Synopsis: Fr. Victor shares the story of how, in God’s Providence, he wound up Catholic and growing up in Alabama. It invites us to reflect in our own lives about our history, our family’s history and God’s Providence in our own lives. Dig In Further:How did you come by your Catholic faith? How did you come to live where you live? Can you see the hand of God working in those circumstances?Why do you think he has you in Alabama? How does he want to use you as an instrument?Are you gratefu...

Synopsis: How odd of God to choose Israel! Such a small nation he chooses to be the vehicle of redemption for the entire world! God rooted himself in a covenant with that nation. He sent his Son to be born in that nation and to root his saving mission there. Now he calls us to extend that mission by being rooted in the place he has chosen us to be.Dig In Further:What does it take someone to be “rooted” in the place where they live? In their community? In their parish?Why do you think God chos...

Synopsis: Today Native Soil welcomes its first guest—Fr. Norbert Jurek! Fr. Norbert shares how he felt the calling to be a priest and then later in life how he felt called to leave his native Poland and adopt Alabama as his new “Native Soil.” It is a powerful story of grace, calling and place. Dig In Further:How could you be more connected to our Native Soil? How can you connect in a more intentional way to your family? parish? community? neighborhood?How can you be more open to where Go...

Prayer brings us into communion with God. In prayer, we give God a chance to blend our thoughts, our will and our life with his. He never intended for us to live our lives apart from him…separated from his life and power. Let’s take the time to let God do this essential work in us!Dig In Further Questions:Have you ever had a thought that you knew came from God? Is there an area in your life that you know God is speaking to you about, but you haven’t found the will to respond to his word?...

Synopsis: There are certain places on earth that are “holy.” God has touched these places in a special way and it seems there is a “thin” barrier between heaven and earth. As Christians, we are called to help expand God’s “dominion” here on earth. By encountering God in our sacred places, we are supposed to be transformed and sent back into the world to help “sanctify our soil.” Think about getting some soil representative of where God has placed you and putting it in a jar on your kitch...

Synopsis: God desires to work miracles on earth through our participation. He wants us to play a part. In Faith, he wants us to offer the little that we have so that he can take it and work miracles in our midst. A powerful testimony of this came to Mobile this past week through the “Shrink the Divide” event. A few families offering a few words of forgiveness allowed God to work the miracle of reconciliation and initiate several new initiatives of racial reconciliation throughout the city of ...

Synopsis: Every generation wants to provide the next generation with a “Better Life” than they had. But many times in the pursuit of doing so, they end up depriving the next generation of the very things that made them great in the first place. What will it mean for us to pass on a “Better Life” for the next generation here on our Native Soil. Surely, there are many issues of Social Justice that need to be addressed. Surely there is great disparity about the rich and the poor that needs ...

Synopsis: God has a plan for our lives. He has marked out a “plot of land” for each of us and our holiness consists in figuring out where it is and then fully claiming it. In order to do this, we must beg, like Solomon, for God to give us an understanding heart. Only God can help us to understand the “field” and the “treasure” that he has held out for each of us. Only God can help us to grow into an understanding of how “all things” can work for our good. It’s time for you to Claim Your ...

Synopsis: How did we get here? This is a common question you hear as a priest. People look at the struggles in our society and our Church and wonder—How did we get here? We do not need to complicate the answer. Jesus tells us very plainly—“You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Plainly speaking, we have been choosing “mammon” (money/stuff) over God pretty consistently. And we are reaping the consequences. How can we here on our Native Soil turn the tide? How can we choose to ma...

Synopsis:It is not always clear to us what is a weed is what is a fruitful plant. Sometimes we even cut down and destroy what we believe to be weeds only to find out later it is actually a healthy blueberry bush! Because we do not have the ability to judge one another, Jesus calls us to tend more to the garden of our own hearts—always a mixture of weeds and plants. Through regular repentance and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Christ can help to make sure that we ourselves do not become weed...