One of my favorite scenes from The Lord of the Rings is when Gandalf heals King Theoden from Saruman’s possession. This is such an awesome scene of healing. At one point, the possessed King Theoden says to Gandalf, “If I go, Theoden dies.”
And that’s precisely what we see in the gospel today. The demon spirit tells Jesus, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” We say that to Jesus. Jesus, if you get too close to me, if I get holy, are you going to take away who I am? Jesus, if you get close, am I just going to become a Jesus freak? The closer Jesus gets to us, the more we are healed and the more we become fully alive. If there’s any fear that I will be less of myself with Jesus, reject it. Stay close to the Lord, and you will become a saint, fully alive.
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Ascension of the Lord
So, you know that part of the Mass where everyone has received communion, and then the priest sits down. Everyone in the church then follows the priest and sits down, and it’s like this great relief. It’s this great sigh. And what’s so awesome is that we feel this great relief because everything has been accomplished. Everything is finished. We get to be…
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Blessed Lent 2024
Okay, guys, this is it. It is happening. Lent 2024. It is finally here, and this will be the best lent ever for us. Jesus says in the gospel today, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” We are called to believe the gospel. CS Lewis, an absolute spiritual savage, said, “You should never believe anything unless you think it’s true.” And so the amazing reality is that…
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Remembering Pope Francis
Several years ago, I got to meet Pope Francis. I didn’t have much time with him, so I asked him one question: “Holy Father, can you please pray for my sister and her future spouse, whoever that might be?” Two weeks later, my sister began to date her now husband, which is incredible. However, what struck me the most was how Pope Francis responded to me. He said, “I will, of course, pray for your sister, but I need…
