Due to the fact that I’ve been attending mass since I was born – and attended every day from first grade through junior high as I attended a catholic school, I’ve heard every gospel reading known to man. So it’s not very often that I hear a homily that makes me look at a gospel differently – that is until I met Father George Amos.

Father George came to our parish last year. His passion for his faith is so very clear to all who know him. He has brought a reverence back to our parish that is creating a sense of pride in our parishioners. His homilies are my favorite, and each one makes me look at the gospel readings differently than I ever have.

Last Sunday’s homily, though, was my favorite so far. The gospel this past week was the story from Matthew 21: 33-43. The passage is the parable Jesus told about the landowner who planted a vineyard, which he leased out to people before he left on a journey. When the harvest time grew near, the landowner sent his servants to collect the fruits of the vineyard. The tenants, however, seized the servants and killed them. The landowner sent more servants, and they suffered the same fate as the group before them.

The landowner then sent his son, thinking that the tenants would respect him. The tenants schemed that they could steal the son’s inheritance, and the son was thrown out of the vineyard and killed. Jesus ends the parable by saying, “Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

Now in all the years that I’ve listened to this gospel, I’ve only thought of it in one way. Jesus himself is the son that the landowner (God) sent to the vineyard – only to be killed by the tenants. This past Sunday, though, Father George opened up my eyes to this passage in a whole new light.

Father asked us this question: “How often do we say we have no time for God and His mission because of a blessing He has already given us?”

I know – mind blown, right?

Those tenants probably prayed for a vineyard to be able to inhabit and utilize. Once they received it, they had no time for gratitude and to carry out the mission of the landowner – only greed.

How often do we ask God for a home – only to neglect mass on Sunday to take care of it?
How often do we ask God for a new career – only to neglect daily time with Him to pour ourselves into it?
How often to we ask God for financial blessings – only to refuse to be giving to others?

Father George’s question has really changed the way I’m looking at many things in my life – so I thought I’d share the question with all of you……what blessings are you turning into burdens?

Today begins our Lenten season this year. Even though Lent didn’t officially start until today, this past Sunday’s gospel was already beginning to set the stage for this time of repentance and reflection.

This Sunday’s readings and gospel all revolved around the idea of forgiveness and loving your neighbor. When Father George got up to share his homily message, he explained things in a different light. He stated, “In today’s readings the Lord is asking us how we are going to live a more holy life. He’s not asking what our brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors are doing. He’s asking US how WE are going to live a holy life.”

Normally when we read these passages we gloss over the “love thy neighbor” and “harbor no hatred against your brother” parts. We’ve read them so often they become commonplace. As these passages become more familiar to us, they can also become less meaningful. While hearing the gospels where Jesus preaches about loving our neighbors and being free of hate, it’s very easy while sitting in the safety of our church pew to think loving thy neighbor isn’t all that hard.

Father George went on to point out “Jesus isn’t asking us to love our neighbors only if they’re nice to us. He asking us how WE are going to be more holy on our OWN.” I once read a quote about peace that says “Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of all of those things and still be calm in your heart.” The challenge isn’t loving our neighbor. Our challenge is to remain holy in the face of wrongdoing and hate from others – sometimes those who are the closest to us.

Normally my Lenten ‘penance’ involves giving up wine, sweets, soda, or other things that I like to enjoy in my everyday life. This year I’m going to focus instead on my prayer life – specifically praying for others. Maybe this year for Lent instead of giving something up you can choose to add a holy activity to your day. I feel like Jesus would rather have us arrive at Easter Sunday ten pounds heavier but with less hatred in our hearts.

Our priest, Father George, has been gone this month and we have had visiting and retired priests filling in while he’s gone. This morning it was a pleasant surprise to find out that Father Pat O’Connor would be filling in for the next couple of weeks.

This morning’s gospel told the story of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, including the selection of some of the apostles. As Father Pat began his homily he appeared from behind the pulpit holding on to a set of poker chips. He asked the congregation if we were familiar with the game and the term, “going all in.” He proceeded to talk about how the apostles had gone “all-in” when it came to dedicating their lives to the Lord.

I didn’t really give it much thought before today, but Father Pat pointed out the anomalies between how Jesus began His ministry compared to other teachers in that day. Normally, students would be the ones to seek the teachers out to see if they were considered worthy to learn from the teacher. Jesus was the one who sought out the apostles and asked them to follow Him. Father then pointed out the difference between the apostles and other students of the time. Look at who Jesus chose….a tax collector, fishermen, someone who would eventually betray Him……..not a stellar group of guys at first glance.

