This week at mass something caught my attention that normally doesn’t – the second reading. I don’t always place too much importance on that piece of scripture, as I’m usually anticipating the Gospel and homily. Today’s second reading from 1 Corinthians really sparked my interest, though.

”I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping,
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away.”

The words in and of themselves confused me. Normally when a scripture talks about the world ending, it’s not also telling husbands to act as if they’re not married – so you can understand my confusion. I decided to dig a little deeper into this scripture to see what Paul was really trying to say.

1.) “….let those having wives act as not having them….” – Paul isn’t telling the Corinthians to cheat on their spouses. He is trying to tell us to not only be concerned with your spouse. We need to put our concerns for the things of the Lord above those of anyone else.

2.) “….those weeping as not weeping….” – So often we get caught up in the ‘earthliness’ of life. How often? Every damn day for most of us. Sometimes we can become so obsessed with the self pity that it’s hard for us to focus on much anything else. That’s not the life that Jesus wants us to live. He wants us to live a life close to Him and a life full of joy.

3.) “….those rejoicing as not rejoicing….” – Just as we can become obsessed with grief, we can also become obsessed with searching for and finding joy. While the Lord wants us to live a joyful life, He does not want us to make it our sole focus in life.

4.) “…..those buying as not owning…..” – While there will always be things that we need to buy throughout the course of our lives, the Lord never wants us to become addicted to buying things – nor does He want our happiness to come from owning them.

Some have translated the next line as “Let your every contact with the world be as light as possible.” I like that translation. While we need to remain invested in the world in order to change it for the better, we do not need to make it the main focus of our lives – nor should we. By keeping our hearts and souls pointed towards the eternal fellowship we have with Christ Jesus, all of the other aspects of our lives should follow behind and fall into place.

Have a great week, and see you back here next Sunday.

The theme of today’s readings was being called by the Lord. Samuel is being called by God in the first reading – although he doesn’t realize it at the time, and today’s Gospel reading tells the story of Jesus calling Simon Peter to become a disciple.

Father talked about the different ways that the Lord calls us. In the current crazy and busy world that we live in today, it can be very hard to hear the Lord’s call. It can be very difficult to quiet our minds and hearts enough to hear God’s voice.

A passage from the reflection in today’s bulletin really made me think: “Maybe we need someone to open our eyes to God’s presence in the ordinariness of life. Frequently God speaks to us through the lives of other people. When we see goodness in the we too want to be good, to do good. This might prompt us to share what we have, to comfort those who suffer, to forgive those who have offended us.”

I know I’ve talked about this before, but this year I really want to make an effort to allow the Lord to use me in this way. Sometimes God isn’t asking us to save a life or make a huge monetary donation, but He may just be asking us to hold a door, call a friend, or say hello to a stranger.

Father told the story today of how his parents met. His mother was moving out of her apartment, and his father was moving into the same building. The landlord mentioned to his father that a very nice lady would be stopping by to make her last rent payment……if he wanted to stick around to meet her.

He did.

They were married a year and a half later.

What you think to be a small gesture,the Lord could be using to change someone’s life in a very big way. Even during these crazy times we can always find a way to exhibit kindness everyday to others.

Let’s all take some time this week to quiet our minds and our hearts enough to that we can hear the Lord calling us to do ordinary things that He can use in an extraordinary way.

Have a great week, and see you back here next Sunday.

This weekend brought with it a little change in pace for me. I wasn’t able to make 8:30 mass this morning at my parish, so I attended 4pm mass at my former parish. Due to the fact that the Father Nate had just tested positive for COVID, Bishop Gruss said mass in his absence.

It was a bit nostalgic being back in the parish I called home for almost 8 years. Good Shepherd Parish will always have a special place in my heart. It felt a lot like going back home for a special occasion.

As the Bishop gave his homily to the congregation, he asked how many of us knew the day we were baptized on. Of course he knew – but nobody else in the church did. He explained that in many ways our baptism day is more important than our birthday. Our birthday is the day we were born into this sin-filled world, but our baptism day is the day we were born into eternal life. He then began to talk about how the spirit of God is alive in each and every one of us, and that REALY made me think.

During a time when our country is feeling more divided than ever, the Bishop’s words reminded me of that truth. The spirit of God lives in each and every one of us. Last fall I shared a picture on Facebook that I had seen earlier that said:

“Kamala is beloved.
Donald is fearfully and wonderfully made.
Mike is cherished.
Joe is important enough that I died for him.”

Although the majority of Americans would not agree with all of those statements, they are ALL true. The spirit of God lives in us ALL – not just your friends and the people you agree with. Recognizing the divinity in another does not excuse any wrongdoing they may have done. Ours is not to judge. Acknowledging the spirit of God in another just enables us to live as God calls us to – and to love one another.

I been thinking a lot over the past week about the goals I’d like to set for myself for the upcoming year. I’ve made a LOT of changes to my life over the past 5 years, and each and every one of them has had a profound effect on my life. I have a strong desire to help others to do the same. I find it overwhelming and difficult at times to think of ways to do that. It’s easy with some people, and it’s extremely difficult with others. Listening to the Bishop yesterday gave me a different outlook on this. By recognizing the spirit of the Lord in everyone I encounter in life, I feel that will enable me to help others. Sometimes we talk ourselves out of doing good deeds because we feel like they are not enough. This doesn’t have to be difficult. You can make a difference in someone’s life by treating them with kindness.

As we move forward in the new year, let’s all remember that the spirit of God lives within us all. We’re not here to judge each other. We’re not here to treat people as good as they treat us. We’re here to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Sounds live a great way to head into 2021.

Have a great week, and see you back here next Sunday!

Huron County started off the year with a tremendous loss.

Lowell McDonald passed away on Friday, January 1st.

I can’t adequately describe what Lowell was to our community. Pretty much every resident of our area has their own “Lowell Story” to share. While I have my own memories of Lowell, the story that I kept thinking of today was actually my parents’ story.

Not too long ago my parents were on their way to Bad Axe and drove by Lowell and Beth’s house. My Dad passed the remark to my Mom that he hoped one day Lowell would be outside and they could stop for a visit. It just so happened that day they noticed his garage door was open. They drove past the house a little bit when my Dad decided there was no time like the present to stop by. They went back, and they found Lowell outside. They pulled in the driveway and proceeded to have the nicest visit. Before they left he made sure to tell them to stop by anytime for a cup of coffee. After their visit was done and they were driving away, Mom and Dad both said how happy they were that the timing worked out.

About a week or so later – Lowell had passed away.

That story was all I could think about today during mass. So often I feel the Lord will put something on my heart and I dismiss it. I’ll think it’s silly….or I’ll have time to do it later……or someone else will do that…….the excuses go on and on. Today I asked the Lord to open my ears and my heart to those ‘nudges of the soul’ as He sends them to me. There’s not a doubt in my mind it was the Lord that nudged my Dad to turn his truck around that afternoon. As we begin the new year, let’s all open our ears and hearts to those ‘nudges of the soul.’

I called my parents after church today, and my Mom shared with me a passage that was in their bulletin this Sunday. She said it reminded her of Lowell and read it to me over the phone.

“A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good he does in this world to his fellow man. When he dies people will say, ‘What property has he left behind him?’ But the angels will ask, ‘What good deeds has he sent before him?’”

See you back here next Sunday – and thank you, Lowell, for everything you have done for this community. Your generosity will never be forgotten – in this world or the next.