I spent a lot of my early years being told what I should believe. I have to say, it wasn’t fair that people allowed me to think that is how a relationship with our Lord works. You must make an effort in your day to live in His word. It fills you in ways with grace that you cannot even …
Side by Side – Day 20 “Blessed Mother”
Some denominations of Christianity hold a very negative view of the Catholic recognition of Mary as the mother of God (Christ in His humanness). I don’t understand that. Mary was the first disciple, the first one to answer the call to follow Christ by her “Yes” to bring Him into the world. She was also the ultimate mother. Doesn’t every …
Side by Side – Day 19 “Moving Forward”
To cut “right to the chase,” we are moving forward in faith, or we are going backwards; there is no standing still. If we get caught in a comfort zone we begin to make it about us because it’s “nice” and it feels good to relax. However, it’s when our guard is down that the evil one looks to infiltrate …
Side by Side – Day 17 “Jealousy”
If there is one trait that can derail our progress instantly, it is jealousy; desiring and despising what others are blessed with in life. In our readings for this day we hear how hating someone else for what they have leads to murderous thoughts. As we talked about with the fifth commandment, in our lives, it might not be physical …
Side by Side – Day 13 “Pound for Pound”
The scales of justice are a pretty good visual for today’s message. You see, the Gospel is telling us that how we measure others, we will be measured. Simply put, however you judge other people, that’s what you’re asking for from God when he looks at you. There is a simple quote that says, “Never judge the inside of your …
Side by Side – Day 12 “Valley Living”
The story of the Transfiguration is one of my favorite stories as it relates to how we react when God shows up in our life. Peter is so excited on the mountain to see Christ’s glory that he just wants to set up tents for everybody and stay there forever. However, once the clouds come over, he basically freaks out …
Side by Side – Day 9 “Knock Knock”
There’s an old joke who talks about a woman waiting for months to win the lottery. After crying out to God in anguish one night, the heavens open up and a voice says, “Hey Lady, help me out a little and go buy a ticket.” Our expectation of faith is that God will just do things for us. Even the …
Side by Side – Day 8 “Great Power, Great Responsibility”
In the movie, Spiderman, there is an awesome line: “With great power comes great responsibility.” As Catholic Christians we are all given gifts and talents to play our part in changing the world; it’s called our vocation. Every once and a while we don’t like what we are being asked to do…we have to do it anyway. Today our readings …
Side by Side – Day 7 “For Crying Out Loud”
Reverence in prayer is a beautiful thing. Surrounded by candles, lifting our soul up to God in quietness of the church so He can hear our desires. While that is a beautiful picture certain videos and movies depict, it’s not always reality. I would go deeper to say that it’s not what God wants all the time. He loves our …
Side by Side – Day 5 “Daily Battles”
One thing we don’t talk about enough is “Spiritual Warfare.” Anytime we desire a closer relationship with Christ, the devil will work harder to do what he can in order to persuade us away. The Father knew this would be part of our humanness, so the Spirit leads His Son, Jesus, into the desert to be tempted before he begins …