July 22

There are two parts of the Gospel today that really spoke to my heart: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” and “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” Although these lines don’t follow one after another, they can easily be read together.

Basically, in order for us to teach others and evangelize according to His call, we have to make sure our own spiritual cup is full. Meaning, we cannot help anyone if we haven’t first taken care of ourselves.

How do we do this? Practically speaking, we actually rest, just like Jesus tells His disciples to. We make sure every bit of our health is taken care of- we eat healthy, we sleep, we exercise, we pray. Now, for us to be able to really evangelize and lead others to God, we have to know and love Him ourselves first! And part of resting is resting “in Him”. We must retreat each day, even if for a short period of time, to allow Him to fill our hearts and souls. We must study His life, we must communicate with Him, we must invite Him on this journey. Finally, ask Him who He is calling you to encounter and walk with. Each soul requires a unique form of loving. But if you listen, He will tell you exactly what He wants you to do at just the right moment.

Then, and only then, can we truly help those who are lost, with Him as our shepherd.

Amen!

July 21

“The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.”

When you think of the Pharisees out to get Jesus and how He responds, are you left wondering what you do when someone is out to harm you, specifically, spiritually? Let me explain.

Our lives involve continual interactions with others, some good and some not so good. We encounter all sorts of people in our day to day lives: family, friends, coworkers, strangers. And in those interactions, we are bound to face sin at some point. Throughout the day, we are tempted, although these temptations vary from person to person. Gossip, criticism, anger, judgment, lying… and what about those temptations we face when we are all alone? Despair, hopelessness, fear, lust, gluttony? Do we run from these things that threaten our lives, the state of our souls, or do we give in?

Jesus knew what the Pharisees were up to, and He fled. He still had work to do that depended on His very life. God has assigned each of us gifts, tasks, and callings. We aren’t done until He says so. The next time your soul is in jeopardy, ask Him for the courage and RUN to Him… and don’t look back!

July 20

“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.”

How surprised do you think the Pharisees must have been when they heard Jesus say the above words? What could be greater than the temple? Of course, we know the answer, but how do you think they reacted? How often, though, are we like the Pharisees! That BIG line, “if you knew…”, applies just as much to us as it did to them. There is so much we don’t know, so much we can’t know, all because of our littleness. We aren’t HIM! So we don’t see everything that goes on supernaturally. And part of that is simply that we just don’t get it sometimes. And guess what? That’s really just the way it’s supposed to be.

The good news? We have a loving God that knows SO much more than we could fathom comprehending. And our embrace of our smallness humbles us enough to “know His voice and follow Him.”

July 19

“Your name and your title are the desire of our souls. My soul yearns for you in the night, yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you… Salvation we have not achieved for the earth, the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.”

The reading today from Isaiah defines the glory of God so perfectly. It is a clear testament to His power and points ardently to our smallness.

My favorite line “my spirit within me keeps vigil for you” stirs within my heart the desires that only He can fill. Have you ever recognized or felt that place within your being that is reserved for God yet you don’t invite Him in? I remember going on retreat once and telling the retreat leader that there was this really intense sting within my entire being that I could not get rid of; it was a perpetual mimic of nails on a chalkboard. That recognition, which only existed because of His grace, was the start of so many changes in my life, which ultimately led me to where I am now.

What is it that you try and quench that big void with, that space that belongs solely to Him? Ask Him to take over and to fill your spirit as you keep vigil.

July 18

“For although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.”

I adore this image of the baby resting so peacefully. It’s easy to look at this picture and imagine that this sweet infant is completely dependent on another individual for everything in this world. How much joy it brings me to see such a face at ease.

You know, this is what our Father intends for us— to rest comfortably in His care and protection every moment of our lives. He wants us to entrust ourselves completely to Him, just as this precious baby is entrusted to the care of his or her parents.

What would it look like for us to hand over everything that holds us back from totally relying on Him to provide? What would He ask you to give Him in order to show how much you trust Him? (Hint: look at what or who you put ahead of Him).

July 17

“Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail…”

Tranquility, courage, faith. We are given three main orders through the reading from Isaiah today: to remain tranquil, to keep courage, and to have a firm faith.

Tranquility: to be calm
Courage: to be fearless
Faith: to have confidence in something

In our day to day lives, we are called to remain calm, fearless, and to have confidence in our Father. But spiritual warfare is real, and as a result, we don’t always respond like we should.

Pick one of those words: tranquil, courage, or faith, and pray for an increase of that specific gift in your life this week. Ask our Lord what keeps you from that gift, and ask Him to give you the grace to overcome anything that gets in your way of being who He is calling you to be this week!

July 16

The Gospel reading today from Matthew is rich in importance and explains so clearly how much we are called to love God.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”

Wow. This call, while so large, is so beautiful. And we have living examples of individuals who have embraced this very Gospel. Mary, Abraham, all the saints- each individual allowed God to love them to the point of becoming entirely His. And this example is something we, too, must follow.

Tonight, make a list of the important things in your life. Then, order them based on how you spend the most time. Finally, look at your list of priorities. What does it say?

Lord, reorder my life to revolve around You and not the other way around. Amen.

July 15

Ephesians 1:3-14 holds a very special place in my heart. There is so much wisdom and beauty packed in these verses.

To summarize some of them:

•God has blessed us in Christ with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavens
•He CHOSE us in Him before the foundation of the world
•He chose us to be holy and WITHOUT blemish before Him
•We are destined for adoption to Himself through Jesus
•We have been redeemed by His blood
•He has told us the mysteries of His will
•We were destined according to His will to EXIST for the PRAISE of His glory

In mass today, the priest shared with us that God has given each and every single one of us the authority to go out and share Him with the world.

If you need an extra boost of courage to take the authority He’s given you, reread the list above, and let Him remind you of all the great things YOU are destined for!

July 14

“Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.”

One thing I’ve learned over the years about sin is that the more I hide it, or pretend it doesn’t exist, the larger it grows. But the closer I get to the source of Light, the more I have to acknowledge its existence.

A friend once said that our sin is like the dirt on a windshield; the more we drive in the direction of the sun, the clearer the spots become.

See, sin and darkness cannot remain unexposed forever. At some point, it becomes too much to handle. Whether it’s tomorrow, or in two decades, we will have to face our own wretchedness, because we have a Father who really loves us and wants the absolute best for us.

God, I know how pitiful I am when I try and pretend I’m okay where I am. Help me to face my weaknesses, knowing You are right there with me. You, Father, will never leave me to face it alone, and because of Your light, I can do all things through You who strengthens me.