Water. For the past several weeks the daily scriptural readings have mentioned water. It seems pretty basic, hardly profound, and yet it is being mentioned over and over again. Water, as we know, is essential to sustain life. Our own human bodies are made up of over 50% water and our planet is 97% water. If we lose even as little as 10% of the water within our bodies, we begin to experience immediate health problems such as low blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, unconsciousness, all of which can and will prompt serious medical decline. When our earth becomes parched and various areas experience drought the foliage begins to wither and fade, animals migrate if they can or become sick and die, crops and vegetation become disturbed, which threatens commerce and incites fear amongst us. Water is vital to our existence and with it we have the opportunity to flourish and blossom. Water is life-giving. Over the past week we have read about Jesus’s encounter with the woman at the well. In his thirst he asks her for a drink. They engage in dialogue and Jesus tells her those that drink the water He gives will never thirst. We have read about Jesus meeting the ill man at the pool of Bethesda. He asks the man if he wishes to be made well and he is physically unable to get his body into the pool. Jesus heals him immediately. We also read of Jesus curing the blind man with his spittle and dirt where the man’s physical healing was only complete after he washed himself with water. What is the takeaway? We are transformed by water. It began at our baptisms. Our souls were cleansed by the sacramental waters and we were given God’s sanctifying grace, thus being invited into a closer relationship with God as His son or daughter. This Lenten season gives us a chance to renew that baptismal promise of belonging to the Lord. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman, He wishes to give us water that will quench our thirst forever. If we abide in the Lord He sustains us. He gives us His life-giving grace, through the waters of Baptism, and this grace helps to sustain us until we reach our heavenly home. AS the waters of biblical time healed, refreshed, cleansed, and gave life, may it continue to do so in our present time. May the life-giving waters of God heal our brokenness, refresh our spirits, cleanse us from sin and help us to gain eternal life, where we shall thirst no more.
REFLECTION: Consider acquiring a holy water font for your home. Put it in a place easily accessible to everyone in the home. Get into the practice of blessing yourself daily (maybe before leaving for the day, or before bed) as a way of renewing your own baptismal vows.
Blessings to You and Yours!

I ran across a quote today that really moved me. It seemed to speak to me on many levels. The quote comes from my child’s catechism book and it goes like this “No greater gift can a person give than his own life for someone else.” Now of course, in the context of this religious text, the author is describing the sacrificial offering of Jesus on the cross. While we are moving into the 5th week of Lent, it made for a very special lesson for myself and my children. While the sacrifice of Jesus was profound, and did more for us than we will ever truly be able to comprehend, it can sometime feel stale, rehearsed because it is a story so well-known. The familiarity of the story can at times desensitize us to the magnificence of it. That said, I was immediately struck with images of those who have sacrificed themselves for my sake. My mother endured nearly nine months of pregnancy to bring me into the world, sacrificing her body so that I could live. As I grew, she and my father sacrificed their time, finances, and often their own well-being for my sake. I think of my siblings who have gone out of their way on many occasions often times sacrificing their time and money to do so. I think of my husband who selflessly gives of his time, week after week, to provide a life for myself and our children. I think of the sacrifices he made in service to our country, which in turn benefited me. I think of friends, relatives, neighbors, pastors, former students and coworkers who sacrificed of themselves for my benefit. I am left feeling immense gratitude towards these people and it inspires me to want to pay it forward. I think this is the message God meant to share with me today. He’s reminding me that sacrificial love began at the cross, over 2000 years ago and continues. Every celebration of Holy Mass is a re-sharing in the ultimate sacrifice of His son in the greatest display of love ever known to the human race. And while no sacrifice on earth will ever measure up to that of Jesus, He is reminding me to look around and see the other people giving of themselves for the betterment of another. He also reminds me to take my own sacrificial gift of being a wife and mother a little more seriously. He challenges me to give of myself more generously as I keep in mind it’s my family I give myself to (my time, energy, finances) and that in serving my family well I in turn serve God well, and He faithfully rewards such sacrifice.
CHALLENGE: Open your hearts more fully this week. Make sure to thank someone who constantly gives of themselves for your benefit. It may even be someone in your community. Don’t forget to include our parish priests as well as the elderly. Try to go about your daily tasks with a bit more grace, striving to serve your family or community with a greater sense of who you are really serving. May we make of ourselves a worthy sacrifice to the Lord.
Blessings to You and Yours!

The readings for this 4th weekend of Lent are about seeing. In the first reading from Samuel (1 SM 16: 1B, 6-7, 10-13 A) we read the account of the Lord asking Samuel to travel to Jesse in Bethlehem where God’s chosen king will be revealed to him. When he arrives he looks over Jesse’s sons and is surprised that God desires none of those he sees, rather God choose the absent son, David, who was away tending sheep at the time. God tells Samuel “Not as man sees does God see.” The second reading from Ephesians (EPH 5: 8-14) Paul reminds us that as God’s children we are lightbearers, bringing His light into the world. Light by it’s very nature dispels darkness and makes visible the things that were once in shadow. Finally, the Gospel selection is a story we all know well. JN 9: 1-41, Jesus cures the blind man. Jesus uses his own saliva mixed with the dirt of the earth, smears it across the blind man’s eyes, and has him to wash his face. Of coarse, after this cleansing with water, the man’s eyes are opened. The common thread through all of these readings is sight. The limitations of our human ability to see is juxtaposed with God’s ability to see deeper within us, to our cores. Samuel is guided by God to choose from among Jesse’s sons a leader for His people. To Samuel’s eyes, he thinks that any one of Jesse’s sons, standing before him, could do the job. Their outward appearance being the primary influencer for Samuel. But the Lord tells him that God odes not see as humans see, and thus he sends of David and upon seeing him is reassured of God’s plan. John’s Gospel account is multilayered in meaning. First, Jesus explains to his disciples that it was not because of sin that the man was blind from birth, but he was made so as a means of glorifying God. God’s purposes are always greater and this man’s life was a testament to this. Jesus pities the man and decides to heal him. Having the man to wash himself with water, a parallel to the life-giving properties of water as a spiritual cleansing given to us at Baptism. When the Pharisees see the man they immediately send for his parents, as they are unable to believe what they see. They deny Jesus ‘s divinity and label him as a sinner. It is here the blind man makes a beautiful decree and bold testimony, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. IF this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” It is after the blind man’s eyes are opened that Jesus shares his identity with the man who then worships him. The message for us is challenging. We must see with our eyes of faith. We must not be too quick to judge others by physical appearance and their outward actions alone. When we recognized God’s works and blessings we cannot forget to recognize the goodness of God and thank Him for his generosity. May our eyes be open this week to the many wonders of our God. May we look past the physical appearances of others and strive to see Christ who lives within them. May God have mercy on us for the times we were blinded by our own prejudices or misunderstandings and failed to see Him in is great works. May he help us to be His lightbearers in our darkened world.
Blessings to You and Yours!

Stop. Stop what you are doing and listen. For just a moment, be still and listen. What do you hear? If you’re like most of the country and you and your family have self-quarantined, then your house is probably noisy. Children carrying on, the sound of televisions, maybe radios or tablets playing music. Continue being still. Focus on what you can hear above the noise surrounding you. If you are trained in this practice, you may have heard a call to action, a mission for the day. You might have heard some encouraging words or some challenging ones. In both instances you were able to listen by first using your sense of hearing, being able to identify auditory sounds. In the second scenario, you were able to listen with your heart, an opportunity for your soul to be opened to God in the silence, where He waits for you and I. We have a unique opportunity right now to spend more time listening. For a lot of us this lent, we have given up more than we intended. What an opportunity we have been given to further walk with Jesus in closer communion and really feel his message of sacrifice, suffering, and redemption. Most schools are closed, more people are being temporarily laid off, businesses are being shut down, the world is being put on hold. We are being given a change to slow down, take stock of what’s important, and to rest. So what are you listening to? Are you listening to your family members with greater intent? Listening to your children as they play? Listening to their laughter, their dreams, their silly stories, their questions? Listening to your spouse more earnestly? What are you listening to in your neighborhoods? Perhaps you hear more families enjoying outdoor activities together. The sounds of laughter as children are playing, reveling in the extra attention of their parents, who would ordinarily be at work. Can you hear the sounds of the birds singing in the trees or the buzzing of the bees as they go about pollinating? These sounds are simple but would have easily been ignored during the hustle and bustle of our regular routines. In the midst of our uncertainty, we have been given an extraordinary gift. Let us not waste it. Furthermore, make use of this time to cultivate the ‘listening ears’ of your heart. God wants us to find Him. Now is our chance.
CHALLENGE: Use some time, allow yourself 10 minutes, and be still. Seek Him in the quiet. Allow yourself to be open to whatever He wishes to share with you. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Luke 11:28.

Blessings to You and Yours!

If we could rewind time back to the days of early Christendom it might surprise us to see how these early disciples worshiped the Lord. Not long after the resurrection, the zeal of the faithful was palpable. They were ever eager to share the message of God with everyone and to increase the number of believers. The miracles Jesus worked, coupled with his teachings, his rising from the dead, and the sacred law gave way to a communal practice of honoring and praising God together, with friends and family. A family gathering became the usual way of honoring the law of keeping holy the sabbath. Being in the early advent of the church, and in fear of persecution, churches were not a possibility for them. Instead, they found ways to honor and glorify God right where they were with what they already had. It is here that this idea of a
‘domestic church’ was conceived. Christians have long maintained the idea that our homes are where we first discover God. The love of our parents, the sacrifices they made all for the good of the family, charity, sharing, forgiveness, etc. All of these Christian values on display within the home and among the people. The early church was born from this. These believers would gather their families and get together with other families to break bread and speak about the Lord. It was here that the Gospel messages would be proclaimed, the statutes and decrees of the Lord taught, instruction and encouragement to live out the Christian life would have been had, and children would have played and found friendship with other children with their same values and beliefs. Today, we would refer to this practice of communal worship of God, breaking bread, and instruction of God’s law, church. As we all face the next few weeks of social isolation, where attending our churches has been deemed unsafe, let us remember that our homes, our families, are where our faith practice begins.
CHALLENGE: Consider ways you and your family can honor God this week in your own domestic church, be it family prayer, lessons taught on the virtues of our faith, or spending quality time together in fellowship. May we all honor the Lord where we are and with the example of our lives.
Blessings to You and Yours!

“Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Mt 17:20. If we but have the smallest amount of faith, Jesus tells us, we will be able to move mountains. What are mountains? They are those overwhelming obstacles we all face that weigh us down and challenge us (addictions, illness, financial struggles, relationship problems, etc.). It is during these experiences of life, that we are invited to take up our cross and follow Jesus. His faith in the Father allowed him to walk the road of Calvary ever hopeful of the good that would come of His sacrifice and death. “If God sends you many sufferings it is a sign that He has great plans for you, and certainly wants to make you a saint.” St. Ignatius of Loyola. “The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Suffering is a great paradox. Our physical bodies despise it, the culture we live in denies it, and yet God tells us to expect it and that through it we too will be transformed into something great. Believing in this transformation requires faith. Cultivating this great virtue takes daily commitment. Like most things, the more we practice deepening and strengthening of our faith, the better equipped we will be to putting it into practice.
CHALLENGE: Rev. David Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay and contributor to The Cardinal Newman Society shares some ides to help us increase our faith and make the most out of this Lenten season. While not all of these will be doable for all of us, see what may apply to you, what will challenge you the most, or an area you can improve upon and accept the call. Let us come to the Easter celebration this year with a gift for our Lord, our own increased faith in Him.
1. Participate in Mass. 2. Go to confession. 3. Learn about the lives of the saints. 4. Read the Bible daily. 5. Read the documents of the church. 6. Study the Catechism. 7. Volunteer in ministry. 8. Invite a friend to Mass. 9. Incorporate the Beatitudes into daily living.
Blessings to You and Yours!

Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick, missionary, teacher, Bishop of Ireland. He was filled with zeal for the Lord at a young age. He often spent hours upon hours in prayer while going about his daily duties. Born in Britannia, he was captured by Irish pirates and made to tend sheep as a slave in Ireland. He escaped some six years later and returned home. it was back home that he heard the calling of the Lord and dedicated himself to missionary work as a priest. he felt called to return to Ireland to convert the Druid people to Christianity. Legend tells us it is here in Ireland that the simple three-leaf clover became a powerful instrument of Divine inspiration, as Patrick, now Bishop, used the clover to illustrate the theological teaching of one God in three persons. The stem of the clover, giving way to three separate and distinct leaves. Patrick’s autobiography, Confessio, told of his trials, miracles, and triumphs while living amongst the Irish. He also penned several prayers that he would recite and that he shared with the early Christians to inspire hope and to praise God. May St. Patrick bless us this day and inspire us with the zeal to love, honor, and serve our Lord every day of our lives.
REFLECTION: St. Patrick’s Prayer
May the strength of God pilot us. May the power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the way of God direct us. May the shield of God defend us. May the Host of God guard us against the snares of the evil ones, against temptations of the world. May Christ be with us! May Christ be before us! May Christ be in us, Christ be over all! May Thy salvation, Lord, always be ours, this day, O Lord, and evermore. Amen.

Faith, hope, and charity. All are innately given to us by God. These theological virtues, when cultivated, enable us to encounter God more fully in our everyday ordinary lives. Furthermore, they give us the ability to continue on in the journey of life through good times and bad. The virtue of hope is one that can often be disregarded as folly or wishful thinking, but it in itself stems from Divine origin as Jesus so beautifully illustrated in His resurrection. It is hope in the resurrected Lord that allows us to hope for our own resurrection and share in the Heavenly Kingdom.
What are you hoping for this Lenten season? A renewed commitment to God? Quitting a bad habit? Encouraging friends or family members to grow in their own faith? Hoping is what helps to give our lives purpose. And Lent is a season built upon this virtue. We journey with the Israelites who had waited, longed for the Messiah. They had hoped that the prophecies would be fulfilled. Jesus was the gift of the Father, sent as was promised, to deliver God’s people. We journey along with the disciples as Jesus teaches them truths of the kingdom and bestows upon them the gifts of the sacraments to be shared with his faithful followers. We walk beside Jesus on His was to Calvary. We stand at the foot of His cross, hoping that the Lord will sustain us in our sorrow. And then we journey to the tomb of Jesus and we see through the eyes of Mary Magdalene the empty tomb, and our hope is restored, made anew. God has fulfilled His promise to His people.
REFLECTION: Pope Francis spoke on the virtue of hope in his weekly general audience back in 2017. Here are a few quotes from his speech to help inspire us to continue living these last few weeks of Lent with a renewed spirit of hope and the ultimate attainment of Heaven.
-“If fear or evil looms so large it seems insurmountable, remember that Jesus lives in you. And, through you, it is he, who, with his meekness, wants to subdue all enemies of humanity: sin, hatred, crime and violence.”
-“No matter where God has planted you, hope. Always hope.”
-“Never believe the struggles here on earth are ‘useless’. God never disappoints and he wants that seed he planted in everyone to bloom. God made us to flower, too.”

It is amazing how our world has changed literally overnight. More and more businesses are shutting down, schools are closing for several weeks, and we are being encouraged just about every where we look to hunker down and stay at home….for the next few weeks! Can this be real?
Several churches around the world are giving dispensations for folks to stay home and worship God as best you can within the communities of your families rather than the usual communal gathering. You may be wondering how to do this? There are several masses being televised across the globe. EWTN will be broadcasting as will several Youtube channels. You can find the readings for this weekend by doing a simple google search as well us by following EWTN or using an app such as Laudate. Gather your family around the TV this weekend and participate in Mass from your living rooms. As it is not ideal, making a spiritual communion is suggested during times when we are unable to physically be in the presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. You can also gather as a family and read the readings for this Sunday. Private devotions can also be done, as in a family rosary or a novena to St. Joseph, protector of the family, and make sure to pray for an end to this worldwide hysteria.
“Be still and know I am God” Psalm 46:10. Do not let your spirit be troubled by what is going on around us. Know that God has a plan and will use all of this for His greater good. He is every present and has everything under control. Trust Him and ask him to increase your faith.
CHALLENGE: Take some time to pause and “be still” over the next few days. Enjoy having your children with you. Enjoy the extra time you get to spend with your loved ones. Use these extra “off days” to spend time in prayer, remembering to continue surrendering to the will of God in your lives during the season of repentance and reflection.
Blessings to You and Yours!

Preppers. Men and women who feel the need to prepare themselves and their families for an impending danger of cataclysmic proportions. These individuals are hard at work collecting, building, re-purposing, and even engineering ways to uphold a standard of living, basic as it may be , when life as we know it ceases to exist. Whether by means of a natural disaster, world war, economic crash, or ‘zombie’ apocalypse, they men to have what it takes to survive and thrive. Over the past 10 years or so, it seems that every year brings a new calamity and with it the certain annihilation of the general populous. From H1N1 and swine flu, to SARS and now the Corona virus. Each of these threats encouraging the ‘prepper’ mentality to get your affairs in order and make sure you and your family are ready to face whatever is on the horizon next. What if we were able to use the prepper mentality and apply it to our spiritual lives? Lent is that catalyst. It is our “practice drill” that allows us to do a yearly run-through of our plan to safeguard our souls for the end times. And while the prepper may never face the day zombies attack, we are assured of a much greater threat. One we do not have to anticipate because it is already here. Sin, the greatest destructive force, destroying our souls and keeping us from a full union and friendship with God. The ‘end of the world’ may only be hypothetical for the prepper, but for us it is assured. Our earthly sojourn will end and we will face our final judgement with no more than we PREPARED for. So how are we preparing? Lent is the time to ask this question and reevaluate what’s working and not working in our spiritual lives. Do we make time for God daily? Do we attend mass weekly? Are we actively participating? Do we make God our first priority? Is our life an example of faith? Has our faith decreased because of a life circumstance? Can we allow ourselves to fully trust God? Have you been to confession and received the grace to be welcomed back from sin? Making God #1, taking time to talk to Him everyday, living out our faith via charitable acts and works of mercy, teaching our children and others the truths of the Gospels, receiving Holy Communion as often as we can, especially on Sundays. These are the ways in which we prepare for meeting our Lord at the end of our earthly pilgrimage. We cannot hope to endure the ‘end times’ without these preparations.
CHALLENGE: Embrace this season of Lent as your time to prepare for the certainty of our own ‘end times.’ Commit to the habit of daily meditation with the Lord. Consider signing up for a holy hour or begin attending daily mass. There are many apps available that will guide you through a mindful meditation, even give you daily scripture readings as well as reflections (Laudate). There is no escaping our ‘end time’ friends, let’s make sure we face it prepared!
Blessings to You and Yours!