Whenever work is really hectic and things get crazy, I always think about how grateful I am that I do not have to do everything alone.  There is a team of people working together to get various tasks and projects done.  A normal day involves everyone filling in their part.  Some days you give more and other days you give less and coworkers always step in to do whatever it takes to complete the work.  Coworkers help you along through the work day, encourage you when you need some inspiration and motivation on a project, and give you what is needed to get it done.  I think this is a lot like life and our journeys of faith.
​
Looking at my journey of faith over time and reflecting on the growth I have experienced, one factor that comes to mind immediately is community.  In a world that tells us it’s better to be completely independent and do everything on our own, I am reminded that what truly sustains me and deepens my faith is the community of people who are striving to know and love Jesus more deeply each day.  It is overwhelming to think about the number of people who have guided me in faith and who continue to do so.  So many people have inspired me and encouraged me through their willingness to share their love for God and their excitement for the Catholic faith.  I am continually amazed at the countless people who care about where I’m at and where I’m going.  They share their knowledge, wisdom, personal stories, and offer up prayers for me.  Walking this journey of faith would be impossible if I had to do it on my own.  It’s a good thing we are not asked to do it alone.  

God created us to live in relationship with one another.  We truly need each other if we want to grow in faith.  We need the witness of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We need to see how Christ is working in their lives.  We need to hear their stories of how He has touched their hearts in both big and small ways.  Being Catholic is not always easy, especially in today’s culture.  In fact, we will be persecuted and challenged.  After all, Jesus was.  We will have struggles and experience suffering.  We need prayers and support from those around us.

​The opportunity to be in communion with others is all around us.  First and foremost, we have the gift of worshipping God together in the Mass every week.  There is a lot of power in that.  Aside from the Mass, there are retreats, conferences, Bible studies and faith sharing groups that we can partake in that allow us to build connections with other members of the Body of Christ.  Everyone has something to offer that no one else can.  We are part of other people’s journeys and that is a beautiful thing.

In this individualistic world, people are desperate for community.  Striving to grow in holiness and walk the straight and narrow path is hard.  Having other people walking with you is less hard.  Don’t be afraid to lean into your faith community.  Let them laugh with you, cry with you, pray with you and for you.  Let them experience joy, excitement, pain, and sadness with you.  Let them teach you, guide you, and help you grow closer to Jesus.  

Today, take some time to thank God for the people in your faith community and pray that everyone would enter into the community that we were made for!

Are you happy?  This is a question that we are often bombarded with on a regular basis.  Everyone wants the people they care about to be happy and they want to be happy themselves. Being happy is great, but there is something better.  That something is joy.  When looking at happiness and joy side by side, it becomes easy to see why joy is what we really want to pursue.  

Happiness is an emotion that is a response to different experiences we may have.  A job can make us happy.  Traveling can make us happy.  Eating donuts can make us happy.  We should enjoy these types of things because they are good and God wants us to be happy.  However, what happens when these things are gone?  If happiness is all that we focus on, what happens when these things are taken away or changed?  A job we like can be stripped away at any time.  Trips don’t last forever and traveling can be limited.  The pleasure of a freshly baked donut only lasts until we have taken the last bite and all that remains are the crumbs.  Happiness is a feeling that changes and moves throughout our lives as we experience different moments and all of the ups and downs of life.  While happiness is fleeting and temporary, joy can be found more deeply within us and it is what we can always count on.

As Christians, we are able to have joy in all circumstances.  We can have joy even in our challenges, struggles, and suffering.  This is possible when we stay focused on Christ.  If we look at every period of our lives through eyes of faith, we will be able to experience true joy, even during times of difficulty.

A beautiful thing about joy is that we can see it in other people.  There are people who radiate joy just by being who they were created to be.  It is something easy to notice in others.  Encountering people who have joy is amazing because it is usually contagious.  People have joy because they know Christ and are aware of the love He has for them and they let themselves be filled by His love.

​We are deeply and perfectly loved by Jesus.  That is a cause for joy!  We are called to have joy and share it with others so that they may see a light in us and be inspired to know Jesus in a deeper way.  My prayer for each day is that when people see me, they see a joyful witness of Christ’s love.

I recently signed up for a 5k run, the ‘Hope isn’t Canceled Run.’  I love the theme that the organizers came up with.  In the times we’re in, we need this message now more than ever.  Countless events over the past several months have been canceled.  A lot of our normal, everyday life has been changed and flipped upside down.  Who or what are we placing our hope in?  I think it is important to reflect on this particular question.

