Free Mustard Seeds

At St. Ignatius Catholic Church on the final day of a signs & wonders filled ministry trip to the Cayman Islands with Patrick Reis of Encounter Ministries in partnership with Pastor Felix Manzanares of Journey Ministries, testimony is given of the wonders God worked throughout the week, including the miraculous growth of Naomi's leg, who shares her testimony.  To see amazing footage of Naomi's Miracle, visit:  https://youtu.be/1Akl124_Qbs

On Good Shepherd Sunday, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations, we consider the vocation, the call, the God has given all of us:  to live as disciples of Jesus, sons & daughters of God, in a life of divine love that leads us to live in holiness.  When we fully embrace our primary vocation, we are ready to embrace our secondary vocation:  the stable plan/state of life & special path God will lead us down as we live the life of discipleship he's called us to.

At a holy hour with young adults, a brief reflection on Jesus, the Good Shepherd who loves to roll away the stone...

At a Palm Sunday Holy Hour with Young Adults, the gift of the Lord's offer to fall in love with Him amidst the gift of Holy Week is reflected upon.

While revealing what the New Covenant would be like through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord tells us "I will place my law within them and write (also translated engrave) it upon their hearts."  So deeply does the Lord want to impress his love into our lives, so deeply...that we can confess we've been cut to the heart, and transformed for His glory, by His love!  

In the story of Jesus healing the man born blind (John 9), we consider the gift of spiritual sight that is faith and what life is like in His supernatural light.

It was love that led Jesus to cleanse the temple, it was love that led Jesus to be consumed on the cross for us.  The Lord reveals to us that "God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29).  Will you allow this love to consume you?

In the Transfiguration of Jesus, we hear of the divinity of God shining forth from Jesus.  In our baptisms, this very divine life of God is poured into us.  Sin prevents us from allowing God's divine life of love to blaze forth in our lives.  A MERCIFUL invitation from Jesus awaits us..."ask me to reveal your sin to you, so you can be healed of it."

At St. Andrews in Rochester, the foundational conviction of Unleash the Gospel is considered:  the Church in the Archdiocese of Detroit is resolved to obey the Holy Spirit and be made by him a band of joyful missionary disciples.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul proclaimed, "do everything for the glory of God!" (1 Cor 10:31)  God's glory is the visible manifestation of God's awesome majesty.  This reflection focuses on the glory of God in marriage, in the lives of the sick and in our everyday lives.

The famous verse from psalm 95 rings out from one generation to the next, "oh that today you would hear His voice."  Our faithful Father loves to speak with His children.  We consider His fidelity, how He speaks, what happens when He speaks and how we can grow in our ability to listen to our Good Father.

After the Lord revealed His presence to Samuel and called Samuel by name, the scriptures tell us that none of Samuel's words were without effect. (1 Sam 3:19) When we "behold the Lamb of God" in the secret place, our heart to heart union with God, from the fullness of a heart filled with God's electrifying love we speak! (Lk 6:45)

Rooted in God's love, a familial reality, we are able to receive God's love (grace!) as we continue to make a gift of our lives to God in selfless love. Rooted and receiving, we are positioned to release God's love to the world around us.  God's aim for this release is the transformation our families, workplaces and everywhere the soles of our feet tread as the love of God's kingdom pours forth.

The angel Gabriel assured Mary, "nothing will be impossible for God."  This was not a one time proclamation, as Jesus himself reassured his disciples in Matthew 19 that "for God, all things are possible".  He is Emmanual, God with us, and as we learn to live more intentionally in the presence of God with faith, wisdom and courage, we will see the impossible bow at the name of Jesus. 

In the Gospel of John we John the Baptist echoing the prophet Isaiah "make strait the way of the Lord".  The Living God speaks these words anew to us in Advent, inviting us into a deeper, more ardent desire for God...a desire that God both gives us and blesses come Christmas with new life in His Holy Spirit.