Stop social climbing. That should be the tagline for this Sunday’s gospel. Jesus is saying that, trying to gain social status, trying to reach the highest seat, which we will never truly satisfy. Jesus is saying, Your identity is in me. When we forget about our identity in Jesus, that’s when we try to gain status. That’s when we try to find love in all of the wrong places. And so Jesus says, “Stop doing that and see me.” Gandalf has no identity outside of Tolkien. Katniss Everdeen has no identity outside of the world created by Suzanne Collins. Tesla has no identity outside of its founder, Elon Musk. Musk’s baby has no identity outside of Justin Bieber. We have no identity. We don’t know who we are outside of our relationship with the Heavenly Father. Stop social climbing. Stop trying to gain status. You don’t need status. You need Jesus.
This is Spirit Juice. Peace.
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Doomscrolling
Your thumbs might be stealing your soul. Doomscrolling is real, and it can slowly pull our attention, our peace, and our eyes away from what actually gives life.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Peter begins to sink the moment he takes his eyes off Jesus. But when his focus returns to the Lord, he finds safety again.
That’s the invitation for us too. When we scroll endlessly, we’re often searching for relief from stress, anxiety, boredom, or exhaustion. But real relief isn’t found in our phones. It’s found in Jesus.
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Security Blanket
Question: what is your security blanket? For Gollum, it’s the ring. For Tony Stark, it’s the Iron Man suit. For Woody, it’s his status as a favorite toy. In the gospel for the Sunday, Jesus gives us the foundations of discipleship, and one of those things is getting rid of the unhealthy attachments that prevent us from Jesus. We all have them. We all have those security blankets that bring us false security…
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Jesus Wants To Be With You
Sometimes the most healing thing someone can do isn’t fix our problems, it’s simply stay with us.
After one student’s life seemed to fall apart in a single day, a friend showed up in the middle of the night just to be there with her. That quiet presence changed everything.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the same promise: “I am with you always.” He doesn’t abandon us in suffering, failure, or loneliness. His desire is simply to remain with us, and for us to remain with Him. Because in the end, isolation is the absence of love, but being with Him is where healing begins