It’s so easy to look around the world and, more specifically, within our country and start to feel hopeless.  Our political ideologies are more polarized than we’ve ever seen.  We’re living through a pandemic.  The media is majorly slanted one way and works to instill fear and opposition. People are filled with hatred.  There is a loss of respect for human life.  The list goes on and on.  It seems like our world has been set on fire (and I’m not talking about St. Catherine of Siena’s version of setting the world on fire) only to continue burning.  Looking at this list, it is difficult to find much upon which to be hopeful about.  It is a good thing that we are not called to put our hope in these types of events, situations, and things of this world.  Things of this world will ultimately fail and disappoint us.  As people of faith, we are called to have real hope; hope in Jesus Christ.

If we have faith, we should also have hope.  What is hope?  It is not good thoughts, well wishes, positivity, or optimism.  These things are not bad.  However, hope is so much deeper.  If we are true followers of Christ, then hope must be embedded in who we are.  Hope is truly believing in Jesus Christ and all of His promises.

People may look around and ask us how we can possibly have hope with everything that is going on.  This is where we need to step up and offer the reasons for our hope.  We can have hope because of the good that Christ brings to our lives.  We can have hope because of His strength and love.  Most of all, we have hope because of the promise of eternal life in heaven.  

There is a lot going on in our world right now.  We can ask, “Will it ever change? When will it end?  Why can’t everyone just get along?”   Instead of asking these questions, let’s get out there and do something!  Let’s truly live out our faith during these trying times, defending goodness and truth.  Let’s share the beauty of life and spread the message of Christ because hope isn’t canceled.

A few days ago I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw that a page I follow had posted the Fruit of the Spirit Song.  (If you have not heard this song, I highly recommend it.  I can guarantee that you will have it stuck in your head for days.  On the plus side, you will never again forget the fruits of the Spirit!)  This got me thinking about the Holy Spirit.  Making the sign of the cross, we invoke the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  However, I think a lot of us tend to forget about the Holy Spirit.  Who is He and how does He work?  My understanding of the Holy Spirit is definitely lacking and I always find that I cannot explain or grasp who He is.  Nonetheless, I know I have experienced the Holy Spirit in both powerful ways and in ways that are quieter and gentler on a regular basis.

One thing I have noticed is that the more open you are to the Holy Spirit in your life, the easier it will be to recognize when and how He is working in your life.  There have been times where I’ve felt like I have been lit on fire.  In these moments, I have felt excitement, courage, peace, inspiration, encouragement, and the list goes on.  While I don’t want to reduce God to a feeling, there are definitely experiences where the feelings are so overwhelming that words fall short when trying to describe these experiences.  These are moments when I can confidently say, “that was the Holy Spirit.”  

One experience with the Holy Spirit that stands out to me happened towards the beginning of this year.  At the beginning of January, I was asked to give a talk at a retreat.  After agreeing to it, it was decided I would present it 2 ½ weeks later at the team meeting to practice it and get feedback.  Naturally, I sat down the afternoon before the meeting to write the whole 30ish minute talk.  I managed to hammer it out within a few hours.  That was the Holy Spirit at work.  After the meeting was over, I had just about a month to polish it up and practice, practice, practice until the retreat.  Of course, what did I not do? Practice.  The day of the meeting, I had gone home, made a few edits, and put it to the side, all the way until the first night of the retreat.  Oops.  Little did I know, the Holy Spirit would be there to lead me and guide me, ultimately saving the day!  The time for me to give my talk was approaching.  There was a room of people who prayed over me.  Just being prayed over is the Holy Spirit at work.  (10/10 would recommend the experience.)  I felt calm and ready but still fairly nervous.  Once I left the room, they stayed and prayed for me throughout my whole talk.  It could not have gone any better, especially considering that I hadn’t gone over it even once to practice since the meeting.  During the talk, I was filled with overwhelming senses of peace and confidence.  (Prayer WORKS!  Stay tuned for a blog on the power of prayer!) After my talk, I left the room and felt like I was floating on clouds.  It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.  That was the Holy Spirit!  I returned to the prayer chapel room, where the group  once again prayed with me and for me.

