One of my brother priests, he used to be a chaplain for the Navy Seals, and he’s such a great dude. Let’s just say he is pretty large. He has biceps as big as my face. He was in a war torn country celebrating mass for his Navy Seals. As he’s celebrating mass, an explosion happens outside of the tent. The priest dives for cover. As he looks up, he notices all of the Navy Seals are still kneeling in the dirt praying to the Lord. One of the Navy Seals gently looks at the priest and he says, “Father, keep pressing on.”
Here’s the Gospel today where Jesus says, “Perseverance will secure your lives.” No matter what sufferings, no matter what trauma, no matter what we experience in this life, with Jesus Christ, we can persevere to the end. The Navy Seals of Catholicism are the saints. You look at any of the saints’ lives, they persevered in the midst of sorrow, suffering, trauma, addiction, sins. With Jesus Christ, they persevered, and so can you. Only with Jesus, only with his grace.
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A Christian Arsonist
So I was just accused of being an arsonist. A student just sent me a message with this AI image of myself, saying, “Thank you for setting the university on fire with Jesus.” Jesus says in the Gospel for this Sunday, “I have come to set the Earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing.” Jesus was in no way a mediocre person. You are not called to be a mediocre person. You are called to let Jesus set your heart…
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Let Jesus Satisfy
St. John the Baptist might be the original hipster, organic locusts, honey, vintage camel hair, but more importantly, he was the first to point to Jesus and say, “Behold the Lamb of God.” He reminds us that only Jesus can truly satisfy. Even our best moments can still feel incomplete. One student described the “best day of her life” surrounded by everyone she loved… yet something was missing. She realized that missing piece was Jesus. Joy is good but without Him, it never feels whole. This Advent, get your priorities straight: let Jesus be the one who fills what nothing else can. Point to Him, stay focused, and don’t waste the weeks leading up to Christmas.
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A Problem with YOLO
Here’s the problem with YOLO. The more and more our culture embraces YOLO, the more and more marriage becomes radical. Marriage is saying that I no longer live for myself; I live for another. That selfless love bears fruit. But with YOLO, you are living for yourself. You can do what you want whenever you want, but it’s sterile. The second reading today from…
