Tag Archives: Prayer

A Prayer for Continued Progress

04 Thursday Sep 2025

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A reflection on Colossians 1:9-14

The first Scripture reading for today is from Colossians and, in my New American Bible, it’s labeled, “Prayer for Continued Progress”.  In it, St. Paul affirms that he and Timothy continue to pray for the Church in Colossae for growth in holiness.  My first thought as I read this was that it is a great prayer to say for the men to whom I serve as their Spiritual Mentor.  And then I thought why limit it to just those ten men, why not pray it for all my friends and all the faithful in my parish?  Then, why stop there, why not pray it for the entire body of Christ?

Thinking I had just determined what my resolution would be for today to do God’s will, I began to wrap up my prayer time.  But then the thought came to me, what if someone else is praying this same prayer and it is me who is the object of their prayer?  Am I doing all that they are desiring of me for growth in holiness?  With that, I had to reopen my Bible and read the passage again from a personal point of view.

“Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding…” (v.9).

Do I know His will for me?  Can I articulate it?  Do I spend time daily in prayer discerning His will and resolving to do it that day?

“…to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing [to Him]…” (v.10a)

Do I live my life in a manner that is worthy of Jesus and in a way that pleases Him?

“…in every good work bearing fruit…” (v.10b)

Do my actions and the way I live my faith bear fruit for the Kingdom?  Am I doing what I need to do to bring Jesus to others or bring others to Jesus?

“…and growing in the knowledge of God…” (v.10b)

Do I consistently make the effort to grow in understanding my faith and grow in my relationship with the Lord?  Do I have a good grasp of our Catechism and knowledge of the saints?

“…strengthened with every power, in accord with His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy…” (v.11)

Do I receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist regularly so as to be strengthened to face the trials of day to day life, to be patient and humble when things don’t go my way, and yet find joy in not only the process but the outcome?

“…giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.” - (v.12)

Am I grateful for all that God has given me, even those things which I did not choose, didn’t like, and couldn’t change because He knew them to be in my best interest?

“He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” - (vv. 13-14)

Do I believe and accept that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was for my redemption, that He has forgiven my sins, and do I attempt to lead a sinless life but repent when I fall short?

Wow!  That was an exercise I hadn’t planned on today!  A line from a Jerry Jeff Walker song, “The hardest thing for a man to do is look inside and see the truth about himself” easily came to mind.  Yeah, there are some things I do better than others, but I really need to work on a couple of these.

In reading this passage, what is God putting on your heart to ask yourself?  What can you work on today to grow in holiness?

“Generous and loving God, thank You for letting me see how I can use Your Word in today’s Scripture for not only the benefit of others but my own as well.  I pray for the grace to work and improve on the one or two that need prompt attention.  Amen.”

(A Prayer for Continued Progress was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Curious Like Nicodemus

29 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Jesus and Nicodemus, Crijn Hendricksz Volmarijn, c. early 1600s

The Gospels for yesterday and today (Jn 3:1-15), put us in the scene with Jesus and the renowned Pharisee, Nicodemus, who came to Jesus under the cover of darkness to ask questions about his ministry.  We are led to believe that Nicodemus must have seen or heard of Jesus’ healing miracles and wanted to learn more about him.  We know that Nicodemus eventually converted to be a secret follower of Jesus, so we can surmise that his curiosity was genuine and not a ploy to trap Jesus.

The fact that he came to meet Jesus at night may also give us a clue about his intentions.  A nighttime rendezvous would be less conspicuous.  If he was genuinely interested about Jesus, he may have feared being observed by other Pharisees that could result in his condemnation and rejection.  In his position, he would have accumulated wealth that supported a luxurious lifestyle, which would have been jeopardized if his clandestine meeting had been discovered.

When I placed myself in this scene, I pondered Nicodemus’ motive and his dilemma.  He had to satisfy his curiosity for truth, but the answer could result in his ruin.  His fear of the environment and exterior influences would ultimately cause him to lead a secret and unfulfilled life.

