Advent has finally begun.  That means it’s basically Christmas already, right?  Well, not so fast.  Thinking about this new liturgical season, I started reflecting on past years.  Reflecting on my preparation during Advent in previous years, I realize that my efforts were quite weak.  I usually had good intentions but found that the season passed by in a flash.  I would maybe pick up one of those little Advent reflection books and passively read through the reflections for each day, often missing days along the way.  I would get to Christmas and not much would be different.  To be honest, the four weeks leading up to Christmas for me probably did not look much different than those of non-Christians.  This Advent, I want to be more intentional than ever and truly enter into this beautiful season that we have been given.  Let us not get sucked into the culture’s ways.

​Everywhere you look, it seems as if Christmas is already here and has been for awhile.  Stores have been decked out with Christmas decorations for several months.  Christmas music is on the radio.  People are trying to plan the perfect Christmas parties and find the best gifts.  Our culture seems to jump into the Christmas festivities so early and quickly that by the time December 25th comes, they are wiped out and sick of it all, ready to take down all the decorations the next day, stop the celebrations, and move on to the next thing.  I will admit, I have already watched my fair share of Hallmark Christmas movies this year.  However, are we willing to fully embrace the season of Advent and live in a way the world does not understand?

The world does not like to wait.  Our culture is one of instant gratification and fulfilling personal pleasures and desires.  This time of the year, our world is telling us to go constantly, stopping for nothing and no one.  We are told to embrace the busyness and jump right into the hustle and bustle.  There are places to be and things to do and we must hurry to fit it all in.  We want all the noise and excitement but not the silence.  We want the gifts and parties but not the emptiness and waiting.  We want Christmas but not Christ.

What if we spent these next four weeks of Advent by embracing all that the season has to offer?  We are called to slow down and enter into the waiting and anticipation.  We are called to deeper reflection, prayer, and silence.  We can take time to listen more closely to what God is speaking to us.  We need to examine our hardened hearts and work on removing all the distractions and attachments.  We need to become aware of the stirring and longing in our hearts and recognize the only one who can fulfill the deepest desires.  Advent should not be treated like a to-do list of tasks we have to get done before Christmas. We are not perfect and should not become discouraged.  Advent is an invitation to prepare our hearts and minds for Christ.

Jesus wants nothing more than to come into your heart and be close to you.  Will you take the next four weeks of Advent to prepare room for Him?  Will you spend time waiting, praying, reflecting, and resting?  My prayer is that you will be able to slow down, enter the stillness and silence, and prepare to receive Christ with joyful hearts.  May you have a blessed Advent!

Driving home from work a few days ago it was completely dark.  Out of nowhere and rather suddenly, there was a big truck driving behind me.  The only reason I paid much attention to this truck was because its headlights were so intense and bright that they were shining onto my mirrors.  This intense light was something I could not miss, even if I wanted to.  This is how it is supposed to be with us as Christians.  We are called to be light in this world and our light should be so bright that others cannot help but notice.  It is when we shine our light that others will see Jesus.

​I remember as a little kid being taught the song “This Little Light of Mine.”  What kid hasn’t sung that song in some type of church setting?  When learning that song, kids are taught that they have a light that they need to share with the world.  As we grow up, the same is true.  We are still called to be a light.  However, as we experience the world around us, there are things that try to extinguish our light.  Other people can try to put out our flames.  Turn on the news or open up social media and it does not take long to see the darkness that exists.  We can easily be consumed and overwhelmed by the violence, hatred, bitterness, and anger that fill our screens on a daily basis.  The world is filled with darkness.  Darkness is simply the absence of light.  As Christians we need to bring the light of Christ to the world around us.

You might think that your little bit of light will not make a difference.  However, that is far from the truth.  Have you ever sat in a completely dark room or space, maybe in church or when the power went out?  As you sit in complete darkness, you light a candle.  That one little flicker of light from the candle makes a big difference.  That one glowing candle that is lit is enough to be able to see.  This is how it is with us.  Just as the candle can light a room that is in darkness and help us see, we as Christians can bring our light and help others see.  It is by our light that others can be guided to Christ, where truth, goodness, and love are found.  All it takes is one small flicker.

We are called to reflect the light of Christ.  Living in the light of Christ is life-giving.  Sharing this light can make all the difference when others’ lights have dimmed.  A question I try to reflect on often is am I allowing Christ to shine through my life?  Am I sharing His light with others?  May we all keep our lights burning so brightly and intensely that others cannot help but notice!

