Reflections of a beloved son

“Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and then reported what he told her.’” John 20:18 Feast of St. Mary Magdalene Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene. From being possessed by seven demons to running to tell the Apostles of Jesus’s Resurrection, St. Mary Magdalene allowed God to work through her. Before following Jesus, Mary Magdalene was possessed by several demons and after being set free and having encountered Christ, she journeyed with Christ and the Apostles. In having encountered Christ, Mary Magdalene’s live was forever changed. The demons that once possessed her no longer had any control over her life. She lived in the freedom that comes from knowing Christ. She was there when Jesus died on the Cross. And she was there when the tomb was found empty. After encountering the Risen Lord Mary Magdalene ran to tell the Apostles who were in the Upper Room, locked away in fear, of the great news. Mary became for the Apostles the...

“Behold, I am sending you like   sheep in the midst of wolves;   so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” Matthew 10:16 There’s so much good out in the world. People helping the poor, feeding the hungry, mentoring the youth and the troubled, standing together in prayer. Yesterday I was at a prayer meeting for a missing girl, and it was amazing to see how much people who did not even know the girl that came out to pray together for her and the family. There is indeed so much good out there. But, there’s also a lot of bad and evil. People who exploit the goodness and generosity of others. Those who use the name of God to manipulate others to pursue their selfish wants. Those who pervert the truth to justify their evil deeds. As Christian disciples we are asked to live in this world but not to be of it. We are called to be a beacon of truth in a world that no longer believes in objective truth. We are asked to bring the Gospel of Love to people in a world that chooses to ...

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;  so ask the master of the harvest  to send out laborers for his harvest.’” Matthew 9:37-38   Our world needs you. Jesus needs you! Though our God is almighty, He somehow still wants our help in bringing His love and mercy to others. What a gift! Before Jesus returned to the Father He commissioned His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Jesus taught the Apostles what they needed to do and promised to ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to guide them, lead them, and to remind them of all that He had taught them. So the Apostles then had the courage and strength to go out and preach the Good News. They were not afraid because they knew it was Christ teaching and speaking through them.   Today we must do the same. We must be Jesus’ hands and feet. We must help raise up those who are bowed down in shame and fear. We must walk with those who have gone astray and...

After Jesus told Peter what would happen to him, he turned to John and asked Jesus, “ What about him?” Peter was so interested in the affairs of others that Jesus had to remind him to focus on what he had been asked to do. Sometimes in our lives we may get carried away in the affairs of others that we forget what we are supposed to do. In the midst of trying to make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to do, we neglect what we’ve been asked to do. Our mission as disciples is not to micromanage and become busybodies but rather to root who we are and what we do in Christ and from there bring others the hope and the joy of the Gospel not merely by our lips but by our actions and example.  After Jesus had reprimanded him, Peter shifted his focus on what the Lord asked him to do – “Feed my sheep.” He kept his eyes on Christ, knowing that only by doing so will he be able to carry out what Jesus instructed him to do. As Christians our focus can sometimes be lost in the world of...

“Do you love me?” Jesus asks Peter this question three times. Each time He gives Peter a command and mission. Jesus was restoring Peter to his place and reminding him of the great task that He has entrusted to him – to be the shepherd of His flock here on earth. For every time Peter denied Him, Jesus gave him the opportunity to reconcile. Afterwards Jesus described to Peter the nature of discipleship – we will sometimes be led to where we rather not go. Then Jesus extends to Peter the invitation, “Follow me.” When we fall short, Jesus asks us, “Do you love me” not to make us feel guilty, but to remind us of how much He loves us. He only seeks to forgive, reconcile, restore, and invite.  Today, Jesus invites us to relationship with Him. He asks us, “Do you love me?” He meets us where we are and walks with us as we journey along. He sees our wounds, pains, brokenness, and says to us “I love you. Just as I show you my wounds so you can show me yours. Our wounds are not something to ...

By our experiences, we know there are good times and bad times in life. There are moments when we feel we are on the top of the world, but also moments when we feel we are in the depths of a bottomless pit. Hardships are part of the human life. Hardships and difficulties allow us to enjoy and appreciate the good times all the more. Hardships and struggles instill in us a spirit of gratitude. It is the grace of God that transforms our human hardships and struggles into crosses that we will come to joyfully embrace. We will come to embrace those crosses joyfully because we know why we are carrying them. We carry them because Christ carried His for us. And we know we do not carry them alone. Christ carries them with us, and we must encourage one another for we are all journeying together. Just as His Cross brought about the salvation of the world, our crosses will enable us to share in the glory of the Cross. When we embrace our crosses and invite God to transform them, our crosses will b...

When life gets tough, how do we respond? When challenges arise, do we rise to the occasion or do we retreat? Being a good person and bearing witness to the Truth will have its share of difficulties and hardships. Will we grow tired of doing good, and instead fall into the trap and lie of mediocrity and selfishness? Jesus asks, "Do you also want to leave?"

I think it is safe to say that most people, if not all, have experienced some sort of challenge or difficulty in their lives.  For us Christians, we may call them "crosses."  Each person's cross(es) is different.  It is so because each person is unique and is different from the next.  In the Gospel, Jesus shares with His disciples the conditions of discipleship: denying oneself, taking up our cross daily, and follow Him.  Our Lord told His disciples that they must take up their cross daily. Our crosses do not define us. Rather, what we do about them and how we carry them may.  Jesus asked them to take up their crosses daily.  But He didn't say they'd be doing it by themselves.  The last condition after taking up our cross daily is to follow Him.  In following Him, He will be our strength.  And when He sat down with His Apostles and broke bread at the Last Supper, He became our nourishment.  After laying down His life for us on the...