Jesus acknowledges us as part of his family when we do the will of our heavenly Father. May we take these words to heart as we live our faith and drawn near to God and one another.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 16th Week of the Year
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Study: Recall a time when you experienced real hunger. What was it like?
Pray: What are you hungry for in your spiritual life? Ask the Lord to feed your soul.
Serve: Consider helping out a food pantry or location that serves meals to those in need. How can you help alleviate hunger around the world?
Mass Readings – 17th Sunday of the Year
The word hunger means many things to different groups of people:
At it’s most basic level, hunger means that we recognize our need for food to keep our bodies going. While most of us have no awareness of famine, we all have the daily experience of the need to eat. Food is necessary for life, and the quality of the food we eat enhances (or detracts) from the quality of our lives.
The same concept applies to our spiritual lives as well. We certainly need a level of physical health to sustain our spiritual lives, but we also require spiritual sustenance to strengthen our souls and renew our hearts.
Jesus knew this. The people coming to him were hungry – body and soul – and his teaching, feeding, and Eucharist sustained them. What’s more, every time we come to the altar we participate in the banquet of his grace. We continue to receive – Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity – the spiritual food we need to flourish.
Practically, when we come to the table may we pray with grateful hearts for the blessing of nutritious food; when we come to the altar may we pray with grateful hearts for the blessing of Christ. In both cases, the hand of the Lord feeds us, he answers all our needs.
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Note: This blog was first published on July 21, 2015.
Shepherds brave difficult and stressful conditions in order to protect and provide for the sheep. The Lord does this for us, and as we conform our hearts to Christ we are strengthened to do the same for one another.
Mass Readings – 16th Sunday of the Year
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
The Gospel of Matthew helps us understand how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament by highlighting three crucial themes from the prophet Isaiah. In doing so, the Lord gives us an example to follow today.
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 15th Week of the Year
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Jesus tells the Pharisees that “the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.” Once we recognize that Christ is the Son of God, we have the opportunity with a simple question to determine if we are keeping our focus where it properly belongs.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 15th Week of the Year
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The Lord invites us to come to him and find rest…the type of rest where there are no boundaries, no walls, only a trusting faith that draws us closer in our relationship with God. It is a beautiful image! May the rest we find in Jesus renew our hearts and spill out into our connections with one another.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 15th Week of the Year
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Jesus offers a word of praise to his Heavenly Father for the goodness he has poured out on creation. This grace is not because of our own perfection; rather, the Lord meets us in our weakness and blesses us with his merciful love. It begs a simple question: Are we open to receive it?
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 15th Week of the Year
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Jesus speaks about the cities that heard his message and rejected it. Their punishment is the result of the natural consequence of not repenting. The point for us is sobering; we have been given so much…does it inspire us to draw near to the Lord?
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 15th Week of the Year
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Study: When in your life have you been in great need and looked to another for help? When have you been able to help another in great need?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the gift of discernment – to know when to seek help and when to offer it.
Serve: Name one practical thing you can do to help someone today. Then do it.
Mass Readings – 16th Sunday of the Year
“His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34)
Have you ever been lost? Confused? Drifting, uncertain of the next step in the path of life? Most of us have been in those dark and difficult places where we feel beaten down by the challenges of life. Simply put, there are times in life when things get tough and we need to draw on the strength and wisdom of another.
The crowds found this in Jesus. His words inspired them; his miracles cured them. As word spread in the surrounding area, more and more people came to hear the Lord and find new life in his presence. What’s more, he saw their need and responded with pity and love – he longed to guide them and give them hope.
In our need we can, like the crowds, draw near to Christ for our strength. His mercy has the power to renew and transform our hearts; his grace comes when we allow him room to make a place in our souls.
Furthermore, there are times in our lives when the Lord will empower us to guide and guard others. Jeremiah foretold that God would appoint shepherds to care for people – God heard their cry when they were led astray and brought them new leaders to gather them together.
Perhaps this week we might see someone in need, someone who the Lord has placed on our path to help. Perhaps we have others to lead by our word and example, inspiring them to draw to the Great Shepherd who cares for us all.
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Note: This post was originally published on July 14, 2015.
God calls us, empowers us and sends us into the world to offer our lives and become living conduits for the Lord’s grace. Each of us has to make a simple choice: Will we respond to the call and follow Jesus?
Mass Readings – 15th Sunday of the Year
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 