Category Archives: Uncategorized

Over the weekend, I worked a TEC (Together Encountering Christ) retreat.  As usual, it was a refreshing experience, working amongst other team members who have a desire to share Jesus with others and grow deeper in their faith.  In his homily at the closing mass on Sunday, the priest, Father Joel, made a statement thatContinue reading “The Joy of the Gospel”

Last Friday, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family.  Reflecting and meditating on the Holy Family, we must look to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as an example.  The Holy Family provides us with inspiration and encouragement, and serves as a model of holiness.  However, looking around at the world around us, it’s easyContinue reading “Family Matters”

Sometimes when you listen to the lyrics of a song you’ve heard countless times, something new stands out or maybe strikes you in a different way.  This has been my experience with a common Christmas song that appears to be pretty basic and surface-level.  “Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, closeContinue reading “Be Near”

During this time of year, we hear so often that it’s not a season of receiving, but of giving.  The general message during these weeks before Christmas is that we shouldn’t be concerned with what we might receive, but rather with what and how we can give.  And these ideas are true, when we areContinue reading “A Time of Receiving”

“I’m praying for you” is simultaneously one of the most powerful and beautiful sentences we can say to another person.  As the Body of Christ, we have the ability and responsibility to pray for others.  And there is a lot of power in that. There’s a passage from a book I read sometime last yearContinue reading “Power in Prayer”

Last Wednesday I went to mass at a nearby parish for Thanksgiving.  I arrived a little more than ten minutes before mass started.  I was glad to arrive a bit early, so I could spend the time before mass, praying, reflecting, and enjoying the quiet, especially after a long day of work before the longContinue reading “Just Listen”

It seems like a lot of Americans have a sort of fascination with the royal family.  Many people are intrigued by and invested in the lives of those in line of succession to the British throne.  I think one of the main reasons for this interest in the royal family is that we don’t haveContinue reading “King of the Universe”

This past Saturday, I attended a young adult Catholic conference in Milwaukee.  It was only a one day conference that lasted 12 hours but it was so impactful.  It was one of those experiences that was very refreshing and much needed.  One of the speakers in one of the sessions spoke about how we oftenContinue reading “Hit with Reality”

At work on Monday, I was so focused on my computer and the emails and tasks I was working on that I didn’t even notice how dark it had gotten when 5:00 PM hit and it was time to leave.  It seemed to come out of nowhere, but it was only because I hadn’t noticedContinue reading “Noticing the Darkness”

In a podcast of a homily I listened to a few days ago, the priest was discussing how there are two different relationships that cannot have any rivals, one being marriage and the other being a relationship with Jesus.  The way Fr. Mike defined rivals to demonstrate his point is “a person or a thingContinue reading “The Rivals in our Lives”