The courage to follow Christ…the courage to be a disciple

As we celebrated the Feast of St. Lawrence the Martyr a few days ago, I reflected in my homily about the faithfulness and courage demonstrated by the Deacon Lawrence in the face of persecution and the demands of the government to give away his faith.
One of the great blessings in reflecting upon this heroic act is the stained glass window depicting this moment that is above the altar in our parish church. Praying with this image while sitting in the church, you see St. Lawrence and the many people who are following him into this encounter with the authorities.
Most of the time we can focus on the commanding figure of the Deacon Lawrence, but from time to time I look at the faces and figures of those behind him. I wonder who they were? Why they chose to follow Lawrence that day? What happened to them following Lawrence’s torture and death in martyrdom?

I can’t imagine that St. Lawrence as he gathered them and asked them to come with him would not have told them what he was going to do in confronting the authorities. We hear in history the brutality that was often inflicted upon the poor of Rome. As they followed the saint, they surely knew the danger they would face in anger at what Lawrence would offer the Emperor as treasure and the possible actions that would be taken against those whom Lawrence would offer.
I wonder, how many were Christian? How many followed, who did not believe, but knew Jesus through the holy actions, compassion of work of charity of the Christian community in Rome and Lawrence how this reflected the mission of Jesus Christ? This makes me think: What would I do? How would I react in the situation Lawrence faced as well as those who followed him on that glorious day?
We may never face the choice St. Lawrence had that day after watching his Pope and brother deacons being martyred just a few days earlier. But there are small acts of sacrifice and service that help to prepare us for those smaller deaths we must face each day.
At the recent Jubilee of Youth in Rome, Pope Leo XIV shared these insightful works that help us too understand how to make ready our lives for these small sacrifices, “Through all this, you can grasp an important point: the fullness of our existence does not depend on what we store up or, as we heard in the Gospel, on what we possess (cf. Lk 12:13-21). Rather, fullness has to do with what we joyfully welcome and share (cf. Mt 10:8-10; Jn 6:1-13). Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough. We need to lift our eyes, to look upwards, to the “things that are above” (Col 3:2), to realize that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to God and to our brothers and sisters in charity, helping us to grow in “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience” (Col 3:12), forgiveness (cf. ibid., v. 13) and peace (cf. Jn 14:27), all in imitation of Christ (cf. Phil 2:5). And in this way we will grow in an ever deeper understanding of what it means that hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (cf. Rom 5:5).” (Homily 8-3-25)
We are called to greatness, to be saints. What small deaths to sin and gifts of sacrifice can we offer to God today? Lord Jesus, help me to follow you as St. Lawrence followed you. Amen
St. Lawrence the Martyr…pray for us.

“Señor Jesús, te pido que me ayudes a seguirte hasta la cruz.”

“Lord Jesus, I ask you to help me follow you to the cross.”

The proposition becomes simply this: if I wish to follow the Cross of Jesus Christ, I must be filled with mercy! We must choose to be with those who carry their cross and offer mercy. What does this mercy look like? Well, I think (for me) it must be in relationship with others. It must be listening and responding not just with words and actions, but with my very self. The self that is inadequate, broken and stumbling along. It is the self that is afraid, troubled and wondering “why” to so many things. It is the self that gets tired and frustrated, that is worried. And this is where hope, joy and trust is cultivated.
I ask to follow Christ. The invasion of Jesus to follow doesn’t come with whips and chains of force but rather the intimate words of “I love you”, the words of blessing, “I forgive you” and the promise of “I am with you always.” Where even in suffering we know His presence in love. It is explained beautifully in the quote below, “God will not coerce you; He will not change you against your will. But as a Christian, you freely ask God to give you the strength to follow Jesus, to follow the life that he lived – – a life devoted to seeing others through suffering and and to loving them sacrificially.” (171)
In the three deaths of my Father, my brother Mitch and sister Mary Cay I began to understand this invitation to suffering with others. The hurt, anger, bitterness towards God and the world at my father’s death in my early twenties…I turned away even as I knew God was there. I would confront God with prayers that were more shouts of anger than gentle words of love. But God waited patiently, no coercion, just waiting for the storm to pass, but always there waiting for me to simply embrace and follow, not taking away the pain, sorrow and anguish but to be with and in his love.
With my little brother and sister the reality of sorrow and pain, the anger and grief, the hurt of loss was not absent. The “why” was ever present.

