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How Mite You Be Generous?
Jesus is impressed not with the size of the donation; he is impressed with a generous heart. If you are generous with God, you will have some left over. Give God the chance to earn your trust.
Three Levels of Vocation
The love of God should transform every aspect of our lives. The second level is the call to incarnate God's love in a unique and permanent way. The third level is the ongoing discernment of loving God and neighbor in everyday life.
This Kind of Happiness Only Christians Can Experience
I think people are leaving the Catholic church because being Catholic made them less happy. But they were thinking of happiness in terms of self-indulgence. There are forms of happiness that don’t disappoint. These are rooted in self-control.
What Does He See When Jesus Opens His Eyes?
Jesus is leading home to the heavenly kingdom all who have heard his call and followed him. We gather at Sunday Mass to experience ongoing encounter with God's love and truth that brings us into wholeness and communion. Keep calling for Jesus!
How to Grab a Spot at the Top
Which better describes you — the three S’s or the three C’s? Consumers excel at comparing, competing, and complaining. Stewards are famous for their willingness to serve, suffer, and sacrifice.
Stewards of Creation and Human Life
What can our scripture readings teach us about stewardship? Marriage is a shared stewardship. The two become "one flesh", sharing everything with one another, and together exercise a stewardship of God's children. These are God’s greatest gifts.
Jesus Has a Message for Pimps
How would your life be different if you were able to live from your true identity as a child of God, temple of the Holy Spirit, and a part of the Body of Christ? Damascus Road Project loves trafficked women into their true identity.
Receiving One (More) Child
Life begins at conception and that every child is a gift from God. Many parents nowadays don't want God to give them many of these gifts. Then we turn around and pay doctors and scientists or surrogate moms so we can buy ourselves a “gift.”
To Know the True Religion, You Must Answer This Question
You don't have to look at every religion to find the true one, you just first have to answer this question: Is Jesus who he says he is? Jesus made a claim that no other founder of a major religion has ever made. And it means something for your life.
Hear, Listen, and Understand
When working with foreign priests, I have learned that a "Yes" does not mean he has understood. I also need to not only listen to him, but try and truly understand. Let us pray that we can not only hear God, but also listen and understand.
This Is the Reason Why God's Law Exists
Our external actions should show what is in our hearts. When there is a disconnect, the heart is the most important part. God wants to be with his people. Following his law leads to clean hands and hearts. From clean hearts flow clean actions.
The Surprise Best Part of My Summer Vacation
Why have people left the Catholic Church? Because they want to be happy! Being Catholic gets in the way of having the things I want to have and doing the things I want to do. And it ends up revealing to us our heart’s deepest desire.
The Interpretive Key that Unlocks the Meaning of Everything
Catholics have started to lose a sense of God's presence in the Eucharist. But first we lost a sense of the sacramentality of the whole world. The Eucharist gives us sense of meaning and purpose and reminds us that we are not alone.
Jesus Offers to Satisfy Your Hunger
We, too, are well-fed slaves! We are always hungry for more. Only Jesus can satisfy the deep hungers in the human heart. This is why Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist. When I allow Jesus to be the master, I find that I am truly free.
You Don't Realize How Hungry You Are
I notice three lessons from the multiplication of the five loaves and the two fish. First, we are hungry. Second, Jesus sees you and knows the desires of your heart. Third, learn what to do with the little you have when it is not enough.
Bad Leadership is Not a New Problem
Bad leaders confuse and scatter. Good leadership leads to clarity, unity, and peace. We see Jesus leading through the National Eucharistic Congress. I have three suggestions for how to follow your Good Shepherd more closely.
Shake Off the Dust of Self-Reliance
Jesus sends out missionaries and he intentionally prevents them from relying on themselves. They are equipped with their true identity and also with the help of a fellow Christian. We, too, are always tempted to fall back on self-reliance. Repent!