There are millions of Nicodemuses in our world today – men, women, and teens, who are searching for truth, who are curious about Christianity, and who would like to know more but, because of negative social influences, balk at publicly asking questions for fear of what others will think or what they might lose.  They are hiding out there in our workplaces, our schools, and our neighborhoods.  We should be looking and waiting for them with intentionality, ready to answer their questions and allay their fears.

When a modern day Nicodemus does muster the courage to step out and seek answers, he may simply want to learn more about Jesus, or he’s aware that there’s possibly a different set of beliefs and a better way to live than he’s ever experienced.  His curiosity may manifest itself by privately asking questions to a Christian friend or acquaintance.  When he does, he is giving us an opportunity to evangelize, and we need to respond utilizing good listening skills.  His questions may be phrased in ways that hide their real intent, and we may have to look behind the words.  We should not make stuff up, nor answer questions with excess theology.  He needs simple answers, and if we don’t know an answer, we should say so and endeavor to find the answer for him.  We should try to avoid vocabulary that is foreign to non-Catholics.

Like Nicodemus, his questions may appear antagonistic but probably aren’t meant to be so.  Instead, they are likely due to his personal cynicism and relativism that has developed over years.  He’s not ready to reveal that he’s on any kind of spiritual quest.  He is curious but cautious, and still needs to feel safe and unthreatened when asking questions.  We should respond in a friendly manner to increase the trust that has allowed him to ask questions in the first place.

Our gentle evangelizing should have an eye towards bringing this person from a a place of curiosity to being open to exploring the idea that God is a personal God rather than a concept, and that we can have a relationship with Him.  We can introduce him to Jesus and the story of His passion, death, and resurrection in atonement for our sins.  And we should be patient and pray for him, being grateful that, while he may not yet be making a commitment to spiritual or personal change, he no longer rejects the idea. 

“Heavenly Father, I thank You for the virtue of fortitude given to me with my Confirmation that has prepared me to proclaim the saving message of salvation of Your Son, Jesus.  May I ever be vigilant and prepared to welcome anyone who is curious about our Christian faith.  I pray that Your Spirit affords me the grace to respond to them lovingly with humility and gentleness.  Amen.”

(Curious Like Nicodemuswas first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

I AM

10 Thursday Apr 2025

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From 1968 to 1971 I spent my junior high and first year of high school in English grammar schools in the U.K.  My typical weekly class schedule was a far cry from what I’d received in American grade schools.  It included:  math, biology, chemistry, physics (not just one but all three), history, geography (not social studies), English, and one or more foreign languages.  I took French all three years, plus German as an 8th grader, and Latin in the 9th grade.  Unfortunately, none of it stuck with me.  One thing I do remember clearly, though, is conjugating verbs – first, second, and third person singular and plural, in past, present and future tenses.  In any language, we always began with the verb “To Be”, i.e., “I am” (first person singular present tense); “You were” (second person singular/plural past tense); and “They will” (third person plural future tense).  

I recalled this today while meditating on today’s Gospel from John 8:51-59, in which Jesus had an altercation with a group of Jews over the identity of their fathers:  God as the Father of Jesus, and Abraham as the father of the Jews.  Jesus states, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”, effectively claiming that He was equal to God, (see Ex 3:14-15).  Because this was blasphemous to the Jews, they attempted to stone Him to death.

“I AM” – the first person singular present tense of the verb “To Be”.  Jesus speaks about Himself.  If we were talking to Jesus, we would say, “YOU ARE”.  If we were talking about Jesus to someone else, we would say, “HE IS”.  Jesus doesn’t say, “I WAS”, or “I WILL BE”, in the past or future tenses, and we can’t say about Him, “HE WAS”, or, “HE WILL BE”.  Jesus is simply, “I AM” day after day, moment after moment, with every tick of the second hand.  HE IS now, and HE IS again in the next moment.

