trust

We need not fear to invest our gift because Jesus is with us.

In today’s Gospel, we have available to us the parallel to The Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25:14-30, which is The Parable of the Ten Gold Coins from Luke 19:11-28. There are a few differences. A key opening point is that in Matthew’s account, we do not know why or where the master goes after he entrusted three of his servants with talents; five, two, and one respectively. In Luke’s account the man is a noble and he “went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return” (Lk 19:12). He called ten servants to invest a gold coin he gave to each of them. The theme that is similar in both accounts is that when the man returns, two of the servants invested well and brought about a greater return on their investment, and one hid what he was given out of fear of his lord.

Another added feature in Luke’s account was the fellow citizens of the nobleman that did not want him to be king and openly opposed him. The nobleman after attaining his kingship and returning successfully, dealt harshly, to say the least, with those who opposed him, having them slain. Those listening to Jesus tell the parable would understand this predicted outcome, as it was not uncommon in the ancient Near East for a ruler to slay those who opposed his rise to power.

The most immediate parallel and contemporary example was the current tetrarch, Archelaus, who was placed into power in Judea and was reigning at the time of Jesus. He was a cruel tyrant. The Jewish historian, Josephus, who during the time of the Jewish Wars was captured and later became a Roman citizen wrote that there were “fifty ambassadors were sent from Judea to Rome to request that Archelaus not become king, because he had already killed three thousand Jews in quelling an uprising” (Gadenz, 320).

Just as the wicked tyrant is rejected, the innocent Messiah will also be rejected in Jerusalem, and will give his life. Jesus again appears to be presenting the contrast between the fallen nature of humanity with the coming of the new kingdom under his reign. His apostles are not to be like the corrupt leadership of the age, but they are to go out to all the nations to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.

The readings this week also continue to present eschatological talk, references to the second coming of Jesus, and final judgment because we are in the final two weeks of the liturgical year. Jesus’ reference to going away and coming back, could be a reference to his death, resurrection, ascension, and the waiting until his second coming in which there will be a judgment by God. Jesus makes clear that we are not the judge and jury, though many appropriate this role for themselves. We are only accountable for the talent or gold coin we have been entrusted with.

God has called us each uniquely by name and given us a gift that he wants us to put into action to help build up his kingdom. We need to resist burying this gift or hiding it away. The most important thing we can do each day is to pray, and deepen our relationship with God and each other. The enemy will tempt us with doubts, fears, and anxieties which we are to renounce and instead trust in Jesus, seek his strength, and guidance.

We are invited each day to begin with prayer. In the beginning, the length of time is not as important as consistently spending time with God intentionally. We show up, breathe, allow ourselves to be still, allow the restlessness of our mind to quiet, and we listen. This may take some time or days, but when we continue to return to these daily anchors and trust that God has a purpose for us, we will hear his guidance, and then we are to follow his lead.

The encouraging words of St. John Paul II are helpful: “Remember that you are never alone. Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives!” – St. John Paul II

We are called by Jesus to be contemplatives in action. We are not to follow the lead of mediocrity and fear. With humility and patience, let us trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit who will light our path to maturing and actualizing our unique call and as we serve God and one another we will bear good fruit.

Painting: “The Lord of the Parables” by Jorge Cocco, Altus Fine Art

Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Praying persistently helps us to grow in our relationship with God and one another.

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary (Lk 18:1).

In the parable that Jesus offered in today’s gospel account, he is not saying that persistence in prayer is changing God or somehow bending his will to our’s. We are not wearing him down like the woman did with the judge. God does not need us. God is completely and totally self-sufficient. We are the ones who need him. Our persistence, our daily habit of prayer, changes us, transforms us, helps us to develop our relationship by interacting with God more consistently. Things happening in our lives help us to see that we are fragile and vulnerable and in need of help. Our persistence in prayer will help us to experience that we are not alone in our challenges. When we are dealing with a crisis or very real trauma, our persistence and faithfulness in prayer will help us to experience the closeness of Jesus in our midst as he accompanies us through our suffering and grants us the strength not just to endure but to overcome.

In fact, the practice of stopping everything and praying for five minutes when a crisis arises, often helps us to resist slipping into a fight or flight mode and helps us to resist reacting automatically based on our emotions. Consciously choosing to breathe while praying helps us to act more prudently than impulsively. We may also come to see that what we thought was a crisis, may have been more of a problem to be solved rather than something catastrophic. Our instant reactions to perceived crises can often escalate an issue rather than de-escalate one.

