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

I have had countless people tell me that they feel bad for doubting God. Many people will confess doubt in the Sacrament of Penance. I find it very helpful to remind people in these cases that sin is an act of the will. Basically, you must choose sin for it to be a sin. You can’t accidentally sin. It is always, on some level, a choice we make. Feelings are not sins. What we do with those feelings is what matters. I think often doubt works the same way. Something in our life happens and all of a sudden we are struck with the feeling of doubt. Is God really as good as the church tells me he is? Does God really want to heal me? Is God even out there at all?

These questions and doubts will strike us from time to time. They don’t feel good. It never feels good to have what we rely on thrown into uncertainty, but the question then becomes, "What do I do with this doubt?” God made a promise to Abraham that only God could possible deliver on. He promised, that even though Abraham and his wife Sarah were far past their child rearing years, they would still have child, and not only that, but also their descendants would become a great nation.

As time goes on and Abraham continues to be childless, he begins to doubt, but he brings those doubts honestly and completely to God. God, in a way that may have been frustrating, simply reminds Abraham of the promise. God doubles down on the promise. Yet, even so, Abraham’s doubts keep creeping back into his mind. God isn’t bothered by this. In fact, he shows Abraham just how committed his is to the promise. He has Abraham set up the covenant ritual. Normally, when forming a covenant, both parties would pass through the split animals. It was an even exchange. Basically, both sides of the covenant were saying, “if I don’t fulfill my part of the covenant, may I become like these split animals.” But now, only God goes through the split animals. He takes all the responsibility of the covenant on himself. It is still only a promise, but Abraham is reminded about who it is that made the promise to him.

God is always faithful. He goes far more than halfway for us. He isn’t offended by our doubts, and He wants to show us how much He loves us. If He went all the way to the cross for us, where won’t He go? Maybe, right now in our life all we have is a promise from God. But if we remember who he is, that promise will be enough to dispel our doubts.

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 doubts or questions do I have?

What do I do with my feelings of doubt?

​Am I bringing my questions and doubts to the Lord?

In this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.

"God is faithful."

"God keeps His promises."

"Jesus, I trust in you."

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 the Lord bear fruit in you today?
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Pray with Abraham's story, and ask Abraham for help and guidance as you wrestle with your doubts and questions.

I recently had a conversation with my dad about heaven. He buys into what most of society believes ... that if you are a good person, you will get into heaven because God is so merciful. And he then finished it off with the cherry-on-top phrase, “Uh, I haven’t killed anyone!”

Jesus, however, doesn’t mince words in the Gospel today - He says:

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few."

It is not easy to live a holy life, the Lord is well aware of this fact. That is why He gave us His Church and the Sacraments so we can find salvation in the Church through Reconciliation and grow in our spiritual lives with the Eucharist. You need God’s grace to live a virtuous and holy life. And to see, hear and feel God in your life daily, you must have a deep relationship with Him through prayer. He commands us to be holy and strive to be saints - we must respond to God's love and mercy.

But … you think you could never be a saint … you could never be holy … you could never perform miracles. And you know what - you’re right! You cannot do any of these things alone. But if you are hand in hand with God praying all day, every day, then you can be a holy saint who performs miracles! Anything is possible with God - most importantly - your salvation!

God knows how seductive the world is and how sin and temptation are lurking around the corner each and every day. Every single day, all day, we need to re-commit ourselves to God in prayer. We need to fight this battle of virtue or vice. We choose to live our lives in prayer with God … or … we don’t. 

What is your choice?

Let’s be the few who choose the narrow gate and let’s also make it an easier road with God leading the way. Remember, we are all called to be saints and we can become one if - and only if - we choose to live each day with God in prayer.

Are you striving to enter the narrow gate, for holiness, or are you okay with just being a "good person"? Why?

Why do you think society's view of a "good person" isn't enough? How is true holiness different?

What is one practical way you can be more holy today?

"Come Holy Spirit."

"Jesus, I trust in You."

"Make me holy Lord."

Set aside 5 extra minutes of prayer everyday this week for pure silence. Try your best to clear your mind and just be present to God. Let the Holy Spirit stir in your heart and guide you toward the narrow gate.