However, because these men went all in, Jesus blessed them and strengthened them. He didn’t call the qualified. He qualified the called.

We’re still pretty early on in this new year. Is there something that you’ve been holding back on because you don’t feel quite ready? Have you been scared to start that project that you’ve been thinking about because you don’t feel qualified?

If Jesus taught us anything by how He began His ministry it’s that God’s plan for our lives doesn’t have to make sense. Who would have thought that group of men would have gone on to become the fathers of our faith? If we go all in with our faith in the Lord and His plan for our lives, we can have faith that we will be able to do all things through Him.

Today is the clean slate that we’ve been waiting for – physically and mentally. A year full of possibilities and goals lies ahead of us. Even though as an accountant these are some of my busiest days of the year, I absolutely love the feeling that January 1st brings with it.

This morning was the first time that I can ever remember being in church at 8:25am for mass on New Year’s Day. Now, I’m sure there were times when I was younger that I was able to get up that early after NYE, but it’s been a while! I actually set my alarm last night before I went to sleep in preparation for going to mass this morning. I slept through my alarm (Shocker.), but I still woke up in time to make it to 8:30am service.

We had a visiting priest this morning as Father George was out of town. He began the service with a bit of a small homily message. He noted that today was the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, and today’s gospel carried a very special message about her. The gospel told the story of Jesus’ birth and how “……Mary carried all of these things in her heart.” Father explained that Mary carried these things in her heart and it strengthened her faith as a result. Then he stated, “As today is the first day of a new year, it’s an excellent time to examine what we are carrying in our hearts. Are we carrying hate, bitterness, jealously, and other things that have hurt us into the new year, or will we choose to carry all of the blessings we have received from the Lord over the past year with us?”

Pretty important question so early in the morning, but a WONDERFUL question to ask ourselves so early in this new year.

Maybe some things are best left in 2022. What will you choose to carry with you into 2023?

Over the past week social media has been flooded with tributes to Stephen “tWitch” Boss after his sudden death. When someone so young passes away, the shocking loss may cause some to look at their own lives differently. When that sudden death is the result of a suicide, that same loss forces us to take a look at how our actions can effect the lives of others.

I’ve seen several posts in recent days sharing the Suicide Prevention Hotline number. I’ve seen others detailing other resources for individuals suffering with depression. After such a high profile loss everyone’s awareness is heightened. Everyone’s empathy becomes a little stronger.

However, in the days to come – ESPECIALLY during this busy time of the year, we’ll all get distracted. Most of us will get sucked into the busyness of this holiday season. We’ll be rushing from gathering to gathering. We’ll have gifts to buy and gifts to wrap. We’ll have meals to make and family to visit. We’ll have last minute trips to the store and final errands to run. I hate to say this, but…….the next two weeks are going to fly by, and 2023 is going to be here in no time.

Some may read that list of things and think, “Good Lord. Just reading all of those things exhausts me.” I guess that is one way to look at it. I’d like to look at it a different way.

A couple of weeks ago in church, Father George asked the following question of the congregation during his homily:

“What can you do TODAY to contribute to someone else’s joy?”

Simple question, right? Smile. Offer a compliment. Hold a door open. Pay for the person’s coffee in line behind you. The list goes on and on. There are SO MANY different ways that we can spread joy to others. How about a not-so-simple question…..

“Over the next two weeks, how often are we actually going to take the time to do one of those things?”

The next couple of weeks are going to bring with them their own set of challenges, but do you know what else they are going to bring with them? So many different opportunities to show kindness to so many people. I truly believe that every act of kindness – whether big or small – has a ripple effect. We may never fully realize how a simple act of kindness on our part can effect the life of someone else. Maybe a compliment can pull someone out of a self-deprecating thought. Maybe a phone call to a friend we haven’t spoken to in a while will bring them a moment of joy in an otherwise dark day. Maybe a random act of kindness can inspire a stranger to do the same for someone else.

What may seem like an insignificant action to us may do more good than we could ever realize. Over the next couple of weeks, let’s try and keep Father George’s question at the forefront of our minds. A small contribution of joy may end up saving the life of someone else.

I’ve really been enjoying my daily videos from Dynamic Catholic as part of the “Best Christmas Ever” series. (You can sign up to receive the daily videos for free at DynamicCatholic.com) I was getting caught up on my videos this morning, and Matthew Kelly asked a question that made me look at the holiday season in a whole new way.