We can’t think that Jesus was with us once, or that He will be with us one day to come.  No, He is with us only NOW, at this present moment, and every present moment to come. He is there with us in every present moment regardless if the circumstances of that moment are to our liking or not.

Don’t we often forget this, especially when times are tough?  When remembering events from the past that caused you grief, don’t you sometimes wonder, “Why was He not there when I needed Him?”  But, we forget that HE IS there, and if we had remembered this, we would have found comfort in His presence.  When we unite our crosses with His cross, He helps us carry ours.

Or, consider some dream you have of the future and how you will pat yourself on the back for thinking, “Wow, look what I accomplished!”  We forget that HE IS with us then, too, and that it is only through His grace that we will find that joy and satisfaction we now imagine.  

Whether it’s in good times or bad, when we lose the feeling of closeness with Jesus, we open a doorway allowing the Enemy to lead us down the wrong path.

How do we keep in mind that Jesus is with us at every moment, ready to answer our call?  The first and best way is through prayer.  Developing a habit of daily prayer keeps Him close to us. Prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and asking for His intercession are all ways to acknowledge His presence.  More effective yet is meditative prayer, when we take time to sit in silence and solitude, lovingly conversing with Him, telling Him what’s on our minds and hearts, and listening for His loving reassurance.  In this way, we readily remember all the times we’ve felt His presence, and reinforce our trust in Him in the present moment.  

Reading scripture, especially the Gospels, before entering into prayerful meditation is an excellent way to relate to Jesus and His love for us.  During this time of closeness, we receive the graces and mercy we need to persevere through our anxieties.  And when we act on these promptings of grace by adopting a resolution to change or accept our situation, we again grow in trust with Him.

When we receive the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, we immediately feel His presence. The Eucharist gives us supernatural strength to combat sin in our lives.  But then, when we fall and regret our actions, we can turn back to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, be restored and experience His merciful love.  

Remembering that our Lord works in us through our interpersonal relationships helps us feel His presence, also.  A network of faithful friends accompanying each other provides a source of encouragement and support when times get tough.  It can keep us grounded, reminding us to be grateful to God.

“Dear Jesus, I know deep in my heart that You are always by my side.  My faith can get clouded when the world challenges me, and even when everything is going my way.  Help me, Lord, to remember You, to meet You each and every day through prayer and frequent reception of the Sacraments.  I love You, Jesus, and I know You love me.  Amen.” 

(I AM was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Fear and Faith

01 Saturday Feb 2025

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Calming the Storm, Simon de Vlieger, 1637, (Wikimedia Commons/Art Collection of Univ. of Gottingen)

It’s been almost thirteen years since my conversion experience that brought me to Christianity, that instant when I knew for certain there is a God, that Jesus is real, and the Holy Spirit filled me with more love than I’d ever known.  And, last month was the tenth anniversary of what I consider to be my second conversion experience, the event when I learned to trust in God’s mercy and providence, and which I recorded in Put Your Faith Where Your Prayer Is.  

My daughter had just given birth to my first grandson, Jack.  He appeared to be a healthy newborn but the day after he came home from the hospital we thought we’d lost him.  My wife was holding him and he quit breathing.  I truly believe his guardian angel was watching over him because, just hours before, my wife’s sister, a nurse, and her husband, a doctor, stopped by to visit as they were traveling across the country.  They had the knowledge and expertise to revive Jack until the EMTs arrived.  Jack spent the next two weeks in the NICU experiencing multiple epileptic seizures per day.

To say the least, I was consumed with fear for Jack and for the emotional health of my daughter and son-in-law.  Upon learning the news, I began praying continuously, including praying many Rosaries, imploring our Blessed Mother to intercede and make Jack well.  In the midst of my fear, there came a moment when I finally knew there was nothing I could personally do to help heal Jack, and that it was all in God’s hands.  I uttered the words, “Jesus, I trust in You!”, and I immediately broke into uncontrolled sobbing, crying tears of joy because in that instant I knew in my heart that Jack would be made well.  Two weeks later he came home from the hospital and for ten years did not have another seizure.  That is until this last Wednesday.