As a priest, I find myself at times taking death and the feelings that surround death for granted and begin to dismiss them because they’re messy and not controllable. When I do this, I don’t ask the question above. “Lord Jesus, I ask you to help me follow you to the cross.” I deny the love that comes from the vulnerability and unity of relationship and miss the God moments. Missing the transformation demanded a disciple, a follower of Jesus. “(Because) when God begins to transform what’s within us, this begins to transform our experience of the whole world outside of us as well. Suffering remains, but now it is experienced in the context of a relationship with a God is stronger than the suffering.” (171).

God Bless

Why Suffering: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life doesn’t Make Sense By Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale

For man cannot attain that true happiness for which he yearns with all the strength of his spirit, unless he keeps the laws which the Most High God has engraved in his very nature. (Pope St. Paul VI from Humanae Vitae #31)

When I look back on my twenty years of priesthood one sustaining aspect of my journey is the virtue of hope. It is hope that I find rooted in the vow of obedience I offered and accepted from the Church on June 4, 2005. Placing my hands in Bishop Patrick’s hands I offered my obedience as she offered me an obedience based on the truth. An obedience of a firm foundation holding fast against the fads and trends of the world. It has been in this struggle of hope when obedience has and continues to be tested that some of my greatest struggles have been the insidious temptation I wrote about earlier “Truth and Love” (July 2025)

One of the greatest struggles with truth and obedience was the propagation of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae by Pope St. Paul VI. It through the Catholic Church in disarray as the saintly Pope stood firm on the teachings on family and the transition of life. If you haven’t read this prophetic work, I would invite you to take a look. It isn’t a long document and has many surprising truths that may open your eyes.
Getting back to hope, Both Pope Paul VI and our late Holy Father Pope Francis remind us that hope is based on obedience to love, obedience found in both the vows of priesthood and in the marriage of man and woman in sacramental love.
In His Papal Bull Spes non confundit Pope Francis reminded us, “This interplay of hope and patience makes us see clearly that the Christian life is a journey calling for moments of greater intensity to encourage and sustain hope as the constant companion that guides our steps towards the goal of our encounter with the Lord Jesus.” (#5)
Patience in the hope for something greater means that we must enjoy obedience, not because it is easier, not because it offers simple answers, but because it places us on the firm foundation of truth in our faith in the Word of God.
One of the clearest examples of this in my priesthood is our journey through our current pastoral plan. In this long journey, there are many hard decisions being made, there will be change, there is doubt and fear, and yes, there is dissension in the process. But there is hope! The foundation is built on the reality of the spiritual renewal of our Diocese of San Jose. Based on prayer, and hope, we are called to be obedient, even in the obscurity of our sin filled world believing and knowing the guidance of the Holy Spirt we will find our true destination…it may take more time than we thing, it may feel we are stumbling along, it may even feel like we are going in a million different directions…but if we live in true hope, in obedience to the truth of God divine providence, they we will find our way to him who is our truth, our light and our hope. Amen

I have had apples on my mind. The last few weeks scripture and life has made me think a lot about fruit…abundance and blessing that comes from fruit but also the rottenness that can slip into our fruit and the fruitfulness we are called to live.
First, a few years ago (many) I read an article about the renascence of the apple industry. If I remember correctly, the article was focused on how the local farmer markets were feeding a boom in the varieties of apples. How unlike the large super markets with just a few varieties of apples, many of the small and local varieties were making a comeback because of the “farmer market.” So, this week i search the internet with a simple question, How many varieties of apples are in the world. The answer: more than 7,500 varieties. What a great blessing.

And then I thought about how even in the more than, there were even a more than because of the natural; where were they grow, how much rain and when it came, the sun, the wind, the chill of night and heat of day, the altitude and soil, all producing a difference. Then the man made: the pruning, the irrigation, the fertilizer and the other ways trees are cared for, including the genetic selection and engineering, producing again variation in variations. I think you get the point.
Each tree, each apple from the tree produces a fruit that will taste different…but it is still an apple.
Can the tree produce bad fruit. Yes. Lack of care, natural environmental problems and disease or other issues can cause a tree to produce bad tasting and rotten or inedible fruit. And if the conditions persist, it may mean the destruction of tree…but not always.
This is where God’s grace is important. We as the tree called to produce good and abundant fruit can at times fall short. We can allow the contagion of sin begin to poison the fruit of life we are called to be to others and if we persist in the sin we will die. But in God’s grace we can be healed and nurtured back to the fruitful tree of abundance where the blessing we share give life to others as we grow as one family together.

