Anchored In The Lord

Pentecost The Holy Spirit comes on this Pentecost day to strengthen us in 3 ways: In our relationship with Jesus Christ In defending the faith In spreading the faith Every day this week, pray, "Come, Holy Spirit.  Come, Holy Spirit.  Come, Holy Spirit."  When you're relationship is faltering, when the Church is being looked down on, when someone needs to hear the good news of Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit who will give your His strength and His words to speak into that situation!  Come, Holy Spirit!

Solemnity of the Ascension After a brief word from Pope Francis ; ) we celebrate how Jesus ascends today into heaven.  This ascension is still happening every time a faithful soul passes from this life into the next.  Those who are in heaven cheer us on and assist us in our ascension to God.  But even when every soul is in the presence of God, heaven will still be waiting: waiting for the resurrection of their bodies, and waiting for God to create a new heavens and a new earth.  The ascension happened 2,000 years ago, it's happening today, and it will be happening until God's master-plan of salvation is entirely fulfilled.

6th Sunday of Easter Our 1st reading opens with a controversy: Paul and Barnabas preaching salvation in Jesus one way, another group preaching salvation in Jesus another way.  Who's right?  What's the true faith?  The first Christians, with a deep sense that the Holy Spirit would guide the Church to the true faith, brought their dispute to Jerusalem and the apostles.  Presently, we bring our disputes to Rome and the successors of the Apostles - the bishops and Pope - confident that it is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church to truth, as Jesus promised. 

4th Sunday of Easter Congratulations to all of our students who received their First Holy Communion this weekend!  There is an exhortation for priests that says, "O Priest of Jesus Christ, celebrate this Holy Mass as if it were your First Mass, your Last Mass, your Only Mass."  Whether you've been receiving the Eucharist for 1 year or 100 years, whether you're young or old, I challenge you at every Mass you attend to make that exhortation your own: attend that Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass; and receive Communion as if it were your first Communion, your last Communion, your only Communion.

3rd Sunday of Easter We are blessed to have an amazing Pope right now - Pope Francis!  And in our Gospel we hear one of the great Biblical texts supporting the papacy: Jesus singles out Peter to fee his lambs and tend his sheep.  In this we see Jesus' commissioning of Peter as the first shepherd of His Church, the first Pope.  Passed down through the centuries, this office of head shepherd has kept the Catholic Church united as one, even in the midst of seemingly insurmountable struggles and difficulties. Thanks be to God for giving us the gift of the papacy, that we may all stand together to praise and worship our God with one voice throughout the world!

2nd Sunday of Easter To ask God questions, to seek to understand the "Why?" behind our beliefs or events in our life, is not a lack of faith.  Rather, it's an indication of faith.  We are a people of faith seeking understanding - it's precisely our faith that drives us to want to understand where and how God fits into these events and beliefs.  In the resurrection story from our Gospel today, I think Thomas generally gets a bad rap.  Jesus doesn't punish him for questioning, wondering, doubting - Jesus answers him!  So we shouldn't be afraid to ask questions, to be discerning, to be skeptical; if we do these things honestly and sincerely, the Lord will answer and our faith will be deepened.

Happy Easter! What the Father did in raising Jesus from the dead, He also wants to do in us: God wants to raise us up - literally, at the end of life, but also right now, figuratively, in our present life.  God wants to raise us up to a rich life filled with purpose, meaning, deep happiness and joy!  Jesus came that we might have Life (with a capital "L").  What's weighing you down?  What's holding you back?  What things keep you from rising?  Jesus rose today so that He could walk with you, carry your load, and give you Life!  Invite Him now to be a part of your life again; give Him permission to enter; ask Him again to raise you up - that's all He wants!

We enter now into the holiest week of the year as we walk with Jesus through His final days, culminating with His death and resurrection.  We heard today the reading of the passion narrative and we are invited to personally enter into this Holy Week so that we might die with Jesus and rise with Him on Easter.  For us, this week will be as holy as we make it - so let's make it a good one!

