Fear of the Lord
Roman 15, verse two says, “Let each of us please his neighbor “for his good to edify him.” Sometimes some of us think that happiness comes from pleasing ourselves. Some in money, some in houses, some in cars, some in sex, but that does not bring happiness. So look for happiness, true happiness. It comes more from pleasing others…
Prayer and Repentance
Growth in spiritual life is always challenging. In the beginning, it’s gonna take a LOT of effort. But as it goes on, you’ll notice that it becomes more and more the Lord’s work and less and less contingent on our human work. This is the second episode of our series on the Fire Within that talks about how St. Theresa sees the “giftedness” of…
What Makes Us Fully Alive
If it has been less than a week since you’ve binge-watched movies or TV shows, raise your hand. Now raise your hand if, afterward, you felt absolutely alive. When we binge-watch TV and movies, we feel less alive. In the Gospel today, Jesus says, “Come to me all who labor and are burdened, “and I will give you rest.” We’re called to go to the Lord…
Serious Prayer and Serious Joy
We are anointed with the power of the holy spirit, which is the fire we’ve been given. With this fire, all of us are called to live a deep union with God—not just to live in mediocrity with our spiritual life but to set ablaze with love for the Lord. This is the first episode of our series on the Fire Within, which reminds us of the importance of being…
Love Jesus First and Foremost
So a hundred years from now, what will you be known for if ChatGBT has not taken over the world? Will they remember something that you did? Or will they remember a personality trait? What will you be known for? In the Gospel today, Jesus clearly states that He wants us to love Him first and then love everyone and everything after Him. When we put Jesus…
Actions and Consequences
Jesus dying on the cross symbolizes God’s victory but is also the consequence of sin. This is one of the most striking examples that there are things that we can do that are going to have real concrete consequences in our lives and the lives of others. Christians and Catholics try to memorialize this consequence through the crucifix. But in reality…
Acknowledge Jesus
A few weeks ago, I walked by a literal fight between a Chicago Cubs fan and a Chicago White Sox fan, and it was incredible to see how convicted they were that their team was correct. We can easily be convicted of many things like that – sports, politics, or whether the toilet paper roll is over or under. It’s over. When it comes to saying grace in public or…
More Than My Sin
How do we respond to the serious sins in our lives? Many of us are tempted to be overly critical of ourselves, and we let that define us. But, our spiritual life should not be limited by these serious sins. We are invited to be with the Lord and let him teach us about our hearts in the place of sin. In this episode, we’ll unpack and attempt to answer…