So one of the most memorable experiences of being a Chicago Blackhawks fan was the 2013 Grant Park Victory Parade to celebrate the fact that the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. Thousands of people were in Grant Park, and there was this one moment that I will never forget. In front of thousands, Jonathan Toews raises the Stanley Cup over his head, and everyone goes crazy. People start bowing. People start lying on the ground prostrate. People were worshiping the Stanley Cup.
That is what idolatry is. I remember my heart sinking and thinking, “Oh my gosh, this is idolatry.” The second reading for today, Saint Paul, shouts to the world. Boast only Jesus Christ. Your boast is your Lord and God who died for you, who lives and loves you with incredible love. What are the actual idols in my life that I may worship? Boast only in Jesus Christ.
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A Father Who Keeps Us Safe
I was just in the Gulf of Mexico, went to the beach, and saw something crazy. I saw a father placing his 2-year-old son on the edge of the water, and he sat there and let his son walk forward. The son took one step into the ocean, looked back at his dad, smiled, turned back, and took one more step forward, and he kept doing this. This little 2-year-old boy felt safe amid a vast, powerful, dangerous ocean because he knew…
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12 Apostles
So if you have ever been to a job interview, you may have been asked what is your greatest strength. Your greatest weakness can be your greatest strength. And we can so easily identify ourselves with our strengths and our weaknesses. If you are positive, you most likely identify yourself with your greatest strength. You might identify yourself with your…
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Living in Unreality
Okay, so I just spent three hours playing Fortnite with another priest. And yes, we got some dubs. But afterward, I felt horrible after three hours of living in unreality that weighed on me. Whenever we are living away from the truth, that is further away from Jesus. And in the gospel for this Sunday, Pilate is also living in unreality. He knows that Jesus is innocent, yet he decides to live and act not in reality…
