As Jesus was led out into the desert for 40 days, so are we invited to enter into the 40 days of Lent. We ask God, “Where am I weak? Where can I grow spiritually?” in order to fulfill our end of our covenant with Him. First Sunday of Lent: Gn 9:8-15; Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 1 Pt 3:18-22; Mk 1:12-15
“Excuse me, you’ve got some dirt on your head.” Every year someone says that to me on Ash Wednesday. Maybe it has happened to you too. In the past it used to frustrate me, but in recent years I have come to see it as a great opportunity to evangelize, to share with someone about the most important person in my life: Jesus Christ.
XLT is back! XLT is a night worship that includes great music, inspiring and challenging talks, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We’re starting off with a bang, too! Mark Hart dives into the heart of past sin and about giving God permission to heal everything in your life. The power of sin can confuse our sense of worth, driving us to believe that God doesn’t love us in our past. But God’s love covers everything we are, everything we will be, and everything we have done. Worship is led by the amazing Ike Ndolo and Erin Gauvin
God doesn’t play Words with Friends. Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Is 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25; Ps 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14; 2 Cor 1:18-22; Mk 2:1-12
Also, eye contact is important. How many times does the person you’re speaking to feel they have your undivided attention? Turn off screens – get away from them. Eye contact is the quickest and simplest way to acknowledge Christ in the other.
Now, if you’re having a “conversation” through a screen, ask yourself if that’s the best medium to be using to have that conversation. Words can be misread and mistaken. Do you ever text just “because you don’t want to get into a long conversation?” Go the extra mile. Don’t text when you can call. Don’t call when you can sit face to face. Don’t sit face to face and have your mind in another area code. A huge part of authentic communication is emotional presence, not only physical presence.
Readings for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Lv 13:1-2, 44-46; Ps 32:1-2, 5, 11; 1 Cor 10:31-11:1; Mk 1:40-45
At the pinnacle of God’s creation sits man and woman – the epic conclusion to God’s masterful symphony of creation. Genesis not only tells us that we are made in God’s image (Gen 1:26-27) but that we are made for one another (2:18). Men and women are not contradictory but complimentary, our differences are necessary and good.
That being said, men and women are different which, again, is a really good thing.
So, over the next month we’ll be taking a look at “guys and girls,” analyzing how we’re similar and celebrating how we’re different. This won’t be a time to bash either gender but, rather, to learn about how the other thinks, relates and reflects the love God in different ways.
Do you follow God even in the real hardships of life?
Readings for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jb 7:1-4, 6-7; Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mk 1:29-39
Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Dt 18:15-20; Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9; 1 Cor 7:32-35; Mk 1:21-28
Readings for the Epiphany of the Lord: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12
Readings for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21
We have four Nativity sets in my house: not out of overindulgence but out of sheer necessity. One set is for my five year old, who likes to take a more “interactive” approach to the Nativity, including putting Disney princesses and Barbies into the Biblical narrative. Last year when I asked why the baby Jesus was in Barbie’s convertible, she responded, “Barbie is baby-sitting, Daddy… the trip to Bethlehem left Mary and Joseph very tired.”
You may have a Nativity set beneath your Christmas tree or on a table inside your house. You almost certainly have one on display somewhere around your local Church…
