Shawn The Baptist - Sunday Scriptures

Watching a loved one suffer can leave you feeling helpless. The Passion of Jesus reminds us of the power in standing by a suffering friend.

St. Paul says that, more than anything, he desires to know Christ, to grasp Jesus. But he also rejoices that Jesus first grasped him.

We tend to keep going in our current direction. It takes an outside force to reverse course. In the spiritual life we call this grace.

Mary's heart was open and docile to the will of God. We should pray that our hearts and those of the whole world would be like hers.

As I was climbing the Appalachian Trail through the Smoky Mountains, one chant kept me going. Not Aquinas or Palestrina... Dory.

Like Jesus, I'm headed to the wilderness for Lent. 70 miles backpacking the Appalachian Trail. There are lessons to learn in the wilderness.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and today's liturgy reminds us that it is also the start of a great spiritual military campaign.

Many of our sins are similar to the fruit of a tree. If you want to change the fruit, you've got to heal the root.

If you've been hurt, the natural instinct is to want to get even. Mercy is the supernatural practice that breaks the cycle of hurt.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain. But he has been raised! We are now destined for eternal life, and that should make a difference in how we live each day.