In the greater scheme of things, God answers all prayers of petition or intercession by saying yes, no, or not yet. Most seem to fall in the not yet or not the way we originally intended category. Remaining patient and faithful can help us to move away from seeking to conform God to our will and instead allow him to expand our hearts and minds to his will. Through this expansion, we can come to see the situation from a broader perspective. Our persistence in prayer also helps us to move away from seeking instant gratification and instead trust more in God’s will and timing. Sometimes we are blessed for unanswered prayers because with time, hindsight, and some distance, we find our original request was more an apparent than an actual good.

Persistence in prayer is also a discipline that deepens the roots of our relationship with God. Ready access through our modern technology, higher internet speeds, one-click access, and overnight shipping, can offer plusses, but we have to be careful that this mindset does not shape our mental, psychological, and spiritual growth. Physical fitness, wisdom, or spiritual maturity is not instantaneous. More importantly, development as human beings and our relationships take time, experience, discipline, prayer, and trust in God’s plan.

Patience, persistence in prayer, freeing ourselves from attachment, developing an authentic and intimate relationship with God and one another are all worth the effort. We need to take some time to breathe deeply, slow down our pace, discipline ourselves to resist even seeking small acts of instant gratification each day. No matter how busy, it is important to slow down. Even when we stop to pray and feel like nothing has happened and that doing so feels like a waste of time, God is present. God loves us, has our back, and we can trust in that.

Photo: Blessed to have a moment to pray evening prayer back at St. Peter Catholic Church. Keeping our eyes on Jesus helps us to quiet our minds.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, November 15, 2025

A prayerful pause can make a big difference.

“I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart” (Romans 9:2). Paul is sharing his great pain because his own people are rejecting the gospel of Jesus. Paul can certainly relate because he not only rejected but persecuted anyone who followed Jesus, the person he came to believe is truly the Messiah.

Jesus also experiences the same aguish as he is meeting yet again opposition as he heals a man with dropsy, a condition in which some part of his body was suffering with swelling. Instead of recognizing and rejoicing in the healing just witnessed, the people judge Jesus for healing on the sabbath.

In response, Jesus points out the obvious by asking, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day” (Luke 14:5)? No answer but crickets… Jesus, as he often does, builds his case from the lesser to the greater. Just as he did with the parable of the unjust judge who made a just verdict, and an unwilling neighbor gave bread to his persistent friend in the middle of the night, how much more will God provide for his children? He wants all of us to be saved. The healings of Jesus are invitations to the ultimate healing we all seek which is the restoration and reconciliation of our relationship with God.

We need to be careful that we don’t fall into the tunnel vision of some of the scribes and the Pharisees by limiting Jesus in our own lives because we are choosing our fears, insecurities, or doubts over his guidance. I have done both. I have resisted, chosen not to act, beaten myself up over it (which does not work because we are still focused on ourselves and not Jesus), and prayed to improve the next time. I have followed without hesitation. I have also hesitated and then acted. Each time I was willing to risk and follow Jesus, I have experienced his consolation and our relationship has grown stronger.

I invite you to listen to Jesus today and ponder where he might be leading you and in what way to act regarding yourself or another who may be in need of healing. Grant yourself a quiet moment to examine where you may be resisting his invitation no matter how small, trust him, and take the risk to love. With each thought we entertain, choice we make, word we speak, may each go through the filter of the Holy Sprit. Ask, God is this what you want me to think, choose, or say? If yes, go forward. Instead of a knee-jerk reaction, let us give ourselves a prayerful pause with the Lord.

Photo: There are some great views we receive when we stop and look up with a prayerful pause!

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, October 31, 2025

God increase our faith.

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you” (Lk 13:31).

Even with this warning, from some Pharisees no less, Jesus continued to teach openly and publicly as well as performed healings and cast out demons. He did not fear the threat of retribution even from the likes of Herod who had killed John the Baptist. He willingly surrendered all to his Father and would continue to do so, especially not being deterred from continuing his march toward Jerusalem.

