No matter where we are in our relationship with Jesus, if we examine ourselves honestly in light of this Sunday’s readings, we will no doubt discover that we have room to grow. Christian discipleship means always learning, always growing, conforming our hearts and minds more fully with the Divine Will as his grace slowly, over time, bears the fruit of sanctity.
Read MoreThrough the Resurrection, Christ has inaugurated a new age of faith, one in which God is worshiped not in a single Temple in Jerusalem, but in spirit and truth throughout the whole world (cf. Jn 4:23). This new Temple is not a brick-and-mortar construction, but the very Body of Christ — a body which all Christians are members of by virtue of our baptism.
Read MoreTo be converted literally means to be transformed. When we repent from our sins and accept God’s gift of forgiveness we are transformed into a new creation — we become the person God made us to be. But we do not transform ourselves. We are converted by God, which can only happen when we turn away from sin and turn toward God.
Read MoreWhat does it mean to rejoice in the Lord even when you feel sad, angry, anxious or frustrated? I admit, I haven’t entirely figured that out myself. But I think it has a lot to do with gratitude and having an active awareness of God’s mercy.
Read MoreThe bad news is that we will all one day die. None of us can escape that reality. The good news — the gospel we proclaim — is that if we choose to die in Christ — and we make that choice by living in Christ — then our tombs will one day be empty like His.
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