Inaction

Whoop, Whoop, it's Friday! In the fitness world it's #flexfriday, so today, let's FLEX our spiritual muscles and dig into today's readings. Be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to God's Word!

In our Gospel, Jesus is comparing many of the cities He had preached in. He is condemning Chorazin and Bethsaida because they are suppose to be the ones that listen to God, yet the pagan cities actually listened and repented when Jesus told them to.

When it comes to our faith, it is not enough to listen and believe what we hear if we don't allow it to change and transform us. Inaction is as big a sin as not listening and believing what we hear.

Prior to the Mass as our Penitential Act we recite the Confiteor:

I confess to almighty God

and to you, my brothers and sisters, 

that I have greatly sinned,

in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

(and striking our breast)

through my fault, through my fault, 

through my most grievous fault;

(then continue)

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,

all the Angels and Saints, 

and you, my brothers and sisters,

to pray for me to the Lord our God.

What stands out to me here is that we are asking forgiveness for not just the acts we commit that are sinful, but the things we are failing to do as well. When we are not doing the will of God, when we are not doing the things he commands us, it is just as bad as doing wrongful acts. 

I was also struck the first time I recited this that we are not just being judged by our words, but our thoughts as well. 

In our Gospel, Jesus is warning that repentance is important. Seeing, hearing and believing is not enough if nothing is done with it! When we don't act on what Jesus tells us to do it is as though we reject Him. When we reject Him, we reject God! 

Have you actually repented. Are you not only acknowledging your sins but actually doing something about them? Are you allowing God to transform you from the inside out?

He Sees

I am home from an incredible week away and ready to get back into my routine. Fortunately I was able to be sure I was in the Word while I was away. Be sure you get in the readings for today by either READING and/or LISTENING to them!

In our Gospel today we see Nathaniel meeting Jesus in person for the first time. Jesus speaks to him and about him and Nathaniel is amazed and a little confused. "How do you know me?"

If I had just met someone for the first time and they spoke to me as though they knew me, I would want to know too! Granted, in this day of social media, people can appear to know each other and have a better idea about each other, but Jesus really knew Nathaniel, who he was and what he was about!

Jesus answers him "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."

This response might seem meaningless to you or I, but this was Jesus revealing himself to Nathaniel. When Jesus says this, Nathaniel's eyes are opened and he sees Jesus for who He is! In that instant He knows Jesus is the son of God.

It is so cool that Jesus reveals himself to us in different ways. How I come to know Him is different than how you might. Where and how I see Him is different to me than it is to others!

There is scriptural and historical significance of the fig tree and history tells us that it would have been a place that Nathaniel may have been praying and reflecting and it was seen as a place of God's peace and blessings.

Jesus asks Nathaniel "Do you believe because I saw you under the fig tree?" Then He tells Nathaniel that he will see far greater things that this!

Jesus sees you and I the way He saw Nathaniel. He sees straight into our hearts. He knows everything about us! Through Nathaniel's faith, Jesus gives him the promise that He will see and know God!

I find comfort in knowing that I can't hide from God. I love that no matter what I am doing, he continues to pursue me and want a relationship with me. He wants to literally give us life if we are willing to accept it!

Are you ready to follow

Good morning and happy Wednesday! Be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to the daily readings for today, especially if you feel like you need to get over that Wednesday hump!

As the disciples are traveling with Jesus on of them said "I will follow you wherever you go."

Sounds like such a simple declaration, right? Have you ever said somemthing like that before to someone? Maybe it was a spouse or a great leader or boss. Who wouldn't want to follow Jesus, right? Well, it's not so simple! We know that He is The Way, the Truth and the Life and the only way to God, but it is more complicated.

Jesus doesn't say "nope, you couldn't handle this life." He tells them "Foxes are dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."

Then Jesus, turns to another and says "follow me." The response he got is one that I think many of us would say. I bet what we say sounds a lot like this to his hears "I totally will, but first I have a bunch of other things to take care of. I swear though, you are the most important thing and person in my life, but first I have to go do....x, y, z."

In this Gospel, Jesus is teaching them a bit of the cost of being a disciple. If we want to truly follow Him we must do it with our whole mind, body and heart. We must move forward and not look back. He must take priority over everything else in our life. This is so much easier to say than do.

I pray that if Jesus showed up at my door and told me to follow Him that I would drop everything and go, however, I know I would want to "wrap things up" at home. I would want to say good bye to people and let people know where I am going. That is the earthly part of me wanting to do those things. We must be looking heavenward and looking to The Kingdom and not stopping for things of the world.

What relationships and "things" of this world are getting in the way of your relationship with Christ? What is stopping you from following Him?

Showing love shows real strength

There is nothing better than kicking off your day with the Word of God. If you don't do this first thing in the morning, it is still the most important part of your day, so be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to today's readings.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus and his "crew" are heading to Jerusalem. This passage opens indicating that Jesus earthly ministry is nearly done. During their travels they must go through a Samaratin village. This doens't sound like a big deal to us on the surface, but the Jews and Samaratins did not get along and those traveling through were not treated well.

We see James and John asking Jesus if He wants them to basically destroy the village cause they weren't being well and because these two groups didn't get along or like each other.

Do we sometimes find ourselves wishing bad things on those who don't like us? Do we sometimes want to cause harm to others who don't like us?

Jesus rebuked James and John and then they moved on. We need to follow this example, especially in our world today. We are fighting and arguing with those not like us, we are not looking at individuals and their heart and we are lumping people into large groups and disliking them because society tells us we should.

It's time that we stand up and be strong the way Jesus demonstrates. It's easy to want to fight and wage war against our enemy, but it is difficult to love! It is time we start showing more love to each other.

