13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The learning process never ends – we continue learning our whole life long.  Our life of faith is meant to grow our whole life long as well: “disciple” means “learner”.  In our readings today God calls certain people to follow Him – the big call.  But we also see God asking daily favors of those who already follow him – the small calls.  As disciples of Jesus, God is calling us, in big ways and small, to deeper faith, to lives of service, to lives of prayer, to following these spontaneous and often inconvenient calls that bring about His Kingdom in our lives and on this earth.  What small calls does He have in store for you this week?

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Have you ever been accused of being like your parents?  Usually, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  On this Father’s Day weekend, Jesus asks his disciples, and us, “Who do you say that I am?”  If we take Jesus at His word, then we believe that He is the Son of God the Father, and that in Jesus we are also sons and daughters of a heavenly Father.  Jesus was like His Dad: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”  As followers of Jesus, as sons and daughters of God, do we live and act and talk in such a way that others can accuse us of being like our heavenly Father?!

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings today show that we have a God with an attitude of forgiveness.  As God’s people, we are called to take on this same attitude.  Whether it’s something as small as bad driving or as large as lifelong divisions and family rifts, we are called to begin living our lives with an attitude of forgiveness.  Unforgiveness is exhausting; we carry around the weight of resentment and bitterness.  These people and situations don’t deserve to have that kind of hold on us.  Forgiveness lightens us, frees us to live life the way we were made to live it!

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings today announce God as the giver of life – physical and spiritual.  God wants us to live rich, fulfilled, happy lives.  In the Gospel Jesus raises a dead man to life by the touch of His hand.  Is there a part of my life that seems lifeless?  Is there an area in my life that is not as rich, deep, and fulfilling as I’d like it to be?  Today, ask Jesus to lay His hand on you and to bring that part of you back to life.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God’s calls to us often come as thoughts, just simple thoughts.  It’s easy to miss them if we’re not paying attention, or, if you’re like me, you reason yourself out of them.  But God is calling to us daily, in little moments, to witness to our faith, to reach out to others, to pray for others, to share our experiences of the Lord.  As Lent quickly approaches, how will you resolve to do something positive this year in order to hear these little calls of God more clearly in the daily grind?

Click here for my homily from this weekend.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We have opportunities each day to speak simply of our experience of God and perhaps change someone’s life by our words…even if it’s just a little.  We’re called by Jesus to be fishers of men, to cast out some lines in the midst of our day-to-day routine.  Will some disregard our words?  Yes.  But will some, even if it’s just one, be changed by what we say?  YES!  And I bet we’ll be surprised by how many faith-filled people are out there, and by how a simple little comment can lead to extremely encouraging conversations.  Our words have power, so let’s use ’em!

Click here for my homily from this weekend.

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Walls are necessary for security, to protect the life that is fostered within those walls. To be strong in our Catholic faith we do need to be set apart, we do need to build walls to protect our life inside from the attacks of the outer world.  But we are also invited – like the Israelites, like Noah on the ark – to open the windows at opportune times and let this life transform those around us: it’s both/and.  Where do you need to strengthen a wall this week?  And where are you being asked to open a window?

Click here for my homily from this weekend.