Wednesday evening, Jack was at basketball practice and went into convulsions.  Again, his guardian angel was watching over him because the father of a team mate, an emergency pediatric doctor, was present and he took control until the EMTs arrived.  Once again, I fell into a state of fear for Jack and for my daughter, and began praying unceasingly.

Mid-day Thursday, with Jack still on my heart, I needed to prepare for a men’s group meeting that night.  Our group reflects on and discusses the following Sunday’s Gospel, so I opened my Bible to the passage upon which our group leader instructed us to meditate.  However, through some error, the passage was not tomorrow’s Gospel reading, but, instead, today’s, Mark 4:35-41, the account of Jesus calming the storm at sea and alleviating the terrifying fear of his disciples.  As I read it and came to verse 40, I knew the error was no coincidence: “Why are you terrified?  Do you not yet have faith?”.  I heard Jesus say to me, “Son, have you forgotten I was there for Jack, his parents, and you ten years ago?  With faith you gave it up and trusted in Me then, trust again in Me now.”  Once again, my eyes sprung a serious leak and I knew I had nothing to worry about, that Jack was in good hands.

Today’s first reading is from Hebrews 11:1-2.  The author reminds us that, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”  Through faith, I realized for a wonderful ten years that for which I hoped.  And through that experience, I received evidence that Jesus’ saving grace will make all things well again.

“Dear God, I wish Your method of grabbing my attention and drawing me closer to You through faith wasn’t quite so extreme!  But, Your ways are not my ways.  Once again, I thank You for this experience, for reminding me of Your love, and reinforcing my faith and trust in Your Son, Jesus. I may think He’s asleep in my boat in the middle of the storms in my life, but He is always with me.  Help me to recognize that moments like this are opportunities for faith to be the ballast in my boat when the storms of life rage. I know You will make all things well, even better than they were. I thank You in advance. Amen.”

(Fear and Faith, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Let Jesus Love You!

07 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bible Reflections, Love

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In today’s Gospel, Mark 6:34-44, we read St. Mark’s account of Jesus feeding the five thousand.  Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowd of “lost sheep”, all those who are following Him, and His disciples are concerned about them going hungry.  The disciples ask Jesus to dismiss the people so they can find food for themselves.  Jesus responds by saying, “Give them some food yourselves”, which, of course, they see no way of doing with only five loaves and two fish between them.

In this passage we read about one of our Lord’s greatest miracles as he feeds thousands of people with so little food.  We get a sense of the extent of His pity, His compassion for all people.  Jesus knows they are hungry, that they need food.  But, He also knows they are hungry for spiritual nourishment, hungry for truth and hope, and hungry to be recognized as people with dignity and value – things they’re not getting from the Romans and their own religious leaders.

Normally when I read the accounts of feeding the five thousand (or the four thousand in Mt 15), my thoughts go directly to what I can do to reach out and show love and compassion of my own to those who are suffering in some physical or emotional way, whether that is my wife, a child, a friend, or a co-worker.  Nearly everyone struggles with life in some regard, and empathic compassion can bring comfort. Occasionally, though, I’m driven by feelings of remorse for being distant and realizing I haven’t loved as I should, or that I’ve ignored someone and haven’t made them feel valued.

It’s easy to place ourselves into the scene of this Gospel as one of Jesus’ disciples and wonder what we can do to better love someone else.  But, we too often forget that, like everyone else, we also suffer in many ways.  We fail to see ourselves as one of the five thousand and, while putting others ahead of ourselves is a good thing, we also need some love and compassion from time to time. 

