"Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy."

Do you ever get burnt out? I feel like that's the perennial question. It doesn't matter what you do for a living. That feeling of not being able to go on, not making a difference, unmotivation and alone-ness is familiar to us all. 

Today is the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus. St. Paul was blessed with these friends who helped him form the early Church while he was in prison. His love and trust in them is evident in his epistles.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Have you ever taken a moment to reflect on the weird things we celebrate in the Catholic Church? Today we celebrate not just a person, but specifically his conversion. Did you know we also have feasts where we celebrate churches, apparitions, and even a chair!

Can you imagine a world where we don't have to evangelize because everyone knows the Lord?

"Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises."

Today's readings concern the priestly office of Baptism. Fr. Andy preached about this a few weeks ago. In baptism, we are anointed priest, prophet, and king. These offices are not just for Jesus but are for all the baptized.

Our 1st reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews gives us a  comforting metaphor this morning: Our hope in God is like an anchor for our soul, sure and firm.

I was listening to a podcast about liturgy the other day and a very interesting reference was made to this Gospel. The disciples of Jesus were being criticized for not fasting like the disciples of John and the Pharisees. Jesus responds by saying, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?"

Today's Gospel is the story of the paralytic man who was lowered through the roof down to Jesus where He forgave the man's sins and allowed him to walk. I was all prepared to write a reflection on surrounding yourself with people who will lead you to Jesus, but I was actually struck by something new as I read the passage.

When I was learning how to pray with Scripture I was taught to read the passage a few times and pay attention to what sticks out to me. That's often a good sign that the Holy Spirit is trying to draw your attention to that word or verse. I still try to pray that way when I pray with Scripture and this morning this is the line that struck me:

"Rising very early before dawn,  he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed." This line from the Gospel has been very formative in my life, and I hope the lives of everyone involved in active ministry, and I hope the lives of all period.

In 1918, a boy named Howard Loomis was abandoned by his mother and left at an orphanage. Howard had polio and wore heavy leg braces. Walking was difficult for him, especially when he had to climb steps. Older boys at the orphanage helped Howard by carrying him up and down the stairs. The orphanage was run by Father Edward Flanagan and one day he asked if carrying Howard was hard. The older boy replied with the familiar words: “He ain’t heavy, Father… he’s my brother.”

It's the first week of Ordinary Time. After the beginning of the liturgical year with Advent and the great celebration of the season of Christmas, we now enter into a few weeks of Ordinary Time before we begin our preparation for Easter with the season of Lent.

Is it just me, or is St. John just saying the same thing in different ways in each of the first readings this week? In some ways... I feel like he is. But today also had a unique addition!

St. Thomas Aquinas defines love as willing and choosing the good of another. Love is the golden rule in action: do unto others what you would have them to do you.

Our memorial today is for St. John Neumann. He was born in the Czech Republic in 1811 and after going thru seminary he found that his diocese did not need any more priests. He immigrated to the US when he was 25 and was ordained a priest in New York. Since he spoke several languages, he was very popular with the expanding Catholic immigrant population.

"Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." Honestly, I think this is the crux of the Gospel message. I think this because Jesus calls us to make a decision: "Repent."