God is Most Present in the Place We Try Really Hard to Avoid
The more we try to live a comfortable life, the more miserable we become. God needs to give us suffering, hardships, and thorns in the flesh to shake us out of our self-reliance. When we are too weak to rely on ourselves, then we are truly strong.
The Biggest Blessing from 17 Years of Priesthood
Disintegration, disharmony, dis-ease, destruction... this is spiritual death. It's not that Jesus hands out cures to this or that problem; Jesus himself is the cure. When we are in his company, we experience integration, harmony, freedom and peace.
Fathers Use These Two Tools to Change the World
Mine will be a life well lived if people say of me, "He was a good son of our Heavenly Father; he was a good father to God's children." Mark 4:26-34 shows us the two tools that fathers can use to change the world: their words and their good deeds.
Stop Playing the Blame and Shame Game
Why do humans wear clothes? The Bible says we felt ashamed, and quickly learned to point the finger of blame at everyone else. Jesus teaches us a better way to live.
Blood Brothers
Communion under both species is a fuller symbol of Jesus giving himself completely to us. When we enter into Communion with Jesus, the very life of God flows in our veins. Become what you receive!
An Infinite Inheritance Awaits Us
The Trinity means that God is love. He is always pouring himself out in love. We can only truly fulfill our calling if we learn to live from within the love of the Trinity. We need to draw life from within the Trinity and pour it out for others.
The Holy Spirit Responds to our Vocations Crisis
When we desire true love, community, peace, and guidance, we are really desiring the Holy Spirit. We can always draw more life from God, so our prayer each day should be, "Come, Holy Spirit!” Our "Yes" will inspire those around us to say, "Yes."
The Ascension and the Gift of Motherhood
Jesus is now seated at the vantage point. He gives gifts to men. One of those gifts is the elevation of natural motherhood through the gift of the Holy Spirit. God is with us and he sees the big picture. Your little “yes” changes the world.
We Love Mary Because She First Loved Us
Is devotion to Mary idolatry? Mary also walks with us on our journey of faith. Mary incarnated God's love into her daily life. With the gift of the Holy Spirit, we too can incarnate God's love in our life. Mary will help you learn to love like Jesus.
Grafted and Pruned (First Communion Homily)
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. We were grafted onto Jesus at our Baptism. We must remain in Him and draw life from Jesus.Prune your words, your actions, and your activities so you can bear good fruit.
The Good Shepherd Calls Turkeys Like Us
The Good Shepherd calls his sheep. The first call or "vocation" that every Christian receives is the call of Baptism. Some of the Baptized are called to be monks or nuns, others are called to married love, and others are called to Holy Orders.
Five Places Jesus Wants to Give You Peace
The Risen Jesus wants to give you His peace, a peace the world cannot give. Let’s look at five places he wants to give you peace. Then we consider three practical ways that we can all experience a little more peace.
The Wounds that Heal
At the resurrection of the dead on the last day, our wounds will all be healed. So why does the Risen Jesus still have wounds? The Healer who was wounded so that you could be made whole. Show him your wounds.
Easter Pancakes
We feel inadequate because we were never built to be spiritually independent. Deep down we still need our Daddy, and he's right here for us. Jesus shows us what our life could look like if we stopped pretending to be grown-ups.
What Is Jesus Worth to You?
You are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for you. Jesus is willing to not only trade his life for yours, but to offer his life as a painful and bloody sacrifice. Do we find ourselves asking, "What's the minimum amount I need to fast?”
You Should Wash Her Feet
Time is a spiral, moving back over the same ground again and again but in new ways. Jesus is a present reality, the one constant in our changing world. He's right here working through my hands and yours. Allow Jesus to wash your feet today.
The Passion Reveals Our True Colors
How many follow Jesus when Christianity is popular, but as soon as we see the cross coming, we run away into the night? Are you willing to lay down your life for the One who laid down his life for you?