In the first reading for today, 1 Jn 4:7-10, St. John reminds us that “God is love”, and, “He [God] loved us and sent His only Son as expiation for our sins.”  God loves me and He loves you.  He has loved us for all of eternity.  He loves us for who we are despite our sins.  He loves us the same no matter how different we are from each other because He made us in His image.  He wants nothing more than for us to be happy, and the happiest we can be is to be united to Him.  He loves us in our relationships with other people, in the tiny blessings He sends and for which we are too often ungrateful.  He loves us so much that He continues to give Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist!  His love surrounds us each and every moment of every day but we are too busy with life to realize it.  Consequently, it can be too easy to forget to put ourselves in His presence and actively receive His love.

So, today my post-meditation resolution was not to be intentional about finding a way to love someone else as they deserve to be loved.  No, today I resolved to simply spend time loving Jesus and letting Him love me.  My Holy hour of Adoration was at 4:00 p.m., and for an entire hour I gazed at Jesus in the tabernacle and let Him cast His loving gaze on me.  I shared with Him what was on my heart, what I am struggling with, my concerns and desires. And then I let him console me with His love.  It was a beautiful thing!

I’m sure you make time to love other people in some way.  And, I’m sure you make time to express your love for Jesus in some way, either through personal prayer or time in Adoration.  But do you ever intentionally make time to let Jesus love you, and all that is expected of you is to soak it up?  If not, give it a try!  You won’t regret it.

“Lord Jesus, You showed the extent of Your love for me by offering Yourself upon the cross to redeem me of my sins.  You love me enough to supernaturally give me Yourself in the Holy Eucharist.  Lord, You know that in my heart I love You.  But help me to more frequently acknowledge Your love for me by spending time with You, by placing myself in Your presence, and letting You love me. Amen.”

(Let Jesus Love You!, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Rehabilitating the Labor Force

07 Saturday Dec 2024

Posted by in Bible Reflections, Christian Life, Evangelization

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In today’s Gospel, Mt 9:35 – 10:1, 5-8, Jesus shows his compassion for the many people who’ve come to him to hear his teaching and to be cured.  As I imagine myself in that scene, I sense Jesus is overwhelmed because He knows there are so many more people who need to be cured, who need to be preached to, but He simply can’t get to them all.  He needs help and he tells His disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”  Then, rather than just wish for help, He commissions His twelve disciples, giving them authority to drive out unclean spirits and cure every disease and illness.

Whether you like it or not, Jesus is talking to us – to you and me.  He’s asking us to not only be productive laborers but to increase the labor force.  For most of us, that’s a scary thought, and a task that’s all too easy for us to turn from and walk away.  We feel either incompetent or it’s inconvenient for us and low on our to-do list.  But, it’s a condition of employment, so to speak.  In a way, the compensation we receive will depend on how well we accept and perform that job requirement.  

But Jesus is a fair and just employer.  He doesn’t expect everyone to aspire to be upper level management.  He just wants us to do the best job we can in the jobs we have – our particular vocations.  We don’t have to be priests, religious, or parish Directors of Evangelization.  He doesn’t expect us to quit our jobs as parents, siblings, friends and neighbors to be something we’re not.  He just asks us to help Him in the roles we’ve chosen and the environment in which we work.

Often we get so wrapped up in our jobs that we forget that the mission of the company is to provide a service or product that is needed by others.  It’s that way with our Christian faith, in which our mission is to serve others so that they will discover the saving grace of Jesus.  Jesus  trains us through Scripture and the Sacraments, through which He gives us the knowledge and tools to do our jobs well.

Where do we start?  Well, Jesus asked his disciples to begin by asking “the master to send out laborers.”  He’s telling us to pray, to pray to God for insight for whom we can reach out to join our labor force.  This may be a new hire to our faith, or someone already on the payroll who’s not quite pulling their weight.  If we pray, and if we pay attention, the Holy Spirit will put someone on our hearts.

But prayer is just the starting point.  We have to use the knowledge and skills we’ve been taught through our faith formation, from what we’ve learned at our weekly meetings (Mass), and how we’ve seen other top producers (the Saints), do their jobs.  By applying what we’ve learned, and with the support we will be given, we can add to our ranks and grow our business.

