My sisters and brothers in the Lord,

Welcome to our final week of Disciples Together on the Way. Thanks be to God! And thanks to you for joining me on this pilgrimage over the past year. It’s been a privilege to have your company as, together, we’ve attempted to acquire the habits of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, our Alpha and our Omega.

Hence, appropriately, we end with the person Jesus Christ as explained to the world in Chapter 1 or, as it is often known, the Prologue of the Gospel of Saint John. My challenge this week is to read the first 14 verses of this chapter at Christmas Dinner and then take a few moments to prayerfully ponder its significance.

Saint John wrote his Gospel in the latter half of the 1st century in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus where he and the Blessed Virgin Mary had established a home. It was in this same city seven centuries prior that the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, had coined both the term and concept of logos. He defined logos as the principle of order or knowledge in the Universe. “All entities come to be in accordance with this Logos,” said Heraclitus.

Hence in the Prologue of his Gospel and writing to the Hellenic or Greek world, Saint John makes this remarkable claim: The Logos was made flesh, and dwelt among us! In English, we usually translate the Greek word logos as “word” but, arguably, this doesn’t do justice to the breadth and boldness of Saint John’s assertion. It explains why this particular passage was read for centuries towards the conclusion every Mass as a “Last Gospel”.

Hence at Christmas Dinner I ask that you read the Gospel of Saint John Chapter 1, verses 1 through 14. Choose one person to read this passage and then have a few moments of silence so that you can really absorb God’s words. Have it read a second time, and after a few moments of silent reflection, speak what comes to your heart. Be sure to give ample opportunity to others present to share what has entered their heart as well.

Okay, here ends this year of Disciples Together on the Way. Our pilgrimage towards God continues, however, and it continues as Disciples Together on the Way. Please be assured of my prayers. I would ask that you return the kindness. Thank you.

As the 19th century French writer, Leon Bloy, said: “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” So, let’s become saints. Together.

And May God bless you with His grace throughout the Christmas season and beyond, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Yours in Christ,

+ Earl Boyea

Bishop of Lansing

Welcome to Week 50 of Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Boyea. This is the penultimate week of our year-long pilgrimage as aspiring Christian disciples. Here’s Bishop Boyea's challenge for this week: 

"When we pick up our Bible, let us read the First Epistle of Saint John. It’s short. Only five chapters. But it packs quite a punch in terms of teaching Christians how to “abide in God” underscoring, as he does, the division of light and darkness, love and hate, life and death, God and the devil, sin and righteousness."

To read 1 John go to: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/1

Dear friends, over the centuries the Church has cultivated a discipline of listening to the Lord's Voice through Sacred Scripture. She calls it Lectio Divina or "Divine Reading". It's nourished many disciples all the way to heaven. Hence, this week's challenge: Spend at least 15 minutes each day praying the basic path of Lectio Divina that so many saints have trod.

Yours in Christ, 

+ Bishop Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing 

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, 

Last week we revisited a challenge of strengthening a particular habit of discipleship in our life. Of course, I think it goes without saying how important repetition is in forming good habits. This week I want to extend a similar challenge that has the potential of becoming a powerful foundation for all our holy habits. This week our discipleship challenge is to memorize one of the Psalms.

Why is memorization important, you might ask? Well, day in and day out we rely on a tremendous amount of information that we have, effectively, memorized. Whether it’s the password to our computer, email or bank account; or family birthdays or anniversaries; we rely on troves of stored information housed in our memory’s “hard drive” in order to get through the day. 

The same is true of prayer. As many priests can testify, elderly parishioners afflicted by dementia, including my mother, often have little difficulty recalling prayers learned as children. 

What is more: The information we memorize actually shapes our thoughts, ideas and outlook on the world. As the old saying goes: “If you hear something enough, you start to believe it.” What we memorize informs how we view ourselves, others and the world around us.  

Therefore, we need to be intentional about committing things to memory that will help us hear God’s voice in the midst the noise of the world. Things that will help us be aware of the presence of God throughout the day. Which brings us to the Book of Psalms.

The Book of Psalms contains 150 songs. Seventy-three of the Psalms are attributed to King David. The majority were composed for liturgical worship. Many of them are songs of praise and thanksgiving. So why memorize the psalms? In short, because Jesus himself memorized the psalms and he is the role model for any aspiring disciple. 
Even while dying on the cross, the psalms remained on the lips of our Blessed Lord. In the words of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. And then from Psalm 31: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  I am going to focus on Psalm 91! 

