Ordinary Time, 24th Sunday (B) Which world religion is the true religion? You don't have to look at every religion, you just have to answer this question: Is Jesus who he says he is? Every other founder of a major religion has claimed to have a special insight or revelation from God. Only Jesus claimed to BE GOD. Most people accept that Jesus was at least a good and holy man. But that is the one thing that Jesus CANNOT be. He must be either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.

He proves his claim not only with his miracles but also by rising from the dead. Jesus is who he says he is, and that means you are who he says you are. You are a beloved child of God and you have nothing to fear. Isaiah has a confidence that comes from trusting the God who called him. When we have this confidence, we can be generous with those around us. Because Jesus is who he says he is, do not be afraid to do what he calls you to do.

(15 Sep 2024)

Going Deeper: Do you believe Jesus' claim to be God? How does this belief give you new confidence?

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Ordinary Time, 23rd Sunday (B) After an attempt at rolling my kayak, my ears had to be opened in order for me to hear clearly. Just because we can hear doesn't mean that we are really listening. What would happen if God actually spoke to you during your prayer time? Some of us might feel he was interrupting our prayers.

When working with foreign priests, I have learned that just because he says, "Yes" does not mean he has understood. I need to wait for further information to confirm he got what I said. I also need to not only listen to him, but try and truly understand.

Before the Gospel is read at Mass, we trace the cross on our forehead, lips, and heart. We are signaling our openness to what God's word wants to give us. Let us pray that we can not only hear God, but also listen and understand.

(8 Sep 2024)

Going Deeper: Reflect on the 12 active listening skills. How many do you practice regularly?

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Ordinary Time, 22nd Sunday (B) Is Jesus opposed to rituals and traditions? I see that Jesus has three objections to the behavior of the Scribes and Pharisees.

1. Using external rituals to say, "I'm better than you." We can and should judge right and wrong behavior. But we cannot judge hearts. And we must not use external rituals to compare ourselves to others.
2. The rituals and traditions must not become more important than the law of God.
3. Our hearts are the important part. Our external actions should show what is in our hearts. When there is a disconnect, the heart is the most important part of the equation.

God wants to be with his people. When our actions are evil and our hearts are full of uncleanness, we will not be close to God. God has given us the rules so that we can be close to Him. Moses says, "For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?"

Not a single one of us by "trying harder" can fulfill the call to be like Jesus. This is we must, "Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls." God's own spirit will transform our hearts from the inside. From clean hearts flow clean actions.

Fr. Kamal has arrived in Antigo. He told me a story that reminded me of the power of praying together with fellow Christians. This power flows from our closeness with God.

(1 Sep 2024)

Going Deeper: Do you gather and pray as a family? Do you gather and pray with other Christian families?
Consider participating in the Red, White, and Blue Ecumenical Service on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at Noon at the Langlade County Courthouse.

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Ordinary Time, 21st Sunday (B) Why have so many people left the Catholic faith? Some left because they didn't experience the Catholic church to be a loving, healthy family. Others have left because they don't believe that we teach the truth. But the vast majority of people have left for one simple reason: they want to be happy.

We all know that I'll be happy if I get my way, getting to have the things I want and do the things I want to do. The Catholic Church tells me to do God's will, not my will. It tells me to give generously and not hoard my stuff. And it wants to ruin my weekends by making me go to church. Obviously, I'll be happier if I don't do that Catholic stuff.

I go tent camping for vacation. That way, my every day life feels like a luxury resort! The priests I went with insisted on not just celebrating Mass every day, but on also sitting for a quiet Holy Hour every day. I thought it would ruin the fun, but it turned out to be the very best part.

Your heart's deepest desire is to be with the Lord and to be with one another. Having stuff is only a means to an end and never an end in itself. Doing stuff is great, but it passes. The being with, the relationships, are the part that last. The Eucharist comes from God's deepest desire is to be with us, and to satisfy our deepest desire to be with Him and to be in communion with one another.

We who have accepted Jesus have a tendency to hedge our bets. Jesus becomes the ultimate life accessory, a means to me living the life I want. We all need to trust that God knows best. If we let him be "God-with-us", the having of things and the doing of things will fall into place. And we will find ourselves truly happy.