What is important to remember is while we are all called to produce abundant of good fruit, each of us, whether apples or pears, oranges or kiwis, the varieties of gifts is more than is imaginable is the blessing of God’s abundance and mercy.
God Bless Fr. Mark.

So long as I still have life breath in me, the breath of God in my nostrils,
My lips shall not speak falsehood, nor my tongue utter deceit! (Job 27:3-4)

Reflecting on the truth and reading this little reflection this morning, I thought: How many times do I fall into the “little white lie” and what would it look like if you could read my soul? The thoughts of my heart? To stand transparent in faith is analogous to standing naked in life. It is allowing everyone to see you as you are, with wrinkles, scares, fate and muscle, the tattoos, the youth, the aging and burdens placed for complete inspection. We may ask ourselves; how often do I look in the mirror and give thanks for the gift of my body?
As a priest in the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement for the past 15 years one of the best and most difficult parts of the apostolate of the Catholic Church is sharing my feelings and thereby exposing/being transparent about parts of my life, the allowing another into the messy, joyful, wounded and gratitude filled life I and everyone experiences.
And it is hard! Why? Because of ego, embarrassment, lack of trust to name a few. The quote from Job above reminds us of the ultimate goal…to be open and transparent with our words and actions to God and to our neighbor.
In our relationships with others, this means that just like standing before the mirror and giving thanks to God for our body, we must be able to ultimately stand before the mirror of the Holy Spirit and give thanks for our soul even with the scars we have placed on it because of disobedience and sin. It is in this action of gratitude and thankfulness that the Sacraments can begin their works in the grace of God’s mercy.
This vulnerability of opening our heart to another is seen in the sacramental union of husband and wife in a particular way. The union becomes in a especially transparent way the two becoming one flesh. The intimate union of God’s creative goodness fulfilling the vulnerability of our Lord Jesus in the manger and on the cross of life. When this begins to occur the vulnerability and transparency becomes the choice of loving…to share the life and to receive the life given in the equality of dignity…
God Bless
Fr. Mark.

The Spirit is a Spirit of truth. We cannot afford to tell half truths or “little white lies,” let alone larger more serious lies.
The goal is to be so transparent that if people could read the secret thoughts of our hearts, we would not be embarrassed by what they might see.
May my every thought and my every word be righteous and loving. (Daily Meditations With The Holy Spirit by Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv. for June 22)

Discovering the Joy of Christ in embracing and pondering the crucifix.
Recently during confession, my confessor asked me to remind myself that the joy of the priesthood was found in the cross we have been given and choose to share in Jesus Christ. In this case he asked me to look especially at a certain painting, in this case El Greco’s “Christ on the Cross”
When I went home that night I looked around and discovered dozens of Crosses around my rooms, my office and the whole rectory. I went into our Church building to again be surrounded by images of the Cross including the great crucifix placed above the altar in the sanctuary. But did I see joy?
Then I remembered years ago when I was do a catechism series using Bishop (then Father) Robert Barron’s Catholicism Series for a group of women. We came to one point where Bishop Barron was discussing the saving power of the cross and pointing out the joy of God, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit in this very agonizing painting of Jesus on the cross. As we sought for ways to understand this in our lives, one of the women, a mother described it in this way. She said she would gladly suffer anything to know that her children were safe and would live. She would accept all the pain, abuse and torture to know they would live. And if she had to die for them, she would be alive in joy.
“But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal 6:14)

I believe this is the joy my confessor asked me to contemplate and embrace in the reality of the cross in my life. Making it very clear, the suffering and pain are real and in many cases necessary in the faith we embrace, as we embrace the cross.
One of my greatest temptations is to take God for granted and allowing the noise of the world to enter into the silence of God’s glory. This happens in prayer, is serving and in sharing time with others. It is the falling into the trap of allowing the smart phone to dictate the day rather than the relationships as we let drift by. It is choosing to run your life on a calendar/agenda rather than hearing the silent blessing of life and the joy of knowing another in the care and comfort of his embrace and our embrace of him in the insignificant worldly acts that become the life blood of joy filled moments.
It is just spending time hearing Jesus from the cross, where he whispers once more. “come and follow me!”
God bless

In John 15:5, Jesus says, “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit”