Who is the Greatest?

Good Morning! I hope you had an amazing weekend and are ready to get this day started right. Be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to the readings for today.

In our Gospel reading today, we see the disciples behaving like normal human beings. I think sometimes when we read scripture we want to place the disciples on a pedestal and elevate them to a different status that us because they walked with Jesus. Yes, they are special and we learn a lot from them, however, they are human to. They have the same human desires and have the same human sins we do.

Our Gospel starts with the disciples arguing about who is the greatest! For real, they are arguing about who is the best! As children, we have proabably all done this, especially if we had siblings, but how often have we found ourselves doing this as adults, or at least thinking it at some point?

As they are arguing, I imagine it hurt Jesus heart a little bit. He knew what was in their hearts and what their intentions were. To prove a point, Jesus brings a child over and uses the child as an example.

"Whoever receives this child in my name receive me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest."

Luke 9:48 (NABRE)

Why the heck would Jesus use a child as an example of being the greatest? I think some of this has to do with the pure heart and intentions of a child. Children are also totally dependent on their parents and must have total faith and trust in them. 

This is how we must be with God. We must humble ourselves and realize we are nothing apart from Him. We must see that we can do nothing on our own and everything we have, do and are come from Him. 

By bringing ourselves to a low position, we allow Jesus to elevate us to a higher one!

Our Gospel wraps up with John asking Jesus about someone else who is casting out demons in Jesus name. Jesus says "Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you."

I am not going to lie, I struggle a little with this answer, because we see false prophets all around us. When we look at these two passages together, we see something different. Jesus is looking at our hearts. Was John so concerned about false prophets, or was he concerened about someone else doing the work that they were doing? Did John think that only they were "cool" enough to do God's work? 

Regardless, we need to keep ourselves humble. We need to have childlike faith and we need to not stop people from doing God's work. 

"Who do you say I am?"

Happy Friday! In order to wind down your week the right way, be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to today's readings.

I absolutely LOVE when we read that Jesus was praying in solitude. It is such a strong reminder that we ALL need to spend time individually with God! It is a great reminder that we ALL need to be filled up with God before we can do or be anything to anyone else.

When he is done praying he asks the disciples "Who do the crowds say I am." Then, he follows up with the important question "But who do you say I am?"

Who do you say Jesus is? Even non Christians don't dispute that Jesus existed. Most religions recognize him as a great Prophet, or at least recognize that historically he was a man. Where we differ is that we believe He is the Son of God and that he defied death!

Who is Jesus to you in your life? Do you believe He is the Son of God? Do you believe that He trampled death and was sent to save us from our sin? If you believe these things in your heart, do you profess them with your mouth? If you believe these things, do you live like you do? Do you put your trust in Him? Do you lean on him for strength? Do you run to him for comfort and protection? Do you seek Him when you are hurting or anxious? Are you obedient to Him and listen to what He has to say to you?

Who do you believe he is? Who do you say he is? Do your actions match your thoughts and words about Jesus?

After Peter answers that Jesus is the "Christ of God," Jesus reveals what will have to happen to him. He tells them that He will suffer, be rejected, killed and be raised from the dead on the third day.

This must have been unbelievable. They are finally realizing that He is the Messiah, surely he wouldn't have to suffer, be rejected and killed! My guess is they never even hear the last part about being raised from the dead! I know my brain would have been confused and numb by that point.

Jesus knows full well they don't totally grasp this, but He must start preparing them for what is to come so they can share the Good New at the right time. I think He is also working to prepare them because they are His friends and He loves them. I know if something bad were going to happen to me, I would want to warn those I care about and start to prepare them for it!

As you go into the weekend, really think about who Jesus is to you. What does that mean in your life? Are you living out what you think and say about Him?

Finding meaning and satisfaction in life

Good Morning! I pray you are well and that you will take a few moments to READ and/or LISTEN to today's Mass readings and then check out my thoughts on them.

Before I hit up today's Gospel, I want to take a look back at the first reading. I am not gonna lie, I always avoided reading Ecclesiastes and it was because I couldn't stand that darn Byrd's song, Turn, Turn, Turn. For whatever reason it drove me nuts and at the same time kept me out of this incredible book of the bible....my BAD! This is not an uplifting optimistic view of the world, but we can learn a lot from this book!

Today's reading makes this life sound so hopeless! It starts us off talking about vanity and that all things are in vain! We work, but it doesn't matter because we are just going to eventually be replaced. The sun will come up and go down, but nothing changes. There is no such thing as something new, everything has happened and will just happen again. We are also being told we won't be satisfied with anything we hear or see.

Then, we turn to our Gospel and in it we learn of Herod the tetrarch's obsession with trying to find and see Jesus.

Why would these readings be put together? I think it is because Herod seems to be searching for something but he doesn't want to see and hear the truth. He is not satisfied because he is not truly seeking God, but is looking to please the people around him. He isn't searching for Jesus for the right reasons, he is almost start struck by the idea of finding and meeting him.

Herod liked John the Baptist, he respected John the Baptist even though John spoke against Herod and his relationship with his brother's wife. John didn't pull punches, he told Herod he was wrong and living in sin. This really made the wife mad but Herod was fearful of John because he knew he was righteous. He was perplexed by John because he was condemning Herod's behavior, yet Herod enjoyed listening to him speak, so Herod kept John in custody.

Ultimately Herod had John beheaded, but not because it is what he wished, but because of an oath he made in front of other's. Rather than looking bad or going back on his oath, he had John killed. He was much more concerned with pleasing the people around him than doing what was right or what he wanted to do.

Are you someone who seems to be searching for meaning in life and looking for something more in this world? If you are, take a good hard look at yourself and who it is you are truly trying to please. Are you living for this world and looking to please the people in it, or are you seeking God, His will and honoring him in everything you do?

