How often do we preface, "I'm a Catholic, but..." That is a hard heart. We need to soften our hearts to God's Word so we can follow Him completely.

We cannot allow ourselves to think our sinful acts are not a big deal; we also have a responsibility to correct one another as Christ instructs in this Gospel.

Christ himself tells us that he has not come to make our lives easy. He does not come to take away the effects of original sin, but He comes to show us a way to His Father that we might use the sufferings that we all experience in this world to be made closer in faith to the Father and to Christ himself.

We can all take this Gospel as a little examination of conscience. Where is my heart? What am I seeking? And do I deny myself for Christ?

What do I love? What do I desire? And where is my heart? Because if I don't love the Lord's commands, if I don't desire His promises, my heart is not set on heaven.

We see Peter trusting in the Holy Spirit to answer this question boldly. We must also trust in the Holy Spirit who is alive in our church today.

Because of sin, we forget what God has done throughout all of history. But God calls to us, wanting us to see Him and not fear the storms.

When we bring to God what little we have, in a loving way even in adversity, we will find that the Lord strengthens us to do His will.

When we live out our own vocations to the best of our ability with faith and surrender in the Lord, we provide for that spiritual ache that felt throughout the world.

The Anniversary of Humanae Vitae is fitting as we reflect on the Pearl of Great Price.