He asked “What is your favorite Christmas memory?” Just the question itself released a floodgate of Christmas memories over the years in my mind. It was hard to pick just one. As I was strolling down memory lane, he followed up the question with the following statement – “Your favorite Christmas memory more than likely does not have ANYTHING to do with all that your parents stressed over and worried about during the Christmas season.”

Wow.

I couldn’t believe how true that was. As I began to take a look at each of those memories a little closer, I was sure that none of them were anything that ever caused my parents any stress.

Making Christmas dinner with Nanny at her house on Christmas Day.

Spending Christmas Eve with our family after mass.

Practicing Christmas carols at school. (And yes – since I went to school in Parisville, we sang them in Polish.)

Playing outside in the snow during Christmas break and smelling the smoke from my grandparents wood stove.

Sure…..there were special gifts that I had received over the years, and I appreciate all that my parents did to make our holidays special. When it comes down to it, though – those aren’t the things that you carry with you as you go on though life.

As the video continued, Kelly listed out things that we obsess and stress over during the holiday season. They were all things that create anxiety in our lives and steal our joy during Christmas, but when thinking of all of those memories……it completely put things in perspective.

As I continue through this Christmas season, I am consciously making an effort to create more of those memories – and stress less about the small stuff. Not only will it make this Christmas season that much more special, I’ll have so many more special memories to look back on.

I remember being in church years ago on the First Sunday of Advent and having the priest remind the congregation that today was the “New Years Day” of the church. It was the beginning of our liturgical year, and he challenged all of us that morning to set some “spiritual resolutions” for ourselves – similar to what most of us do everything January 1st. I’ve never forgotten that Sunday, and I think about it every year on the First Sunday of Advent – which just so happens to be today.

I especially thought about that challenge while sitting in church today. The season of Advent is all about preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas, but the theme also extends to the return of Christ at the end of time. No one likes to think about their mortality, but it’s something that we will all face someday. Maybe that theme is what makes setting those types of resolutions so important, especially this time of year. We’re thinking about the end of our earthly journeys, and we’re getting ready to enter into one of the most stressful times of the year for most people….seems like a good time to re-evaluate our goals and set some new ones for ourselves.

I gave it some thought today on my way home from mass. I remembered by “50 by 50” list that I made for myself 5 years ago (WOW! Time flies.), and I started to shame myself for not having made as much progress as I would have liked. I also started to feel embarrassed for not having kept up with this blog like I had planned, too. That’s when I stopped my thoughts in their tracks and began to force them in an upward spiral. When we start to recognize how truly short our time on earth is, it makes us prioritize our lives a little differently and also encourages us to treat ourselves with a little more grace.

We rob ourselves of immense joy by being much too hard on ourselves for so many things. Have I crossed everything off my list? Of course I haven’t. Have I kept up with weekly blog posts like I set out to? Obviously not. However, I have made quite a bit of progress on that list, and I have found more joy in my life in these past five years than I ever had in the previous ten.

Father George asked the congregation this morning, “What would you do if you knew Jesus was coming back RIGHT NOW?” Some parishioners said, “I would kneel in adoration.” Others said, “I would run out to meet him.” A lady in front of me answered, “I would pass out!” (Same, sister. Same.). Father replied, “Those are all great answers. However, if we were to find out that Jesus was on his way back for us our answer should be, ‘Nothing differently than I am doing right now.’ If we are living our lives according to Jesus’ teachings, we wouldn’t feel the need to do anything differently.” That was some hard truth to take, but he’s not wrong.

I’ve often read the question, “What would you do if you found out that you were going to die tomorrow?” I used to think of the trips I would want to take, or the loved ones I would call, or the goals I would attempt to achieve. This morning as I reflected on Father George’s question I began to think, “As long as I’m living and enjoying my life to its fullest, dying tomorrow wouldn’t bother me.”

So for the next year I’m going to concentrate on reconnecting with friends and loved ones, working on my list, and finding as much joy in every day as I possibly can. It’s always a little harder to do those things, especially during this busy time of year. However, what better reason could we have to start now?

Looking forward to a year filled with love and adventure. Have a blessed Sunday, and I plan on being back here next Sunday.

This Sunday’s Gospel was the famous story of “Doubting Thomas.” As I listened to the story of Thomas’ famous statement of wanting to probe Jesus’ nail marks himself, it brought to mind another story I had read earlier in the week.

Last Saturday the story in my Living Faith Daily Devotional (which I highly recommend if you’re not already a current subscriber) pointed something out to me that I never really had thought of before. In a piece written by Sr. Joyce Rupp, she specifically spoke about the women coming to the tomb on Easter morning. We’ve all heard the Easter story numerous times. Sr. Rupp pointed out an important part of the story that had never occurred to me before.

