In today’s gospel from Mark, we read about people bringing the sick to Jesus to be healed.  When Jesus and His disciples arrived on land, “as they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him” (Mark 6:54).  People immediately recognized him.  In this passage, the people in the area knew who He was and knew His power.  How many times throughout our days do we encounter Jesus?  Do we recognize Him?  While we will not encounter Him walking towards us in the same way that the people living in His time did, we know that He is with us in our days.

Whether it’s in other people, in experiences we have, or in blessings we receive, Jesus is among us.  It is just a matter of whether we recognize Him or not.  Sometimes it is in profound and big ways, other times, it is more of a whisper, quiet and small.  So often, Jesus speaks to us through another person or through an experience we have or we are blessed with something good.  How often do we miss Him or fail to see?

Our vision is so often clouded.  We fail to see Him working in certain moments and throughout our days.  We can sometimes think He’s showing up for other people but not for us.  But He is so often right in front of us, speaking to us through the people around us and working through different experiences we have.

Reading through the gospel passage, I thought to myself, maybe I am like the sick in this story who need to be healed.  While not physically blind, I can be blind to Jesus working in my life.

We all could open our eyes more to see Jesus in our lives.  The hope is that to speak with someone who is telling us something we need to hear, to experience something amazing, or to simply look at another person, we would be able to think, “that was Jesus.”  Lord, open our eyes and our hearts so that we would be able to recognize you immediately.

Last week, the Church celebrated the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas.  He is a Doctor of the Church and was one of the greatest theologians in church history.  With this in mind, there is a lot you could reflect on regarding his life and writings.  But there is a simple story about him that stands out to me.  The story says that St. Thomas was in a chapel in prayer before a crucifix when Jesus said, “you have written well of me, Thomas.  What reward will you receive from me for your labor?”  St. Thomas replied, “nothing but yourself, Lord.”  This is the kind of faith that I want.

Imagine being asked what you want and your response is Jesus.  If we could have anything we wanted in the world, what would it be?  Would we believe that Jesus alone is enough for us?  As we go through life, a goal of the journey is to deepen our faith so that all of our hopes and desires point to one thing, or rather, one person: Jesus.

For most of us, there are so many different things we want.  Whether it’s goals we want to achieve, a good career, material possessions, or a certain salary, there are many areas that we want to obtain more.  While none of these are bad, we must determine what is the root of these desires?

We must recognize the deep longing we all have for Jesus.  And from there, we must realize that it is He alone who can fill the emptiness within.  He alone can fill the empty spaces that we try to fill with everything but Him.

We have countless opportunities to come before Jesus and encounter His love.  Whether we are at Mass receiving Him in the eucharist, sitting in eucharistic adoration, praying before a crucifix, or reading scripture, these are all times that we can experience His love pouring out on us.  Imagine thinking that it’s not enough.  Yet, we often do.

When we recognize that it is only Jesus who can satisfy us, we will have made great progress in our spiritual journeys.  May we never give up and continue to desire a deeper relationship with Christ.  My prayer today for each of us is that we would all be able to honestly say, “only you, Lord.”

A couple of months ago, I read a book by Scott Hahn, called Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body.  Reading this book, it was a great reminder that the body is sacred and it matters not only during life, but also after death.  The book explores the history and tradition of caring for the body after death and discusses the importance of burial from the Catholic perspective.  Properly caring for and burying the dead indicates our belief in the resurrection.  We often see a disregard for the Church’s teaching surrounding proper care for the body after death and can see around us a general lack of understanding.

When I read this book back in November, it was not even one week after I finished reading that I saw a strange news story come across in my social media feed regarding an urn with ashes.  An urn containing the cremated remains of someone was found in a Wisconsin movie theater.  A follow up to the original story revealed that the woman brought the ashes and left them behind intentionally, as she wanted to get rid of the ashes because she had no close relationship with the person.  Not long after this, my mom came home from work one evening and told me about a situation with a resident at the assisted living facility she works at.  One of the residents had died a few days prior and upon going through some of his stuff that was in the basement at the facility, her manager found ashes of who she assumed to be the resident’s wife.  Then, the staff found out that the ashes were not the resident’s wife, but belonged to who they figured was a girlfriend of the resident.  It almost seems like an ash mix-up, not knowing who is who.  Additionally, a few years ago, I had a co-worker who wore her husband’s ashes in a necklace and came into work distraught one day because she had “lost her husband” (the necklace with his ashes had fallen off somewhere between her home and the office).  And just within the last week, I heard about someone who got a tattoo that used some ashes of a family member in the ink.  All of these situations show disrespect for the body and also show a lack of awareness of the dignity of the human person.

