Troubles Guaranteed

“In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
John 16:33

Troubles and trials are inescapable parts of the human life. Despite how much we may wish those difficulties could be eliminated, we know that they don’t go away. God doesn’t wave a wand and the troubles go away. Jesus lived in the world and had His share of troubles. We also live in the world and will have our share. But we will have Jesus with us. Listen to the audio for the full reflection.

Son to Father

“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.”

John 17:11b

At the Last Supper, during the final hours of His life on earth, Jesus prays. He speaks to the Father — not for Himself but for His disciples, for us. He asks His Father to preserve us, to keep us safe so that we may be one just as He and the Father are one. Jesus wants us to share in the Divine Life, that which is Love. But, how can we do that now? We live in the world, a world that is plagued by sin and evil. Yes, we live in it, but we must never succumb to its lies and allurements. We must remember that we are in the world but not of the world. We do not belong to this world. We are only pilgrims journeying toward our eternal destination. We must live in this world, caring for God’s creation, learning what is good and evil, taking what is good and leaving the bad, helping one another, standing up for the truth and condemning evil. Jesus was also in the world. He lived. He suffered. He died. He rose. He ascended. He came into the world, suffered, died, rose, and ascended so that we who are in this world, may too one day reach our heavenly home.

Mentoring Faith

“But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way of God more accurately.”

 Acts 18:26

When we are baptized, we do not suddenly know absolutely everything about our faith. It is called a journey of faith for a reason. It’s a journey and on this journey we experience a series of encounters — with the Lord and with one another. If we say we know all about God then we really do not know much! We can never really know all about God — He is eternal and infinite. There is always something more that we come to learn about God and our relationship with Him. Our faith is not simply a set of beliefs or rules, it is a journey of endless encounters that draw us ever deeper into the mystery of Love itself. Listen to the audio for the full reflection.