I have had apples on my mind. The last few weeks scripture and life has made me think a lot about fruit…abundance and blessing that comes from fruit but also the rottenness that can slip into our fruit and the fruitfulness we are called to live.
First, a few years ago I read an article about the renascence of the apple industry. If I remember correctly, the article was focused on how the local farmer markets were feeding a boom in the varieties of apples. How unlike the large super markets with just a few varieties of apples, many of the small and local varieties were making a comeback because of the “farmer market.” So, this week I searched the internet with a simple question, How many varieties of apples are in the world. The answer: more than 7,500 varieties. What a great blessing.
And then I thought about how there were even within the varieties many more than this because of the natural variances like; where were they grow, how much rain and when it came, the sun, the wind, the chill of night and heat of day, the altitude and soil, all producing a difference. Then the man made: the pruning, the irrigation, the fertilizer and the other ways trees are cared for, including the genetic selection and engineering, producing again variation in variations. I think you get the point.
Each tree, each apple from the tree produces a fruit that will taste different…but it is still an apple.
Can the tree produce bad fruit. Yes. Lack of care, natural environmental problems and disease or other issues can cause a tree to produce bad tasting and rotten or inedible fruit. And if the conditions persist, it may mean the destruction of tree…but not always.
This is where God’s grace is important. We as the tree called to produce good and abundant fruit can at times fall short. We can allow the contagion of sin to begin to poison the fruit of life we are called to be to others and if we persist in the sin we will die. But in God’s grace we can be healed and nurtured back to be once more the fruitful tree of abundance where the blessing we share give life to others as we grow as one family together.
What is important to remember is while we are all called to produce abundant of good fruit, each of us, whether apples or pears, oranges or kiwis, the varieties of gifts is more than is imaginable in the blessing of God’s abundance and mercy.
God Bless Fr. Mark.

“You nursed me with the spiritual milk of your divine utterances. You kept me alive with the solid food of the body of Jesus Christ, you’re only-begotten son and our God, and you let me drink from the chalice of his life-giving blood, poured out to save the whole world.” (St. John Damascene)

I read the above quote a few days ago in my morning office as I sat before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer. And the phrase “I get to be” came in to my heart.

What do I mean in uttering this phrase?
Let’s begin with a little banner I have hanging on my office door. It is a banner I got when I visited Fr. Paul Mensah in Ghana Africa several years ago. It simply says, “The Secret of my Joy is Jesus”. It is a joy that fills and empties you at the same time. You find this joy when you get to be.
It has been a little mantra I often use at night before bed and when I wake in the morning. I get to be a priest of Jesus Christ. It is a gentle reminder that on the worst of days and the best of days nothing can rob me of this joy. I get to be…
Once in conversation with a husband and father we talked about getting to be and how that should bring joy…he “get’s to be” the husband to his wife, the father to his children. On the best of days and on the worst of days he receives the joy of this blessing. He get’s to be…

This does not mean that the problems, sins and confusion will not be present but we are called, as St. John Damascene reminds us, to become a living prayer in our sacramental life. We get to be with Jesus. We get to love and be loved. We get to be…
Each person is invited into this being where we discover a peacefulness, a contentedness, and yes, a joyfulness because we have encountered Jesus the source of life.
Where ultimately it is that I simply get to be, a life, a gift from our God and Creator.
God bless

if you have a chance, please donate to Awaso Hope Foundation in memory of Fr. Paul Mensah for the education of children in his home village of Awaso Ghana Africahttp://awasohope..org

Comenzamos nuestro viaje de Adviento 2025 preparando nuestros corazones, mentes y almas para recibir a Jesús en el Sacramento y en espíritu a través de nuestras oraciones. Únase a nosotros en San Lorenzo Mártir para esta gran aventura.

Viaje de Adviento #12 El nacimiento del Niño Jesús
Cómo explota mi corazón de asombro. Todos tenemos momentos, especialmente los padres en el nacimiento de un hijo, en los que nuestro corazón explota de asombro, alegría y bendición. Todo cambia y aunque pensemos que estamos preparados, esta nueva realidad nos muestra lo mucho que nunca estamos preparados del todo y lo mucho que dependemos de la confianza en Dios para seguir adelante. Oremos.