Cremation is permitted by the Church, but there is a proper way that it must be done.  Cremated ashes cannot sit on someone’s fireplace mantel or be spread across a field or treated in any ways listed in the above paragraph.  As stated in Order of Christian Funerals: Appendix on Cremation, a person’s ashes must be “treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come.. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium” (no. 417).  With cremation becoming more and more popular and widespread, it is important that Catholics know and are aware of the proper way to honor and respect their loved ones after they have died.

As people who believe in the resurrection, all that we do should express our belief in the resurrection.  Catholics must profess and respond to the death of loved ones in a way that says that the body is not disposable and that the body matters not just in life, but also after death. 

In this past weekend’s gospel, we heard the story of the wedding feast at Cana.  It is a beautiful gospel that we can gather so much from.  The passage shows us Jesus’ first public miracle and also shows us how He provides for the couple and wedding guests.  We also get to see exactly the kind of person Mary is as we hear, “His mother said to the servers, ‘Do whatever he tells you’” (John 2:5).  Mary not only instructs the servers to listen to Jesus, but she tells us too, and that is a beautiful thing.

A few years ago, I was praying about something and I remember hearing this gospel passage at mass.  I was struck by the line “do whatever he tells you.”  This message kept coming up in various ways in the days and weeks that followed.  In those moments, the answer to what I was praying about was right in front of me.  I was being reminded to listen to Jesus’ voice and to do what He was calling me to.  And this reminded me of who Mary is.

Just like mothers know what’s best for their children, our spiritual mother Mary also knows what’s best for us.  And it is Jesus.  It is always Jesus.  She will always point us to and lead us to her son because she knows that He is who we need, and wants to see us be drawn closer to Him.

In the story of the wedding at Cana, we see how Mary brings a request to Jesus regarding the wine running out.  This reminds us how she does exactly the same in our lives.  She carries our prayers, desires, and petitions to Jesus always.  She guides us and leads us to Him, knowing that He will give us what we need.

Mary knows and loves her son so well and so deeply.  And she wants the same for us.  She wants us to know and love Jesus like she does.  She teaches us how to listen to Him and say “yes” to whatever He asks of us.  

May we all follow the example of Mary and walk with her to Jesus and may we each heed her words to “do whatever he tells you.”

In today’s (1/13) Gospel, we read about Jesus calling Simon, Andrew, James, and John.  As I read the passage, one thing I reflected on is that there were no conditions attached to Jesus’ invitation to them to follow Him.  He called and they answered by leaving  behind what they were doing and following Him.  We too are all invited to follow Jesus, in all circumstances.

In this Gospel passage, when Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James, and John, their choosing to follow Him is not conditional.  They don’t say to Jesus, “I’ll follow you as long as it is easy, when it is convenient, when life is good and comfortable, as long as I’m not suffering.”  When Jesus calls them, Simon and Andrew “left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:18) and James and John “left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him” (Mark 1:20).  They simply go, no matter what lies ahead.  Jesus calls, they follow.  And Jesus calls all of us too.  Do we follow?

Following Jesus can be easier at some times than others at different points in our lives.  It is easy when we are surrounded by others who share our faith, maybe when we’re on a retreat or in some other faith experience where we immerse ourselves in a bubble of Catholics who have the same beliefs as us.  It is easy when life is good and all is going well for us.  It is easy when we feel close to Jesus and when we have more times of consolation and mountaintop experiences than times of spiritual dryness and feeling far from Jesus.  What about when life seems confusing, when we experience suffering of any kind, or when the crosses in our lives feel extra heavy?