The Real Mission of a Catholic Priest
What if God is not calling me to win the culture war, save all the marriages and keep the churches open? I look at 3 or 4 things that I think God is actually calling us to. Then I show how these four things are also the mission that Jesus lived.
The One Commandment that Does Not Make Sense
Why would God command his people to take a day off, especially people who were living hand-to-mouth? God wants us to trust that he is a good Father and he will provide for his children. He wants his children to be rested and renewed and re-created.
The Most Disturbing Passage in the Bible?
There are people that live with radical trust in God. The rest of us have to wrestle with God. Some people think you mustn't get mad at God. Others drift away from God when it hurts. God would sacrifice even his Son to have you back again.
Out of Order
Humans are part of a sacred order. We also have a sacred order within us. Our physical side needs to be ordered by our spirit towards truth and goodness and beauty. If not disciplined, your body will become fat and lazy. Get back in order!
Be My vaLENTine
Anyone can say, "I love you." How do we know if someone really loves us? We know that Jesus is True Love because he sacrifices himself for us. If we truly love Jesus, than we will not just say, "I love you," but we also have to sacrifice for Him.
Sin is Contagious - Lent Holds the Cure
The leper must remove himself from the community in order to save the community. The seven deadly sins not only hurt us, but they are also toxic to community. The three traditional "works" of Lent speed the healing of our souls.
Does Talking About Anxiety Make You Anxious?
The Bible recognizes that anxiety is part of everyday life. You need to let your anxiety talk to you. Then you need to move through that anxiety to a place of security. So where can we find lasting security? The answer is closer than you might think.
Five Ways We Can Hear God's Voice
It can be hard to hear God’s voice. Sometimes we don't want God to call and interrupt “my” life. Other times we wonder if God lost my number or forgot about me. We need to listen with our heart. Here are five ways that God commonly speaks to us.
Eucharistic Epiphany in Cowley, Alberta
The magi can see the light that the Jewish people to not see. They continue to believe in the value of the gift even when others do not value Him. Do we realize the gift we have in the Eucharist? Pray that we can each have a "Eucharistic Epiphany."
Entrusting Our New Year to the Mother of God
Today we celebrate a very controversial title of Mary. We could not possibly honor Mary any more than God honored Mary. Mary will help you fully receive all that God wants to give you in the New Year.
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
When the parents are not rooted in God's faithful love, the family experiences fear and insecurity which leads to self-protection. Fortunately, the love of God surrounds them and the elderly pray and support them. This heals the core wound of fear.
The Gift That Everyone Needs But No One Seems to Want
Sometimes we receive a gift and it's not what we were expecting. For many of us, the gift of the Christ Child at Christmas is not what we were hoping for. What we don't realize is that Jesus is the answer, not to our wants, but to our deepest needs.
Watch for God's Healing Truth and Love
Fr. Michael's patience helped to heal my wound of abandonment. After I got healing, I was able to be patient with him, too. Jesus helps us to accept God's love for us at the very deepest level, so we can become sacraments of God's love to others.
Watch for God's Answer to the World's Problems
How does one day with family opening presents fix any of the world's problems? The first Christmas makes even less sense: one more mouth to feed, and a homeless family. Once you understand the fundamental problem, then Christmas makes perfect sense.
Watch Out for The Misunderstanding
Lies can damage relationships. Don't believe me? Ask the Hallmark Channel! We have become victims of an intentional disinformation campaign. The enemy lies to us about ourselves and about God. Let’s look at the lies that cause seven core wounds.
The Gift of Being a Giver
God is a giver. When he made us in his image and likeness, he made us to be givers, too. We all look for sneaky ways to take things that don't belong to us. Mary is always a giver and never a taker. She gives herself to God and look what He gives her!
Watch! And Remember What God Has Done
If we are busy doing the things we are supposed to be doing, we have nothing to worry about. But are we really doing what Jesus told us to do? How easily we forget that God is with us. Watch for Him and remember where you saw him.