It's hard to be a Christian. It's hard to be Catholic. It was hard before the priest scandals broke again, and now some days it feels even harder. But at the end of the day, my faith is rooted in the fact that Jesus came to save us and that He established our Church.

I love our Church (and love is truly proven when it's hard.) I love that we have two thousand years of tradition, of doctrine leading us. I love that people who are smarter than me and holier than me have spent their lives writing our teachings so that we can be united in following them. Our faith doesn't allow for my truth or your truth. It proclaims one truth and doesn't waiver from it when times are hard.

This truth is hard to proclaim. It's hard to share in our schools or in our workplaces. It's hard to share sometimes even with our family and our friends. The first reading today tells us that it will be hard, and the gospel today tells us we must proclaim the truth with love. We must continue to give and give the cloaks off our backs to those who mock us. Our culture today tells us it must be an eye for an eye, that standing up for our truth means angrily fighting back. It means yelling at each other on social media. But what does that actually solve? I don't think it solves anything. 

I think Jesus is showing us the path right now. He shows us that we must not back down even if standing up might mean we get hit again. It means giving more to the one that mocks us. Practically speaking, it means being kind to the one that is not kind to us. It means loving our neighbor even if they disagree and berate us. It means always welcoming and treating others with respect. 
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Jesus loved us radically. We need his example to help us love others radically. People should know that we are Christians and Catholics not by the arguments we get into on Facebook but by how much we love those around us. 

Why are you Catholic? 

​How can you love others more like Jesus did?

How can you respond to the next person that disagrees with you?

"One holy Catholic Apostolic Church."

"Lord I need you." 

"Let me love like Jesus."

What is one teaching of the Church you have a hard time understanding the truth of? Take time and research it. And/or who is someone in your life that is hard to love? How can you love them better? 

When tough things happen in our life, most of us tend to try and push it away. We bury our feelings or distract ourselves from them any way possible. We love good feelings, but avoid bad ones at almost all costs. And I totally get it, that is natural and good. We are built to be in union with God, and there is only peace and joy and love with God. 

So if we are made for that good, then why does St. Paul tell us to boast in our afflictions? This is really simple, but maybe not so obvious. It is not because St. Paul likes to suffer, no human truly enjoys suffering. Rather, It is because St. Paul knows that suffering is the thing that will make him a better man. It will purify his intentions, it will give him perseverance, it will teach him discipline. And to him, those things are worth the pain.

Grueling training becomes much more bearable when you get to play the sport you love at the highest level. A tough diet is worth it when you feel better, have more energy, and are much healthier overall. Long distance relationships still are awful, but even they can become a joy when you meet a person that you love in a way you didn't know you could love before.

Never seek suffering, never seek affliction. The story of life will bring you enough of it on its own, but maybe there can be good that could come out of it all. Maybe instead of running or distracting ourselves from the pain that does come from these inevitable sufferings, we can now look to grow in the virtues in requires. If training helps make an athlete elite, so too does affliction and suffering make a Christian "elite". But even still, it is not through our own doing, but the grace that God gives us to endure these things. If we simply learn to cooperate with His grace, we will be with God at the highest level.

What are some areas in your life right now where you need to grow spiritually?

Do you often run, hide, or distract yourself from tough situations? How can you use those situations to grow instead?

What are some ways you can turn tough situations into training sessions for your spiritual life?

"Jesus, I trust in you."

"Come Holy Spirit."

"Give me your grace, Lord."

Take account of the ways you may be distracting yourself from tough situations in your life right now. Try to find healthy ways to train and grow from those situations spiritually instead. And don't try to do it alone, find a spiritual director or mentor to help you on this journey.

Be Faithful!

Two weeks ago the Diocese of Rockford IL welcomed three new priests. It was a day of great joy! The entire ordination liturgy is very moving, but one part that strikes me as most important is when the candidates for priesthood make promises to the Bishop while in the presence of his brother priests, deacons, and the lay faithful. And every year it also reminds me of the promises I made on my ordination day, while giving me a chance to renew those promises once again.

Jesus says in the Gospel today, “Let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’!” Another name that the Church gives to all the Baptized is: the faithful! A true disciple of Christ is a person of their word.

Despite our own personal weaknesses, we should resolve daily to be faithful to the Lord. Be true to our word. Be honest. Be committed. Be firm in Christian behavior.

One of the greatest characteristics or signs of a person who embraces God’s will is a person who is faithful. Reflect today on this personal call to be faithful to the yes’s we have made in life. Yes to Jesus! Yes to Church teachings that guides us to holiness! Yes to my priesthood vows! Yes to one’s marriage vows! Yes to one’s purity, chastity, moral decisions, obedience to parents, respect for others, etc...

​As Jesus reminds us today: any deviation from these yes’s come from the evil one. Let's be faithful!

What are the promises that God is asking you to be faithful to today? Maybe it's a commitment to work, your family, school, etc. What are you committed to and how are you being faithful?

What's an area of your life where sometimes faithfulness is difficult for you? Have you been to confession since the last time you failed to be faithful? 

In your life, how are you true to your word to follow Jesus and live as a disciple of Jesus?

"I choose to be faithful."

"I will follow you."

​"Yes, Lord."

Get to confession today or find a time and plan to get there soon. Be thankful to God that, even when you fail to be faithful, he is faithful and forgives you!

​Persecuted but not abandoned. We’ve all had those days where we feel totally broken down. Everything is going wrong. We are bombarded with lies. Hope of any semblance of rest has gone down the tubes. But have we been broken? 

Paul speaks to that difficulty today; is all lost? With Jesus, all is never lost. We might be afflicted, perplexed, and struck down but with the Lord we are given a special grace of bouncing back. In any given day there are countless opportunities to spiral into frustration or take the time to recognize the life of Jesus present in that given moment. 

My eyes seem to rest on the burden though, how do I begin again? It’s easier said than done; ‘stop looking at the pain and notice Jesus.’ That’s a hard shift, but I think a powerful first step is one of gratitude. You’ve been afflicted, perplexed, and struck down in the past—what followed? The Hand of God lifting you up in simple ways through your loved ones, or even in huge unexpected ways by guiding the chips to fall exactly where they were needed.

Sometimes we can be blinded to those sweet moments, and so let’s begin the gratitude right here and right now. In this very moment, your feet are placed on the ground. God created the world in love, and is loving you into existence. Pause your reading for a second; the Lord graces you with silence so that all the busyness that weighs you down can be set aside for a moment of connection with Him. You have been blessed with an incredible capacity to learn, and Jesus the Good Teacher is providing in this reflection time the space to receive His truth from your mind to your heart. In entering into these readings, you are also joining a community of countless others entering into these exact blessed words today; a sign you are far from alone. 

Where you are broken down, there is the Lord right now. I want to make a bold step, and speak out in gratitude for the Lord allowing you to share in His cross. I know life seems heavy some days, but that isn’t a sign of the Lord’s Love being lacking—even there He reigns. Step one was remaining in thanksgiving, and now we have the opportunity to recognize the overabundance of grace that flows through you. Today, even in stretching, you are a fountain of the Lord’s grace that nourishes many. Raise those eyes from the burden, and behold the God who loves you. 

Do you feel broken down? Defeated? Destroyed?

Have you acknowledged the good that you're grateful for?

Are you more likely to see the positive or the negative in a situation?

"I'm grateful Lord."

"I need you Lord."

​"I love you Lord."

Take a ten minutes today to write down (physical pen and paper) everything you're grateful for today. Gratitude has been shown to be an overwhelming force for good in our lives, don't let another moment go by without acknowledging all you're grateful for!