When you start to focus on God, His will and pleasing Him, only then will you find meaning in this life! Only when you do these things will you find fulfillment and purpose and truly be living!

Are you ready to follow?

Today is a special day for me :-) I am on my way to Wyoming to visit a very dear and special friend! I am so blessed to get to spend some time visiting with her and her family, but that doesn't mean that I intend to skip out on this important time with God.

Be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to todays readings.

In today's Gospel, we meet Matthew, a tax collector sitting at work. Jesus sees him and calls him to "follow me." With those 2 words, Matthew stops what he is doing and follows Jesus.

This simple act is super profound. Tax collectors were like the worst of the worst. Jesus inviting one to spend time with him would have been crazy, but Jesus calling him to be one of his followers is beyond crazy. Why would he call on Matthew? Jesus doesn't see us the way the world does. Jesus doesn't define us by our past. Jesus sees our hearts and He sees our potential. He was giving Matthew a choice to not let his past define him or dictate his future.

Matthew had to have some special faith from the start. He just got up and left work to follow this guy he didn't know!

The passage jumps to the dinner table, either at Matthew's house or Jesus house (we are not totally sure based on the text). Among those at the table are the disciples, other tax collectors and sinner.

As usual, this drives the Pharisees bonkers. They can not understand why Jesus would eat and spend time with this sort of people. They are not "good enough" to eat and be in His presence. Jesus disagrees. He knows he is exactly where he should be.

It is awesome that The Great Physician and the Great Healer would use a reference to a doctor to explain himself to the Pharisees, but his response was so simple and can't be disputed. This is one of the things I love so much about Jesus in these passages. He always gives such a simple and basic answer, but it is also one that can't be argued with!

He points out that sick people go to and need doctors, not those who are well. Jesus is here to heal the sinners, but more importantly, the sinners that know they have sinned and want to be healed!

God calls us to follow him. He pursues our hearts and continues to invite us to Him. He wants to heal all of us, but we have to choose to be healed. Stop running from him and follow. Saying "yes" to those two simple words "follow me" will change your life for all eternity!

Part of the Family

Let's get the day started right by READING and/or LISTENING to today's readings!

Today's Gospel is very hard for me and I am not afraid to admit that I have struggled with it at times. I think I struggle because it almost feels like Jesus is diminishing the family relationship, and it seems like he is not keeping His mother in her proper place of honor. I know this is NOT what is going on, but at first glance and to someone who wants to take and twist the Word, this Gospel seems like the perfect opportunity.

My bible points us to Luke 11:27-28 which reads "While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

In this Luke 11 passage, it almost looks as though Jesus is diminishing His mother's role again, but again, He is not.

This reminds me so much of children when a new baby enters the family. They erroneously think and believe that in order for their parents to love the baby, it means they have to love them less. It is like there is only so much love to go around and in order to love one, the other must suffer. This is absurd when we think about it this way, so why do we struggle when looking at Jesus example in scripture.

Jesus is NOT putting his family in a lower place, he is simply elevating the non blood relationships. He is saying other relationships are as important as blood and legal relationships.

We learn that Jesus family is not bound by blood but is all those who hear and believe the Word of God. This should not be troubling but music to our ears! Jesus sees me as His family!

Although, this Gospel is short, we learn a lot of the importance of our relationship with God. We are part of Jesus family when we believe. We are elevated to a place of honor and become part of the family! We become sons and daughters of the King!

Let that Light Shine

Happy Monday (well, it's Monday if you are reading this when it was written :-) )! Be sure to spend some time in God's word by READING and/or LISTENING to the Mass Readings for today.

Today we have another very short and very powerful Gospel. Jesus gives us the parable of the Lamp. He is telling us that if we light a lamp, it does no good to then cover it up or hide it, that would defeat the entire purpose of lighting it, right? When you light a lamp, you want to put it where it can be seen and give off the most light.

When it is light and bright, we have no where to hide. Whatever we are doing can be seen. If we are not doing the right things, it will be clear to anyone around because the light will let them see it.

This light is how we must respond to God's word. When we hear it and accept it, we must not conceal it. When we have God's word living inside us, we must become a light for others. We shouldn't even have to say a Word for people to see this light. It should shine through in our actions and in the way we love. Don't use that last sentence as an excuse not to verbally and vocally share God with others, but people follow our actions a whole long more than our words. We just need to be making sure our words and actions align with each other!

The last verse of today's Gospel almost seems out of place and was really bugging me this morning. I think what it is telling us that the more we share light, the more light will be shed on us. The more we love, the more love we will be given. It can sound scary living in the light and having everything about us be revealed, but man can it be the most exciting and freeing place in the world to be!

Just so, your light must shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly father. 

Matthew 5:16

Women that follow Jesus

Happy Friday! I hope you are well and ready to end this week strong! Be sure you READ and/or LISTEN to our Mass readings for today.

Today's Gospel is super short but extra meaningful to me! In the Catholic faith, when you get confirmed, you choose a Saint to be named after. The general idea is that you are choosing a Saint to model yourself after and one who can pray with you from Heaven. I was confirmed as an adult, and I took this process very seriously. I chose a Saint that pretty much no one knows about and there is almost nothing to be found about, with the exception of this and two other places in scripture!

Why would I choose this Saint? The non biblical reason is that my Great Aunt's name is Joanne. She never married or had children of her own, but she was a favorite among her nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. She was someone I looked up to all my life. No one in our family named any of their children after her, and since I didn't have any of my own, I wanted to take her name.

