"Jesus Christ is Lord" was treason in the ancient Roman Empire, as only the Emperors were considered Kurios - Lord. But Jesus' Lordship is quite different, because instead of desperately grasping for power, He chose to empty Himself to the lowest place - promising that those who emptied themselves for His sake would ascend to the heights of glory!

Many people have trouble forgiving, in part because we forget how much WE have been forgiven for. The price of mercy was the death of the Son of God - a sum so great that we could never repay such a gift. Therefore, we ought to offer our forgiveness willingly, knowing that we have been acquitted by the Father!

In our modern world, tolerance is the highest virtue. Live and let live! Live your truth! But Christ proposes another way - we are spiritually our brothers' keeper. How are we called to live out that difficult Spiritual Work of Mercy, "admonish the sinner"?

Peter was pretty excited by Jesus' promises - he would become the Rock on which the Church was built, have the keys to the very gates of Heaven, become the second-in-command to the Lord of All Creation. But when Jesus tells him that these blessings would involve the cross, Peter begins to balk. Many times, Christians turn to Christ because they seek material blessings from Him, but these things were not promised by Christ. Rather, He promises the Cross - but with the Cross comes the greatest gift of all: the gift of Himself.

Both marriage and the religious life are beautiful, complementary vocations. They are both challenging, take self-denial, and can lead to holiness. How can they be lived out well? How do we know which one we are called to? Tune in to hear how your vocation can make you holy when lived with generosity!

Racism has been in the news for several years now, and many people have offered solutions to the problem of racism. But any solution not grounded in a Christian anthropology will ultimately fail. It is Christ, through the Catholic Church, who truly fosters unity among every tribe and tongue, people and nation - and He alone can heal the racial divide in our nation and our culture!

God often calls us to do things that are humanly impossible - overcoming our sins, living out our vocations faithfully, becoming saints. But the good news is that He gives the grace to do that which He calls us to! If we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, we are able to avoid being overwhelmed by the magnitude of our calling - as we receive from Him the Source of all strength and grace.

The early Christians knew that the Cross was a stumbling block - how could God die such a horrific death? To counter this, Jesus revealed His glory to His Apostles, promising them that the Cross does not have the final word. In our modern world, the Cross is often a scandal to us, too - we doubt our faith when faced with suffering. But Christ reminds us that the faithfulness of God in the blessings does not diminish His faithfulness and love in difficult times, as well.

A prayer that is pleasing to the Lord is not one of fancy words, but of right disposition of heart. And the Holy Spirit provides that disposition: we are meant to desire God above all things! Hungry for Him, our prayer is pleasing in His sight, but first we must empty ourselves of the goods and pleasures of this world so as to burn with a desire for God alone.

"The world is thy ship, not thy home," said St. Therese of Lisieux. While the world was created good, it is fallen and full of chaos, suffering, disorder and death. As Christians, we are called to make the world a better place - but always while keeping an eye on eternity. This world is our temporary tent, for we are on a far greater journey to our far greater homeland of Heaven!