​The Holy Spirit wants to work in your life.  Whether it’s in large, profound ways that you can feel, or in small, ordinary ways, He wants to be part of it.  Maybe you don’t think the Holy Spirit is working in your life.  I’d challenge you to take a closer look.  Open yourself up a bit.  Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life and pray to receive Him in a deeper way.  The more open you are to the Holy Spirit, the easier it will be to recognize Him working in your life, as well as in the lives of those around you.  The Holy Spirit can change hearts and lives, filling us with a greater desire to know and love God.  Spend time today and everyday reflecting on the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life and ask Him to fill your heart.

Last week I was watching a one-year old.  We were walking out the door to go outside when he reached out his arms.  He wanted me to lift him down from the step onto the ground.  I’m sure we’ve all experienced this.  When a small child needs help, he will simply look toward you and hold out his arms, waiting to be picked up.  Toddlers know they cannot do certain things on their own and they know that we will provide the help that they need.  This is how it is with God, or at least how it should be.  When we find ourselves in certain situations, with struggles we are trying to work through and problems we are trying to solve, do we reach out to God?

For some reason, it seems as if a lot of us think we have to do everything on our own.  When life gets busy and we feel overwhelmed by the world around us, we somehow think that we can handle everything ourselves.  It is easy to find ourselves complaining about the problems we have and all the tasks we need to accomplish.  Why do we think we can do it without the Lord?  We load up our plates with all this stuff.  This is when the stress, worries, doubts, and fears build up.  We start to get buried underneath the weight of the world and call out, “don’t worry, I’m fine!  It’s all good!”  We like to make things harder than they need to be.  It would be a whole lot easier if we reached out to God and cried out, “Lord, please help me!”  

​If only we fully knew that Christ will provide the help that we need.  He died on the cross with His arms stretched open wide.  Every day, He waits for us to come to him, and reach up to be lifted.  He can lift us up from whatever struggles we find ourselves in.   We may walk along thinking everything is going well until we hit roadblocks.  These different roadblocks along the way cause us to stumble and fall.  We feel as if we are stuck, not able to get up again, and forced to crawl to continue on.  Our other option is to reach out to Christ, asking Him to lift us up and walk with us.  This does not guarantee that we won’t have struggles and that we will never fall.  It does however, guarantee that we will always have someone there to pick us up and help us along our way.

​Invite God into your life everyday.  Look toward Him with open arms, trusting that He will pick you up and carry you through whatever it is that you ask of Him.

Yesterday I saw a post someone shared on social media that said, “all we need is love and coffee.”  The post was captioned with a sort of discourse on how much better our world would be if everyone could sit in a big circle together while drinking coffee and sharing compliments.  What a nice, fluffy and warm feeling, right?  I get it.  People are trying to share comforting, non-controversial messages in an attempt to spread positivity in a time when our world desperately needs it.  While nothing is wrong with these messages, they reduce love to a nice little saying that doesn’t even scratch the surface.  Our world is starving for love; love that is authentic, unconditional, deep, and life-changing.  Our world is starving for the love of Jesus Christ.

It seems like everyone has a different idea of what love is.  There are certain ways it should look and feel and certain places it should be found.  People are told that if they want to be “accepting and loving” they need to react to every situation in a certain way and speak up about one issue over another, so as not to be deemed “careless” or “ignorant.”  People seem to spend so much time arguing about what it is supposed to look like when we love others that they completely miss the love that is right in front of them.

​Love isn’t just a feeling or some fleeting emotion.  It’s also not just getting whatever you want or something that makes you happy.  Love is Jesus suffering and dying on the cross for you and me, and for every single person in the world.  Love is Jesus wounded and beaten, crying out, “I thirst” as blood and water pours out from his side.  There is absolutely nothing else He could have done to demonstrate the immeasurable depths of His love for us.  

​While we can never fully comprehend the immense love He has for us, we can take time each day to make ourselves aware of His love and accept it into our hearts.  Jesus thirsts for our hearts and souls and waits to pour out His love upon us.  Take time to pray before a crucifix and reflect on the fact that if you were the only person in the world, he still would have died for you.  I don’t know about you, but that is something that blows my mind.

Jesus loves us so much that he suffered immensely for us.  From his agony in the garden, to being whipped and beaten, carrying his cross, and then ultimately, being nailed to the cross and commending his spirit into the hands of the Father, this is the love that has the power to change lives, and ultimately, the world.  We can sometimes get so caught up in everything going on around us that we fail to remember what is important.  As St. John Paul II once said, “what really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love him in return.  In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary.  And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless.”  I pray that everyone will come to know the deep, unending sacrificial love Jesus has for them.  

Take a step back from the chaos of our world and just rest in His love today!