That is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that: “The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament…Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church. They are suitable for men of every condition and time,” (The Catechism #2596-7)

By memorizing Sacred Scripture, we are literally imprinting God’s word on our minds, helping us be better prepared to share Jesus Christ, and his Holy Church, with those who don’t yet know him. Eventually our conversations will become less about our word and more about the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us: Jesus Christ himself. 

May God bless you in this week’s challenge. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Yours in Christ,
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing

November 25, 2022

My sisters and brothers in the Lord,

Welcome to Week 47 of Disciples Together on the Way! We’ve made it to Week 47! Only four weeks left in our entire program. We’ve made it to the final stretch. So, for that, I say WELL DONE! God bless you.

If you’ve missed a week or two do not grow weary but start back up and pray that God give you the persistence to march on.

For inspiration, we can look towards our friends the saints as examples of perseverance. We’ve spoken about Saint Monica and how she persevered in prayer for 17 years for the conversion of her son, Saint Augustine of Hippo. Other great examples of persistence are Saint Rita of Cascia and Saint Joseph, foster-father of our Lord.

Saint Rita, who lived in 15th century Italy, showed heroic perseverance in her desire to enter the religious life despite being given in marriage to a very violent tempered man by her parents at the age of 12. After her husband died, she again took up her journey to enter the religious life and encountered many trials – yet she persevered and was ultimately allowed to enter the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, Italy.

We also see a great example of persistence in the life of Saint Joseph. Despite the many hardships he endured protecting and guiding the Holy Family whether it was the journey to Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, or the loss of the Child in the Temple, blessed Saint Joseph never lost trust in God. He always remained steadfast in his faith.

So, in these final four weeks I encourage you to continue your journey down the path of discipleship always turning to the Saints for strength and guidance.

For this week, our challenge will be to reflect on the previous eight weeks.

The focus of the last several weeks has been the Saints and Corporal Works of Mercy. As a good disciple always does, spend some time in prayer thinking about how those challenges have gone. Were there challenges that came easily? Were there some that seemed more difficult to stick with? Ask the Lord to show you where you need to spend time cultivating the habit of a good disciple by revisiting one of the practices mentioned in these past eight week. Then, repeat that challenge again to begin to develop the habits of a devout disciple.

Practice makes perfect! Let us continue on our path of discipleship with the encouraging words of Saint Catherine of Siena: “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”

I’ll be back with a new theme and a new challenge next week. Until then, may God bless you abundantly throughout this week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Yours in Christ,

+ Earl Boyea

Bishop of Lansing

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,

Welcome to this week’s Disciples Together on the Way Challenge. This is our final week focusing on the Corporal Works of Mercy! In the Book of Deuteronomy, the Lord tells us, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” (Dt. 15:10-11) Since there will always be the poor, there will always be the opportunities to serve and support them.

During this time of the year, the needs of the poor tend to increase. As the days grow shorter and colder, food, shelter and appropriate clothing become even more essential. Indeed, next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a natural time for us to increase our corporal works of mercy. As we reflect on the bounty and blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us and our loved ones, in gratitude our response can turn to giving back.

For many families, this time of year is already a time where they may participate in a food drive, or even go to work at a shelter serving meals to those in need before they go home to enjoy their own celebration. We know from looking at the lives of the saints that many of them achieved their sanctity by serving the poor.  Just think of St. Catherine of Siena in 14th century Italy, Saint Vincent de Paul in 17th century France or, in our own times, St. Teresa of Calcutta in 20th century India. There are many saints who have given their time, talent, and treasure to the poor. Through their actions, they not only brought Jesus to the poor, but also encountered God in them. As St. Vincent DePaul stated, “Go to the poor: you will find God.”

In addition to the witness of so many saints in their ministry to the poor, there is also to call to us to this form of holiness and discipleship.  The Book of Psalms tells us “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 82:3-4).  We also read in the First Letter of Saint John: “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 Jn. 3:17-18)

In recent years, the various Catholic Charities entities throughout the Diocese of Lansing have been working towards greater collaboration with each other and with the parishes near to them. As we wrap up this final week focused on the Corporal Works of Mercy, let us look for more opportunities to help the poor and those in need.

So, here’s this week’s challenge: Donate to your local Catholic Charity or local St. Vincent DePaul food pantry or look for another food pantry or local food drive and donate food or money. And don’t just give your money, volunteer to serve in the soup kitchen.

