Living the Gospel
Get more out of Mass each Sunday
06.27.21 "Just Have Faith"
June 27, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST We are called to let go of fear and put our lives in Christ’s hands, to believe that his power will carry us through. It can be a scary proposition, but each time we surrender it prepares and strengthens us for our salvation. Faith is not fragile, it is filled with the awesome strength of the Holy Spirit that comes through our trust in Christ. Jesus’ goodness and spirit is in every step we take. He always walks with us on this faith journey which is far better than any journey we can have without him.
06.20.21 "Calm"
June 20, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST Today we see Jesus challenging the faith of his disciples again. Much like the disciples, we can find ourselves in a boat on stormy seas in our lives. Perhaps we are struggling at work, in school, or in our family life - we can feel the evil one tugging us away from Jesus. When we allow ourselves to be still and let Jesus calm our storms, we can experience the awe that only he can create. Faith is an entirely free gift that God gives to us - allow yourself to relate to him with confidence, trust, and reliance.
06.6.21 "Unity"
June 6, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST Today we hear Mark recount the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. When we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, we are united in and become the Body of Christ, the hands and feet of Jesus. Jesus asks us to work together as we receive this sacrifice, to allow others in our lives to experience his love, his mercy, and his forgiveness. Partaking in the Holy Eucharist gives us grace, deepens our relationship with Jesus, and allows us to see him and others around us more clearly in order that all may be united in him.
05.30.21 "Community"
May 30, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST As we celebrate the Holy Trinity this weekend, we remember that our trinitarian God is a community of love and persons. The Trinity is a community held together by containing diversity within itself. This mystery of the Holy Trinity, which is a model relationship, urges us to constantly strive for unity, peace, and love within our hearts, families, and communities. We are meant to put this relationship into action in our own lives, and in doing so we come to know the mystery by our own experience of peace, love, and unity.
06.13.21 "Harvest"
June 13, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST Christ asks his followers to help bring all into the safety of his earthly kingdom, so they may enjoy happiness forever in his heavenly kingdom. We do this as families and communities - spending time together in church, in prayer, in faith study, and with others following our Savior’s example. During this time together, the seeds of faith grow tall and strong in us and are visible to others. We are then called to sow seeds of faith, tending these relationships in order that we may enjoy God’s kingdom.
05.23.21 "Renew"
May 23, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST The Holy Spirit is the spirit of life, the breath that moved over the waters at the beginning of creation. It is a spirit that brings new life and peace. The disciples are fearful, because they do not know what the future holds for them. We do not know exactly what our futures will look like. However, the lasting and renewing presence of the Holy Spirit is with us, just as it was with the disciples, whatever we may come to face.
05.16.21 "Proclaim"
May 16, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST When Jesus ascends into heaven, he leaves his disciples with an instruction: to go out into the world and proclaim the good news without discrimination. This instruction is part of the mission of the Church, and forms how we live our faith. The gospel transforms us, and we transform the world. When the disciples went forward and preached, God worked with them and through them. Both our deeds and our words proclaim the gospel to the world Jesus came to redeem.
05.09.21 "Reveal"
May 9, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST God loves us, each and every one of us. In the first reading, Peter came to understand God’s love when he witnessed the gift of the Holy Spirit given to Cornelius and his friends. This is important because they were Gentiles, not Jews. In the early church these gifts were only given to Jews but God shows no exclusivity, his love is open to all. As God's love is revealed to us, we are called to love one another. Jesus loves us so much that he dies on the cross so we can have eternal life with him. He asks us to be generous and to share his love with all mankind.
05.02.21 "Remain"
May 2, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST Through our relationship with Jesus we receive God’s spirit and his very life. When we remain in this relationship with him, he changes us--the dead, selfish parts of our life get cut away so our hearts can grow--we think less of ourselves and more of others. Our actions show that Christ is changing us when we choose to love one another as Jesus commanded. None of us are too far gone to be loved or to love like Jesus--just as it was for St. Paul. We need Christ to help us grow and love so that we can bear much fruit.
04.25.21 "Cornerstone"
April 25, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd." Some shepherds work only for pay and leave their sheep unprotected. By contrast, the good shepherd lays down his life to save his sheep. No one forces him to do so. He chooses to give his life for the sheep he knows by name and loves to the end. Though rejected by many Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the cornerstone to salvation. As the sheep, knowing him is our only path into heaven. “There is no salvation through anyone else.”
05.16.21 "Proclaim"
May 16, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST When Jesus ascends into heaven, he leaves his disciples with an instruction: to go out into the world and proclaim the good news without discrimination. This instruction is part of the mission of the Church, and forms how we live our faith. The gospel transforms us, and we transform the world. When the disciples went forward and preached, God worked with them and through them. Both our deeds and our words proclaim the gospel to the world Jesus came to redeem.
04.18.21 "Fulfilled"
April 18, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST In the Gospel, we see the disciples incredulous yet joyful and amazed when Jesus comes into their midst. His greeting and his loving acceptance of them brings them great joy, and they find full faith in him. He opens their hearts and minds so they finally understand that all that has taken place is in accordance with the Scriptures: he is the Word fulfilled. As Jesus approaches us as we are, let us be changed by this encounter that produces an incredible faith and will have the effect of the wonderful joy God wants us to have.
04.11.21 "Believe"
April 11, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST When Thomas saw Jesus he trusted, surrendered, and believed. Then he received Jesus. When we trust, surrender and believe, we receive a peace and joy that we do not get anywhere else. When we are away from God we do not experience the peace and joy that only he can offer. Jesus is always waiting for us. If you haven’t yet met the risen Jesus, roll away the stone in your heart. Allow faith to work together with your reason and logic. Trust, surrender, believe, receive.
04.04.21 "Risen"
April 4, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST Jesus’ resurrection is the culmination of God’s plan of salvation and the foundation of our faith. Mary, Peter, and the beloved disciple all see the empty tomb, but their faith needs time to grow and accept the great gift that is offered to them. Faith does not always come easily. When we are open to God, have a relationship with the Risen Christ and a life that allows him to live through us, our lives are transformed. May this Easter help us become people who are transformed in faith by the joy of the Resurrection. Believe, he is Risen!
03.28.21 "Hosanna"
March 28, 2021
ENCOUNTER CHRIST Christ has arrived to take his rightful place as our king. Like the people of Jerusalem, we cry out “Hosanna!” in exaltation of him. Hosanna is not only a word of praise, but also a prayer asking God to save his people. Throughout scripture today and through the rest of Holy Week, Christ listens to our cry of Hosanna, and saves us from our greatest enemies of sin and death. In this, the greatest week of Christianity, let us praise God for his great sacrifice, crying out “Hosanna!”