It is interesting that there are those Pharisees that are attempting to help him. Could they have been moved by the courage of Jesus? His undeterred persistence for his mission and courage makes him a very dangerous man. He cannot be controlled, threatened, or coerced. Jesus is sure of what God has sent him to do and he is going to follow through with his Father’s plan even to the point of giving his life.

Many, even those like the centurion, who did not believe in him, after he ran his spear through his side, admired his courage, and something happened in that moment such that he came to believe that he was the Messiah (cf. Mark 16:39). Many of the first-century martyrs who followed Jesus to their own deaths were a big reason for those who came to believe and also became followers of this One who died on a Cross. Tertullian, one of the early Church Fathers, living from 155 – 220 AD, went so far as to say that: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

We are all called by God to be martyrs, not necessarily by shedding our blood. Martyr literally means witness. Each one of us is called by Jesus to bear witness to what we believe and the One who we believe in. Faith is a gift. If we feel that we are weak in our faith, we are in good company, because Jesus said on more than one occasion to his Apostles, the ones he would send out as his witnesses, “Oh, you of little faith.”

The Apostles continued with the little faith they had. They trusted in Jesus and continued to move forward. It is in growing our relationship with Jesus that gives us our strength. If we feel like our faith could use a little shoring up, let us not choose the path of Judas who isolated himself from the forgiveness of Jesus. Let us instead ask God to increase our faith, to allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and transform us, and be open to opportunities to follow his will.

Jesus, please help us to be still and hear the Father calling us, challenging us, to resist indifference and be his witnesses in our everyday lives and to be more open to follow the stirring of the Holy Spirit and put his guidance into action. Each time we say yes to the will of God, our clarity, courage, and faith increase.

Photo: We can have confidence that when we turn to the Holy Spirit, he will guide us through any storm.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, October 30, 2025

God is always present, are we aware?

“You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time” (Lk 12:56).

Reading this verse brought two memories from my childhood. The first one is from when my friend Steve and I as kids were interested in reading the natural signs and weather patterns, and we enjoyed watching our local weatherman, Hilton Kaderli, forecasting the weather each night. Another memory was with my cousin Danny. We were at my Uncle Pierre and Aunt Claudette’s house one afternoon and we saw a storm rising. We headed to the road and started running as fast as we could in the opposite direction to see how far we could get before the storm caught us, and when it did we walked home, sucking in air, being pelted by the rain, and enjoyed a good soaking. Steve, Danny, and I read the signs of the earth and the sky, but we didn’t pay all that much attention to the things of the spirit at that time.

Not only through his teachings, but also through his public actions, Jesus revealed some powerful signs that God was in their midst. Jesus taught and preached on his own authority, he cast out demons, forgave sins, healed people, met and ate with sinners and women. These were amazing signs that the Messiah came to dwell among them, yet some did not or would not see this truth. They rationalized away that he could not be who he showed himself to be.

Some did see and believe in his and each successive generation. Some two thousand years later because of their faithfulness, Jesus speaks to us again today. The accounts and encounters of Jesus have been preserved and passed on. the Bible is not just a dead letter, nor is the sacred deposit of our faith tradition some inanimate object passed on blindly generation after generation. We are invited time and again to be aware, to look for how Jesus still works in our lives each day.

Nor is Jesus a mere historical figure. Jesus conquered death, rose again and became the first born of the new creation. He is present in his glorified Body in the Eucharist and through each of us, “for what you do to the least of these, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:31-46). The good news is that he invites us to read the signs of his presence in our lives in our times.

Do we see coincidences or God-incidences? Do we see God’s presence working in our lives? If not, could it be because our lives are so busy and fast-paced? If so, schedule some time each day to stop, breathe, and reflect. Even if for only five to ten minutes, we can slow down and ask God to help us review the past twenty-four hours with the express purpose of noticing how he has been involved and engaged in our lives.

It is often by reflecting and looking back over the course of a day, a week, or a month, that we will recall some God-incidents no matter how small. Being thankful for this growing awareness and asking God for greater insight each day will help us to grow in our awareness of how much he has been accompanying us all along in our daily experiences.

For those times that we have refused or failed to recognize this closeness to Jesus, especially in his presence coming to us through others seeking our help, we can ask for forgiveness and for Jesus to assist us in being more aware and more intentional in following the stirring of the Holy Spirit going forward. Opening our hearts and minds to God will help us to better read the signs that the kingdom of heaven is indeed at hand, in our very midst. Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear: his word, his presence in the Eucharist, in each other, in creation, and in the silence of hearts?