That reason is a great for a youth preparing for confirmation, right? They often take names that sound cool or are one of the Saints they happened to just hear and learn about, but I needed more for sure! The more I dug around, the more this woman resonated with me.

In Luke's gospel, here she is, mentioned accompanying Jesus with the 12, with Mary Magdalene, Susanna and some unnamed women.

This woman is right there with Jesus as he is doing his public ministry. She is right there by his side supporting him financially and tending to the needs of the group! We know this didn't come without some cost to her because we are told she is the wife of Herod's steward Chuza. That reference alone helps us to understand the danger she would be in if found out!

We learn from these short lines in scripture that she was healed in some way. We don't know if she had evil spirits or what infirmities, just that Jesus healed her in some way and she devoted herself to him and his ministry! Not only was she present during Jesus public ministry, but we find her at the end as well!  We are not told if she was at the foot of the cross during the passion, but she was one of the women at the tomb (Luke 24:9-10)!

I want to have a faith, love and devotion to Jesus like Joanna. I have been healed in so many ways by Jesus! I want to put personal comforts and safety aside and serve him! I want to serve him out of the many resources I have been blessed with and serve him out of my time and talents. I want to be the kind of witness she was, telling others what she had seen and heard!

She is a saint we don't often think or hear about, yet she served the Lord mightily! We don't need the big fanfare and hoopla, we need to have a sincere, thankful and loving heart.

What will win out? Your Love or Fear?

It's a new day! Are you ready to get it started right? Be sure you READ and/or LISTEN to the readings for today!

Today's Gospel takes us to the cross. He was deserted by most of those who were closest to him at the darkest hour in our history! The only ones that remained by his side were His mother, 3 women and John. 

The alternate gospel reading from Luke took us back to when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to be presented at the temple an they met Simeon who blessed them.

“Behold, this child is destined

for the fall and rise of many in Israel,

and to be a sign that will be contradicted

and you yourself a sword will pierce

so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

Luke 2:34-35

I always knew intellectually what my sin cost Jesus, but this morning I was struck by how much my sin cost Mary. I am not a mother, so I can only imagine what she must have had to endure as the passion unfolds. I also wonder what she thought of all the others who deserted her son in his final hours? I will be honest, the grief and the pain she must have felt is unimaginable to me. The human side of me would also be super ticked at all those "friends" that deserted her son. I would have totally felt a special closeness to John, the only one who stuck around. 

In Jesus final instructions:

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son. Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. ~ John 19:26-27

Literally in His final moments, he is thinking about his mother and her well being. He shows his deep love for her by making sure she is taken care of. In the same breath, he is making sure we are taken care of as well by appointing her as our Mother. 

My final thought this morning has to do with those who were close to Jesus that ran and hid and those that did not! Where would I have been? I want to think that nothing would have kept me from being there with Jesus, right as his feet, but would I have been? I also wonder about the other women there. Were they there out of love and devotion to Jesus or to Mary? I know I have stood beside my friends and loved ones at very dark times, is that why they were there, to comfort her? Regardless, their love was stronger than the fear that pushed others away!

Would I have allowed fear to overtake me to the point that I ran away and hid? Would my love of Jesus allowed me to overcome my own fears and insecurities? Would my love have allowed me to push past my own selfishness in order to focus on Him?

What fears are holding you back? What insecurites are keeping you from where you are suppose to be? 

It's a new day and a new chance to get into the Word. Be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to the Mass readings for today!

There are some days I feel the church gives us so much more packed into our readings than other days. Today is one of those "jam packed full of goodness" days!

Our first reading talks about Moses and the Israelites wandering the desert. I think I love reading about these people and this time because I use to think they were dumb. I could not understand how these people could act and speak the the way they did and they always seemed to be whining. I couldn't wrap my brain around how they were freed and then saw miracle after miracle yet they would forget so quickly!

I think I love these passages so much because I can relate to these people far more than I realized. How often do we forget how good God is or has been to us just to complain about a new situation? How quickly to do forget that he provides for us and is always there for us, never leaving or forsaking us?

How often do we praise something only to later turn around and complain about it and want something newer and more exciting? The people were provided food from heaven! Food that they were so thankful and happy for just to later to be "disgusted with this wretched food!"

As punishment for crying out agains God, The Lord sent out a punishment of serpents among the people biting them and killing many. Just like a little kid who was caught and punished, the people begged to be forgiven! They acknowledged they were sinning and begged Moses to save them.

I don't know if they were really sorry or just sorry they were caught, but regardless, they begged forgiveness and God listened. God's solution was to have Moses build a seraph and mount it on a pole and anyone who had been bitten just needed to look at it and they would be healed.

Today's gospel reading makes reference to this first reading from numbers. In John 3:14-15 we read

"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

Jesus was lifted up on a cross to heal us! His death was so that we may be healed of sin and suffering! He did not come to punish us like the serpents, he came to save and heal us!

God has given us free will! We can choose to look to Jesus for healing, or we can continue to look away and suffer sin and real death. We can put our faith, hope and love in Christ, or continue to live in the World and continue to allow the serpents among us to steal our life. 

It is time to look to that cross! It is time to look to Jesus, the perfect sacrifice. He embodies ALL of God's love for us and was sent as the most precious gift the world has ever known. Accept that gift, look to him and be healed!

Now That's Some Power!

Do you want to finish this month and this year strong? Get in The Word! Start today be READING and/or LISTENING to today's readings.

Immediately following the scene where Jesus heals the Centurion's sick slave, Jesus comes across a funeral procession for the only son of a Widow.

It is one thing to lose your son, but in those days, this woman literally had nothing left. Without family, there would be no means for the Widow to make money and no one to help take care of her. Her situation was far worse than just losing her son!