Many people, though, need some form of rehabilitation before they can become productive co-workers.  Jesus has conferred on us degrees in Occupational Therapy.  Like He gave His twelve disciples, He’s given us the authority and ability through the gift of charity and friendship to cure the sick– those who are spiritually ill, who are suffering from infectious diseases caught in the secular environment; and to raise the dead – those who were once alive but have succumbed to one of these fatal infectious diseases.

And, like the disciples, we can cleanse the lepers – by offering love and respecting the human dignity of those who aren’t exactly like us; who are rejected or who are outcasts from society because of decisions they’ve made or unfortunate circumstances that have occurred in their lives.  And, we can drive out demons –  by being good friends who, with compassion, help those who are controlled by vices such as pride, anger, envy, lust, gluttony, sloth, and greed, – all of the things the enemy uses to keep people from God; and help them through anxiety about worries and regrets over which they have no control.  

Our Lord needs more good and able people to expand His kingdom.  He’s depending on us to look within our own spheres of influence, to ask Him for guidance, and to employ all that he’s taught us to rehabilitate co-workers and new hires alike, so that the harvest will yield more fruit per acre.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching me, for setting the example of how to grow Your kingdom.  I feel pretty incompetent at times, but I know You are here with me and I only have to call upon You when I need help.  Help me to never forget that I can’t do this alone, that You are always by my side.  Amen.”

(Rehabilitating the Labor Force, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

“Do You Love Me More than These?”

17 Friday May 2024

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In today’s Gospel, John 21:15-19, Jesus has just appeared to the disciples for the third time and has helped them catch a boat load of fish.  He and Peter are sitting around a campfire on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias having a conversation.  Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  Over the years I’ve read this passage dozens of times and today my attention was not drawn to Jesus asking Peter to feed and tend his lambs and sheep.  Today, I am pondering what Jesus means by “these”.

I imagine them sitting there together, and as Jesus asks the question, He is gesturing with His hands.  At what are they pointing?  Jesus could be pointing at the other disciples and asking if Peter loves Him more than the other disciples love Him.  Or, He could be pointing at the other disciples and asking if he loves them more than he loves Him.  Or, possibly, he’s pointing at the fish on the grill, the nets, or the boat and asking if Peter, the fisherman, loves those things more than Him.

I know that the Bible is God’s Word, and in it, especially the gospels, He is talking to us.  He could be asking Peter for any of those reasons, but what is He asking us today in those questions?  In the first possibility, it strikes me that one would have to be extremely judgmental and full of pride to think he/she loves Jesus more than other people love Him, especially one’s own friends.  It’s a no-win question, “yes” and “no” are both wrong answers.  Somehow I don’t think Jesus would put us in that predicament.

Answering the second option is also tricky.  Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as He has loved us.  Thus, to say we love one more than the other is, again, a Catch-22 situation, one that Jesus wouldn’t impose on us.

The third option, however, is certainly a possibility!  Peter’s worldly life revolved around his boat, nets and the fish he caught.  My life, and probably yours, too, is consumed with worldly things that too frequently eat up my time and draw my attention away from my Lord.  For the most part, they are good things:  work, family, relationships, food, rest, exercise, creating, admiring beauty, etc.  They are all good things, either created by God or created from the gifts given to us by God.  But, we get too attached to them in a disordered way.  We become workaholics and fail to give attention not only to God but to our loved ones; or we neglect our work which then fails to provide the necessities for our families.  Physically, we eat too much or too much of the wrong things, we exercise too much or too little.  We spend too much time looking at our screens for entertainment rather than admiring what is truly beautiful or creating beautiful things.

