate experience of our faith that we need.

God is the giver of all good things in our lives.  Going to mass allows us to show our gratitude for everything we have and praise Him for all of the blessings in our lives.  We can always thank God on our own time and in our own prayers.  However, we are asked to show up, once a week at a minimum, to give thanks and praise to God.  It’s the least we can do.

Going to mass allows us to pray as a community.  It is vital to pray as a community through the mass.  While we need to pray on our own and develop a strong personal prayer life, we also need a community.  If we want a strong prayer life, we need to start with the mass.  The mass fills us up and pours countless graces into our lives.  This allows us to live out our faith and grow closer to God in our daily lives.

There is no other place we can go to be closer to God than at mass.  Jesus is with us in nature, in our living rooms, and at our sporting events.  However, it is only at the mass that He is present- body, blood, soul, and divinity.  Receiving the Eucharist is as close as we can get to Christ on this side of heaven.  It is the best gift we have been given and people pass up on it as if they have more important things to do and places to be.  This is the central part of our faith.

As Catholics, it is important to pray on our own and practice our faith every day.  However, we also need to attend mass weekly, as long as we are healthy and physically able.  We are able to experience the fullness of our faith when we go to mass.  It is an experience we cannot have anywhere else.  Pray often that Catholics everywhere would make going to mass a priority and see the importance and value of worshipping God weekly.