Catholic Cardinal Reflections

March 31, 2018 - Sanctity is a journey, starting with giving God permission to love you. Let your heart experience life, not locked up safe from experiencing the joys and trials that love can bring. "No greater love is this, than you lay down your life for someone else." Dare to share the good news of Christ with someone else this week.

March 29, 2018 - On this night commemorating the Lord's supper, Fr. Xavier tells us that we can only have Jesus on His terms. Christ shocked his disciples by removing his outer garments and washing their feet, then asked them to eat his body and drink his blood in remembrance of his death to come. The eucharist is God's greatest gift to us- do you see the body and blood in everyone you meet? As jesus taught us, you must wash each other's feet in order to have eternal life with Christ.

March 30, 2018 - The power of the cross can stop violence and bring peace, but we need to put this great love into action. Tell Jesus- I accept your love and your cross. Then live each moment in Christ.

March 18, 2018 - Often, the salient features of our lives are defined by tragedies, but suffering can also bring joy through knowledge of Jesus. Jesus was driven to the cross in hope of the joy his act would bring to us. Make the time to be present with Christ in your life. Fr. Xavier remembers the times in a former parish that he experienced joy in his calling every day. Chaplain Teresa described interactions with people that were powerful momnets in her spiritual life.

March 11, 2018 - Rejoice in God's love today! Be grateful for our ineptitude in managaing our lives, which gives us the opportunity to acknowledge God's constant care for us. The good news he never stops loving us; your sins won't defeat you.

March 4, 2018 - Today's readings are all about thirst, creating water from stone in the desert, and slaking our thrist with the living water that Christ can provide. Find your comfort zone, then go beyond it to bring others to the Father.

February 25, 2018 - Energy flows effortlessly when you give it your all. When you truly experience Jesus, you receive that energy. Use the last 2 minutes of your prayer time to simply listen to Christ speaking to you.

February 18, 2018 - Why was Jesus baptized? He certainly didn't need purification. Because he wanted to be with every broken person, to become a beacon, a steward of God's love. We must act similarly- support God's good planet, build community, love the lonely and downtrodden.

February 11, 2018 - Fr. Emmanuel introduces GSB student Maria English by noting that the Encounter Christ movement has brought him inspirtion from the Stanford Students. Maria English recounted how she found God through community. Jesus doesn't just love us, he *enjoys* us! God abides in us through each other.

February 4, 2018 - God touches people, as Christ did to lepers, sick, and the lowly, because he wants us to reach out to others. Women were largely invisible in the gospels but they were certainly there and played a crucial part in Christ's life as they do today in the Christian world.