When Jesus comes across them, he doesn't just "feel bad," for them, "he was moved with pity for her." He told the widow "do not weep," and then went and touched the coffin. This is something that would not have happened during this time. The dead were considered unclean and no Jew would have done something like this.

Then, Jesus tells the young "dead" man to "arise!"

I am not sure what I would have thought if I had been in that procession watching everything that was going down. I would have been shocked at Jesus touching the coffin, but would have been totally confused at him commanding a dead dude to "arise."

When the dead man sat up and began to speak, I may have lost my mind! Now, when we picture this scene, I am always picturing someone who is sleeping and sitting up. A dead guy would have been all wrapped up and probably pretty stinky about now. I am not sure how pretty this whole scene would have looked, but I know I would not believe what was happening, even if I was standing right there.

Talk about having some power?! That's some powerful stuff right there.

Naturally, the people were fearful, but they also recognized and glorified God because they knew that something great had just happened. The exclaimed "A great prophet has arisen in our midst," and "God has visited his people."

Jesus shows us he is not just the God of the living, but also of the dead! He shows that death has no power over Him!

Aside from all the symbolism and the references to raising the dead, I want to reflect for just a moment on how the people responded. They knew immediately that God was among them. I suppose it might be hard to miss when you see a miracle like that before you own eyes.

How many times do we see miracles happen but don't recognize God and His roll in them? How often are we close minded and only seeing things through the eyes of the world? I want to have open eyes to see the magnificent things of God in our every day life. I want to stop taking for granted that He is always here and amongst us. Jesus brings healing and life to us all! He has the power to restore our physical bodies, but more importantly, he can restore our souls! He is among us, we just need to start looking to Him!

BIG BOLD FAITH

Before we jump into discussion and my reflection thoughts, be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to our readings for today!

This Gospel has come to be so special to me since I had begun the process of converting to Catholicism. Every Mass, prior to the Eucharist we speak aloud together "Lord, though I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

It's funny, because those words, from the very first time I spoke them were special and felt familiar, but I didn't connect them right away to this Gospel!

Today we read about the incredible faith of the Centurion.   In this story we see the humility of the Centurion when he sends others out to bring his message to Jesus. It is not that he is lazy, or using his authority, he does so because he does not see himself worthy to be in Jesus presence. He considered himself unworthy to even go to Jesus with his request! He also shows incredible humility in seeking Jesus out at all becuase a Roman in his position would NEVER seek the help of a Jew from Galilee!

The centurion in the story showed bold humility and faith with his request. He confidently went to Jesus because he understood authority and he fully believed in Jesus power and authority. Jesus saw the heart of this man. He saw his love and devotion to his slave (which was not typical of the way slaves were treated in his day), he saw tremendous humility and unmatched, unwavering faith!

When we speak those beautiful words at Mass, I am reminded that, although, we are not worthy we can go to The Father! I am reminded that we can bring any request to Him and He has the power and authority to answer us.

We don't have to send others to bring our requests to God, but we sure can join with others in our requests and find added strength.

The Centurion risked being mocked for caring for his slave and by going to a Jew to help him, but he did it anyway! Are you ready to step out and do and ask things others may make fun of? Are you ready to humble yourself and go to Jesus with unwavering and expectant faith? We may not be worthy, but he wants us to go to Him with our requests! We may not be worthy, but he is going to meet us right where we are every single time!

The Life Lessons I Gained Through Competative Sports

Growing up there was hardly a point in time that I can remember sports not being a part of my life. I believe sports are so crucial to growth and development. We know the typical “discipline, teamwork and fair play” lessons we should gain through sports, but if you didn’t learn the following, you did it all wrong! 

1. Not Everyone Wins
2. Things aren’t always fair
3. Anything can happen on any given day
4. Preparation is important (Mental is as important, if not more so, than physical)
5. Potential by itself get you nowhere
6. Talent will only take you so far
7. You need to have a clear vision
8. Goal setting
9. You can’t win on your own (even in individual sports you still have coaches and a support group of family and friends)
10. You don’t have to be friends with everyone, but you do have to work together
11. Never underestimate anyone
12. Losing hurts, but if you learn from it you will build character
13. You may not always care for, or even respect, your coach, but you MUST respect their position of authority
14. The whole team is greater than the sum of it’s individual
15. Confidence
16. Results don’t happen over night
17. Anything worthwhile is worth the effort
18. It isn’t over until it’s over. Always push and keep working until the end
19. You are stronger than you think
20. Your biggest competitor may just become your best friend
21. Winning isn’t everything, it isn’t the only thing, but is certainly an important goal. Winning also isn’t always defined by a number or score, it could be more than that!
22. The relationships you make along the way are invaluable
23. You must respect the game, the rules, and those involved in it
24. You must to have fun and enjoy what you are doing
25. You need to teach and pass on what you know because you won’t be able to play forever

Clearly this is not an exhaustive list of the life lessons gained through sports and competition! I would love for you to share this and “tag” you teammates or those that taught you these lessons and share which lesson was most important to you! What lessons would you have added!

Satan Has NOTHING on You!

I like to send morning thoughts, motivation, scripture or a message to my best friend each morning. I thought it would be worth sharing part of what I sent her yesterday, because you may need to hear it too! All scripture is from the New International Version (NIV), because that is the bible she reads from. 

Satan Sucks, plain and simple! He likes to take our biggest fears and vulnerabilities and play on them. He comes on strongest when we are on the brink of doing great things for God’s Kingdom and he likes to hit us where it hurts at the moments we are feeling our weakest! 

You are not alone and your strength comes from a higher power! The weapons you fight with are not of this world and you will NOT be devoured. You will stop seeing the negative and the hurts and lies about you, because that is what they are, lies! They were lies when you lived your past life and they are bigger lies now! 