Photo: God reveals himself to us each day in so many ways. Just one for me coming home early Wednesday evening.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, October 24, 2025

We are better prepared for the unexpected when our relationship with Jesus grows daily.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12: 35-36).

As disciples, we need to be ready for the coming of Jesus. Yes, for when he comes again at the end of time, but just as importantly, to be prepared for his coming each day in the midst of our lives. If we do not prepare to encounter him daily, the likelihood of us being prepared for his coming again will be slimmer, and only the Father knows the time or the hour.

To plan something means that we outline all that needs to be done down to the last detail. This can be an advantage especially when we are dealing with blueprints for a home or building. By having detailed plans we can be sure that we have the proper materials and tools, an estimated budget, and hire the help needed to accomplish the goal. I have been blessed to experience this process as we have been overseeing the rebuilding and renovation of our church which was damaged a year ago.

There are many areas in our life where planning has its advantages. Planning our spiritual life is important, deciding when and how we are to pray, meditate, study, engage in Bible and spiritual reading and/or which service we are going to attend, establishing a routine of spiritual direction, time for fellowship and small groups, and how, when and where we can serve others. These are all plusses for planning.

The challenge with planning pops up when we become too attached to the plan and we leave no room for the Holy Spirit, no awareness for the knock at the door because we are so focused on sticking to the plan. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are on the horizon. How many times have we experienced planning a dinner with guests, gotten stressed when things did not go exactly as planned and spent more time adhering to the plan and its execution such that we missed engaging with those we were working so hard to provide hospitality for? Martha learned this lesson.

Preparing is akin to planning, in that we get ready for an endeavor but we are more flexible to other options not governed by our fixed mind and our sense of being in control. Jesus calls us to be prepared to receive him at any moment. Are we prepared to encounter and be present to a classmate, colleague, family member, or neighbor who asks for help at an inopportune time, the homeless person in need, the undocumented immigrant, migrant, or refugee looking for safety and security, the unborn striving to actualize his or her potential, the coworker that has not been the most pleasant, the person that we perceive as somehow different from us – who we keep at arm’s length?

The complementarity of planning and preparing shows best when unexpected events in life arise. When we heard of JoAnn’s diagnosis we went into planning mode, and as anyone who has spent any time with JoAnn knows, she was in her element when there was some planning to be done. There were many things in those final months we planned for and for the most part, they came together. There were also interruptions and blocks to the plan where we needed to adjust, sometimes without notice. Preparing helped us to be flexible and so open to following the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Even before JoAnn’s diagnosis, she often said that life was hard. She saw many people suffering and couldn’t understand why people couldn’t be kinder to one another. St. Oscar Romero wrote, “It would be beautiful if people saw that their flourishing and the attainment of their highest ideals are based on their ability to give themselves to others.” In her suffering, JoAnn focused less on her condition and became more compassionate and empathetic.

We can better give ourselves to others when we focus less on ourselves, and resist following the voices of our fears, wounds, and insecurities. We are much better prepared when we invite Jesus into our poverty so that we will instead experience courage, healing, and security grounded in his love for us. When we daily trust and follow Jesus in each situation, ground ourselves in his love, we will experience life more fully, handle challenges more gracefully, and our hearts will expand and be more compassionate toward others.

Photo: Beautiful stained glass of those trusting in Jesus from our neighbors at St. John of the Cross.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, October 21, 2025

As did the Apostles and the saints in each age, let us trust in Jesus.

There are times when it feels like life is too hard, we are let down, or even feel betrayed as Paul shared in today’s first reading when he wrote: “At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16). And then in today’s gospel, Jesus sent seventy-two of his disciples off “like lambs among wolves.” He gave them nothing to take with them, “no money bag, no sack, no sandals” (Luke 10:4).

Paul, the Apostles, and disciples through the ages have experienced the limitations of our fallen and finite world. The Saints have not only experienced the poverty of our human condition, they realized that only in childlike dependence on God as Father could they be fulfilled. In reading the Bible and the lives of the saints we are offered the sound truth that we are to place our firm foundation on God and him alone. Nothing or no one else can be there for us like him. Why, because all else is finite. Only God is infinite.

