The Presence of Christ
Nothing can stop grace. But separation cannot be allowed to last forever. We must connect again. We need to embrace the Eucharistic presence of God and our community of faith again in order to fully be who we are called to be.
A Unique and Dynamic Communion
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity reminds us that the God whom we adore is “one God in the Trinity” and “Trinity in unity” (from The Athanasian Creed), inviting us to consider that all of our relationships are reflections of that unique and dynamic communion that exists within God — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Being Sent Forth Into The New World
This Pentecost is much like the first one. It finds us behind closed doors, in fervent prayer, longing for our Lord. The Holy Spirit leads us out into a world that has changed dramatically over the past year. However, the message is the same. God has won the victory in Jesus Christ.
Hide and Seek
I had thought it odd for the longest while that Jesus would say that he was going to go away. He had risen from the dead recently so couldn’t he stick around? On pilgrimage in the Holy Land, in a small church which has a marbleized footprint on the ground commemorating the last step of Jesus as he was lifted into the sky, I was still confounded.
A Reason for our Hope
In the Gospel we hear Jesus say to us, “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you…” This gospel is striking during our current times. In a time of confusion, suffering, uncertainty, and for many isolation and loneliness, God the Father is actively caring for us and telling each of us, you are not alone.
A Heart That Need Not Be Troubled
Promises have meaning and can be taken seriously when they come from God. In uncertain times, there is great comfort in the assurance of faith. In knowing the Way, the Truth, and the Life, which provides the means to how a heart can stay untroubled.
In the Midst of Hardship, Anxiety & Suffering
Do you ever feel that life is unfair? Is your faith in God still strong in the midst of hardship, confusion, anxiety and suffering? Can you love a God who leaves you with your suffering? If we look to the passion of Christ, we clearly see a God who does not eradicate or sidestep injustice and great suffering, but embraces them.
Hope to Dispel the Darkness
St. Luke presents Cleopas and his companion fleeing Jerusalem after the death and burial of Jesus and, although they had heard the testimony of the women that Jesus had been raised from the dead, their disappointment and grief would not allow them to believe such an amazing story. Their despair is captured in one simple but profound statement: “We had hoped…”
Despite the Locked Doors
John tells us that Jesus shows himself to the apostles, “despite the locked doors.” John is not just referring here to the heavy wooden doors of their hiding place. He is talking about the closed doors of their hearts. Jesus doesn’t wait until they calm down or get perspective on the situation. Rather, he breaks through the door of their fear announcing the good news that he is alive.
Not Death but Eternal Life
St. Irenaeus of Lyons says that, “The business of the Christian is nothing else than to be ever preparing for death.” Monastic spirituality has embraced this preparation in many concrete ways because of the understanding that death is not a finality, but rather a passageway into eternal life!
God’s Loving Plan
This Lent, we’ve been called to give up far more than most had planned. We’ve been called to renew our hope and trust in God, who sees beyond earthly suffering not as a spectator, but as the one who took on flesh to feel deeply the pangs of human suffering, in order to redeem us. We are realizing God’s plans were not our plans, and His plans will bear so much more fruit.
Trust in His Promises
Feeling anxious when someone we love becomes ill is normal. Turning to Jesus for help is wise. Waiting for an answer can be difficult. It must have seemed so confusing to Mary and Martha, knowing how much Jesus cared for their brother, that he would delay coming to his assistance. Yet, He had an even greater plan in mind.