Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

​“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.”

I literally just sat there speechless after reading that last line. Christ not only shed blood, but he died for MY sin; not even his own sin! He did that for me, but I won't even let myself be uncomfortable to avoid sin? Am I even struggling against sin at all?

We are all made for sainthood, but we must let this sinful side of us bleed and die away before we can join the “great cloud of witnesses.” Most of us will never be called to shed actual blood, but we will all have to sacrifice at one point or another. If not for Christ, then for whatever is “most important” in your life. We are so quick and willing to change our diets, lifestyles, etc. for a sport or something we care about, but what are you willing to do to struggle against sin and for the Kingdom? We are called to greatness, but greatness takes work, it takes sacrifice and effort. It is difficult at times, but the prize is well worth it! “For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross.” We don’t sacrifice and struggle against sin for anything trivial or meaningless, but for the greatest joy ever imaginable. 

“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.”

May we all have the courage and strength to struggle against sin and know the immeasurable joy that awaits us!

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

What are you doing to actively avoid sin and fight temptation in your life?

Who is  a saint that has been a witness, example, or inspiration to you on your faith journey?

What are some changes you need to make in order to bring more joy into your life and the lives of those around you?

"We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses."

"Let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us."

"Persevere in running the race."

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with Lord bear fruit in you today?

Think of one sin that you have really been struggling with. Take the time today to think about how you need to change or what you need to do in order to avoid and fight that temptation. If you need to, reach out to someone who can help you and hold you accountable.

​Why wouldn’t Jesus allow the man who had been possessed to stay with him? Jesus was all about inviting people to put down what they were doing and come follow him… why didn’t he want this man to do the same? This is something that I used to struggle with quite personally. Let me explain…

When I began discerning religious life, I was open to and interested in the idea of becoming a vowed religious, but I soon became confused and frustrated because I felt like I was completely surrendering myself to God’s will and God wasn’t even taking my offer. Similar to the man in the reading who wanted to stay with Jesus, I thought becoming a religious sister or nun was the next step for me to take since I wanted to stay close to Jesus too. 

Fortunately, God is in charge, and He sees the bigger picture.

Jesus told that man to go home and tell people what just happened. Notice that Jesus did not tell the man to go home in silence, as often happened when Jesus healed people. Rather, Jesus knew that they were in an area with mostly pagans who lacked great knowledge and understanding of God. Those who witnessed what happened even begged Jesus to leave because they were afraid of the power he had. 

Doesn’t this make more sense when you can see the bigger picture? The man wanted to leave with Jesus, but Jesus knew it would be better for the man to go back to provide his testimony to those people. The man obeyed and went about proclaiming this, being a faithful disciple and evangelist in his homeland.

Praise the Lord for the miracles and blessings that have been poured out onto you and for all of the ways God has made you a witness of His great love and mercy! Continue to offer yourself and be open to God’s plan for you, but don’t lose faith. Remember that God sees the bigger picture and knows exactly where would be best for you to go.

Where in my life to I need God's healing and His grace? How can I ask for that today?

In what ways has God healed me? Where do I see His presence in my life?

In my prayer, am I seeking the bigger picture? Or do I focus on what is before me only? 

"God is in charge." 

"God has a plan for me." 

​"I am God's witness."

Today, when you become to focused on your everyday tasks and questions, ask God for the grace to let it go and focus on the bigger picture. 

Today’s gospel is an excerpt from Matthew you may have heard once or twice before. It recounts the words of Jesus, spoken to the ever-present crowds of his followers on the side of a mountain in Galilee. These words have since been named "The Beatitudes". I admit I was quite intimidated when I first realized that I was to write the reflection for today, and my choices of readings to reflect on included THE BEATITUDES. Yikes! I thought something along the lines of “how does one sit down and try to reflect on these perfect pearls of wisdom delivered to us at the start of the Sermon on the Mount by our Savior”? Nonetheless, even with that initial anxiety, there were zero seconds between my taking inventory of the readings, and the certainty in my mind that I was about to contemplate and transcribe whatever the Holy Spirit wanted to relate through me at this moment about the substance of Jesus’ words to our fellow disciples on the slopes of that mountain. So I found a quiet spot in my house, read over the gospel a couple of times, and waited and listened, giving myself over to the Spirit …