When we find ourselves in challenging moments or seasons, we are not alone. In those moments we have the opportunity to draw on the same strength and source that Paul and the saints did. We too will experience the Lord standing by us and giving us his strength because Jesus is already there! It can feel hard to believe that sometimes, especially in situations that are chronic and ongoing.

In moments of trial, temptation, and/or tribulation, when we remember to breathe, to pray those prayers we know, as well as pray spontaneously from the depths of our hearts, not just the words but directing them to a Person, we have a better chance of experiencing God’s presence. Once we have shared, then let us trust and listen, be still and wait on the Lord. God cares, he never abandons us. Trust in Jesus and be not afraid.

Photo: Jesus walks with us each step of the way.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, October 18, 2025

Perseverance and trust are two key attitudes that will help us in prayer.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Lk 11:9).

In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues to teach his disciples and us about prayer. The key point he is emphasizing is to be persistent in our prayer and to trust in God. He is our Father who cares for us more than any human can. He cares and will provide for us more than our own earthly parents or friends.

Yet, we can be at times frustrated in prayer because when we do make the time to pray, we may feel or think that nothing is happening or has happened. We may pray for a specific petition for our self, or for a particular intention for another and felt, or thought, that there was not an answer from God. One may pray a sincere, seemingly selfless prayer for a loved one, a child, a spouse, a friend, to be healed and the person still dies. They may be deeply hurt because they did what Jesus said; they asked, they pleaded and begged, but felt they did not receive the healing; that which they sought for, was not given and, instead what they found was nothing but pain and heartache from loss; they knocked until their knuckles were raw and experienced no one on the other side.

Our attitude and orientation to prayer matters. When we sincerely turn our hearts and minds to God in prayer, something happens between us and God, though it may be beyond our cognitive grasp to understand or our sensory awareness to experience. There may indeed be emotional highs and consolations experienced in prayer, but if seeking those is the primary motivation for prayer we will find ourselves more frustrated than not. There may also be lows in prayer, dryness, even desolations, and even feeling God’s absence are also a reality. Emotions are fleeting and not a good barometer when measuring the effectiveness of prayer.

Another big misconception is that we pray to God as if he were a gumball machine. It may seem a silly analogy but how many of us really do pray and worse, only pray that way, and when we do not receive the specific thing we asked for, at the time specified, when we wanted and as we wanted, we brood and think God doesn’t care or does not, in fact, even exist. We may even slip into the barter posture. God if you grant me this, I will do that. If we are only open to receive what we want on our terms, again we are setting ourselves up for frustration.

The very desire to pray is the beginning of our awareness of God’s invitation, for God is the one who reaches out to us first. The answer to what or who we ask, seek, and knock is found at the end of the Gospel reading for today: “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Lk 11:13)?

God knows what is best for us, he sees our potential, he wants us to experience joy and be fulfilled. How can we best live our lives in this world to attain that reality? We do so by receiving the Holy Spirit. Who is the Holy Spirit? The infinite, communal love expressed between God the Father and God the Son. Our goal in prayer is to enter into God’s reality, the infinite communion of Love.

We pray first and foremost to help us to grow in relationship with God. This happens through our participation and conformation to the life of Jesus. When we take time to learn, meditate, pray with, and put into practice Jesus’ teachings as his disciples did we will start to see as he sees, we will come to see the truth of empty promises, apparent goods, substitutes to fill our emptiness and faulty defense and coping mechanisms that we have been utilizing as guideposts to merely survive and get through life.

When we stay consistent in an authentic life of prayer, God won’t bend to our will, but we will change. Instead of God becoming smaller to our demands, he expands our hearts and minds to be capable to receive his love. As we mature, we will begin to bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control (cf. Galatians 5:22-23)?

Why may God not appear to answer a prayer for our healing or for a loved one with a chronic condition or one who is dying? I do not know. But we need to resist running from the pain of loss and be willing to trust that God has not abandoned us but is with us. The tears that arise from our suffering can then become a healing salve, a doorway into the open arms and embrace of Jesus who awaits us in the depth of our grief and pain. Even our loved ones who have died have not come to an end but have experienced a new beginning. JoAnn often would say in her last few weeks that she was just changing her address.