One line I was struck by is towards the end of the passage, when Jesus walks on and sees James and John, it says, “Then he called them…” (John 1:20).  This seemingly simple line should remind us that He calls each of us too.  Not just once, but continually as we walk the journey.  And He doesn’t just call us in certain circumstances, when this or that happens, or when it feels easy.  He simply calls us, at all times and always.  In the ups and downs, highs and lows, mountains and valleys, good times and difficult times, we must respond.  If we really trust Jesus, we will follow Him.

This gospel passage can help us all to reflect on Jesus’ call to us.  Today and everyday, may we take time to listen to how Jesus is calling us and may we respond by following Him no matter what.

Whenever I leave mass, I typically don’t remember any of the petitions that were prayed during the mass.  However, at mass on Christmas day, there was one that I have not only remembered, but that I’ve been thinking about regularly for the past two weeks.  During the mass, one of the petitions was that we would be inspired to “bear more courageous witness to Christ.”  As I’ve been reflecting on this, I’ve realized that maybe the Lord has placed this petition on my heart because He knows that I need this reminder often and how much more work I need to do on this.

The word courageous is a powerful word that conjures up images of people who are bold, unafraid, and confident in their faith, even when it’s uncomfortable.  How often do I find myself living in a way that is the exact opposite?  

There are countless examples that we can be inspired by.  We hear so many stories of Saints who lived courageously, living out their faith and bearing witness to Christ so well.  And there are also people we know in our own lives who have been great examples and inspirations to us.  I want to be more like those people.

We are all called to live out our faith daily, so that it’s a way of life for us, not just part of our lives.  We are called to share Jesus with others in our words and actions and defend our faith always.  This can be uncomfortable.  But if we rely on His strength and grace and find support in the communities we are part of, it is possible.

We must all strive to live for Jesus each day of our lives.  Today and everyday, may we all bear more courageous witness to Christ and inspire each other in doing so.

In one of the documents of Vatican II, there is a line that says, “When God is forgotten, however, the creature itself grows unintelligible” (Gaudium et Spes 36).  This is something that we can see so clearly in our world.  We live in a society that has largely forgotten God, a society that has overwhelmingly rejected God.  And we can see the effects of this on a daily basis.

The difference between right and wrong and good and evil seemed to have vanished.  In our world, the things that we as Catholics believe and know to be good, true, and beautiful, are seen as hateful, intolerant, and bigoted.  The things that we believe to be common sense have been flipped upside down and twisted.

We see this reality all around us.  Ending the lives of babies in the womb is viewed as  “reproductive healthcare” and “women’s rights.”  The sacrament of marriage, a union between a man and a woman, is attacked, with the belief that two men or two women can be married because “love is love.”  With surgery and different clothing, men can be women and women can be men.  IVF and contraception are seen as totally fine and children become treated like commodities rather than gifts from God.  There is no absolute truth and people do whatever makes them happy, whether it’s right or wrong.  These are just a few of the many areas where we see an unintelligible society due to forgetting God.

What are we as Catholics to do in a world that seems so far from God?  We must cling to the truth and remain close to God, staying strong and standing firm in our convictions.  We must not be swayed by the lies of the devil that are pushed so strongly around us.  We must be willing to stand up for the truth and follow the path towards God, even when it seems like most people are going in the opposite direction.

God is truth and as Catholics, we have that truth on our side.  May we always strive to walk in His knowledge and wisdom and never fall so far as to forget Him.

In college on a spring break trip with the Catholic campus ministry group, there was a prayer from Thomas Merton that we prayed every day of the trip.  It had been my first time hearing this prayer before and there was one line that stood out.  The line “the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so” had kind of scared me at the time and even now, it still does a little bit.  We are all called to do the will of God, but how do we know what that actually is?

How do we know what the will of God is?  Of course we recognize that it is through prayer that we come to know His will, but that doesn’t mean it is easy.  There are so many voices and so much noise around us that knowing what God’s will is can be really hard.  We often show up in prayer distracted, unmotivated, and feeling spiritually dry.  But, in order to know what God is asking of us, we must come to know Him and continue to deepen our relationship with Him.  So this means we must keep showing up, spending time with Him.