The women’s love for Jesus was so strong and they were so intent on performing the tender gesture of anointing his body that they did not think about how they would gain access to the tomb. The question had barely occurred to them before they looked up and noticed the stone rolled away. It’s such a small part of the Easter story that I’ve always glossed over it, but when I actually stop and think about it – wow.

Some may say that they were so overcome with grief that they didn’t even realize the problem they would face. I guess that may be true, but I would like to think about it the way Sr. Rupp does. She writes that the women had confidence in the Lord to remove any obstacles in their way. My favorite quote from her is, “We need only go with all our love to meet the risen Lord, assured that the way will be opened for us to do so.”

Today I chose to focus on my confidence in the Lord instead of my doubts. We can make our faith story whatever we want it to be.

Wishing you a week full of confidence and free of doubts – and see you back here next Sunday.

Being in church was a mix of emotions today. The first emotion was joy, as a friend asked me to go to church with her. We attended mass at a different church in our parish than I normally attend. I like to do that every so often – attend mass at a different church. Often we tend to view weekly mass as a chore or item on our “to do” list. Visiting a different church or parish keeps things ‘new’ for me.

The second emotion was sadness. Palm Sunday always reminds me the sadness of Good Friday that is right around the corner. I can’t quit thinking about the suffering that Jesus is about to go through. However, that wasn’t the only sadness I was feeling today. I remembered that I didn’t attend Palm Sunday service last year. I remembered I didn’t attend Easter Sunday service last year. I remembered I didn’t attend mass hardly at all last year.

Over the past few weeks or so, people have been posting on social media all their memories from last year at this time. On Friday, March 13th, 2020 I was sent home from work, and I was told I would be working from home until further notice. Quarantine started at this time for many of us last year. As we approached the anniversary of this life change, we began to think about all of the things that we missed out on over the past 12 months. We began to remember the family gatherings we missed. We began to remember the sporting events we missed.

The weddings.
The funerals.
The concerts.
The community events.
The graduations.

This definitely has NOT been an anniversary that anyone wanted to celebrate.

Today as I sat in church and listened to the Passion, I began (once again as I do every year) to think about how grateful I am that Jesus accepted death on a cross to save me. Today, that led me to think about other things that I am grateful for.

I am grateful that I was able to continue working from home throughout the pandemic, and that I work for a company that supported me and provided any technology I needed.

I am grateful that I was quarantined in a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood.

I am grateful that although Mark and I did lose a family member to COVID, we have several family members that had it and survived.

Although hearing about Jesus’ crucifixion always brings me sorrow, I feel hope as I think about Easter Sunday. As I remembered all of the things that filled me with gratitude this morning, I was filled with another type of hope.

Ending the mass today with hope and gratitude was a wonderful day to start the day. Even though the last weekday this week is a sad one, the week will end with new life, hope, and joy.

Have a blessed Holy Week, and see you back here on Easter Sunday.

No matter how blessed we are in life, everyone has experienced a period of darkness at some point. Although our periods of darkness are all different and may be caused by different things, they all have one thing in common. Those moments of darkness have all left us longing for the light.

During those moments when we have felt depressed, defeated, or filled with sorrow, we’ve always felt a longing to brighter and lighter days. We often find ourselves praying and asking God to help with that. We ask for relief from our sorrow and relief from the darkness shadowing our lives. When those prayers are answered, we are filled with gratitude. We thank God for the relief he has given to us.

In today’s gospel we hear one of the most quoted bible verses of all time – John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.”

The gospel goes on to talk about how light (Jesus) came into the world, but people preferred darkness (sin) to the light. So, basically that would mean people were content to live in their darkness and misery rather than to follow Jesus and come into the light. I find it hard to wrap my head around that.

This past week at my Scripture Study class, one of the ladies made the observation of how thankful she was that we have the scriptures to study. Early Christians didn’t have the New Testament to study — they were living it. People were living with the Son of God and didn’t realize it. That made me ask myself the following questions:

“What light has God placed in my life that I’m not seeing, and what darkness do I keep clinging to?”

Sometimes we find it easier to be content in our misery than to put in the effort to move ourselves forward. We are showered with blessings on a daily basis but are sometimes so intent on focusing on our darkness that we don’t notice them. As. I continue forward on my Lenten journey, I’m continuing to concentrate on the light in my life and making that light grow.

Keep your eyes fixed on all the light in your life, have a blessed week, and see you back here next Sunday.