As the Lord empowers the Apostles for their work, he gives them some insights into how they are to do it.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 14th Week of the Year
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Tag Archives: gratitude
Daily Mass: Three qualities to apply as we serve the Lord. Catholic Inspiration
2nd Sunday of Easter: The Church proclaims the resurrection!
Study: Consider a time when you experienced joy in the presence of others. What caused it?
Pray: Draw near to the Risen Lord and ask for His grace in your heart to face whatever is before you today.
Serve: How can your life strengthen your family and friendships right now?
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Easter
The readings today give us a snapshot of some key points that surfaced shortly after the Lord’s resurrection:
- 1st Reading – Thankful praise and sharing in community life
- Psalm – “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, His love is everlasting.”
- 2nd Reading – Christ’s resurrection lets us rejoice in the midst of trials
- Gospel – Doubting Thomas
What do we see? Praise, gratitude, thankfulness, sharing, community life, overcoming doubt, facing trials, and rejoicing! In other words, this is what happens to a group of people who have been transformed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And I want to live like this.
Frankly, I want all of us to live like this. Filled with God’s grace, empowered by the Holy Spirit, engaging life at full throttle, dealing with difficulty through the power of faith….is there any other way to live?
So…in the light of these concepts that emerged from the fledgling Church…what’s keeping us from this? Has the resurrection of the Lord “sunk in” and touched our hearts? Do we understand what it means to say “The Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed!” as followers of Jesus Christ?
Do we get it?
We all have obstacles, challenges, and the reality of temptation and sin in our lives. That was true for the Early Church as well. But note this: they changed. In the light of the Risen Lord their lives were forever altered: praising God, facing hardship, working together, filled with joy.
This is our invitation today, and it works in three simple steps:
- Accept the resurrection of Jesus Christ
- Bring the Lord’s power into your heart
- Change whatever is not worthy of Heaven and live in his Light
There is no better way to journey through this life!
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
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Note: This post was first published on April 17, 2017.
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day offers a fantastic opportunity to stop, reflect and offer gratitude for the blessings God showers upon our lives. While life is filled with a mix of good and bad moments, being thankful offers us a powerful lens to make sense of it all as we keep our focus on Jesus Christ.
Mass Readings – Thanksgiving Day
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To my family…all my love on this Thanksgiving Day. This is photo is a personal favorite of mine!
Daily Mass: Giving praise to God. Catholic Inspiration
The Psalm Response invites us to praise God each day. Through our prayer, service and personal enrichment we acknowledge what the Lord has done for us as we share our lives with one another.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 33rd Week of the Year (St. Cecilia)
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Daily Mass: Remember the blessings. Catholic Inspiration
The Psalm Response serves as a wake up call: “Remember the marvels the Lord has done!” Take a moment right now and do a quick inventory of the blessings in your life. Do it…then say a prayer of gratitude!
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 32nd Week of the Year
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28th Sunday of the Year: Gratitude, some of our best spiritual medicine. Catholic Inspiration
Two different foreigners offer their gratitude to God for the second chance that they received, reminding us that counting our blessings is one of the best spiritual medicines we possess to help us face the challenges of life.
Mass Readings – 28th Sunday of the Year
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18th Sunday of the Year: Three antidotes for greed. Catholic Inspiration
The Lord offers a direct warning about the sin of greed in the Gospel today. While we are often quick to perceive greed in others, the reality is that this temptation touches us all in great and small ways. Fr. Andrew’s homily offers three antidotes to help us shake off the lure of this deadly sin.
Mass Readings – 18th Sunday of the Year
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18th Sunday of the Year: Beware of greed
Study: Are there situations in life where you find greed present? Ask yourself what is the source of this excessive hunger for more.
Pray: Call upon the Lord for the grace to use your resources wisely.
Serve: How can you be generous with your life today?
Mass Readings – 18th Sunday of the Year
The Lord cautions us to “guard against all greed” in the Gospel today, yet another reminder of the timeless power of our faith to speak to the human heart. Let’s take a moment to break down some common aspects of greed:
- Self-centered, focusing on “what I want”
- Excessive, always wanting more
- Applies to a wide variety of human wants – money, fame, power, food, etc.
Greed disregards the needs of others as the individual focuses entirely on self. Seeking more and more, it pushes other things aside in a quest to acquire. And while we often associate greed with money, the Lord’s warning against all forms of greed is apt…we can be greedy about so many things!
So what’s the cure? How do we combat greed in our lives? Here are some key ingredients:
- Gratitude – being thankful for what we have
- Contentment – seeing the blessings in our lives
- Stewardship – using wisely the resources in our care
- Generosity – sharing the gifts of life with those in need
- Prayer – fostering our relationship with God, the source of all gifts
By weaving these elements into our lives we cultivate a perspective that sees all resources as gifts from God that are to be used wisely and well. We have been richly blessed by the Lord! May we live and share our lives in such a way that Christ’s love shines through all that we do.
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Note: This post was first published on July 25, 2016.
Daily Mass: Seeing the face of Jesus. Catholic Inspiration
As Simeon sees the Christ Child he recognizes the Messiah and gives praise to God. As the Kingdom of Heaven continues to unfold here on earth, we have daily opportunities to seek out the face of Jesus in our lives and respond with joy and gratitude.
Mass Readings – 5th Day in the Octave of Christmas
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Thanksgiving Day
What are you thankful for today? What gifts do you recognize right now in your life and how do you share them gratefully with others? How has God’s grace transformed your life? Now go, and be a blessing in the world!
Mass Readings – Thanksgiving Day
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