A few weeks ago, I was talking to some people who were part of a pilgrimage group that had stopped at my parish.  They were talking about their experiences of the day.  They talked about the small towns and rural areas they walked through and how beautiful the fields, trees, and trails were.  They were from Colorado and had not been to Wisconsin before.  They were also commenting on how beautiful the church was and were amazed at the architecture and style.  They reminded me that God gives us beautiful things and they are all around us, even if we don’t always recognize it.

The people I was talking to reminded me of the beauty that is all around us.  Living in a small town in Wisconsin, it can be easy to miss the beauty that surrounds us.  The landscapes do not appear that extraordinary, at least to someone who has always lived here.  These few pilgrims that I was talking to came from a state with mountains and some of the most beautiful landscapes that exist.  I wondered how they could think the small rural areas in Wisconsin were beautiful when they have mountains.  But, it is simply a different kind of beauty.  God created it, and He only creates good and beautiful things.  The group also talked about how beautiful the church was, which is something I can easily overlook when seeing it week after week.

Everything God created is beautiful, and that draws us back to Him.  Whether we see it or not, beauty surrounds us every day.  Sometimes it might be in the small things, other times, it might appear more grand.  Works of art, music that is sung or played, and words that are written can also be beautiful, because God has given people gifts and talents that can reflect Him.  And beauty is also in the people around us, because each and every person is created in God’s image and likeness.  We just need to stop and take time to see it right in front of us.

God wants us to see the beauty around us and wants us to be drawn closer to Him through it.  We need to open our eyes to see it.  And once we recognize it, we must remember to thank God for the gift.  Whether it’s in the sunrise or sunset, places we go, people we talk to, or words we read, it’s all a gift.  My prayer for today is that we would all be able to recognize the beauty that we encounter today and see it as a gift from God!

The Gospel we heard at mass over the weekend may appear to be challenging at the surface level.  But Jesus is just telling us about the reality of living our faith and following Him.  He wants us to be on fire with love for Him and, if we are, this will come with a cost.  Our faith will cause division and conflict, possibly even among people close to us.

In this culture, if our faith has never offended or upset anyone, are we truly living it out?  While our goal as Catholics and Christians is not to offend and upset others by our faith, we know that the Church’s teachings are in direct opposition to the world around us, so it is highly likely that when we live our lives in accordance with the Church, people will be offended and upset as a result.

I am grateful that the family members closest to me, my siblings, all are Catholic and practice their faith.  It is a huge blessing to share the faith we were given and to continue to grow in it.  When it comes to some extended family members, such as aunts, uncles, cousins, that is not the case.  Whatever your situation is, you probably have family members, whether immediate or extended, who don’t practice the faith, have left the church, or who think your faith is weird and outdated.  Wherever we find ourselves, we must not let people around us weaken or diminish our faith.

Jesus knows that our faith will cause division, whether that is among family, friends, or other people we know.  Our love for Jesus and desire to follow Him must be greater than our fear about what others think and our desire to fit in.  In the Gospel passage from this past weekend, Jesus says “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing” (Luke 12:49)!  Are our hearts on fire?  Are our lives already blazing?  Do we allow Jesus to work in our lives and increase our faith?

Our greatest desire should be to have hearts that are on fire for Jesus and a desire to live our faith boldly.  Jesus wants to use us to help spread the fire of His love.  And we can only do this if we are willing to face division, conflict, and discomfort.  My prayer for each of us today is that we would let His fire overtake us so that we can help spread it to the people around us.

The Gospel we heard at mass this past weekend should serve as an awakening for all of us.  It is a reminder to be vigilant and live our faith daily.  Jesus tells us, “you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Luke 12:40).  Are we actively working to grow in our relationship with Jesus and deepening our faith or are we being complacent and putting off what we know we need to do?

Our faith is not something we can put off for a later time.  It is not something we can just decide to pick up when we’re older, less busy, or when we’re facing hardship and uncertainty in our lives.  Our faith needs to be fully lived each and every day, here and now, in each present moment.  So often, faith gets put on the back burner.  But Jesus never puts us on the back burner, so why would we do that to Him?  Are we remaining vigilant and prepared?

