On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Aug 06 2015
Love0

In the Silence of the Stillness

Posted by | Everyday Life | 6 Comments
Sabbath Place Hermitage

Sabbath Place Hermitage

This past weekend, I went away on retreat to a place called Christ in the Wilderness (http://citwretreat.com) outside of Stockton, Illinois. I typically try to go away for at least four days, but with the way my calendar was this year, I could only manage a weekend. I didn’t set my spiritual expectations too high due to the short two-day retreat. (It usually takes two-days just to wind down from the stresses of life before I can solely focus on my relationship with God.) But this time, it was different.

Being completely isolated in a secluded wilderness hermitage immediately placed me in God’s presence. I was surrounded by nature, birds, animals, and God’s love for me, and an immediate peacefulness enveloped me. Read More

Jul 30 2015
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In the Good Old Summertime

Posted by | Prayer | No Comments

inthegoodoldsummertimeAh, summertime. A time of rest, relaxation, and recreation; a time of sunshine, warm breezes, high humidity and mosquito’s. Summer is a great time to remove oneself from the ordinary routines of life and rediscover that one actually has a life. As students in school, we called this summer vacation. As adults, we call this a much-needed break from reality. Read More

Jul 23 2015
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Do I Trust God?

Posted by | Prayer | One Comment

Having spent three days this week with our parish teens at Youth Ministry talking about vocations, you can imagine that this topic is still fresh on my mind. The very fact that each one of us is called to a vocation is a powerful thought; but to be able to discern your vocation and live it out is an entirely different story. Read More

Jul 16 2015
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I Am Tired!

Posted by | Emotions/Feelings | No Comments

2015070995114515Last week, I was with a group of teens from our parish on a mission trip in Detroit, Michigan. There we lived in community and helped the people of Detroit with various acts of service and charity. What a fulfilling way to put our faith into action and truly experience Christ in those we served. What a blessing it was for our teens to have such an awesome experience.

But during that one full week of hard labor – of long days and short nights, I have to admit that I was really tired. My body ached, my muscles were sore, and my head throbbed from the heat and exertion. And suddenly I recalled an old proverb that I came across long ago: One can go a long way after one is tired. And that became my mantra for the week. Read More

Jul 02 2015
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Naked I Stand

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

Recently, when praying the Liturgy of the Hours, I read a verse from the Book of Job that suddenly reminded me of something that I was taught in one of my classes during diaconate formation. The verse was:

Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall go back again.

HumanSilhouetteI remember the teacher telling us that when we die, we will stand naked before the Lord – bearing everything about us. We come into this world with nothing, and we leave this world with nothing. It doesn’t matter how much or how little we possessed while on this earth. It is all about what we’ve done with our time here. Everything we do remains a part of us. It is like our skin is an invisible tattoo displaying everything we’ve done during our earthly lives.

Therefore, when we stand before the Lord naked, are we to be ashamed? Will we stand before our Savior with our hands covering our body parts, embarrassed for who we are?

Perhaps today is the day when we truly look at ourselves and see who we really are. Perhaps today is the day when we decide to begin anew. We need to live our lives in the way that God desired – not to walk around thinking that we’re better than others; but to live a life of humility, love, and service. We are to live a life where we love everyone, serve those in need, and do whatever is necessary in order to make a difference in the lives of others. Maybe then we can stand naked before our God, fully transparent, unafraid, and comfortable in our own skin.

Jun 28 2015
Love0

We’ve Sprung a Leak!

Posted by | Everyday Life | One Comment

bucket-holeDo you ever feel like the bucket of your life has a hole in it that leaks faster than you can fill it? No matter what you do, how hard you work, where you go, what you try, you just can’t fill it up. Work, play, friends, and family all leave you feeling empty, restless, and searching. You can’t seem to get enough. The outflow is greater than the inflow. You are left drained of life: tired and weak, frustrated and hopeless, angry and resentful, sorrowful and grieving, fearful that you will never have the life you want. If you know what that is like, perhaps you can relate to the hemorrhaging woman in today’s gospel  (Mark 5:21-43). Read More

Jun 25 2015
Love0

Building a Life on the Rock

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What kind of foundation are we building on? In today’s gospel (Matthew 7:21-29), Jesus wasn’t talking about building an actual house, but about building a life – a life that is meaningful – a life worth living. We could certainly apply this teaching to marriages and families too.

When we’re building a life, we want it to be a life that we can look back on at the end of it without any regrets. When we’re building a family, we want that family to be stable, strong, and full of joy and love. If we want to build a life or a household that will last, that will stand, that will make a difference; we first need to understand what Jesus means when he talks about storms. Read More

Jun 04 2015
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Busy is as Busy Does

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We all are busy people. There is always something going on, somewhere to go or something to do. Between work, school, family commitments, sports, hobbies, leisure, etc., we barely have time to breathe. Our calendars fill up more quickly than a rain barrel in a thunderstorm. Let’s face it: we are insanely busy! And yet today, Jesus tells us that there are two additional things that we have to find time to do:

  1. Love your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
  2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Read More

May 21 2015
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Jesus is Praying for Us

Posted by | Emotions/Feelings | No Comments

Did you know that each one of us is mentioned in the Gospel reading for today? (John 17:20-26) We are! Jesus is talking about us – in fact, he is praying for us. First, Jesus prays for his disciples, the ones he will be sending out into the world. But then, Jesus shifts his prayer to include others. He says: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word…”

So what is the Lord praying for? What does he want for us? What is his will for us? Jesus asks “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us…” Read More