Viaje de Adviento #11 Mientras continuamos nuestro viaje de Adviento, miramos a nuestro alrededor para descubrir a Dios. Esto me recuerda dos canciones muy populares. La primera es “Stand By Me” de Ben E. King. La segunda es “You Got a Friend” cantada por James Taylor. Ambas canciones hablan de confiar en otro para que nos apoye y nos acompañe. Este es nuestro reflejo a los ojos de Dios, quien nos envió a nuestro Emmanuel “Dios con nosotros” que desea caminar con nosotros, apoyarnos y dar un paso más… Él nos salva del pecado y de la muerte. Caminar y crecer en la fe con amigos, familiares y todos. Una referencia más a una canción… es el club de fútbol Liverpool… “You Never Walk Alone” cantada por Jerry and the Pacemakers.
Mientras meditamos hoy sobre la Sagrada Escritura… y cantamos junto con ellos una de estas grandes canciones.

Viaje de Adviento #10 Cuando digo el nombre de Jesús, también digo mi nombre. Digo el nombre de mi cónyuge, mis padres, hermanos y cada persona que conozco. El nombre de Jesús nos recuerda que estamos llamados a ser una bendición. ¿Utilizo el nombre de los demás para mostrar esa misma bendición? Viendo la bendición y el don de la persona cuyo nombre digo, de la misma manera nos convertimos en la bendición que pronunciamos.
Nombramos a Jesús como nuestro Salvador y Redentor y nos nombramos a nosotros mismos como sus hermanas y hermanos.

Viaje de Adviento #9 En este segundo domingo de Adviento se nos recuerda que el Espíritu Santo de Dios nos llena y nos llama, como a Juan el Bautista, a invocar la presencia del Reino y el arrepentimiento de nuestros pecados. El pequeño libro azul nos recuerda que debemos reflexionar y trabajar por la pureza de vida, por estar sin pecado, en nuestro camino de discipulado.
“Y ésta es mi oración por ustedes: Que su amor siga creciendo más y más y se traduzca en un mayor conocimiento y sensibilidad espiritual” (Fil 1:9).

Viaje de Adviento #7 Como nos recuerda el librito azul, somos parte del plan de Dios, desde el momento de la concepción en el vientre de nuestra madre hasta el día de nuestra muerte. Somos una bendición de Dios. El camino que recorremos al decir sí y escuchar la Palabra de Dios nos lleva por un camino de esperanza y amor. Nuestra invitación es a ser como San José y participar en el plan de salvación siguiendo la voluntad de Dios y su plan para nosotros cada día.

San José es un hombre extraordinario, llamado por Dios a hacer cosas extraordinarias. Su testimonio silencioso de amor a la esposa y a la familia nos inspira a elegir la vida y la unidad del matrimonio en nuestras propias vidas. Como protector de la familia, nos muestra que en la oración, el ayuno y la entrega de nuestras vidas a Dios podemos dar testimonio con nuestra presencia del amor que crea y unifica a las familias y las comunidades.
San José… ruega por nosotros.

¿Cómo podemos permitir que el Espíritu Santo llene nuestras vidas? Al igual que la Oración de Jesús, a menudo una frase sencilla como “Jesús, ten piedad de mí, pobre pecador” para invocar al Espíritu Santo puede ser tan fácil como: “Ven Espíritu Santo” cuando nos sentamos en silencio en oración meditativa.
Al reflexionar sobre la lectura de hoy en el Pequeño Libro Azul, cuando comiences a sentirte distraído, invoca al Espíritu Santo para que calme tu corazón y tu mente.

Escuchamos las historias de nuestra familia y comunidad sobre quiénes somos. A veces, cuando nos hacemos una prueba de ADN, descubrimos algo diferente.
Lo mismo puede decirse de nuestra fe: a veces descubrimos tradiciones y entendimientos nuevos y bendecidos sobre quiénes somos llamados por Dios a ser sus hijos e hijas.
Los animo a que sigan orando en familia para compartir su historia de fe.
Dios los bendiga

El primer martes de Adviento (3/12/24) estamos invitados una vez más a reflexionar sobre la genealogía de Jesús y cómo la participación de Nuestra Santísima Madre en este camino es un regalo especial. Feliz Memoria de San Francisco Javier SJ.

