While Mary is certainly the pinnacle of women who have helped to achieve God’s plan (I mean, Mother of God, you can’t get a better title than that), there are many other biblical women who were strong, brave, and courageous in giving their own “yes” to God.
This is what I find most inspiring about Patrick: he returned to the land of his captivity, to the very people who mistreated him. But instead of holding a grudge or seeking vengeance, he showed them love and mercy.
Loving God and loving neighbor will look a little different during this season than it has in the past. It’ll involve a lot more social distancing and a lot fewer liturgical gatherings. But just because it will look different doesn’t mean the commandment has changed.
If you’re scared, uncertain, overwhelmed, concerned, any or all of the things, at different times, or all of them at once — hi, welcome to the human experience, it’s good to have you here.
The biggest lesson that Jesus is trying to teach here is that loving anything more than God, including money, will make it extremely difficult to enter Heaven. That said, we can’t ignore that Jesus specifically called out and focused on a love of money on many different occasions.
When churches closed, I couldn't help but be frustrated that these "unprecedented times" seemed to have won. Watching Mass was not the same as attending Mass, and yet, even though I knew that this was the best we were going to get, I felt so disconnected from our Lord.
When working in ministry, it can be easy to confuse authentic friendships with those we are ministering with or to. While Christ calls us to love others, He doesn’t call us to be best friends with everyone we encounter. So what does an authentic Christ-centered friendship look like then?
