In our Christian journey, loving the Lord is essential for us to hear His voice and follow His Word, uniting our desires and willpower. How does one love the Lord Jesus? Spiritual love sprouts through surrender and openness as a longing, allowing oneself to be loved. God is not earned; He is embraced, not through…
When one of our kids struggled a little in elementary school, she told us she did better when she was assigned as seat in the front of the class. It turns out, she needed glasses, but she didn’t know that other kids saw the world more clearly than her. When she got her first pair,…
My sheep listen to my voice—not commanding to execute, but a loving voice to rouse. Listening is the hospitality of Life. To do this, you must “open the ear of your heart,” according to the Rule of St Benedict. Our loved one’s voice touches the heart’s senses long before words take shape; it surrounds and…
The disciples, locked away in fear of the authorities, found themselves in an upper room shrouded in darkness that hardly resembled a home. The absence of the loving Jesus sacrificed in Calvary left a void, leaving only fear and shame as life seemed to fade away. Though it’s spring outside, they are trapped in a…
Happy Easter! Easter brings a renewed Hope to our world. The day of Christ’s resurrectionmay be the most hopeful day on record. It was the day that we learned that the Gospel ofJesus was true. The day our Savior proved his divine nature by rising from the dead. The daymankind confirmed that, “God so loved…
Easter is both a resounding surprise of life and a harmonious interweaving of cosmic signs: spring, full moon, the first day of the week, the first hour of the day. It shouts of a new start: a new week begins (just like in biblical Genesis), the day starts, the sun is new, and the light…
During the supreme days of Holy Week, the weight of time changes pace; the liturgy slows down, takes another breath, and calmly accompanies the last days of Jesus: from the entry into Jerusalem until Magdalene’s rush into the garden when she sees the tombstone clothed with angels. Sadly, hate for Jesus is growing, but he…
Today’s readings talk about reconciliation, not the sacrament so much as the whole concept ofhealing our relationships with God and our fellow brothers and sisters. “Reconcile,” means tocause something to coexist in harmony; to be in agreement, balanced, and in tune with oneanother. Do we have any accountants in the congregation? For you, reconciling involvesmaking…
We are blessed to have 4 adults and 2 children in our St James RCIA program this year. We callthose preparing for baptism, “The Elect,” because they have been called by God to join Hiscommunity. At the Rite of Election on Feb 17th, they began a period of intense preparation toreceive the Sacraments of Initiation…
The Gospel, which means “Good News,” took a profound turn when religious leaders presented a tragic story about the murdered Galileans to Jesus. They work with an image of God as an angry judge with a heavy and unrelenting arm, thrashing many. Jesus’ answer is stark: stop imagining existence as a courtroom. There is no…