… And this is the word that He spoke to me … “Blessed”. Nine times Jesus said this word. Nine times he asserted “Blessed are the …”. I’ve never been so struck by this word as I was this time. What does it mean? A quick Google search for the definition shed much light on the question. One definition states “made holy; consecrated”, another expresses “endowed with divine favor and protection”. Its synonyms include “favored”, “fortunate”, “privileged”, and “happy”. Jesus is not talking in the past tense here, nor in the future tense. He is not saying “Blessed WILL be the …”. He is clearly saying “Blessed ARE …” those whose hearts conform to the dispositions He lists. Right here, on this earth, in this life, on this day. He links each disposition to the ultimate reward that WILL be realized for possessing such virtues; knowing the kingdom of Heaven, being comforted, inheriting the land, gaining satisfaction, receiving mercy, and seeing God. He finally says “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven”. He links the future with the present, clarifying that turning your heart to Jesus, and living a life fueled by temperaments of the Holy Spirit, in each present moment, does not only lead you to the many splendid rewards of the next life, but pulls that glorious future forward and breathes it into our lives here and now. For this reason, as Jesus illuminates, we are truly fortunate, we are favored, we are privileged, and we are happy. We ARE blessed.

The Beatitudes give us a positive path to follow as opposed to rules or things to avoid. How does this positive spin change your perspective on faith? In other words, how does looking at your faith journey as a series of blessings to be obtained as opposed to just simply rules to follow, change your outlook on faith?

Who do you know in your life that lives out these Beatitudes well? How are they blessed because of it?

What are the ways you are blessed in your life? 

"Thank you for your blessings, Lord."

"Rejoice and be glad."

"Your reward will be great in heaven."

Make a list of blessings in your life and thank God for them. Make another list of the Beatitudes and ways you can live them out better in your everyday life.

​I am a pilot’s daughter.
 
My first flight was when I was just weeks old. I grew up flying standby, spending hours and days of waiting, eating, and sleeping in airports just to get home, or to Grandma’s house. 

I still fly often. I go through security so many times a month that usually I opt out of the scanner—just in case. I’ve traveled to 20-plus countries. You might call me a “jetsetter” or “seasoned traveler.”’  
 
I know I’m safe when I fly. My dad has explained this to me. I know the statistics—the number of deadly car accidents vs. air travel. I know the wings are not going to fall off—turbulence is a nuisance, not a danger. In my head, I know it all.
 
But even knowing these things, I still sometimes get anxious when I fly, especially when the storms and the rain come and the plane is bouncing across the sky.
 
Jesus is with the disciples in a boat in today's Gospel when a squall came up. The disciple's peace suddenly turned to anxiety and fear at the change of events. 

And Jesus seemed undisturbed, adding to their peturbment.  

But Jesus did wake, and He calmed the storm.
 
"Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" He asks them. 

This should make us stop and think--how great Jesus' trust in His father is, that He knew even in the midst of this storm He had no reason to fear. 
 
It is this faith we need to understand that even in the middle of great turbulence, confusion, or chaos, that the Lord has us close. He has us. 

Let us ask for greater faith today, that during great, perplexing situations, we would have the faith Jesus had, knowing with every ounce of our being that a good, good Father holds us. And He holds every single aspect of our lives, so we have nothing to fear. Today's gospel calls us ask and seek that faith. 

What are things in your life that are storms right now? What challenges are you facing? How can you do a better job of trusting God in those storms?

When you are in the midst of a difficult situation or moment, what do you do in order to hand that over to the Lord? 

Have you ever asked the Lord for a deeper, more complete gift of faith? What situations do you want to ask Him for faith in today?

"I trust in You."

"Give me faith." 

"You are Good."

Go into the storms you'll face today with confidence. In the moments when you feel turbulence, take a moment to give it to the Lord, and act out of trust in His plans instead of fear of what might go wrong.