You are strong, you are beautiful, you are an amazing mother and wife, you are the best friend in the world, you are an incredible leader, you inspire other, you are worthy of so much more in this life! You are a child of God and you matter and make a difference to so many freakin people that it is almost frightening! 

I want to break this down to What God thinks about you and not just what I think!

You are Strong

Proverbs 31:17

She sets about her wok vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 

Proverbs 31:25

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 

You are Beautiful

Psalm 31:5

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

You are an Amazing Mother/Wife

Proverbs 31:28

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her

Proverbs 31:11 

Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 

You are my Best Friend

Proverbs 18:24

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 

You are a Leader

1 Peter 5:2-3

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them-not because yo must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples of the flock. 

You Inspire others

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

You are Worthy

Romans 8:1

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2:10

for we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that yo may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 

You are a Child of God

John 1:12

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Galatians 3:26-27

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothes yourselves with Christ. 

I pray that you continue to push the lies out of your head and truly start to realize that you are a blessing and a gift!

"You've Got Something in Your Eye"

I can't believe we are already into the think of September! Today, be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to our Mass Readings.

Ouch! Today's Gospel hits me right between the eyes! How clouded is our vision and judgement when it comes to ourselves? I am either way to critical and see faults and flaws that aren't there, or I don't see any at all!

I can be so quick to judge, especially when I don't see the full picture or know the full story! I so easily want to tell someone what they should be doing, how they should be acting or thinking, yet I never look at myself.

Can the blind lead the blind? If we aren't aware of our own struggles and pitfalls, can we truly help someone else navigate through theirs?

How quick are you to point out the flaws and missteps of others, yet don't see your own shortcomings? The image Jesus uses about noticing a splinter in someone else's eye, yet not noticing the plank in our own hit me hard.

We totally judge each other for small things yet turn around and do bigger things. I see this all the time with parenting and children. I have seen mom's so quick to judge a parent when their child curses, yet they don't even think twice about drinking in front of their kids, or gossiping and speaking ill of others in front of their kids.

We need to stop looking to and pointing out the flaws of others and we need to spend a little more time working on ourselves!

We need to humble ourselves before God and we need to continually ask him to create a clean and pure heart inside us daily!

Your Past Does Not Dictate Your Future

READ and/or LISTEN to the readings for today and let's dive in!

Our Gospel today starts with the genealogy of Jesus. This is something I would always skim or skip because it was "just a bunch of names" that I couldn't pronounce and didn't need to read. As I got older and I started learning and reading more of my bible, I started to slow down and look at those names!

Jesus didn't come from a great line of upstanding citizens. He didn't come from some special pedigree with no ghosts in the family closet. His genealogy is messy and complicated! Yes, there is more to the way the genealogy is written and the 3 stages of history it is broken down in, but if you want to read more on that, I am not your girl!

I love looking at the genealogy and being able to say that our past does not have to dictate our future. Too many people use their past, or their families to hold them back and not pursue great things. People allow their past to dictate who they are instead of making a change and moving forward.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ~ Romans 8:28

God can take the messes and the trials of this life and turn them to good! He can use our past to make us stronger, not hold us back if we allow him to! Listen to His call, follow His lead, don't allow your past to dictate your future!

Persevere through the trials

Be sure you READ and/or LISTEN to the Mass readings for today! There is no better way to get your day going, or pick you up in the middle of the day than being in The Word!

In todays Gospel reading, Luke starts us out with a 4 of the Beatitudes...."blessed are you" and ends with 4 "woes."

I don't know why only 4 are chosen, but it makes them more bite size and manageable for me to really think and meditate on.

This gospel immediately makes me think of James 1:2-4 "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

We will absolutely have hard times in this world! It is in the hard times, when we are struggling, that we can truly cling to and find Jesus. It is through trials and challenges that our faith can grow and we can be complete. This idea of being complete can only come from Jesus.

Luke 6:23 begins "Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!"

We are being told to rejoice and leap for joy right after we are told we are blessed for suffering! We can rejoice and leap for joy because we are promised that after all the suffering and pain in this life we will find total and complete fulfillment in Heaven.

1 Peter 1:6-9 has a similar message. "In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even through tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of [your] faith, the salvation of your souls."

All of these passages are telling us that there is hope and joy in struggle. We have our hope because we know that our struggle is not in vain and we know our struggle is strengthening us and drawing us closer to God.

We have hope because of the promise that this pain is temporary and we will be rewarded for having to suffer it.

This is so hard because even though we may intellectually understand this, living it is a challenge! It helps me to focus on and remember those challenging times in my life that I came out a better person. It helps when I reflect on how much greater the reward was when it was worked for and that I had to suffer to attain it. These small moments can give me strength and keep me pointed in the right direction. They are also encouraging because the rewards we will receive when we are done on this Earth will far surpass anything our hearts and minds could ever dream up!

Living Example

Alright, let's do this! First, READ and/or LISTEN to our readings today!

Today's Gospel seems so simple and so straight forward, yet there are some very important parts we must not miss!

Luke starts us off by telling us that "Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God."

I love reading about when Jesus goes off to be by himself with God. If Jesus needs to spend time praying, and he is the Son of God, how much more do we need to do this? We are also told he spent the night praying. Jesus is about to fully begin his ministry and mission. This is a critical time where he is about to choose the 12 men to join him. He is about to call the 12 whom he will be spending most of his time and will be working closely with! This is not something to be taken lightly and Luke shows us that Jesus spent all night in prayer.

When he called the 12, they were ordinary men! He didn't call the best scholars, the wealthy, the professionals, or anyone with any visible special qualities. He chose regular men who did regular, every day things. He didn't see them as the men they were at the time, he saw who and what they had the potential to become.