Can you imagine yourself in that scene, Jesus asking you that question?  Can you see His hands and arms spreading wide at all the stuff that draws your attention away from Him?  It’s all good stuff in its own way, but you know you’re way too attached to it.  And you know deep inside that it’s wrong, that it causes havoc in your life, that it’s the source of the imbalance and chaos that drives your anxiety and unhappiness.  There’s a hole in your life that these things are not filling.  It’s a God-sized hole that only God can fill.

How do you correct your course?  The answer is creating a personal Rule of Life, that is, identifying the most important things in life and putting them first, ahead of less important things, then determining how much time ought to be spent on each of those things.  I have a friend who considers a well ordered and productive life to be like following a recipe to bake a cake – you need the right ingredients (the things), the right amount or proportion of each ingredient, and incorporate them in the right order.  Of course, time for Jesus in the form of prayer, especially mental prayer meditating on His Word, needs to be one of those ingredients.  How much?  Try just 30 minutes a day, preferably first thing in the morning,  sitting with Him in silence and solitude, reflecting on His Word, loving Him and letting Him love you.  That 30 minutes will change your life.  

“Dear Jesus, we both know there are many things that draw me away from You, things that cannot bring the joy that You bring to life.  Thank You for helping me create a Rule of Life by which I generally keep all of “these” things in order, and first things first.  Yet, I know I often slip-slide.  Through my devoted prayer time with You, You give me the grace to correct my bearings when I drift off course.  Amen.”

(“Do You Love Me More than These?” was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Ephphatha!

27 Wednesday Mar 2024

Posted by in Evangelization

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This Saturday morning, Easter Saturday, I will have the pleasure of leading eighteen adults and youths in the final rites before they are baptized and enter into full communion with the Church that evening at the Easter Vigil Mass.  One of those rites is the Ephphatha Rite, the opening of the ears and mouth of the Elect to help them more clearly hear and proclaim the Word of God.  The Rite is based on the curing of the deaf and mute man in Mark’s Gospel (Mk 7:31-37).

Saturday will be exactly eleven years to the day since I received this rite, the day I was baptized and became a Catholic Christian.  A remembrance of this came back to me this morning as I read today’s first reading:

The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to answer the weary a word that will awaken them.  Morning after morning he wakens my ear to hear as disciples do; the Lord God opened my ear, I did not refuse, did not turn away. – Is 50:4-5

More happened that day than my conversion becoming official.  God truly opened my ears and my tongue as well as allowing the words to flow from my brain through my hand to pen or computer keys.  I was never one to journal or record my thoughts on paper, in fact, I abhorred writing, was terrible with grammar and punctuation, and, most of all, didn’t dare say anything about a belief with which someone else might contend.  Yet, within two weeks, I began writing articles on this blog as a means to evangelize and lead others to a better understanding of their faith in hopes that they would grow closer to Jesus.  Now, eleven years and 300 blog posts later, I still feel the call.  

On March 30, 2013, I would have said you were crazy if you’d prophesied the future and said I would retire, go back to school to become a certified Catholic Spiritual Mentor mentoring dozens of men, and eventually be re-employed as Director of Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation within our parish.  Miracles happen, and, with God, all things are possible.  

“Good and gracious God, by Your grace, You joined me with holy people who accompanied me on this journey ever since I chose to follow You.  Through them, You taught me how to pray, how to converse with You, how to tell You what is on my heart, how to listen to Your promptings, and, especially, how to help others do the same so that their interior lives can flourish.  You opened my ears and loosened my tongue so that others may hear Your Word.  I give You thanks every day that when I heard Your calling, ‘I did not refuse, did not turn away.’  Amen.”

(Ephphatha! was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Faith is Personal…but Should Never Be Private

26 Tuesday Mar 2024

Posted by in Evangelization

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Jesus Sends the Apostles – Duccio di Buoninsegna, c.1300

We all know people who claim to believe in God but then won’t talk about it.  They clam up and say their faith is personal…end of discussion.  They are right, one’s faith is, and should be, personal.  But Jesus never intended for it to be private.  He tells us in the Gospels to go and be disciples.  How can we evangelize if we keep our faith private?