At times, I’ve had a fear of failing to do what God asks of me.  What if I don’t hear Him speaking to me?  What if I conflate my own will with His?  What if I interpret something incorrectly?  What if I am thinking about it too deeply or not deep enough?  Maybe you’ve had these same questions and thoughts too at one point or another.  In the prayer from Thomas Merton, there is a line that follows that gives some consolation as it says, “But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.”  I believe that half the battle is showing up with an open heart and willing spirit.  I think God recognizes our efforts and sees when we desire to love and follow Him wholeheartedly.

Doing the will of God is not a one time choice or decision.  When talking about doing the will of God, it is about each day and every moment.  Bishop Ricken has a great prayer, called “The Wyoming Prayer”, that we can pray to ask God to help us:

“Lord, help me to do your will.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Lord, help me to do your will.  Not a moment sooner.  Not a moment later.  Than you will it.”- Bishop David Ricken

Doing the will of God is about having the desire to love and serve God and about being willing to conform our own will to His.  May we ask the Lord to help us and continue to show up with a heart willing and ready to do what He asks of us!

A few weeks ago, when I went to confession, as I approached the priest sitting in the back of the church, he said, “it is good to see you again.”  In that moment, it was as if Jesus Himself was saying this.  Anytime we approach Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation, it is a good thing and Jesus desires to pour out His love and mercy upon us.

Whether it’s been two weeks, two years, twenty years, or somewhere in between since you’ve last been to confession, Jesus welcomes you with open arms to receive His forgiveness, love and mercy and He is always glad to see you.  Whether you receive the sacrament regularly or whether it’s been years, He never tires of seeing you show up.  Your sins are not a burden to Jesus, even the sin that you keep confessing every time.

When we show up with a sorrowful heart, truly sorry and with the intention not to commit the sins again, Jesus forgives us.  In fact, He wants to forgive us, if we want to receive it.  The graces of the sacrament are so powerful and help us stay close to Jesus.

There is never a bad time to go to confession.  But, now that it is Advent, it is a particularly good time to seek out the sacrament.  If we want to truly be able to prepare our hearts to fully receive Christ and rejoice in His coming at Christmas, we must have hearts that are cleansed and pure.  We must have hearts that are not weighed down and full of sin, but rather open, with space for His love and His light.

Jesus deeply desires to be close to each and every one of us.  Do we desire to be close to Him?  If so, we will seek out His forgiveness and mercy so that we can be drawn closer.  In this season of anticipation and preparation, may we all take the time to go to confession and to properly prepare our hearts.  When we do, Jesus will surely say to us, “it is good to see you again.” 

There’s a saying out there along the lines of, “what if you woke up only with the things you thanked God for yesterday?”  If this were the case, I think a lot of us would wake up without a lot of what we currently have.  We are blessed, but how often do we forget this or how often are we blind to all that we have?

Social media and the world around us can easily convince people that they don’t have enough.  They don’t make enough money, have a big enough house or an updated enough house, or have enough friends or a good enough family.  This comparison mindset leads to people wanting more to try to be satisfied, because they feel as if what they have is not enough.  They look at their lives and think, I need more, bigger, better.  A few days ago, a few people at work were talking about a house that they saw for sale and mentioned that “the inside must be really outdated by like 12-15 years.”  My first thought was if they think 12-15 years is outdated, they should see the original, untouched kitchen cabinets in my mom’s house that was built in the 60s or 70s.  Instead of obsessing about keeping up with the latest trends of all white kitchen cabinets and counters, people should be grateful that they have a kitchen.  Instead of wanting what the world says you should have, we should be thanking God that we have all we need.  God has given us so much, yet how often do we think that it’s just not enough?  We should be living in a state of gratitude, always grateful and thankful for the many blessings in our lives.  We are blessed.

I am thankful that we have a God who loves us and wants a personal relationship with us, and who gives Himself to us in the Eucharist.  I am thankful to have a great family as well as friends and a community of people who care.  I am thankful for my Catholic faith and living in the truth, and being able to practice it freely.  I am thankful for the people who have inspired me and the people who walk the journey with me.  I am thankful for everything I own, my job, and the opportunities I have.  This list doesn’t cover everything, but it sums it up and your list likely looks similar.  What are you thankful for?

May we live in a spirit of gratitude, not just one day of the year, but every day.  My hope is that we realize that with Jesus, we truly lack nothing.  And may we always remember we are blessed.