When I take time to reflect on this in my own life, I recognize just how far I am from being fully the person God created me to be.  Holiness often seems so unobtainable.  If Jesus came now at this exact moment, would I be ready?  In our weaknesses, sin, and human condition, we will never be exactly where we should be, but are we putting in effort and commitment?  Are we acknowledging that we cannot do it on our own and asking Jesus to lead us and work in our lives?

If we are doing the things we know we need to do to deepen our faith, grow closer to Jesus, and try to grow in holiness, we are on the right path.  If we are not doing these things, we become complacent, staying the same.  And when complacency sets in, the worldly distractions take over.  And when worldly distractions take over, we cannot be watchful, vigilant, and prepared.  This Gospel passage about the vigilant and faithful servants reminds us that our actions have consequences and our choices either bring us closer to God or further from Him.  Are we living like the faithful and vigilant servants or the unfaithful and ignorant servants?

Jesus, thank you for loving us and for teaching us the way.  You alone can give us the ultimate fulfillment and happiness.  Help us to be vigilant and watchful, so that we are always prepared and ready to meet you, not just at the end of our lives, but in each moment that you come to us.  Open our eyes to see you in each day.  Help us to keep our focus on you today and always.  Amen.

Today’s Gospel (8/5) is one of my favorite passages in scripture.  We read the story about Jesus walking on water and Peter doubting.  It is so relevant in our world today and a much needed reminder to trust and stay focused on Jesus, especially in the storms around us.  What is greater; our fear or our faith?

Fear and doubt are real and normal human emotions.  And the media can make these emotions much worse, as the media loves to evoke fear and push certain ideas to make people panic.  We can also experience fear when something is happening in our lives that we don’t understand and that we are worried about.  The noise and activity around us can easily cause doubt and uncertainty.  In the Gospel passage, as Peter walks on the water toward Jesus, his focus turns to the storm and how strong the wind is instead of staying focused on Jesus, which causes him to sink (Matthew 14:30).  How often in our lives do we do the same?  We look at our problems, struggles, and challenges instead of at Jesus, and then we start to sink.  As Peter starts to sink, he cries out, “Lord, save me!” and Jesus stretches out His hand to catch him (Matthew 14:30-31).  That’s what Jesus does, not just in this passage, but in our lives too.

Jesus will always be there to catch us.  We simply need to ask Him for help because we cannot do anything on our own.  We need to trust that He is with us, waiting to stretch out His hand and pull us up.  This passage reminds us to step out of what is comfortable and familiar, and walk into a deeper trust of Jesus, no matter what storms are going on around us.  Jesus is always gazing upon us, and we must not take our gaze off of Him either, so that we do not sink.  Just as he says to His disciples in the boat, “take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), He says the same to us.

We must have courage and trust in Jesus.  He is always there, waiting for us to walk closer to Him and grow in our trust in Him.  And He is ready to catch us when we call out.  My prayer for each of us today is that we would keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, and have courage to walk through whatever storms we may encounter.

Last week at work, I had my annual performance review.  While it’s a necessary part of the job, it brought up thoughts about how much our jobs seem to define us, at least in the eyes of other people.  I always strive to do my best and I want to be an employee who is dependable and can be counted on.  But at the end of the day, it’s just a job.  My job is not my priority and I don’t really have job-related goals.  My main goal in life is to love Jesus and to become a saint.

It seems like many people of a certain age love to ask others about their jobs.  They want to know where you work,  what you do, all the ins and outs of your job, what your pay is like, and if you can advance in the job.  We spend a lot of time at our jobs, so it is understandable that people ask these things.  But the way many people go about asking these questions often makes it seem like our jobs are the most interesting and exciting parts of our lives and like our job is what defines us.  Our jobs are what we do, not who we are.  And we are all replaceable at work.  If your job were to ever be taken from you, you would still be the same person.

I get to work at 7:30 AM and leave at 5:00 PM, and outside of those hours, I don’t think too much about work and do not take my work home with me.  I recognize that certain jobs may be a bit different.  But my mindset is that the work will still be there the next day.  Regardless of the jobs we have, our goal should be to grow in our faith and love Jesus and others.  Is our main focus to climb the ladder of success and advance in our careers or to advance in our faith and love for Jesus, to climb closer to Him?

I do want to do well at my job, but much more than that, I want to do well at living for Jesus.  What are your goals in life?  What is your priority?  Take some time to reflect on that, as it may just reveal an area to grow in.  Jesus, help me to love you more and help me to be a saint!