Naming a baby is a big deal. I mean there are tons of baby name books around, and new parents spend hours going back and forth sharing name ideas. My husband and I just recently had twin girls. It was such a difficult task figuring out names for each of them. We had two names picked out, but then we had to decide which name went with which baby girl! Needless to say, they went nameless for about 15 hours. And even after we decided, we worried if we had made the right decision. Names are said over and over again in our lifetimes, and they are part of us. They are part of our story. One of the names we chose for our daughter was after St. Therese's mother-St. Zellie. I had a strong calling to name her after such an amazing saint, but I hesitated because it was different. I was worried that people would wonder where did such a name came from? There was no one in my family with that name and most people have never heard it. But my husband and I felt called to the name and the saint so we went with it. And yes, people wondered where it came from and have called her all sorts of weird versions of the name, but it is good. 

When I read this Gospel, I could feel that tension in the room. When Elizabeth says that the baby is to be called John. I bet the women in that room had whip lash from turning around and saying, "What now?!" This wonderful couple had finally been blessed with a child after so many years, and they were not going to name him after the father. What? That goes against every naming rule at that time. But remember, names are a big deal. Names mean something. The Lord had a plan for John. He was set apart even before he was born. The Lord set him apart because He had a distinct plan for His life. It was also surprising for Elizabeth to speak up like that. Women at the time were not often so bold as this. And then when Zechariah spoke and agreed with her, man, I bet the whole room had to pick their jaws up off the floor. I love how to Gospel says, "What then will this child be for surely the hand of God was with him." They witnessed the mouth of Zechariah being opened and proclaiming God's plan. So cool! 
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I often wonder why Luke chose to write about this particular scene. But then I'm just reminded that names are important. John was set apart and called by name. My little Zellie, perhaps, will be set apart because of her name. Maybe her name will be a witness to the world. Who knows? The story is just beginning for her, and the story of John's work for the kingdom of God is glorious. 

Names are a big deal. God called you by your name at your baptism. How does it feel to know that God knows your name? 

How has the Lord set you apart? What is God's mission for you? 

How do you define yourself? What is your deepest identity? 

"The Lord has called me."

"God has chosen me."

​"God knows me."

Today spend some time in prayer reflecting on your name, that God knows your name and your identity as His child. Ask God what His mission for you today is. 

Today is the feast of Corpus Christi – the feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The Church gives special emphasis and reflection today to the great gift of the Eucharist that Jesus offers to the Church, to the World, and to you and me. My heart was drawn to two themes from today’s readings that offer us a spiritual window to pray with the Eucharist today. The first is trust. 

Mother Theresa famously said, “I do not pray for certainty, but for trust.” The famous apparition of Jesus as the Divine Mercy, calls for Christians to pray “Jesus, I trust in you.” There is something so central about trust in any good relationship, and Christianity is fundamentally a faith rooted in relationship and thus rooted in trust. I have often desired certainty and clarity in my life, in many ways and many times, and yet Jesus quietly asks me to pray for trust; trust that God is in control, is working things out for good, and calls me to join in His plan even if I cannot see or fully understand every aspect right away. We see this invitation to trust in today’s Gospel, where Jesus asks his disciples to trust in God’s ability to bring bounty from something meager, and nourishment from inadequacy. God trusts the human person with his very body and blood in the Eucharist, and it becomes a physical and constant sign of God’s trust in us, and our call to trust in a God who saves me, loves me, and wants to be completely in union with me, and transform me to be like himself, that he offers us his Body and Blood daily. How utterly awe-inspiring!

The second theme from today’s readings is that of proclamation. St. Paul writes: “for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” To proclaim something is to “make known something that one considers important” or “to declare something officially.” St. Paul, reminds us that the Mass and the Eucharist is a proclamation, a public witness and affirmation of what we hold so important: God’s salvific act and our relationship with Him. At the mass, Christ entrusts his body and blood to us in a sort of spiritual transfusion, making us more divine and more fully human. In return, Christ desires that we live our life more in conformity with His life and witness. The Eucharist is the heart of a Christian’s relationship with God, because it is a sharing of two persons most deeply, is always personal, but can never be private.

​Today’s Eucharistic feast, calls us to reflect on how we witness to the reality of the Eucharist in Mass and prayer, and also in how we witness to our relationship with Christ in our daily lives. The Eucharist proclaims God’s love and trust in us; how does today’s feast invite us to proclaim our love and trust for God? 

Where in your life is God calling you to trust? What can you give over to Him today and increase your trust in Him?

The Eucharist should affect our life everyday. How does it impact you? How can you live out this witness? 

Jesus died for us. Jesus gave us His body and blood, soul and divinity, how do you proclaim this to others? 

What do you do after consecration to remind yourself that Jesus is before you? Do you genuflect before you receive Jesus? What prayer do you say when the priest raises the Eucharist? What prayer do you say after you receive the Eucharist? Decide one action today that you can do every time you go to Mass.