Ultimately, what we ask, what we seek, and what we knock for when we pray is to be loved, to belong, to be a part of someone greater than ourselves. We have been created as a living, craving hunger, and desire to be one with God and each other. This is true for the atheist and the mystic alike. We have been created to be loved and to love.

The Holy Spirit is the gift of prayer that is open to us all. He is the love shared between the Father and the Son, that we too can experience. This is why he is the answer to our prayer, though sometimes to be aware of his presence takes perseverance. It may not be that God is not answering, but that we are not patient enough to receive the answer. We need to be patient enough to be still and know God. Prayer is about building a relationship and like any other relationship, that takes time and work.

To mature in our relationship with God not only takes perseverance, we also need to trust him. One of the enemy’s chief tactics is to sow the seeds of doubt and mistrust. Trust in God’s love for you. Trust that he hears every prayer. Continue to show up each day and pray. Even if you feel nothing is happening, God is working within you, fighting for you, helping you to feel safe, heal and grow in trust. It is also important to spend regular time in quiet, for God’s primary language is silence.

“Leave it all to God and leave your interests in His hands. He knows what is fitting for us… No matter: tell Him honestly, candidly, and ask Him to help you trust Him.” – St. Teresa of Avila

Photo: St. Teresa of Avila from St. John of the Cross Catholic Church

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, October 9, 2025

Is Jesus just an idea or a person?

“‘Who then is this about whom I hear such things?'” And he kept trying to see him” (Lk 9:9).

Herod Antipas, the ruler over Galilee and Perea, heard stories about Jesus. The range of his thoughts, expressed by Luke, is confusion to curiosity, and regarding what he did to John the Baptist, his rumination could have been much worse. Herod may have started to feel concern over the possibility of a growing revolt, some guilt for his execution of John the Baptist, or just as had feared John while at the same time “liked to listen to him” (Mark 6:20). Could this Jesus accomplish even half of the things Herod had heard about him? One question that did not seem to cross Herod’s mind was whether he had any interest in changing his life and becoming a follower of Jesus.

Herod was not the only one in Luke’s Gospel who asked questions about who this man, Jesus, was. Nor did the asking of those questions die with Jesus on the cross. They continued after his resurrection and ascension, they continued into the first centuries of the Church, which led to the calling of the first ecumenical councils that dealt directly with who Jesus was, and they continued in each following century and continue today. There are even at present, within some academic circles, that question whether Jesus even existed at all.

One could ask why this question about the identity of Jesus still persists? One answer is that we are finite beings seeking to understand an infinite Mystery. To comprehend the reality that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God, fully divine, who took on human flesh in the womb of Mary, lived fully human, died on the cross, conquered death through his resurrection, and ascended to and sits at the right hand of the Father transcends can stretch our capacity of our ability to reason. Also, Jesus’ invitation is a universal but personal one. Each individual person has to encounter Jesus for her or himself.

Jesus called the Twelve, as well as Mary Magdalene, St. Irenaeus, St Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, St. Ignatius, St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal, St. Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, along with two of our newest saints – St. Pier Giorgio and St. Carlo. He also calls each one of us as well. He did not call us to just merely embrace a new philosophy, a new ethical way of life, or even a new religion. Jesus called and calls us to be a part of his Body, the Mystical Body of Christ.

Who is Jesus? Herod asks in today’s Gospel. It is a good question for us to ask as well. For me, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, who became incarnate, becoming one with us in our humanity so that we could become one with him in his divinity. This same Jesus who called others through the ages invites us to follow him today as well and he continues to walk this journey with us, whether we say yes or no to his invitation. We are more aware of his presence with us and receive more of his help when we say yes!

Life with Jesus isn’t perfect, and we will at times echo St. Teresa of Avila, who stated after she was thrown from a carriage into a mud puddle, “If you treat your friends this way, it is no wonder you have so few.” But we will, as did Teresa, also experience moments of inexpressible joy, of wonder and exhilaration, and feel blessed when Jesus works and loves through us.

St. Teresa of Avila had a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus and knew him as her closest friend because she heard him knocking and let Jesus in. She spent determined and intentional time consistently with him. She spent an hour before and an hour after Mass each day. She set aside specific, daily anchor times of personal meditation and prayer, contemplated upon and experienced deep intimacy with God, which allowed her times of such closeness such that she experienced Jesus as well in her daily activities. She was able to share with him her joys and frustrations because Jesus was that close to her.