Last week, there was an attack on a Catholic church in Gaza, which resulted in death and injury.  The horrifying event was a reminder that Christians in other parts of the world go to church with the risk of being harmed or even killed.  In the US, we not only have the freedom to worship, but we can go to mass without fear of being harmed or attacked.  Yet, our churches are missing a lot of people, people who are Catholic, but choose not to come to mass for a variety of reasons.  The mass is the highest form of prayer and should be the priority of our week, yet for so many, it is not.

People come up with many excuses to not go to mass.  Aside from the legitimate reasons, such as illness, emergency weather, and other reasons along those lines, everything else is just an excuse.  Sporting events, being on vacation, not feeling like it, or being bored are just a few of the many excuses people have for not attending mass.  And when you look at the fact that people in certain parts of the world are physically risking their lives to worship God, these excuses are quite poor and sad.

The eucharist is the source and summit of our faith.  And it is the greatest gift God has given us.  Yet, so many Catholics are blind to this reality.  If they knew that Jesus was present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, they would be there every week, no excuses.  You cannot encounter Jesus Christ Himself and not be changed.

Each of us has a job, and that job is to keep sharing about Jesus in the eucharist and why the mass matters.  It is a large task, but one that is vital to our faith and to helping people recognize what the mass is and who is there, waiting for them.  My prayer is that each of us would strive to be eucharistic missionaries, sharing about our encounter with Christ and how it is has changed our lives. 

The next best thing after having an encounter with Jesus is seeing other people encounter Jesus.  Last week, I was blessed to experience both while on a Catholic Leadership Retreat in Wyoming.  At the end of the day, that’s what we want; for people to encounter Jesus in a profound and life-changing way.  We want to see people’s hearts set on fire with love for Jesus and for that fire to continue burning after the experience ends.

Too often, people have an amazing, life-changing experience and over time, they forget and allow their faith to fade or to disappear completely.  Unfortunately, the devil is very much real and always working hard to pull us away from Jesus.  When we experience Jesus in a powerful and profound way, we need to let that experience stay with us when we return to normal life.

In his homily at our mass on Thursday evening, Fr. Matt spoke about “remembering your peak.”  He told us about the importance of remembering this profound mountaintop spiritual experience when we go back home to the valley.  It’s easy to be on fire when you’re living in community with a group of others who’ve experienced the same thing, but going back to the real world is much more challenging and where the growth in our faith needs to continue to happen.

It was a huge blessing to be on this trip again and one of the best parts was seeing people encounter Jesus and get excited about their faith.  On Thursday of the retreat, while spending some time in quiet, individual prayer, I opened up scripture to find a passage to pray with and reflect on.  I ended up reading Matthew 13:18-23, which is The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower.  Reflecting on the four different responses people may have to God and His word was quite relevant to the moment, as I thought about the ways in which the retreatants might respond moving forward from the trip.  The passage talks about how there are those who never accept the word of the Kingdom, those who believe for a while but fall away because of persecution, those who believe, but in whom the word is choked by worldly anxiety and the seduction in riches, and those who respond to the word and produce fruit abundantly.  Seed is either planted on the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, or on good soil.  I want to see everyone embrace Jesus fully and go forward to produce fruit abundantly.  The challenge in this is to help people to have receptive and open hearts, continuing to walk with each other so that we stay close to Jesus.

When we encounter Jesus in a powerful way, we cannot forget.  We need to always take time to think about the times we’ve experienced Him in a profound way so that we continue to recognize He is real and always working in our lives and walking with us, even when we go back to regular life.  My prayer for each of us today, especially for each and every retreatant and leader on the CLR 2025 trip, is that we would “remember our peak” and never let our love for Jesus fade.

Over the weekend, in preparing for an upcoming retreat, the team leaders all took time to run through our witness talks for the different themes of the day and share pieces of our stories and how our faith has been impacted in different ways.  As we took time to share and discuss our ideas for our witness talks, I was reminded of how cool it is that every person has different stories and faith journeys.  Not one person’s story is the same and each of our journeys reflects God in a different way.  We are all called to share about our faith and how God has worked in our lives.

