In the Second Letter to Timothy we hear the call to remain steadfast in the face of persecution and hardship.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 9th Week of the Year
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Tag Archives: hardship
Daily Mass: When the going gets tough, get going…with God! Catholic Inspiration
Daily Mass: God's grace gives us hope. Catholic Inspiration
The Scripture readings today all reference human hardship: suffering, battle and illness. Yet through it all we have hope as we see how God gives us the grace we need to overcome these challenges every time we turn to Christ.
Mass Readings – Monday of the 4th Week of Lent
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5th Sunday of Easter: The cost of the commandment to love. Catholic Inspiration
We all know that Jesus commands us to love one another, but all too often we overlook the sacrifice it takes to follow the teaching and example of Jesus. All three readings today point out that there will be a cost…and we will pay it with our lives.
Mass Readings – 5th Sunday of Easter
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4th Sunday of the Year: When the going gets tough…keep going!
Study: Recall a time when you had to speak up in a difficult situation. How did you face it? What gave you strength to do it?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the grace to respond to challenging circumstances with love. Call upon the Holy Spirit for the gifts you need.
Serve: How can you support someone who is faced with a tough task right now? How can you help them?
Mass Readings – 4th Sunday of the Year
Let’s start with a quick recap of the readings this week:
- 1st Reading: Jeremiah will be strengthened to preach a difficult message
- Psalm: We proclaim God’s goodness, especially when life is tough
- 2nd Reading: The Love of God shapes and directs our lives
- Gospel: Jesus encounters opposition at Nazareth
The first reading, psalm, and Gospel all refer to moments that challenge us. The prophets encountered it, the Psalmist sings about it, and the Lord himself met resistance and opposition to the message he proclaimed. But note this: in spite of the difficulty they did it.
Sometimes saying what needs to be said is unpleasant and unwelcome. We might want to avoid it or wish someone else could do it, but there are times in life when it’s up to us to deliver a tough message. We know what needs to be said…and that it’s up to us to speak.
The key is how we say it. How does our intention, our desire, and our tone convey a tough message? The answer is found in the second reading: Love. The love of Christ guides and directs every aspect of our lives – including those times when we are called to speak about a difficult topic.
This notion of “what” and “how” shows up repeatedly in the spiritual life:
- What refers to the issue, content, and “facts” of a situation or circumstance
- How refers to the manner in which it is conveyed – the way we do something
Our faith calls us to confront the reality of life, particularly when things are tough. We need not fear engaging a difficult situation; rather, we draw on the love of Christ to guide us – both in what we say and how we say it – trusting that the Lord will provide us with the grace we need.
Let’s face it: Life is tough! But when the going gets tough, the tough get going…guided by God’s love.
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Note: This post was first published on January 26, 2016.
21st Sunday of the Year: Facing hard times with faith. Catholic Inspiration
The passage from John’s Gospel marks a low point in the active ministry of Jesus. The people have seen healing miracles and the multiplication of the fishes and loaves, but when they hear the Lord’s teaching about the Eucharist they turn away. It is in this rock-bottom moment that Peter reminds us that we face hard times with the power of our faith in Christ.
Mass Readings – 21st Sunday of the Year
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Daily Mass: Facing the hardship of hate in the world. Catholic Inspiration
There is a cost to following the Lord: sometimes we must endure the hardship of hate in this world and contend with forces that would seek to destroy the goodness in our lives. Yet we do not stand alone; Jesus Christ gives us the strength we need to face this hardship with the power of his grace.
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 5th Week of Easter
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5th Sunday of the Year: We focus on our faith in the midst of suffering. Catholic Inspiration
Suffering, for all its challenges and burdens, is a part of human life. How do we face it? How do we find the strength and wisdom to keep going? When we bring our faith in Jesus Christ into the center of our lives we find the courage and conviction to continue on as the Lord guides us through this life to the life to come.
Mass Readings – Sunday of the 5th Week of the Year
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St. Peter & St. Paul Catholic Inspiration
Mass Readings – The Feast of St. Peter & St. Paul
These two great saints made an enormous impact in the Church, even as they encountered hard work and confronted their own weaknesses and sins. May we look to their example and trust in the Lord for the grace we need to face the challenges of life.
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Daily Mass: Chosen by God. Catholic Inspiration
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 5th Week of Easter
Chosen by God does not mean that life will be easy; on the contrary, it will be hard! We know from experience that there are times when we pay the price for doing the right thing, and as we follow Jesus Christ we know that we will meet opposition and difficulty…yet with the Lord’s grace we will be given what we need to keep going.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Daily Mass: Following Christ in the face of opposition. Catholic Inspiration
Mass Readings – Friday of the 4th Week of the Year
The death of John the Baptist recalls the fact that doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason does NOT mean that life will always be easy. In fact, our faith in Jesus Christ will sometimes put us squarely in the face of opposition…and we recognize that we might suffer even as we serve the Lord with all our heart.
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