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.
At a conference for High School journalists, Dan Savage gave a talk that was supposed to be about anti-bullying. Instead it was anti-Christian. As he began to talk about the “bullish*t” of what can be found in the Bible, many Christian students stood up and walked out on him – a move he later called “pansy-assed.” Here’s the video. It’s about three minutes, but be forewarned there is some swearing going on in it (not suitable if kids are nearby). The video has gone viral since being posted three days ago, the vast majority of people giving it a “like.” [...]
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
This Sunday’s readings reveal to us the beauty of the New Covenant that Jesus made with us on the cross. We no longer only know Him from afar, but Jesus desires to dwell within us in the Eucharist. Fifth Sunday of Lent: Jer 31:31-34; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15; Heb 5:7-9; Jn 12:20-33
This Sunday it’s all about the “why.” Find out why God sent his Son, why you should care, and why it matters this Lent. Fourth Sunday of Lent: 2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23; Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6; Eph 2:4-10; Jn 3:14-21
The past, present, and future are all connected in God’s perspective. Can we see things from a different perspective too? Second Sunday of Lent: Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19; Rom 8:31b-34; Mk 9:2-10
Encourage One Another This one’s for the girls! Try out this wallpaper with 1 Thessalonians 5:11 on it: “Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.” Download: 2560×1440, 1600×900, iPhone Wallpaper