5th Sunday of Lent What if you were alive when Jesus was preaching and teaching?  What if you were a part of the stories in Scripture?  What if you heard Jesus speak to you?  God's Word is living and active, and the same God who was at work then is still at work now.  Lectio Divina ('Divine Reading') is a way of reading the Scriptures by inserting yourself into the story - the sights, the smells, the sounds, the feelings - you read through a passage slowly, place yourself in the story and experience what God has to say to you through His living Word.  Try it!  It'll change your life.

4th Sunday of Lent Pain in our body warns us that something is wrong - physically.  Pain in our interior life warns us that something is wrong - spiritually.  Both the younger son and the older son in today's Gospel experience pain.  It's pain that leads the younger son home.  It's pain that keeps the older son from going back inside his home.  Pain, as a warning, is also an invitation: an invitation from our merciful Father to come home, to come back inside, so that we can experience the feast that God is preparing for us!

3rd Sunday of Lent Jesus is serious in today's Gospel: "But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!"  When we sin, we choose 'Not-God', and we get exactly what we want - 'Not-God' - that's the definition of hell.  Jesus came to save us from this choice, so He calls us to repentance - to take full responsibility for our mistakes and to beg for God's forgiveness, to turn away from sin and turn toward God.  Then Jesus can finally do what He's been waiting to do - He can take away our sins and fill us with His life!  Then we know, by experience, the mercy of the Father.

2nd Sunday of Lent In the midst of our Lenten journey, we catch a glimpse today of Jesus transfigured in glory atop a mountain.  This Jesus who was seen by Peter, James and John is the same Jesus who has appeared to us, who has tangibly broken into our life at moments, who has woken us up, if only for an instant, to the reality of His presence in and around us.  What are some of your mountaintop moments?  These experiences are meant to strengthen us for the journey.  When the road seems too long, remember the view from mountaintop, and keep your eyes open...who knows when you'll suddenly find yourself on top of another mountain?

1st Sunday of Lent Lent is a great opportunity for us - an excuse to slow down a little bit, turn off the TV, turn off the radio, and spend some extra time with our Father.  Our Lenten practices shake us out of our daily routine and provide us an opportunity to look up to our God.  Jesus in the desert wins against the temptations of the devil by looking up to His Father for strength.  In the midst of your Lenten practices, do you do them by your own will power?  Or do you let these practices turn your heart and mind to the Father in true and honest prayer?   Then even the simplest actions will give your faith a supernatural strength.

Ash Wednesday The ashes of today remind us that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.  But in the certainty of death is also our hope - we know that we are more than ashes, that the Lord has breathed life into this dust, that we are filled with God's Spirit, that death is not the end - we're headed somewhere!  So, how are you doing on the way?  What Lenten practices will you take up in order to better hear God's daily calls and act on them?  Lean on Jesus this Lent, and He will give you the strength to live it! Some Lenten daily reflections I suggest: Dynamic Catholic: Best Lent Ever - http://dynamiccatholic.com/bestlentever/ Bishop Barron's Daily Lent Reflections - http://www.lentreflections.com/

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?

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!

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?

Solemnity of the Epiphany In our Gospel today we see the three magi coming from the east.  They saw the signs God placed in their lives, and they followed them - straight to Jesus.  God wants to lead all people to Jesus, and God works signs in the life of every person on this earth - Christians, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, New Agers...it doesn't matter.  The presence of the magi today shows that God IS working in the lives of all, calling all people to His Son, whether they know it or not.  What are the signs God is placing in your life?  How are you following them?

Feast of the Holy Family Jesus not only came as a baby at Christmas, He also entered into a human family - with all the joys and frustrations that go with it.  We are challenged in all relationships, but especially in the family, to put the wants and needs of others before our own, to stretch our hearts, to learn how to love more, to sacrifice for each other.  Our readings today all challenge us to put others first, "Children, obey your parents in everything...Wives, be subordinate to your husbands...Husbands, love your wives."  Jesus loved us, and so He subordinated Himself to our needs, even to the point of death.  We can practice this kind of love every day, especially in the family!

Merry Christmas! What child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary.