We say this powerful prayer so many times throughout the course of our lives. May we embrace this gift from Jesus as we fervently pray these words from our hearts and eagerly carry out its command to forgive one another.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent
***************
Study: Describe a moment when you felt that God was particularly near. How did you react?
Pray: Ask the Lord for an open heart to recognize and understand Christ’s presence in your life.
Serve: Do you have a prompting right now to help another? Is there something or someone in need of your aid?
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Lent
Have you ever had a first hand experience of God’s grace? An encounter or perhaps a moment when you felt particularly close to the Lord? For some people, even talking about the experience can seem awkward if not downright difficult. We know in our hearts that something profound and beautiful happened, but how do we share it? How do we communicate our personal event to another?
Abraham, Peter, James and John had an experience that would reshape their lives. Abraham believed in God and forged a covenant of faith. The three apostles went up the mountain with Jesus and came down dazzled by the sight of Moses and Elijah speaking with Christ as the Father’s voice thundered in their hearts.
Did it change them? Yes! Did it have a powerful impact on their lives and through them on others? Absolutely. Are these types of experience essential to follow the Lord? Of course not. But when they come they bring the potential to reshape how and why we live.
Some people are blessed with a “mountaintop” experience of faith. They encounter the Lord in a life changing way and rewrite the script of their life to follow a new direction. Others faithfully follow the path that is set before them, trusting in the God’s guidance to direct their steps down a well marked road.
While every person will have great or small moments of grace, perhaps today we might consider how the Lord is speaking to us. What are the signs, circumstances, situations, and people that help us recognize the presence of Jesus Christ? How might we adjust our vision to see God at work in our hearts?
The Lord continues to speak in our world. May we listen! Christ’s grace continues to change lives. May we see it! As we continue to embrace the season of Lent we open our hearts and ask for the wisdom to comprehend how God is present. May our response be filled with a lively faith as we follow Jesus!
********************
If you are looking for more material to help you this Lent, you might consider this list of presentations I have offered over the last couple of years. Feel free to check it out and share if you find it helpful:
Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent
***************
Note: This post was first published on February 15, 2016.
As Jesus confronts the devil in the wilderness, his response to three temptations shows us how we can face the deceptions of evil in our lives with courage, faith and wisdom.
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent
***************
While spending time with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus’ response to the scribes and pharisees offers us hope. The Lord’s willingness to bring healing and forgiveness to those in need reveals Christ’s longing for our redemption as well. May we follow the example of Levi and respond to the Lord’s call.
Mass Readings – Saturday after Ash Wednesday
***************
The prophet Isaiah shows how fasting can be spiritually fruitful or destructive. As a discipline of our body, fasting has the power to quickly cut through our selfishness and reveal a longing…not just for food, but for the Lord.
Mass Readings – Friday after Ash Wednesday
***************
Moses and Jesus exhort the people to make a choice for God – choosing life (and eternal life) over death. Every day we make this choice as we seek to turn our lives ever closer to Jesus Christ, the source of all life.
Mass Readings – Thursday after Ash Wednesday
***************
Most of the time we avoid looking at our weaknesses, failures and sins. Not today. Today we take a long hard look, examine our conscience, and honestly admit that we are sinners. Why? So that freed from the slavery of temptation and sin we can receive the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
***************
St. Peter’s words “we have given up everything and followed you” can inspire us to consider how we offer our lives for the Lord. Recognizing that everything we have comes from God, we begin to see ourselves as stewards, not owners, who offer our lives for the glory of the one who made us.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 8th Week of the Year
*************
Study: Reflect on a moment when you were in a critical need. What pulled you through?
Pray: Ask the Lord for grace regarding a difficult situation.
Serve: How can you be a helping hand to another?
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent
Let’s take a look at these readings that help us kick off Lent:
Have you ever been in trouble? Serious trouble? End of your rope? Lost? Confused? Abandoned? Scared? Feeling like you cannot breathe because the air has gone out of your chest? Feeling utterly alone?
You’re in good company. People of faith for over 3000 years have called upon the Lord in their darkest moments – seeking guidance and strength.
And God provides. We don’t have to look very hard to find examples of pain and suffering, hardship and loss, struggle, catastrophe and sin. We also know that there are no promises that life will be easy and free from pain. What we know is simple: God walks with us and sustains us in our moments of need.
Of course this is only a half truth – God walks with us always! God never leaves us, but for some very human reason we seem to call out loud and strong when we recognize our need for the Lord. Isn’t it odd that we “get it” when we are in need…that many of us who dedicate our lives to Christ see much more clearly when the truth is self-evident?
Perhaps not. Perhaps what this first week of Lent shows us is that our need for God (always present in our lives) is most easily observed when we cannot hide from our need. For when we are in trouble, we are confronted with the clear and obvious reality that it is only with the Lord’s grace that we can be guided and sustained. In the times of our testing we discover both our limitations and the Lord’s love.
What are you facing in your life right now? What requires your own personal admission and acceptance of Christ’s mercy? Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble!
********************
If you are looking for more material to help you this Lent, you might consider this list of presentations I have offered over the last couple of years. Feel free to check it out and share if you find it helpful:
Podcast Resources for getting the most out of Lent
***************
Note: this post was first published on February 9, 2016.
There are many ways to get the most out of Lent. This gift that the Church celebrates every year provides an opportunity for spiritual renewal. Below you will find a short summary of some of the Homilies, Presentations and Retreats that I have offered over the last couple of years with themes that might speak to your own Lenten journey. Feel free to try any of these podcasts; if they are helpful, you are welcome to share them with others. After all, the purpose of the season is to draw our hearts to Jesus Christ!
Homilies
Preparing for Lent (13 Minutes) – This homily podcast offers some general helpful hints to consider as you get ready to enter into the season as a whole. Given at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI on March 2, 2013.
Ash Wednesday (4 Minutes) – This short homily shows how messy, dirty, grimy ashes on the outside remind us of the messy, dirty, grimy reality of sin in our hearts. As we repent and believe in the Gospel, may we call upon the Lord to wash us clean with the grace of Jesus Christ. Given at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI on Feb. 18, 2015.
Holy Thursday (8 Minutes) – At the Last Supper Jesus teaches and commands his disciples to receive his Body & Blood and give your life in service to others. In our reception of Holy Communion may we be strengthened and renewed to offer our lives, following the example of Christ. Given at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI on April 2, 2015.
Good Friday (10 Minutes) – The Cross of Christ – ugly, filthy with the blood of countless victims, jagged, and splintered – becomes the sign of the depth and breadth of agony Jesus endured. As he embraces his suffering, the Cross becomes a bridge whereby he unites with all humanity, meeting us in our most profound moments of weakness and sin, and gives us hope through his triumph over death. We must understand the Cross in the light of Easter joy: For if we only focus on the Cross then we have no hope – life becomes dark and filled with despair; and if we only focus on Easter joy then we have no respect for the gift of the Lord’s Passion – we do not value the price He paid for our salvation. Given at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI on April 3, 2015.
Easter (7 Minutes) – Their lives were changed; the sorrow cast from the shadow of the Cross is now transformed by resurrection glory…He’s alive! The grace of Jesus Christ inspired the disciples to go out to the world – carrying their crosses – with the power the Lord’s triumph. Christ brings this transformation to us today; his power continues to work in the world. May we open our hearts to the resurrection…and be transformed! Given at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI on April 5, 2015.
General Presentations
Personal Prayer: Making it Real (46 Minutes) – How do we make our personal prayer real? This homily podcast highlights practical tips that bring power and meaning to our personal prayer. Given at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI on April 11, 2015.
Personal Healing & Renewal (44 Minutes) – The presentation explores a four step process of personal healing and renewal: Acknowledgement; Diagnosis; Prescription; and Follow through. By examining four quadrants of human life (physical, intellectual, relational, spiritual) this presentation guides the listener toward personal growth in practical ways. Given to the Northern Waters Parish Nurse Group on October 9, 2015.
Christ Renews Our Lives! (31 Minutes) – This talk was presented to Confirmation students from the Cathedral and St. Francis Xavier parishes. Note these four points: God made us to be united with Him; Sin destroys our relationships with God and one another; Christ restores the relationship through his life, death, and resurrection; Each of us can choose to accept the gift of Christ and live as his disciple. Given at the Cathedral of Christ the King on November 11, 2015.
Extraordinary Life! (36 Minutes) – This “Theology on Tap” presentation asks some big questions: Are you looking for some practical ways to transform your life? Do you long for something special, filled with power, purpose, and meaning? Fr. Andrew looks at 3 areas (Self, Others, God) and applies them to the ordinary and routine elements of daily life. Given at VIP in Superior, WI on October 22, 2015.
Prayer: Practical Pointers to Grow Closer to God (30 Minutes) – This “Theology on Tap” reflection offers some practical ways to strengthen your prayer life and grow closer to God. Some topics include: Time, Space, Location, and Preparation; Dealing with Distraction; Using resources – including Scripture and Devotionals; Finding what works for you. Given at Dubh Linh’s Pub in Duluth, MN on November 11, 2013.
Retreats
The Heart of a Disciple (March 6, 2017 – St. Pius X Church – Solon Springs, WI) This parish retreat addresses themes of repentance and continuing conversion of heart.
Knights of Columbus Men’s Retreat (September 13, 2014 – St. Joseph Church – Hayward, WI) This Catholic Men’s Retreat explores three ways we draw near to Jesus Christ and one another: study, prayer, and service.
Eucharist (March 8, 2014 – St. Dominic Church – Frederic, WI) This parish retreat focuses on Eucharist as the central expression of our Catholic faith.
Christian in a Changing World (February 22-24, 2014 – Cathedral of Christ the King – Superior, WI) This parish mission looks at three key concepts: Our direction in life; our spiritual fitness; putting our faith into practice.
Walking with the Lord in Holy Week (March 9-12, 2015 – Our Lady of the Valley – Green Valley, AZ) This parish mission takes the listener on a journey with Christ – from his entry into Jerusalem, through the Last Supper, his Passion, and his Resurrection.
May this Lent be filled with grace and power – God bless you!
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 