Let Jesus not be just a passing curiosity as he was with Herod Antipas. Jesus is standing, knocking, (cf. Revelation 3:20) inviting us to open the door and let him in. Jesus is inviting us as he did with Zacchaeus to come down from the tree and take him to his home (cf. 19:5). Jesus is calling us to come and follow as he did with Matthew (cf. Matthew 9:9-13). Jesus is no myth, nor was his death the end. He died and conquered death for us. He is alive and well, and inviting us to follow him today. All Jesus waits for is our, “Yes.” and for us to make a few steps with him. Jesus will take care of the rest!

Photo accessed through Pinterest. Maybe we don’t know Jesus as well as we like because when we pray, we just say words, instead of realizing that we are really praying with a person.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, September 25, 2025

As Jesus called and sent the Apostles, he calls and will send us.

“Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority” (Lk 9:1).

Just as Jesus summoned the Twelve, he does so with us and empowers us for mission in his name. The mission of the Church in each generation is to continue to ministry of Jesus and the Apostles. The expression of our service is unique to each of us. We might resist exploring or entering into a deeper commitment of our faith though because we might feel anxious or afraid that God may call us to do something that we would never want to do, or that we couldn’t conceive of being capable of. There also may be some trepidation even when we are clear of the direction God wants us to move in which may arise from our hesitancy to change and move out from our comfort zone. Ultimately, God wants for us what we want for ourselves deep down. We may not even know what that is, but God does.

God knows what will give us and with whom we will experience meaning, fulfillment, and joy in our lives. The challenge for us is to come to know this for ourselves as well. The work of discipleship begins by accepting the invitation of God to walk with him and trust that he knows what he is doing and where he is leading! No matter our age, we are never too young or too old to begin or recommit to the journey along the path of discipleship. One good practice is to reflect on our dreams and desires, bring them to God in prayer, and imagine ourselves embracing what we desire.

When I first joined the Franciscans to study for the priesthood in the early ’90s, I imagined from time to time my ordination day, especially in our second year as we were thinking about taking temporary vows. When I did so, a puzzling result consistently arose. I did not experience any excitement or joy. So, a year and a half into formation, I decided to take a leave of absence. I had asked to take off a year, but the minimum time for a leave of absence was two.

Though I balked at first about the two-year time frame required, I came to see the wisdom of my formation director. I would have come back after a year. About a year and a half after I left, I then realized that my vocational path was leading me to the Sacrament of Matrimony and not Holy Orders. Eighteen months after I came to that realization, I met JoAnn. As our relationship grew and we began to talk about marriage, whenever I envisioned our wedding day, I felt excitement and joy. Each year that we had together built on the one before. We grew closer to God and each other right up until the day of her death.

God led me to the Franciscans in my mid-twenties, he then led me out, and then to JoAnn. Almost three years after JoAnn’s death, he led me to seminary to be formed as a diocesan priest. Periodically when I imagined my ordination day, even though the schedule was more intense this time around, unlike during my novitiate year with the Franciscans, this time I felt excited. A year and almost two months after being ordained a priest, it is still more amazing than I could have ever imagined!

God loves us more than we can ever imagine, he has a plan for each and every one of us, and he knows what will fulfill us. When we ponder our dreams and desires, and as we investigate, research, explore potential opportunities and continue to pray and discern each step, we will come to see that as we align ourselves with God’s will that makes all the difference. We are not alone in this process, and we have a God who can see the full picture, where we see only a small part.

There will be fits and starts, missteps and slips, doubts as well as confirmations, and desolations as well as consolations. The key through it all, is to remain faithful, to continue to trust in Jesus who called us. He will continue to accompany us along the way. As he did with the Apostles, he will give us the resources and strength we need, and he will send the Holy Spirit to empower and transform our lives.

The process of discerning God’s will for our lives is not just for ourselves alone. Jesus is preparing us for mission. Making time to be silent, to meditate and pray with God, coming to know better his will and to put into practice his teachings, we will be transformed daily by the gift of God’s love. Continuing to breathe, receive, rest, and abide in his love, we will better know how best to serve God in others!

Photo: We too are called like St. Peter and St. Paul.

For Mass readings see bible.usccb.org and click on the link for Wednesday’s readings.