Jesus is the greatest example of leadership we could ever ask for. He took men willing to follow and willing to work and he shared his vision. He got them to buy into that vision and they literally changed the world!

How often do you genuinely go to God in prayer before big decisions? How often do you spend time away form everyone else to be with him before you are doing something new? Jesus shows us that we need to spend time in prayer before doing new things and making big decisions. He shows us the importance of seeing the potential in people and not just seeing them for who and what they are at the time.

The final thought on this reading is that people flocked to Jesus to be healed. This is not the only place in scripture we see this. People heard of the power he had. Even the demons knew what he was capable of. We need to approach Jesus this way. We need to stop hoping he can heal us or help us when we need it, we need to KNOW he can! We need to go to him expecting great things and stop hoping for them to happen!

Is the Law Always Right?

It's that time...time to sit down and READ and/or LISTEN to today's readings!

The scribes and Pharisees are at it again in today's Gospel reading. They are continually trying to catch Jesus doing something wrong or breaking the law so they can take him down!

The law called for the people to do no work at all on the Sabbath and to keep that day holy and set apart for God. It seems like just about anything and everything was considered work!

When Jesus was faced with a man who had a very deformed hand, he had to decide to break the law or heal the man. Jesus, the ultimate teacher didn't just act, he explained his actions very clearly!

“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath

rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?” 

(LUKE 6:9 NABRE)

Throughout the Gospels we see Jesus challenging the law over and over again. He is not suggesting that the law is not good or right, but that sometimes it isn't cut and dry. If you aren't following the spirit and intent of the law, you are missing out. 

The Sabbath is a day to rest, but most importantly, to rest in God. It is less about not doing anything and more about actively being in God's presence. The Sabbath is to be set aside and given to God. It is a way to show honor to God and to thank and reflect Him for his creation. 

With that understanding, it doesn't negate that we are to still love our neighbor, honor our mother and father, and follow the other commandments, right? 

If Jesus was to leave the man because He wasn't allowed to heal on the Sabbath, how is that honoring God and keeping His day Holy? If Jesus turned his back on a sick person, how would that be showing God's love? 

On the Sabbath we should not do unnecessary work or anything that distracts us from worshiping and honoring God and it doesn't mean mean shouldn't be doing good and sharing God's love!

As we are faced with decisions that may not seem clear cut, we need to really look a the heart of the matter! We need to really look and see if what we are doing or not doing is in line with God's will. There will be times we are faced with decisions that may go agains a law or rule, but we must carefully weigh the consequences of doing or not doing an act and be sure we are in listening to God with our eyes, ears and heart! 

Thriving once you have hit your weight loss goal

I have discovered over the last 2 years that my pursuit of better health and fitness has actually become more challenging since I hit my "goal weight." I put that in quotes because I actually didn't start my journey with a number in mind, but I know I am there because of how I feel at this weight verses being up or down a few more pounds.

In Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst, she states "Hitting your goal weight is a blessing entangled with a curse." She further explains that the curse is that false sense of freedom that we can just go back to all those things we gave up and turn back on the sacrifices we have made. We allow ourselves to "live it up" and celebrate our "victory" but it just ends up sending us back on the path to bad habits.

Why do we do this? What is it about hitting that goal that sets us back? As I was really trying to figure this out and while I was having many discussions with my best friend on this very topic, Lysa discussed it in Made to Crave (which we happened to be reading together at the time).

Once we hit our goal weight, we don't have that scale as in indication of how we are doing anymore. We don't have the excitement and gratification or reward of watching the numbers go down anymore. It isn't as fun to us once we get to that goal! When we stop having fun, we start to slip back!

Prior to becoming a Team Beachbody Coach, I would go through many cycles of doing a program, losing weight, getting stronger, feeling good, and then cycling back around to unhealthy habits, weight gain and feeling crummy.

I believe I have finally cracked the code on how to maintain AND continue to thrive once hitting my goals and I want to share it with you. My guess is you are either right there with me on this, or you will be if you keep at your journey long enough!

1. A Clear Why

You need to have a clear "why." You need to know why it is you want to lose weight and why it is you really want to get healthy. If you just want to lose weight to look good in a bikini, you might get there, but is that a strong enough reason to keep you there when temptations come flying at you?

You may initially start your journey because you know you need to lose a little weight, but you must really dig deep and peel back the layers to discover what you are really doing it for. If you why and want to are strong enough, you will have a far greater chance for success!

2. The Proper Support System

You need to have the right support system in place. You need to surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and who will cheer you on when you need it, and help get you through the tough times when you are struggling.

I have the most amazing success partner and work with some amazing ladies in my groups. My success partner is there for me when I begin to struggle. She knows my "why and my want to" and is able to remind me of that when I struggle. She is able to speak to me and to my heart about what it is like if I give into temptation. She is there to help keep me motivated and moving forward on those days I just don't want to work out, eat right, or spend time in prayer. She, along with my groups are the accountability I need to keep pushing!

3. Changing things up and finding new goals

After I hit my initial goal and didn't have the satisfaction of watching the scale move anymore, I needed to set new goals to measure progress and change. I started looking at the weights I could use in my workouts, I started to count the increased number of repetitions and began measuring my flexibility.

I also mixed things up. I would complete a program and then throw a totally different kind of workout at myself to keep my body and mind challenged. I would go from a program that was almost entirely cardio in nature to one that was mostly lifting, to one that was mostly yoga/pilates, to ones that were combinations of all of the. I even threw in Dance type workouts to keep my body guessing and to challenge my mind and keep me humble!

Constantly doing different programs keeps me from getting bored and into "the same old routine," which keeps me looking forward to most days!

