REFLECTIONS

In my previous reflection, I shared about a walk I took with my son five years ago. On that walk, I thought about four things that we can delight in amidst our walk with God, our Father. I'll conclude with my final two thoughts here. Around a hundred years ago, my grandfather was visiting the big city. It was quite a different sight from their country farm as he walked hand in hand with his grandson let go of his hand, dashed into traffic, and was killed. I thought of this

Jesus intentionally chose and invited these twelve Apostles to follow Him and they faithfully walked side by side with Christ during his earthly ministry. He chose simple, ordinary men to enlighten and change the course of the world. Indeed, they did. These followers of Christ left their familiar routine to follow the King of the Universe! The twelve Holy Apostles left their comfortable life to learn from the Master. Through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, they spre

In my last article I spoke about the Church and how it is a place of love where we experience family and the comforts of home. That is the hope of every church community that they exhibit a welcoming, warm place for visitors and members alike. In this community of believers, called the Church, it is also a place where our Christian pathway is experienced and strengthened. It is a place where we can strive for our humility and grow in love for all people...

When my son was born, Fr. Tom told me, "All children come with a PhD, a Parental Healing Doctorate. Your son will be your teacher." I was reminded again of this while waiting with my son about six years ago. I had misjudged a car repair appointment, and we had hours to wait, not minutes. I decided we'd go for a walk and run some errands to fill the time. Walking hand in hand with my five-year-old son brought me reflections on my walk with my heavenly Father...

Remember some of the games we played as kids, games like dodge ball, catch, football, tag, you're it, you got cooties, hide and seek? Yelling screaming, laughing and crying were all experienced in those games. When the game got out of hand we called each other names. Remember calling or being called the nerd, geek, stupid, freak, etc.? In the midst of all the name calling, all the hurt and fun of the games there was one universal accepted reality in that kid culture that ever

Pentecost marks the moment when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, empowering them to spread the Gospel. "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." (John 15:26) The Spirit of God, eternally existing with the Father and the Son, became a guiding force, filling the disciples with divine inspiration. This moment was not simply about receiving knowledg

Jesus proclaimed 2000 years ago and says that same thing today to us: "We are to be baptized with water and we shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to Him." Jesus' final words at His holy Ascension should empower us to proclaim His Gospel, His truth, and to know that we will receive the power from the Holy Spirit to do His will. We are called to become His followers who will proclaim the truth that He is God, that He is the Light, that He is the door, th

Have you ever had one moment in life that changed your entire life? Today, let's zoom in on one moment in the life of St. Andrew where two questions changed his entire life. Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist, and he was there to witness Jesus arriving on the scene to be baptized. John the Baptist said of Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:36). St. Andrew heard this and felt something deep in his heart, and he decided to follow Jesus. I imagine him making a hasty

The Church is our foundation for our Christian walk. Gathering together in its building as a family in God’s love creates a home where we can get to know Christ more deeply. Growing up, my family lived away from extended family. All the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins lived in Northern Illinois. We moved a handful of times to other midwestern locales until finally ending up in Woodinville in the beautiful state of Washington when I was twelve years old. My parents t

For many who struggle with fear, anxiety, a deep sense of unworthiness, or addictions of any sort, the voice of shame is certainly part of their narrative. For many, shame becomes an uninvited guest that takes over life! We have seen how shame makes people feel they are wrong, bad, or simply unworthy of love. According to Brené Brown, shame is basically the fear of being unlovable—it's the total opposite of owning our story and feeling worthy of being God's beloved child...

Lately, I’ve made a conscious effort to avoid the news. When I scroll through social media, I quickly bypass stories and reels, moving past anything that might pull me into the weight of current events. At times, this feels necessary for self-preservation. But it also raises a deeper question: When does the search for peace turn into blindness? In shielding myself from the world’s troubles, am I also shielding myself from reality? Am I blind?

The devil is not particularly creative. He has been using the same strategy since the beginning of time, and tragically, we keep falling for it. It's what I call "truth, truth, twist"—he takes something that is genuinely true, acknowledges it honestly, and then adds just enough of a twist to lead us astray. If Satan simply lied outright, it would be too obvious. We'd see through it immediately. But when he wraps deception in undeniable truth, we're much more likely to accep