One CCD class during the last school year, my class of eighth grade students was talking about Confirmation.  Several of the students were asking questions about the sacrament and what it all entailed.  The students were also commenting about the reasons why they thought it was important.  A good number of them expressed something along the lines of, “so we can get married (in the church).”  It was rather disheartening to hear.  These kids were under the impression that the reason they were going through years of Wednesday night faith formation was so that they could have their potential future weddings in church.  Is this what they truly believed?  Is this what they were being told by their parents?  Sadly enough, this is the mindset of a lot of people these days, not just the group of eighth graders.  For a lot of people, the faith is treated like a checklist.  People show up at church when they need to complete the next sacrament on the list and then Jesus is irrelevant again.  

I cannot comprehend why so many parents send their kids to CCD year after year, not even making an effort to attend mass, only so that their kids can get confirmed.  I have never understood why people bother if Jesus doesn’t really matter to them.  These kids fill the classrooms on Wednesday nights but are missing from the pews on Sundays.  It seems as if some people appear out of thin air at church to have their babies baptized, never to be seen again until the time comes to enroll them in CCD.  Then it is time for First Communion, when the parents are so proud of their children for receiving Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time.  The years following that pass by until they enter high school and get ready to be confirmed.  Once the kids get to that point, many of the parents and students are relieved because they are finally done with CCD classes.  They have completed the program and have “graduated.”  They are done with the Jesus stuff and can get married in the church if and when the time comes.  If Jesus isn’t important enough to attend mass every weekend, why would He be important to people a few days out of each year?  

So many people see being Catholic as a list of things to do rather than as a way to live.  The beautiful thing is that God is loving, merciful, and desires nothing more than to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.  Whether a Catholic is on fire, lukewarm, or cold, they receive God’s outpouring of grace, gifts, and strengthening to the same extent in the sacraments.  God loves each person the same and welcomes all who come to him with open arms, even those who only show up when it’s time to check another sacrament off the list.

​The sacraments we have in the Church are true gifts that can impact our lives in ways that nothing else can.  I think most people, even those who don’t actively practice their faith, see the sacraments as beautiful experiences in which Christ is truly present.  Christ is fully present when a baby is baptized, in Reconciliation, when a child receives the Eucharist for the first time, when a high school student receives a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, and when a couple enters into the lifelong commitment of marriage.  Many Catholics see these experiences as big life events, and rightfully so.  They know that something special is taking place.  But let’s be real.  God is not a part-time God, only present at the baptismal font and on white-dress occasions.  God is God 24/7.  It’s time for a lot of Catholics to wake up and start being consistent.  Of course, we are only human and are not perfect in our faith lives.  We are all also at different levels and this is totally okay.  However, it’s time for people to stop being half-hearted Catholics who only show up when they need something.  Christ offers us His body, blood, soul, and divinity.  The least we can give Him is our worship.

A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through Twitter when I saw an abundance of tweets about a new single released by a current pop singer/rapper.  The song was getting all of the hype and the artist was being praised for her supposedly iconic and amazing song that promoted “female empowerment.”  In reality, the song is the exact opposite of that.  To give you an idea of how disgusting and degrading the song is, I felt like I needed to cleanse myself in holy water after simply reading the lyrics.  Since the song’s release, several popular conservative and Christian voices have taken to social media to criticize the song and call it out for the complete garbage that it is.  What shocks me the most are the attacks, hatred, and intense backlash that they have faced for their criticisms and for taking a stand for what is right.  When it comes to entertainment and media, there is a lot of garbage that we can consume.  As Christians, we are called to reject the things that do not align with our faith.

How many of us can explain how our lives would be different if we did not believe in Christ?  How many of us can say our lives look different than those who are not Christians?  How many of us have given up watching certain TV shows or listening to certain music because it is not compatible with our faith?  So much of the entertainment produced these days is filled with everything that is contrary to our faith.  It’s hard to find a show these days that does not include the mockery of religion, constant hook-ups and sexual sins, or destruction of marriage and the family.  Much of the music we can hear on the radio is vulgar and inappropriate.  People have become so desensitized to things like hearing God’s name taken in vain, not only from other people, but also from the media they watch and listen to.

Why do Christians find it so easy to consume these things?  “It’s what everyone else is watching.  It’s entertaining and funny.  What’s the big deal, it’s just a TV show.  There’s nothing else to watch.”  How many of us are willing to give up something for Christ?  Christ gave His whole life and suffered on the cross for us and we can’t even sacrifice a Netflix series?