4. Finding the Spiritual Balance in the Journey

The most important part of my journey has been keeping Jesus right at the heart of it! I have found that without him, I don't have balance. Without Him, I don't have the discipline or the right want to. Without Him, I fall too easily into temptations and laziness.

Apart from Christ we can't be successful at anything that is truly important. Likewise, If we want to be strong in Christ, we MUST take our fitness and nutrition seriously. God cares about our health and wellness. He cares about our portion sizes and the foods we eat. He cares about our relationship with food and how we treat it.

If we want to be strong in Christ, we must work to be strong physically and nutritionally, and if we want to be strong physically and nutritionally, we must be strong in Christ!

Once this connection became crystal clear to me and became something I was very intentional with, EVERYTHING changed for me.

Is it time for you to get started? Is it time for you to find the right support system and group of people. I would love to CONNECT with you and chat more! Hit me up and let's CONNECT! 

New Wine, Old Skin

Be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to todays readings. What better way to wind out your work week and head into the weekend?

Jesus begins our Gospel today answering questions about why his disciples don't pray and fast the way the disciples of John and the Pharisees do.

Jesus points out that there is a time and season for everything, and this is not the time for them to be fasting. At a wedding we would be celebrating while the bride and groom are there, wouldn't we? He is saying that while he is amongst them, they should celebrate! There will be plenty of time to mourn and pray when He is not with them.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NABRE)

There is an appointed time for everything,and a time for every affair under the heavens.A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Then Jesus shifts gears in the second half of the Gospel and addresses some of the thinking of the past. He demonstrates that although, prayer and fasting are important, they need to be seen in different context. He doesn't diminish the importance of prayer and fasting, but shows they must be seen in new light.

Do you ever find yourself just glossing over a portion of scripture because you don't understand it or it doesn't feel relevant to you at the time?

I have done this many many times with the second part of today's gospel. I think this is partly because I didn't really relate to or understand the analogies that were being used in the parable, so I would just move on.

Jesus begins talking about patching a torn cloak. He tells us that we wouldn't tear cloth from a new one to patch the old because then both would basically be ruined. The new one would now be torn and the old one wouldn't match. The new cloth hasn't shrunk yet, so when you add it to the old that already has, it will ruin it.

He next makes the same point by telling us that we wouldn't pour new wine into old wineskins because it will make the old skin burst. I am not a wine drinker, but have been told that old wineskins would become hard and not expand, and new wine is still expanding because of its gasses, so when you put the new in, the old one wouldn't be able to contain it.

I don't think Jesus is telling us the old is bad and wrong, but that it must be willing to adapt and change or it will be ruined. We know that we must look at the old testament in light of the new and the new in light of the old. Without the old testament, the new wouldn't be nearly as rich and meaningful.

Prayer and fasting are important, but if we miss the celebration, the point of prayer and fasting would be lost! We need to see prayer and fasting in light of celebration and celebration in light of prayer and fasting.

We can't look Jesus coming to fulfill the law if we don't know and understand the old law and how and why it was in place. It wasn't bad, but it needs to grow. Jesus didn't come to destroy it, he came to fulfill it!

I look at myself and how I have grown and changed so much over the years. If you took the new me and placed me where and how the old way was living, it wouldn't work! Like that new wine, I feel myself constantly expanding and growing. I don't fit in where I use to. I can't be this new creation and live my old life, it just won't work. I also can't just forget my old life or the new wouldn't have the same meaning.

The old isn't bad, but if it remains rigid and unwilling to see new light, it will burst!

Are you ready to drop your net?

Beginning your day in The Word of God is so important. I love that our Church has readings every day to take the guess work out of where to begin! Be sure you READ and/or LISTEN to todays readings.

I absolutely love today's Gospel. I know very little about fishing, but I can see and picture the scene so well. I couldn't imagine what I would have thought or said if I had been working so hard all night and then Jesus comes along and says to throw the nets in again.

There is so much we can learn in this short section from Peter!

1. Humility

Peter was a fisherman by trade, yet when he was told to lower his nets again, into a place he had already worked, he did it anyway. He didn't get all proud and "puffed" up about knowing more about fishing, he humbled himself and did it anyway.

2. Faith

As this story ends we see Peter literally leave everything and go follow Jesus. He leaves behind his boats and nets, but he also leaves behind family and friends. It tells us "When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him."

I would love to think that if Jesus showed up at my door and asked me to follow him that I would just walk out and do it, however, I don't know that I could! I certainly could leave my "stuff" behind, but I would minimally want to have some closure here. I would want to make sure the dogs were set and taken care of, I would want to go say good bye to my family and friends and tell them what was happening. Peter did NOT, he simply left EVERYTHING behind!

3. Obedience

Peter didn't think there was going to be any different outcome by throwing the nets in the water one more time, but he did it anyway. He showed incredible obedience. How often does God ask us to do something that we have tried over and over again without success? How many times are we asked to do something when we are just exhausted after a long day of work? How many times are we asked to do something we just don't understand? Are we obedient? Do we listen to God and do it anyway?

4. God can use anyone to to big and powerful things!

Jesus comes into the picture, has an encounter with a fisherman that doesn't have any schooling or any special knowledge or background in religion and calls him to be a disciple and be a fisher of men. Jesus calls this sinner with no special or seemingly significant talents to ultimately become our first Pope and leader of the Church!

God does not call the equipped, he equips the called! If we respond to God with true humility, faith and obedience, he can use us in mighty and powerful ways. We need to stop diminishing our value and our worth! Through Christ we can do anything! It is time to open our eyes, ears and heart and be on the lookout for God's call! We must stay humble so we don't miss it and we must ACT with obedience.