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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Be Consistent With Jesus
Maybe or maybe not you have a friend like this, someone who is so good at giving grand gestures, someone who really knows how to show you a good time. But that person then, like, ghosts you for two weeks straight. If we don’t have consistency in a friendship, then it just feels empty. And here is what Jesus is saying in this…
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Light The World On Fire
Pentecost is not the moment the Church plays it safe. It’s the moment the Holy Spirit sends the apostles out to set the world on fire with the love of Jesus.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” That mission isn’t only for priests, missionaries, or “extra holy” people. It’s for every Christian, including you.
So the question is simple: are we talking about Jesus in our lives, or are we avoiding it? Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us the courage to stop staying quiet and start sharing the Gospel.
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Witness of the Saints
Top five most gruesome apostle martyrs. Coming in fifth, St. Thomas, stabbed to death with a spear. Coming in fourth St. James, the Lesser, clubbed to death. Coming in third St. Simon sawed in half. Coming in second, our very own first Pope St. Peter crucified upside down and coming in first St. Bartholomew skinned alive. Today, the feasts of St. John LA and you walk into this basilica and you see statues of the apostles holding the tools of their martyrdom. This is the witness of the saints. Death had no power over the witness of the apostles. Death has no power over Jesus Christ and as Catholic Christians, death has no power over you. Go be witnesses of Jesus. Just don’t get skinned alive.