Everyone wants to experience peace.  You have probably heard it said before in remarks such as this;  “Once this happens or when this changes, I will be at peace.”  This is a nice sentiment but it only goes to show that the world does not understand true peace.  It is in scripture that we can begin to understand where we find peace.  In John 14:27 Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give it to you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”  The world’s peace will always fall short.  It is only in Jesus that we can experience true and lasting peace.  

​As we go through our lives, we experience pain, sorrow, suffering, and challenges.  We all have crosses we need to carry.  The world tells us we can only find peace when these difficulties are absent from our lives.  The world gives peace that is temporary because it is only experienced when there are no hardships.  The world’s peace is a peace of good circumstances.  It is brief and fleeting.  Despite the pressures and struggles of life, the gift of peace that comes from Jesus cannot be snatched away by the world.  This peace endures suffering and rejection.  This peace that Jesus offers does not mean that everything in your life is perfect or that you have it all together.  It is trusting that He has everything under control and knowing that we are loved more than we can understand.  It is this inner peace that no trials or suffering can destroy.

There is nothing that compares to the peace of Christ.  It is one of the most valuable gifts that we are given.  We are able to experience this peace daily but it is not easy.  We have to continue to seek it out regularly.  Many things in the world will distract us.  We will be tempted to believe the lies  of the devil and fall victim to despair.  Seeking peace means seeking Christ.  If we focus on Him, we will be able to experience the peace He offers.  There are different things we can do that will help us to receive this gift.  Going to Mass is vital.  Outside of mass, we can make a corner or space for prayer in our homes.  This makes it easier to commit to spending time with Jesus.  We can read scripture and spiritual books.  We can listen to hymns or praise and worship music.  We can spend time in eucharistic adoration.  The list is endless.  Whatever we do, the key is growing closer to Christ, deepening our relationship with Him, and accepting the love He has for us.  This is what will allow us to experience true peace.  It is Christ alone who allows us to experience all of the ups and downs of life and still say, “it is well with my soul.”

The world is crazy, busy, and loud.  We all have challenges and trials to deal with.  We cannot sit back and wait for life to be easy and perfect because that will never happen.  What we can do is run towards Jesus and open our hearts to invite Him in.  It is when we are deeply abiding in Him that we will experience the peace He gives us, and our hearts will not be troubled or afraid.

This weekend during Mass, there was a comment made that I found to be a little unsettling.  The remark was “since we have a baptism, my words on today’s Gospel will be brief.  The liturgy is long enough.  It’s a beautiful day outside and we’d hate to spoil it in church” or something along those lines.  I’m sure the comment was not meant to sound as it did, but it lingered in the back of my mind for the rest of the Mass.  I think a lot of people have the mindset that Mass is just something to do, but only if it fits into their schedule.  Jesus gets His one-hour time slot during the weekend and it better not run over because we need to get on with our day and there are other places to be and things to do, and the weather is so nice.  How many people show up at Mass only to check it off their list for the week?  How many people show up because it’s what they’ve done for as long as they can remember?  How many people show up just so it looks good?  Participating in the Mass and spending time in the presence of Christ could never spoil the day.  In fact, there is nothing more important that we can do.  Reflecting on this brings me to the thought that there are probably people sitting in the pews (and at home) who have never had an encounter with Jesus Christ.  I believe that if we truly knew Jesus and had a relationship with Him, we would approach the Mass and our faith in a totally different way.

The first time I really remember hearing people talk about having a personal relationship with Jesus, I was in high school.  There are two people in particular who stand out.  They were on fire and had a deep passion for sharing Jesus and the Catholic faith with others.  It was also in high school that I encountered Christ in a profound way for the first time.  This was a turning point.  Entering into a relationship with Jesus is a game-changer and ultimately what gives life meaning.  It is what makes us want to go to Mass and grow deeper in our faith.

I worry that, for many, faith is just a routine.  Minds are filled with facts, information, and rules, rather than hearts opened and filled with the love of Christ.  It becomes a checklist or just an extracurricular activity for when we have time.  Learning about our faith and teaching others that knowledge is essential.  However, if we don’t come to know Jesus in a personal way, then I think we have forgotten what it is all about.  If we do not have a relationship with Christ, we cannot fully enter into the community we are called to and it will be more difficult to fully enter into the Mass.  There are so many opportunities to encounter Jesus and so many different ways to begin to develop a relationship with Him.  We need to continue to seek out scripture, the sacraments, community, and other opportunities for an encounter, and invite others to come with us along the way.

