Manere in Christo: Sticking with Jesus

Humility is hard.  Jesus Christ frequently calls us to be humble, and it is hard.  In Sunday’s readings , Jesus is once again calling us all to be humble, especially in prayer before God.  Very often, we can find ourselves extolling our greatness before God and lamenting others’ faults.  The scriptures very clearly tell us that this is not the way to eternal life. In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us with the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee.  Both are praying in the temple, but each is praying in a radically different manner.  In this parable, the Pharisee is praying in the temple with eyes raised to heaven.  In reality, he is not so much praying as informing God of his own wonderful qualities and accomplishments while putting down someone he thinks unworthy, the tax collector.  In juxtaposition, the tax collector is truly praying by acknowledging his sinfulness and asking God for mercy....

It has been quite some time since I made my last blog post.   I could list all kinds of excuses as to why I have not been writing, but they would not make a difference.   I simply just did not want to write, even though I felt a call to do so.   Then, I read the readings for this Sunday, and I knew that it was time to begin again. Sunday’s readings will be familiar to most people.   The Gospel is a passage that is often quoted, discussed, and read throughout the year.   We hear Jesus clearly exhorting the importance of following Him and placing His will ahead of our own desires.   It is a passage we all know but rarely live up to (or at least I don’t).   We know that God has a plan for each of us and continually calls us to follow the path he has charted for us.   However, actually following that path is not always easy or something we want to do in the moment. In the first reading, we hear the Lord telling Elijah who to call as his suc...

We are well into Lent at this point, and if you are like me, you have hit some bumps in the road during this Lenten journey.  It is not always easy to keep up our Lenten promises.  I will be the first to admit that I sometimes find it very difficult to stick with the sacrifices I promised to make during Lent, and I have a feeling that I am not the only one in that situation.  However, we know from Sunday’s readings that the Lord is close to us in our struggles.  He hears our prayers and calls us to come back to Him. Coming back to God.  That is what Lent is about.  Lent is the time each year when God calls us back to Him.  He calls us to repentance.  He calls us to reorient our lives towards Him.  God knows that this is a radical call, and He is patient with us.  He knows that we will often fall and struggle.  As we hear in the first reading, God comes to us in our struggles and difficulties.  When the Israelites were b...

                While reading the Gospel for this Sunday , I could not help but think of a friend of mine.   Sh e made the dumb (brave) decision to pray for humility.   This is one prayer that the Lord always answers, and He answers it in ways we could not have imagined.                 For my friend, the Lord answered it by showing her what some of her friends and acquaintances say about her when she is not around.   Unfortunately, it was not things that build you up, rather it was pretty bleak.   Hearing that people you considered friends were talking poorly about you behind your back would deliver a big blow to anyone’s self-esteem.   My friend was no exception.                 Sunday’s Gospel shows us how to react to these situ...

                “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,” is the easiest way to summarize the first half of Sunday’s readings (Jer 17:7).   However, it leaves us wondering, “why?”   Why should we trust in the Lord?   Why should all of our hope rest in Him?   Thankfully, the Gospel Acclamation tells us why!   “Rejoice and be glad; your reward will be great in heaven!” (Lk 6:23).   If we trust fully in the Lord, we will be rewarded immensely in heaven.                 In the reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, the differences between the one who trusts in himself and the one who trusts in God is clearly laid out.   We hear that the man who trust in himself, in the world, is closed off from God.   His “… heart turns away from the Lord,” and he is focused not on God but on himself (Jer 17:5). ...

                When reflecting on Sunday’s readings , I cannot help but think of the current state of the Church.   After Jesus tells Peter to go back out into the water for another catch, Peter replies that they had already gone fishing that night and had “caught nothing” (Luke 5:5).   Right now, it feels like the Church is the same.   Whether it is the sexual abuse crisis, shrinking Mass attendance, dwindling numbers in Religious Education, or trouble evangelizing, it seems like the Church has also been out fishing without much success.   But, I believe the Church, and each of us individually, must sometimes go through a dry period to get ready for a big catch.                 In the first reading, we hear of the Prophet Isaiah being cleansed of his sins.   Then the Lord God asks Isaiah, “Whom shall I sen...

For quite some time now, several friends of mine have been urging me to start a blog to share reflections on scripture, current events, and just life in general.   I’ve decided to follow their promptings, and begin this blog. I’ve chosen the name “Manere in Christo,” which is Latin for “Remaining in Christ.”   Whether I consciously acknowledge it or not, I try to live my life by this saying.   Without sticking with Christ in every aspect of our lives, we would be lost.   It is only in Him that we find our true happiness and purpose.   Naturally, this blog will always have a focus on Christ, whether it’s a reflection on scripture, a current event, or just my views on an issue. I will try to post at least weekly with a reflection on the upcoming Sunday’s readings.   Most likely, I’ll post more than that with my thoughts on different current events.   With that said, I hope you enjoy! ____ Stand Up At first glance, one cannot hel...