Okay, so have you ever seen a Samoan war chant? One of the most intimidating things you will ever see in your life. The war chant is taunting the other team, taunting the enemy, saying, we’re not afraid of you. There’s nothing about you that makes us scared. We are confident. We are not scared of you at all. This is precisely what St. Paul is doing in the second reading for this Sunday. He is saying directly to death, death, where is your sting? Death, where is your victory? I am not afraid of you because of Jesus Christ. This is great news. So go ahead, learn the Samoan War chant or taunt death; whatever you want to do, know that Jesus Christ is the lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world. This is Spirit Juice. Peace.
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Not Scandalized By You
Imagine if your group text with friends suddenly went public. Or if some of the dumb or embarrassing things you’ve said in the past were brought back to life. Most of us fear that kind of exposure because we know we’ve failed, and we’re not sure we’d be received well.
In this Sunday’s first reading, we hear about King David. For many people, the first thing that comes to mind is his failure with Bathsheba. Yet God looks deeper than David’s mistakes. He sees both the potential for sin and the potential for great love and He still chooses him.
That’s the good news for us. No matter what’s in our past or what we’re ashamed of, God looks into our hearts, sees everything, and still calls us. He is not scandalized by your heart.
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Mercy That Moves First
What if mercy isn’t passive, but moving toward you?
In the Divine Mercy image, Jesus isn’t just standing still, He’s stepping forward, coming toward us. His mercy is active, not distant. Even when we turn away, even when we sin, He doesn’t wait for us to make the first move, He comes after us.
That’s the heart of who Jesus is. A love that pursues, a mercy that moves, and a Savior who never stops coming toward you.
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On Imaginative Prayer
Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He is a rockstar saint. He popularized something that is called imaginative prayer. We use our imagination to pray because God created our imagination to speak to us. That’s incredible! This Sunday’s Gospel is absolutely beautiful. It’s the Prodigal Son. Prodigal Son leaves the Father’s house, but he’s…
