Are you letting the Holy Spirit move you? Because when He does you better buckle up for the ride! The Spirit never moves us backwards, only forwards toward God, grace, and virtue. He sends out on mission to tell the world about God, and more importantly, to show God to the world.
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” This is the mission that Jesus leaves with the apostles before He ascends into heaven. But it wasn’t just for them; this is the mission of the whole Church. That means all of us. Ask God for the grace you need to fulfill this mission, and that the gifts of Holy Spirit be unleashed in you.
How exactly do you thank your mother for being your mother? This year, I wanted to drop some Biblical wisdom that you might want to take to prayer and share with mom this weekend (or anytime, for that matter).
Here are some verses you might want to share within a card or note and some ideas for how you can tie them into a message fo’ yo’ mama . . .
“You can’t pick and choose the people you love . . . especially if they’re in your family.” But besides our families, we are called to love everyone as Christ loved us. How did He love us? He sacrificed His life. That means love can’t be all about warm fuzzies; it’s about self-sacrifice.
What fruit does your life bear? You can’t just say that you love God, and that you’re a Christian; you have to follow through with your actions and prove it. This only becomes possible when you’re connected to God, the true vine that gives life.
One of the reasons I love the book of Acts so much is because of the amazing miracle stories. They aren’t just high drama; many of them are also high comedy. Let’s take a look at some of the miracles in the Acts of the Apostles:
Acts 5:15: Peter is so filled with the Holy Spirit that even his shadow has the power to heal, a fact that makes Groundhog Day even less impressive.
Acts 8:39: after teaching about Christ and baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch, the Holy Spirit snatched Philip immediately in a scene almost reminiscent of Star Trek.
The readings this Sunday are about how Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Jesus makes a voluntary sacrifice for us; He wasn’t forced to give up His life for our souls. Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter: Acts 4:8-12; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29; 1 Jn 3:1-2; Jn 10:11-18
What does Karate Kid teach us about God? Find out in this podcast as well as how our past, present, and future all matter to God. Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Easter: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9; 1 Jn 2:1-5a; Lk 24:35-48
I recently heard someone ranting about how commercialized Easter has become and how there is “no trace of Christ” left in His holiday. I understood the person’s concerns and agreed, in part, with their assertions. The more I got to thinking about it, though, I felt like their thoughts, while valid, were a little bit short–sighted.
Christ is everywhere. His death and resurrection are everywhere. We just need to know where to look and how to uncover them.
St. Paul had to deal with a lot of “high minded”, philosophical types in his day. Most were very prideful, long on academics but short on humility. Some people back then claimed that Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead (as we celebrate this weekend). Rather than mince words, Paul gave it to them straight (in the verse up above). Many people will tell you that “based on human logic” the Resurrection makes no sense. The first thing we need to remember is that “human logic” is not omnipotence. God makes it very clear that “(His) ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts.” (Is. 55:8-9)
Try to picture it now. When the earthquake subsided and the darkness lifted that Friday afternoon, it must have resembled something like a crime scene. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your mind and heart now as you discern the site.
This week’s Sunday, Sunday, Sunday podcast is a special edition with Mark Hart and Lino Rulli, the host of the “Catholic Guy Show” on Sirius/XM Satellite radio. Listen as Mark and Lino talk for an hour and half about the entire Triduum, the three days of Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection.
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord: Mk 11:1-10; Is 50:4-7; Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; Phil 2:6-11; Mk 14:1-15:471
My image of God the Father, enthroned in heaven in flowing white robes and Birkenstock sandals, was overshadowed by my certainty that he didn’t want me to have any fun. Not only was God all about rules, he’d drop anybody that strayed off his path. Parochial school should have taught me how to live but instead I learned how not to die and burn. The result was that I treated Moses’ Commandments with the same reverence I reserved for one of Letterman’s “Top Ten” lists.
I was once told that the easiest way to remember commandment number “six” is that it sounds like “sex.” At the time I thought it was just another lame example from my youth minister.
The funny thing is – I still remember it.
What wasn’t funny, however, is that at the time I somehow thought the “don’t commit adultery” commandment had little to do with me, an unmarried sixteen year old. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The truth is that this commandment isn’t only for married people. It’s violated by all ages – including teenagers – almost daily.