Some people have big and dramatic stories.  Maybe they stopped practicing their faith and strayed far from Jesus or left the Catholic Church altogether, and then they experienced something that brought them back.  Others have stories that seem like a roller coaster, with lots of ups and downs.  Those big stories are great and powerful and people are always amazed when hearing them.  Other people have stories where nothing seemingly major happened, and at surface level, may seem boring.  Some people might think that they don’t have a story to share because it’s not big and exciting.  But if we are alive, we have a story to share and that’s what we need to do.

Each of our faith journeys is a testament to God.  All the bits and pieces of our stories are worth sharing.  At times, we might be asked to stand in front of a group of people and share a personal witness talk.  Other times, we are called to share through a conversation with someone.  At times we might be asked to share our whole story, and at other times, just parts that are applicable in a given moment.  Regardless, our lives can be a witness to our faith, simply by what we do and say.  And God can use our lives to impact others.

We should always strive to be a witness to why faith matters and why we need God in our lives.  Each of our stories have value and are a piece of who God is, and our stories also share our love for God and His love for us.  My prayer for today is that we would all recognize the value of our faith journeys and be open and ready to share!

Over the past week, I have been using the Hallow app to pray through a Sacred Heart Retreat.  Since the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it has been a great way to reflect and pray with this devotion.  Some of the days have been about various obstacles to giving our hearts fully to Jesus and embracing the Sacred Heart.  One of these obstacles is being lukewarm in our spiritual lives.  Are our hearts on fire with love for Jesus and do we live with an awareness of His love for us?

I think one of the worst things we can allow is to become lukewarm in our faith.  In the meditation on the app, Mother Olga, one of the people leading the retreat explains that being lukewarm is “a disease that progresses” and it is “like a death in slow motion” (Sacred Heart Retreat, Day 2).  Being lukewarm prevents us from loving Jesus as we should.

How can we look at Jesus and not recognize His Sacred Heart, burning with love for us and not want to be filled with that same fire?  What it comes down to is being lukewarm.  We all go through periods of spiritual dryness in our lives, but this is not the same as being lukewarm.  Being lukewarm is being neither hot nor cold, and being indifferent.  How can we encounter Jesus Christ and not be impacted each and every day by His love?  If we are lukewarm, this is the reality.  We would go about our days, moving from task to task, event to event, without even thinking once about Jesus.  We might be living lukewarm lives in some aspects, because we all fail to love Jesus at times, due to our weaknesses and sins.  How do we overcome this obstacle?

We can ask Jesus to help us.  One of the suggestions from Fr. Pierre, a priest providing reflections for the retreat, was to pray “Jesus, I don’t want to be lukewarm” or “Jesus, send the fire of Your love so that I can truly be on fire for love of you” (Sacred Heart Retreat, Day 2).  He will help us if we ask.  Going to mass, reading scripture, receiving the sacraments, spending time in His presence, and surrounding ourselves with a faith community are all ways that we can continue to keep the fire burning. 

Jesus’ love and His Sacred Heart change everything.  Do we allow His love to change our lives?  My prayer for each of us today is that our hearts would be continually set on fire with love for Jesus and that we would not be hindered by the obstacle of being lukewarm.

In today’s (6/10) gospel passage, Jesus tells his disciples that they have a mission to show the world who He is by the way they live their lives.  He says “you are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) and “you are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).  As Christians and followers of Jesus, we too are called to be the salt of the earth and light of the world.  Do we take this mission seriously and try to share Jesus through our daily lives?

Jesus also warns about losing the faith and failing to make Him known.  He tells His disciples, “if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?  It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13).  He also tells them that they should not allow their light to be hidden.

Our faith should make a difference in our lives and it should impact who we are and how we respond to the world around us.  Salt enhances the flavor of food.  In our call to be salt, we must attempt to enhance the world around us by sharing Christ with the world and letting Him work in us and through us.  We must be different from those who do not have faith in Christ, bringing His love, mercy, and joy to all we encounter.  We must not lose our faith in the midst of the culture that desperately needs Jesus and all He brings to one’s life.  We also must let our faith shine through our lives and not hide our faith and love for Jesus.  

Trying to be the salt of the earth and light of the world can be challenging in a world that tries to diminish our faith.  But staying focused on Jesus is the key to being able to live for Him and share Him with the world.  My prayer is that we would all be the salt and light that He is calling us to be.  Lord, let your light shine through me today.