The Word “But”
My favorite word in the gospel for this Sunday is the conjunction “but.” I love the part where the apostles say to Jesus, “Jesus, we have worked all night. We have caught nothing. But at your command, we will lower the nets.” The word “but” is so powerful because it shows the relationship with Jesus. A lot of the time, we don’t use that word. All we ask is the question, “Why?” “Jesus, why am I suffering like this?” “Why would…
Happy Candlemas
So, this Sunday is so awesome. We are celebrating the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas. All of these candles will be brought into the church and blessed because we are celebrating the light of Christ coming into the temple for the first time. The people of Israel have been waiting for this moment forever. This would be like all of our churches having an empty tabernacle for hundreds of years…
The Supreme Gift
I don’t know if you’re like me, but every time I see a baby, I only want to hold and squeeze it because it’s so cute. Maybe that makes me weird. What this is called is the positive feedback loop. When we hold or care for an infant child, it releases oxytocin. It’s written in our biology that babies are cute. The gospel for this Sunday is intense, but it is all about the preciousness of children, and the Catholic…
God’s Law and Barnacles
Okay, so let’s talk about barnacles. And I’m not talking about what SpongeBob says when he’s upset. But barnacles attach themselves to a boat or a large creature like a whale and are foreign entities. They’re not supposed to be there. In the gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is very clear about us, and how we love to create our human laws and put them in God’s law, but when we do that, we attach barnacles to…
Spiritual Coziness
Okay, what are the top five things Americans attribute to the word cozy? Number one, soft sofas. Number two, hot beverages. Number three, books. Number four, blankets. Number five, fireplaces. For us as Catholics, what is the thing that brings us coziness? It’s not a fireplace; it’s the sanctuary lamp because whenever we walk into a church and see it lit, we know that our friend Jesus is present. And there is…
For Those Not Accepted to Seminary or Religious Life
Have you ever felt rejected by God or the church as you try to enter religious life? This can be an utterly heartbreaking experience. When faced with “No” as a response to the desire to enter religious life, one might feel that they are being rejected by God or the church, that they’re undesirable, or too broken for religious life. But in reality, that is not the case. This decision culminates in carefully assessing…