I believe that once you encounter Christ, your life can never be the same.  Whenever we have those encounters, we will be inspired to share with others and witness to how we have been impacted.  My prayer is that we would never spend time with God and think that it’s “long enough” or that our day could be “spoiled.”  Take time to pray that everyone would be able to experience Christ in a profound way.

As we get ready to head to the polls Tuesday and await the results of the 2020 election, I can’t help but think back to the 2016 election and all that followed.  I will never forget the day after the election and what I experienced.  I was a sophomore in college.  Walking into my Public Policy class, the professor announced that we wouldn’t be covering any new content, but rather, that we would spend the whole class time discussing the election results, sharing our thoughts and views.  He emphasized that this would be a time to discuss openly, respectfully, and civilly.  The discussion that ensued was anything but respectful and civil.  The first few minutes started out decent, and before long, the 100+ person classroom turned into a battlefield.  The conversation heated up and intensified quickly.  My friend and I sat there observing everything, almost wishing we had popcorn to enjoy as we watched it all unfold.  People started interrupting each other.  There was name-calling.  There was screaming.  There was crying.  There was swearing.  Then the climax of the discussion happened.  One girl got up, started walking down the stairs of the lecture hall, ready to punch someone.  That’s finally when the professor cut it off.  The class was released and later we were emailed by the professor and asked to think about all that had taken place.  

​Witnessing what I did in class and around campus that day, I was shocked and disappointed, maybe even horrified, in the behavior of my classmates.  It was as if they were five-year olds throwing a temper tantrum after not getting their way rather than educated young adults.  I remember thinking that everyone just needed to chill.  The world was not ending and if they were that upset about election results and felt that entitled, there were deeper problems that they needed to address in their lives.  Fast forward to 2020, my thoughts are the same.  I consider myself to be fairly invested in politics and I thoroughly enjoy and follow what happens on a regular basis, (as one of my majors was Political Science).  Politics are important but when it comes down to it, God is in control.  On college campuses, many students are not practicing Catholics/Christians.  With this in mind,  it is no wonder why they put all of their trust in political leaders.  They put all their hope in one man (or woman), thinking that a political leader can save them.  But for those of us who are people of faith, it is important to keep in mind the One who really matters.  We are called to place all of our hope and trust in God.

It is important to elect government leaders at all levels who will enact and uphold policies that will most closely align with our faith.  Life, family, and religious freedom are just a few examples.  As Catholics, we are called to go to the polls and vote according to our faith.  We are called to think about Church teachings and vote as best we can, according to our options.  We must not betray our religious beliefs when voting.  However, at the end of the day, that is all we can do.  We cannot control the outcome. 

Whatever the results of the election, we have to continue to work to uphold our faith and values.  If a certain candidate does not win, life will carry on.  If a candidate wins who promotes all that is contrary to our faith, it means that we, as the Church, have to continue to defend our faith even more strongly and live out what we believe.  Even if “our candidate” does win, he or she is not perfect.  But Jesus is.  Politicians will not transform our lives, but Jesus will.  Politicians will let us down and disappoint us at times, but Jesus never will.  We are all sinful people who fall short of perfection.  This includes our leaders in government.  This is why we must remain vigilant and work to uphold and defend our beliefs in the political arena.  We must work to influence policies that align with the truth.  We must work to elect leaders and officials who will do what is right.  Most importantly, we must pray for all of our leaders at all levels of government.  We need to pray for our country and pray that our leaders will seek the truth and do what is morally right and just.

Whoever wins, we have our work cut out for us.  We have to continue to live out the Gospel and fight against the evil in our country, no matter who is elected.  We have to pray, and ultimately, we have to trust that God is in control and that He will never abandon us.

Let’s talk about truth.  In the world we live in, truth has been crumpled up and thrown out the window.  We live in a culture of moral relativism.  If someone believes something that is contradictory to the truth, we dare not say anything unless we want to be labeled as “bigoted or hateful.”  We are told we need to agree with everyone and all beliefs, all in the name of tolerance and acceptance.  After all, we might offend someone.  For Catholics and people of faith, this is dangerous.  As followers of Jesus, we cannot withhold the truth from others.  We are called to dig into the truth of our faith and the Church’s teachings and share with others.

