So, were you aware that the new pope is an art critic? Pope Leo XIV, in his first-ever Wednesday audience, used a painting from Van Gogh called “Sower at Sunset.” In this painting, Pope Leo explains that the sower, the one who plants the seeds, is not the focal point of the painting. The focal point of the painting is the sun. It is the sun that produces the fruit. It is the sun that creates the life. And that is our relationship with God. We are called to toil, to work, to labor, to plant seeds, but it is God that produces the fruit. It is God who brings about the life. It is God who brings meaning to our work. You no longer have to worry about success or failure in your work. We must make God the focal point of our lives.
This is Spirit Juice. Peace.
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Eight Words To Reject Satan
Eight simple words can change everything: “In the name of Jesus, I reject temptation.”
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus confronts temptation directly, and rejects it with clarity and authority. We’re invited to do the same. Whether it’s lust, gossip, pride, anger, or any other struggle, we don’t fight alone. We dare to use His name.
As Pope Benedict XVI taught, Christianity isn’t just an idea, it’s an encounter with a Person. And nothing is more personal than calling on His name. This Lent, make it simple. Use the name of Jesus and reject whatever pulls you away from Him.
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No Greater Love (Palm Sunday)
On Palm Sunday, crowds entered Jerusalem bringing lambs for sacrifice, it was messy, costly, and deeply personal. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus enters through those same gates, not just alongside the lambs, but as the Lamb. He takes on what we could never carry, offering Himself completely out of love for us.
That’s the heart of Palm Sunday. The sacrifice is no longer ours to make, Jesus gives Himself for us. The invitation is simple: take it personally, receive that love, and say yes to Him.
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Strong and Unbreakable
So, when I was a kid, something traumatic happened to me. Plants invaded our house. Vines from the outside got so strong that they started to destroy our brick wall. You can see my dad peeling off that plant carpet that got so strong that it was destroying our brick. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Jesus is the great unifier. We are all…
