Ordinary Time

God‘s Worldview vs. Ours

Ask God for the grace to see the world as He sees it, to give you the vision to deal with the world as He would want you to do.

Finding God‘s Healing in the Chaos

Genuine faith doesn’t allow us to run and hide from what’s uncomfortable or painful. This week, pay attention to anything that might be troubling, worrying, or frustrating you - especially if it’s something you’re trying to avoid, minimize, or put a wall between you and it. Ask yourself: "What might God be calling me to in this? What might He be asking me to do?" And then pray for courage and wisdom, put your hand into God’s hand, and step into it.

God Operates Differently than We Do!

If we are going to listen clearly to the Word of God and let it shape our lives, that's going to dramatically affect the way we relate to the people around us and the way we accept our own foibles and weaknesses. Identify a person in your life that annoys you. Pray for their well-being, and pray for a softening in your heart, to have greater compassion and patience with yourself and those around you.

Head to Heart to Hand

Spend time with any small piece of scripture (e.g., the Lord's Prayer, since so many of us know it by heart anyway). Read it and pray with it slowly, intentionally, allowing it to sink in and become part of you. Actively listen to the Word of God, allowing yourself to be shaped by what you hear and letting that guide your present and future actions.

Decision Point: Choosing Daily to Follow Jesus

There is a decision point for each of us in our faith, but we much consciously and deliberately choose to make that decision again and again, each and every day. This week, pray the Morning Offering (below) slowly and deliberately each day, pausing to specifically consider your prayers, your work, your joys, and your suffering, and be really intentional about offering all of that to God as a way of renewing your fundamental decision to follow Jesus.
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, work, joys, and suffering of this day for all the intensions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins and for the whole world.

Signs of Spiritual Malnourishment

We need our faith to be strong, and to do that we have to be anchored in the very food that Jesus gives us: His very self.

Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life"

When God loves, He gives - and He gives us Himself. We in turn are to give ourselves to our brothers and sisters. We become what we eat, and in that way we take the Bread of Life to the world.

Recognizing and Rejecting Toxic Religion

Consider the following quote, attributed to Rev. Hugh L. Hollowell:
"Every time we use religion to draw a line that keeps people out, Jesus is with the people on the other side of that line."
Jesus chose to associate with those who were marginalized; those who were broken and wounded; those who were unpopular and scorned. It's so important for us, it we're to be faithful to Jesus, to be really alert on times and ways we start drawing a line and separating people apart.