​There is a common misconception among many people that having strong beliefs is “imposing your religion on others.”  You’ve probably heard it before.  “Don’t like abortion?  Don’t get one.”  Don’t like same-sex marriage?  Just ignore it.”  “Don’t like contraception?  Don’t use it.”  The list goes on and on.  The Catholic Church has strong, clear teachings on topics such as these.  It is not a matter of simply not liking these things.  The Church tells us what is morally unacceptable and through scripture and tradition, God reveals truth, beauty, and goodness to us.  Defending our faith in these times is vital, but it is not easy.

We often like to be comfortable.  Maybe we don’t want to upset anyone.  We might not want to offend anyone.  We would rather just go along with the culture and hide our beliefs.  People are free to do whatever they want as long as it’s not hurting anyone, right?  Well, not exactly.  When Catholics decide they can reject certain teachings in order to not offend anyone, this can lead to a slippery slope.  Picking and choosing to believe certain teachings of the Church but disagreeing with others can give a flimsy and weak representation of the Church and our faith.  Christ is far from flimsy and weak.  Our world tells us to love everyone.  If only it really understood what love is.  We cannot love without truth and we cannot share truth without love.  If we really love those around us, we will share the truth with them.  If we want to fully embrace Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church, we will proclaim the truth boldly.  It will probably offend people.  The truth is offensive to our politically correct culture.  People will leave and reject you.  When this seems too difficult, think of Jesus and how He preached truth.

I like to think of John Chapter 6, known as the Bread of Life Discourse.  “Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.  Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”  As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.  Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”  (John 6:53, 59-60, 66-67).  This is how far Jesus was willing to go to tell the truth.  He accepted the consequences and did not back down, even when His teachings were met with confusion and questions.  He did not soften the truth, even when it meant people would turn away.

There’s a quote from Mother Angelica that sums it up pretty well.  She says, “It’s your obligation to speak the truth, and everyone can either take it or leave it.  But truth must be in us.  We live in such poverty of the truth today.”  If we are truly convicted of our beliefs, we must not be complacent.  When the world is going one way, we are called to walk the other way.  We are not called to be “tolerant and accepting.”  We are, however, called to be loving.  And that means sharing truth in a world that is lost and confused.  Let’s get to it!

Yesterday, I was looking back at previous pages in a journal, reading over notes I had taken during the talks at the SEEK 2019 Conference. (SEEK is a conference put on by FOCUS where thousands of college students from all over the country come together to pray, worship, and listen to nationally known Catholic speakers.)   I came across a quote I had written down from a talk by Edward Sri and it really hit me over the head.  It was almost as if God was calling me out.  The quote was, “We make time for the things that are most important.  Prayer is not about feelings, it’s about faithfulness.  Love is not about feelings, it’s about faithfulness.  Do you love Jesus enough to show up and pray when you don’t feel it?”  I began thinking about prayer.  Do I pray as much as I should?  Do I continue to pray, even when I don’t “feel” anything?  Do I love Jesus enough to pray when I don’t feel like it?

We can form a lot of habits in our lives.  Some of them might be waking up at the same time every day, drinking plenty of water, and sitting down at the kitchen table every night to eat a big bowl of ice cream.  It’s easy to be consistent in these things.  We probably do not even have to think twice about our daily routines.  What about our prayer lives?  When it comes to prayer, there are a lot of questions we can ask.  Are we consistent?  Do we make it a priority?  Is it a strong habit?

One great thing about prayer is that we can pray throughout our whole day, at any random time and in whatever we may be doing.  However, it is also important to take a chunk of time out of each day to just be with God one-on-one and deepen our relationships.  God knows all of our thoughts, desires, and fears.  He knows everything that is in our hearts but still wants us to bring it all to Him.  God wants us to pour ourselves out and in return, He wants to pour His love out onto us.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, not always.  We are busy.  We don’t hear God.  We don’t feel anything.  It’s boring and dry.  We don’t know if He hears us.  Since we are human, these thoughts can easily pop into our minds.  This is when we need to stop and refocus.  We need to remind ourselves that a relationship with God is not about feelings.  It’s about growing closer to Him.  It’s about love and sacrifice.  

​Do we love God enough to show up and pray even when we don’t feel like it?  God showed up for us 2,000 years ago and he shows up for us now, in every moment of every day.  Prayer doesn’t need to be extravagant.  We can just be.  We can take a break from the hustle and bustle of the world and listen in silence.  Take some time today and every day to sit still and rest in His presence.

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.
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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.