The most common excuse for keeping one’s faith private may be that the basics were never learned well enough in the first place to share it with, or defend it before, others.  One can easily deflect blame onto one’s teachers or parents, but to remain in this state is to succumb to the deadly vice of sloth, which is a laziness or a lack of love for the ways of God. The virtue opposing sloth is diligence, which may simply mean spending a little time each day learning more about one’s faith through daily prayer, reading scripture or other Catholic publications, or listening to Catholic television, radio, or podcasts, all of which can help us increase our understanding of our faith.

Another is our failure to fully understand and accept the graces we received at our Confirmation.  The infusion of the Holy Spirit supernaturally strengthened the virtue of fortitude within us, enabling us to share in the mission of Jesus Christ to spread and defend our faith.  Like a child who receives affirmation from a parent over a good behavior continues to improve in that behavior, we, too, simply have to believe we already possess what we need.

And, finally, the exigencies of modern life can make us forget that we need other people. Jesus didn’t live as a hermit.  He gathered family and friends with whom He shared life.  St. Paul urged the Corinthians to not live their faith privately but in community with one another.  Like an ember that falls away from a fire and dies out, we can grow cold if we don’t stay close to others who are on fire with their faith, and others can grow cold if we don’t bring our fire to them.

To effectively evangelize, we can’t be passive.  We have to actively learn, strengthen our relationship with Jesus through prayer and study, and build friendships with those whose fires need stoking.

“Lord Jesus, I pray for the grace to love You more dearly, and to exercise the grace which You’ve already bestowed on me in my Confirmation to bear fruit for Your Kingdom. Amen.”

(Faith is Personal…but Should Never be Private was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Relationship vs. Religion

09 Saturday Mar 2024

Posted by in Evangelization

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In many previous posts I’ve mentioned the need to develop a close personal relationship with Jesus through prayer, especially mental prayer or mediation, in order to make our evangelizing authentic.  In prayer, we spend time with Jesus, we converse, and we build a friendship with Him that becomes so exciting that we want to introduce Him and share Him with others!  

As Catholics, we are fortunate to be able to claim two thousand years of tradition in our lineage.  We are the original Church, instituted by Christ Himself, and built on the rock of Peter.  We have thousands of saints to whom we can look as role models: men and women who performed incredible acts of charity, who evangelized savage cultures at the risk of losing their lives, and who staunchly defended their faith and were martyred. Our faith is deep, and we have a plethora of books, magazines, podcasts, television, videos, and speakers to help us learn and go deeper into the finer details of Catholicism.  It’s all good and exciting stuff and we can easily get lost in it.  So lost, in fact, that we can begin to think that our religion, our Catholicity, is first and foremost.  And, when we do, Jesus gets relegated to the back seat.  Our excitement about Catholicism becomes a hinderance to actually promoting Jesus. 

If we read the Gospels closely, we see the popularity of Jesus.  People heard of his miracles, and they flocked to Him.  They were cured of sickness and demons, and, as they told more people about Him, more and more people followed Him everywhere He went.  During Jesus’ public ministry, His disciples didn’t tell people to come join them in a new religion.  The term Christianity was not coined until a few decades later.  Rather, they simply invited them to encounter Jesus.  People got excited about Jesus and not some new religion.

If we’re not careful, we can fall into the trap of thinking we are evangelizing when, instead, we are selling Catholicism rather than sharing our love for Jesus, and hoping that an interest in Him will ensue.  We have it backwards.  We ought to follow the example of the Apostles and invite people to meet Jesus.  Once they find and get excited about Him, then we can introduce them to the beauty and truth of our Catholic faith.

How do I know this?  Because it worked on me.

“Dear Jesus, thank You for Your love, for drawing me closer to You each day.  I love You, and in our friendship, Your love overflows so that I may offer it to others who may not know You…yet. Amen.”

(Relationship vs. Religion was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.