Of course, we probably cannot avoid every single TV show or movie with some poor language in it or some questionable scenes.  That is not what it is about anyway.  We can however, actively choose what to watch and listen to and what to avoid.  We can take a stand for goodness, truth, and beauty.  Our faith needs to affect every part of our lives, including what we consume.  It’s not like we have to walk around listening to church hymns all day.  However, we can choose to give up the garbage and be different from those who do not profess Christ.

Let’s choose to fill our minds and hearts with all that is good and avoid things that are preventing us from growing in holiness!

Two weekends ago, my family had a rummage sale again after not having had one for a few years.  It was a great feeling to do some major cleaning and get rid of a lot of stuff that had built up over time but that we didn’t need.  It was a time of organizing and decluttering.  I think this experience of decluttering can, in a small way, relate to our lives as followers of Jesus.  

Reading today’s Gospel presents a challenge, especially in today’s world.  Americans love stuff and we have a lot of it.  We live in a materialistic world that tries to tell us we need to have the best and newest version of everything and that our worth is based on what we have.  A lot of our focus is on the “treasures” of this world rather than the treasure in heaven.  Oftentimes, we seem to become consumed by the possessions we have.  While material things are not bad and they allow us to enjoy ourselves, accomplish tasks, and live well, there is always the chance that we can become attached to these things and the pleasure they bring us.  Sure, a new car is great and that big house is proof of our hard work, but do they offer us something that Christ does not?  Having new cars, big houses, and the latest iPhone is not an issue at all.  It is when we become attached to these material possessions and the pleasures they may bring that it becomes a problem.  Do we rely on the things we have more than the real treasure that is found in the Lord?

Most of us are not called to give up all our possessions and live in poverty.  However, we are all called to examine the things in our lives that we cling to that prevent us from growing closer to Christ.  It is not just material items that can keep us from growing closer to God either.  We can dig even deeper and look inward, at the spiritual clutter we may have.  What things are in our hearts and minds that stop us from having a deeper relationship with Christ?  Negativity, comparison, worry, and pride are just a few things that can harden our hearts and make it difficult for us to better follow Jesus and love how we should.  When our minds and hearts are filled with unnecessary burdens, we can miss out on the love, joy, peace, and goodness that we are offered.

​My hope is that we can all remember that Jesus is the only treasure that can fully satisfy our hearts and fulfill all of our deepest longings.  Will we give up what we have in order to follow Him?

A few weeks ago at work, one of the program residents walked by my office and showed me a purchase that he had made.  It was not anything too exciting, just a black oscillating fan.  However, he was ecstatic about it, as he commented, “Check out this fan I bought!  It was only $10, praise the Lord!”  Although his statement was simple, it was so profound.  He recognized that something so small and simple was good and thanked God for it.  I think that is one thing we can all do more of.  How often do we take time to thank God for all of the good in our lives?  How often do we fail to see the goodness around us?

​The word “good” is used so much that it can seem to lose its meaning.  If we want to truly understand goodness, we can look to God.  Good is a word that is all-encompassing for who God is.  He is good in His love, grace, compassion, and mercy.  Even when we talk about God being good, it can be hard to remember what that really means.  “God is good.  All the Time.”  This is one of those phrases that we tend to walk around saying on a regular basis.  It’s definitely not a bad thing, as it is certainly true.  But for me, it is one of those statements I hear so often that I don’t usually give much thought to it.  How often do we actually soak these words in and let them penetrate our souls?  God is so good that we cannot comprehend the depth of His infinite goodness.

I think it starts with recognizing that every single good thing we have or experience, no matter how big or small, comes from God.  We cannot know or truly understand goodness apart from God.  Most of the time, it is easy to recognize the large blessings and gifts in our lives.  When it comes to the news of having a baby, a big accomplishment, or healing from a sickness, we are quick to thank God for being so good to us, our families, and friends.  However, it is in the small, everyday occurrences that we may fail to see God’s goodness.  Whether it is a coworker buying us lunch or someone opening the door for us, these small and simple things are opportunities for us to thank God.  God always gives out of His abundant goodness for our good.

In a world that can seem like it is filled with evil and darkness, God is still good.  In a world that throws us curve balls and changes our plans, God is still good.  In a world where there is pain, suffering, and loss, God is still good.  There are so many blessings we have in life.  It is often in the small, ordinary moments that we can take the opportunity to see God’s providence. Let’s open our eyes to all of the goodness around us and start praising God for the $10 fans in our lives.