(25 Aug 2024)

Going Deeper: Join me for a Jubilee Pilgrimage to Italy September 15-25, 2025. Learn more at https://prorometours.com/antigo/

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Ordinary Time, 19th Sunday (B) The Eucharist looks like bread and it tastes like bread but it's really Jesus. Catholics have started to lose a sense of God's presence in the Eucharist. But first we lost a sense of the sacramentality of the whole world. Creation speaks to us about the Creator. Humans reveal who God is, and the nature of God reveals what we were made to be.

As we began to uncover the precise mathematical laws that govern creation, we started to miss the sacramental nature of the world. Many Catholics now see the Eucharist as the last refuge of God's presence in a secular world. My hope is that the National Eucharistic Congress will help us to recover the Eucharist, not as the last place we can find God, but rather as the interpretive key that unlocks the sacramental reality of everything.

Elijah wants to curl up and die. He needs a sense of meaning and purpose, and to be reminded that he is not alone. The Eucharist does these things for us. The Eucharist calls us to enter into Communion with God and to begin to live every moment of our lives from this place of Communion. I think that the reason so many Catholics have stopped coming to church is that they never learned to live from a place of Communion with God.

Where did I notice Jesus? Where did I let him do the "heavy lifting" -- things were easy, clear, and simple? Where did I experience struggle or difficulty? How did I respond? When I live my life with Jesus, he does the heavy lifting. In the places that haven't received the Gospel: Jesus, love me there.

(11 Aug 2024)

Going Deeper: Where have you seen God's presence in your daily life? How have you responded to his presence? Where do you need God to remind you of your meaning and purpose and that you are not alone?

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Ordinary Time, 18th Sunday (B) The Israelites were well-fed slaves! We modern Americans think we are free because we can have whatever we want. The problem is, the more we want, the less satisfied we feel. I become enslaved by my desires. Only Jesus can satisfy the deep hungers in the human heart. This is why Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist. He invites us to move away from being gluttonous graspers to being grateful receivers and generous givers. Paradoxically, when I try to be the master, I wind up becoming enslaved. When I allow Jesus to be the master, I find that I am truly free.

(4 Aug 2024)

Going Deeper: Where do I find it most difficult to control my appetites? What is it I am really looking for?

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Ordinary Time, 17th Sunday (B)

I notice three lessons from the multiplication of the five loaves and the two fish:

First, we are hungry. Humans have many deep needs. We need to feel valuable, to know that we are good, to feel that we matter, to be seen and known by others, to live with security and a sense of justice, to have a life of meaning and purpose, to find peace and contentment, and to live in communion... to name some important ones. We are not honest with ourselves about how needy we are. We grasp at people and things around us to fill these needs. In doing so, we fall into the seven deadly sins.

Secondly, we see that Jesus is attentive to the peoples' needs. Jesus sees you. Jesus knows the desires of your heart, and Jesus intends to satisfy you. Instead of grasping at things, you can pursue a relationship with him. Only those who make the effort to follow Jesus are actually fed.

Thirdly, when we realize that we are needy, and what we have is not enough to satisfy us, the temptation is to grasp for more. Scripture invites us to take the little we do have and give it to God and others. God will be able to bless those gifts and make them more than enough. We will experience for ourselves that, "the hand of the Lord feeds us, he answers all our needs."

(28 Jul 2024)

Going Deeper: Do you realize that behind the seven deadly sins are actually healthy, normal desires? Take a moment to reflect on one of the sins that you struggle with and what good, healthy, but misguided desire(s) might be feeding your desperate grasping.

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Ordinary Time, 16th Sunday (B) Bad leaders confuse and scatter. Good leadership leads to clarity, unity, and peace. The clarity comes from a respect for truth. The unity comes from the love for the sheep. Being led according to truth and love leads to peace. The Apostles are being good shepherds by bringing people to the Good Shepherd.

Have you seen the news about the National Eucharistic Congress? The whole Catholic church in the USA went away for a weekend with Jesus. The news from the congress is full of peace and joy, unity, and clarity.

I have three suggestions for how to follow your Good Shepherd:

1. Realize that the Good Shepherd is walking with you. Learning to notice Jesus' ongoing presence in your daily life will lead to clarity, unity, and peace.
2. Pray for your leaders to be good leaders.
3. Each of us can lead our family, school, classroom, or friends. Lead like the Good Shepherd!

(21 Jul 2024)

Going Deeper: How have you seen Jesus' good leadership in the news about the National Eucharistic Congress?

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