La primera semana, el primer lunes de Adviento. Es importante recordar la historia de nuestra fe y quiénes nos ayudan a crecer en ella. En estas reflexiones podemos empezar a ver el rostro y la presencia de Jesús en aquellos que nos han desafiado en nuestra fe. Pueden estar viviendo con nosotros ahora mismo o ser antepasados ​​que nos han dado el don y la bendición de la fe. Tómese un tiempo para abrir nuestros corazones al llamado a ser más como Jesús al vivir nuestra fe hoy y todos los días.

En este primer día de Adviento, se nos invita a prepararnos y esperar la venida de Jesús. Es sólo el comienzo, pero debe llevarnos al lugar al que estamos llamados a estar: en la presencia de Dios. 12-1-2024

We begin our Advent Journey 2025 by preparing our hearts, minds and souls to receive Jesus in Sacrament and in spirit through our prayers. Join us at St. Lawrence the Martyr for this great adventure.

Advent Journey #12 The birth of the Child Jesus

How my heart explodes in wonder. We each have moments, especially parents at the birth of a child, were our hearts explode in wonder, joy and blessing. Everything changes and even though we may think we are prepared this new reality shows us how much we are never prepared fully and completley and how mch we rely on trust in God to move forward. Let us pray.

Advent Journey #11 As we continue our Advent Journey, we look around to discover God. This reminds me of two very popular songs. The first is “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. The second is “You Got a Friend” sung by James Taylor. Both songs speak of relying on another to support and be with. This is our reflection in the eyes of God who sent us our Emmanuel “God with us” who desires to walk with us, support us and going one step further…He saves us from sin and death. Walking with and growing in faith with friends, family and everyone. One more song reference…it is the Liverpool football club…”You Never Walk Alone” sung by Jerry and the Pacemakers.
As we meditate today on the Sacred Scripture….and sing along withe one of these great songs.

Advent Journey #10 When I speak the name of Jesus I also speak my name. I speak the name of my spouse, my parents, siblings and each person I meet. Jesus’ name reminds us we are called to be a blessing. Do I use the name of others to show forth that same blessing? Seeing the blessing and gift of the person whose name I speak and in a like manner we become the blessing we speak.
Name Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer and we name ourselves as his sisters and brothers.

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Advent Journey #9 On this Second Sunday in Advent we are reminded that God’s Holy Spirit fills us and calls us to, like John the Baptist, call out the Kingdom present and the repentance of our sins. The little blue book reminds us that we need to ponder and work toward the purity of life, to be sinless, in our road of discipleship.
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,” (Phil 1:9)

Advent Journey #8 As we are reminded in the little blue book, we are part of God’s plan, from the moment of conception in our mother’s womb until the day of our death. We are a blessing from God. The road we travel in saying yes, and listening to the Word of god leads us on a journey of hope and love. Our invitation is to be like St. Joseph and particpate in the plan of salvation by following God’s will and his plan for us each day.

St. Joseph is a remarkable man who is called to do remarkable things by God. His silent testimony to love of wife and family inspires us to choose life and the unity of marriage in our own lives. As protector of the family, he shows us in prayer, fasting and giving of our lives to God we are able to witness with our presence the love which creates and unifies families and communities.
St. Joseph…pray for us.

How do allow the Holy Spirit to fill our lives? Much like the Jesus Prayer, often a simple phrase like “Jesus, Have mercy on me a poor sinner” calling upon the Holy Spirit can be as easy as: “Come Holy Spirit” when we sit silently in meditative prayer.
As you reflect on todays’s reading in the Little Blue Book, when you begin to feel distracted, call on the Holy Spirit to quiet your heart and mind.

We listen to the stories of who we are from our family and community. Sometimes when we take a DNA test we discover something different.
The same can be said of our faith, sometimes we discover new and blessed traditions and understandings about who God call us to be as his sons and daughters.
I would encourage you to continue to pray as family in sharing your faith story.
God Bless

The first Tuesday in Advent (12/3/24) we are invited once more to reflect on the genealogy of Jesus and how Our Blessed Mother’s participation in this journey is a special gift. Happy Memorial of St. Francis Xavier SJ.

The First Week, the first Monday of Advent. Recalling the history of our faith, and who help us to grow in faith is important. In these reflections we can begin to see the face and presence of Jesus in those who have challenged us in our faith. They may be living with us right now or ancestors who have given us the gift and blessing of faith. Take time to open our hearts to the call to be more like Jesus in living out our faith today and every day.

On this first day of Advent, we are challenged to prepare and to await the coming of Jesus. It is just the beginning, but it should lead us to the place we are called to be: in the presence of God.