Saint Therese of Lisieux. She lived till the age of 24. She lived most of her life in a convent in the suburbs of France. She is considered one of the most ambitious saints the church has ever seen because Saint Therese desired to be a saint from the depths of her heart. And we are called to have that holy ambition as well. In the gospel for this Sunday, Jesus says, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Strive to be like the heavenly Father. Strive to be holy; strive to be a saint. To be ambitious, you have to sacrifice something, and you have to risk something.
Our culture is so fearful that we don’t want to take risks. To have holy ambition, we have to risk everything. I pray for all of you that you can have that holy ambition within your hearts to strive to be a saint. Right now, just in this moment ’til the end of your life. Full set. Be a saint.
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The Word “But”
My favorite word in the gospel for this Sunday is the conjunction “but.” I love the part where the apostles say to Jesus, “Jesus, we have worked all night. We have caught nothing. But at your command, we will lower the nets.” The word “but” is so powerful because it shows the relationship with Jesus. A lot of the time, we don’t use that word. All we ask is the question, “Why?” “Jesus, why am I suffering like this?” “Why would…
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The Supreme Gift
I don’t know if you’re like me, but every time I see a baby, I only want to hold and squeeze it because it’s so cute. Maybe that makes me weird. What this is called is the positive feedback loop. When we hold or care for an infant child, it releases oxytocin. It’s written in our biology that babies are cute. The gospel for this Sunday is intense, but it is all about the preciousness of children, and the Catholic…
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The Holy Name of Jesus
So, the coat of arms in my archdiocese is epic. It shows a phoenix, which is a symbol of resurrection. And on the chest of the phoenix is the IHS, which is the holy name of Jesus. And so, in the first reading for this Sunday, Saint Peter, our first pope, heals a man by the holy name of Jesus. He can heal because of his name because Jesus’ name is mighty. In the Old Testament…