See the Diocese of Lansing website, where you can find links to our various organizations and learn about the ways you can help. https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/catholic-charities

May God bless you and your families as you prepare to give thanks for all He has done for you, and as you seek out ways to serve the poor in your lives.

+ Earl Boyea

Bishop of Lansing

Dear Friend,

As we continue to meditate on the Corporal Works of Mercy, it is interesting to note that a good portion of the Church’s teaching about them is contained in the Catechism's section on the Commandments and, particularly, on the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not steal.” Let us see how almsgiving fits into this category.

Almsgiving — not to mention the other Corporal Works of Mercy — is considered an act of justice as opposed to an act of mere charity. Almsgiving is closely tied to our duty to love our neighbor. 

The Catechism teaches that “Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to be able to give to those in need” (CCC #2444).  The text continues with a quotation from the Church Father, Saint John Chrysostom, who wrote: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours but theirs.” (CCC #2446)

It should be clarified that almsgiving — a requirement for being a disciple of Christ — is different from tithing. Tithing is offering God the first fruits of our labor — of our earnings — giving a regular percentage of our earnings to God and the Church. It is fulfilling our duty to God and His Church.

Almsgiving, on the other hand, is fulfilling our duty toward our neighbor and our community.  That being said, almsgiving is charitable giving above and beyond our regular tithe.

In the Bible, almsgiving is also tied to making amends for sins.  In Sirach 3:30 it says: “As water quenches a flaming fire, so almsgiving atones for sins.” Similarly, in the book of Daniel 4:27, King Nebuchadnezzar is told to “Redeem your sins by almsgiving and your iniquity by generosity to the poor.”

Jesus, during one of his meals at a Pharisee’s house, as part of his challenges to his fellow diners, added: “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41).

With all of this in mind, we come to our weekly challenge: Develop a plan for almsgiving and discuss it with your family/spouse.

It could be placing a jar at the entrance of your home into which everyone in your family contributes spare change and then periodically donates the money to a local crisis pregnancy center or other charitable organization. You could donate the funds from your bottle returns to charity. You could also simply go over your budget with your spouse and decide on an amount to contribute to charity beyond your regular tithe.  

Until next week, may God bless you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing

Welcome to this week’s Disciples Together on the Way Challenge for November 6 to 12. This week we continue with the theme of the Corporal Works of Mercy.

Each of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy are rooted in the teachings of Christ – they give us a model on how to treat one another – to see and to serve Christ in those we encounter: 

So, Bishop Boyea's challenge this week is to visit the sick, the elderly or the homebound. 

But, before you take this valuable action spend some time in prayer – pray for the individual or individuals you are going to visit.  Pray for their needs and ask God to grant them some relief if that be His will. 

Lastly, ask God to give you the grace to see His face in the people you visit.  Let your ears, your mouth and your hands be Christ to them and pray that you see the face of our Lord in them as well.

Today we begin a new theme as Disciples Together on the Way: The Corporal Works of Mercy.

What are the corporal works of mercy? These are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his or her bodily or, to use another word, corporeal existence. Hence the word "corporal".

These works of mercy include feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

“Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.”

As we approach the Feast of All Souls and the Month of the Holy Souls in November, Bishop Boyea's challenge this week focuses on one particular Corporal Works of Mercy: Burying the dead. He says:

"Here’s my challenge for this week: Visit a cemetery. That may be a visit to a grave of a loved one or, even better, a grave that never receives a visitor or someone to pray for their soul. In fact, if we visit a cemetery and pray for the dead between November 1 and November 8 we receive a plenary indulgence. That is the remission of the temporal punishment due for our sins whose guilt has already been forgiven."

Welcome to Week 42 of Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Boyea. This week, Bishop Boyea continues on the theme of the saints. Here's his challenge:

"My challenge for you this week is to read about the saint feast days for this week. Choose one to celebrate in some manner. If you are drawn to celebrate another saint this week – maybe a patron saint of your household or parish feel free to do so. Let’s make a fuss of it!" The saints celebrated this week are as follows: 

Sunday, October 23: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time;
Monday, October 24; Feast of St. Anthony Claret, Bishop;
Tuesday, October 25: Feast of Six Welsh Martyrs and Companions; Feast of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria, Martyrs; Feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, Martyrs;
Wednesday, October 26: Feast of Saint Fulk of Piacenza, Bishop;
Thursday, October 27: Feast of Saint Evaristus, Pope and Martyr;
Friday, October 28: Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles;
Saturday, October 29: Feast Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem, Bishop.