The Friar Podcasts - preaching prayer and spiritual reflections

I do not remember exactly how old I was, but I was with friends at a lake, and we were all swimming. A bit of a ways from the shore there was a raft that could be used for jumping and diving. But it took some energy to swim out there, and by the time I got about two-thirds of the way out, I got tired, and began to sink.

I cannot tell a lie. While I love the gift of Jesus on the Cross, which gains for us our salvation, I cannot say that I really embrace the cross. Too much of me wants a life of Christianity that rewards me for doing the right thing, and as such to make my life easy. I am not proud of it. It is the way it is.

But I can ask God for the grace to embrace the cross when it comes. I believe that God has helped me to do so at previous points of my life. And if I am to be the saint God desires me to be, the path will be through the cross. This does not mean I go looking for trouble, but rather I have to acknowledge my need for continual conversion, which can only happen by embracing the cross.

You do not need to read much in the Old or New Testament to discover that God has a soft spot for the poor and brokenhearted. In fact, time and again he warns the rich and well-off not to rely on their own possessions, but to trust in Him.

There is something compelling about Our Lady of Guadalupe. First there is the absolute reluctance of Juan Diego to participate by speaking to the Bishop. He goes another way. He is not believed. Who could blame this ordinary man for not wanting to do something that seemed to be so far-fetched?

Saint John the Baptist received this call: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you." It is the case that Saint John the Baptist was sent. From the very beginning of his conception, he was born for a special purpose: "prepare your way before you." That is to say, Saint John the Baptist was called to prepare the way so that the world would know Jesus.

I do not know if Catholics are terribly familiar with the prophet Elijah. But he is a colorful character of the Old Testament, chosen by God to confront the powerful, call them out for evil actions, and is the vehicle for the powerful actions of God. The rulers of this age may be powerful here, but it is God who is ultimately all-powerful.

There was a game show that posed a question: Are you smarter than a 5th grader? The idea was to ask content questions about various topics that made up a typical 5th grade curriculum. Often, the adults were not, in fact, smarter than a 5th grader.

And yet, it is not always the case that we take seriously this question: Are you smarter than God? The problem is that there are too many times where we might be tempted to say yes. Yes, we are smarter than God. I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.

The prophet Isaiah spends a lot of time helping the people consider the question about what God knows and what they do. God teaches us, through his word and his Church what it is we should do, and yet too often we choose to do whatever we want and not consider what God wants.

But we do not always want to be taught by God. We think we know better. There is a gospel verse that is too hard. There is something in the Old Testament that is too obscure. God could not possible mean what those verses say? Love your enemies? Pray for your persecutors?

Ok. So first, let's clarify something. The Immaculate Conception is about Mary, the Blessed Mother. It is not about Jesus, the Incarnation. There, now that we have that out of the way, let's think about one way we might see how Mary's Immaculate Conception is connected to our call to discipleship to her Son Jesus.

For years and years Saint Monica prayed for the conversion of her son, Saint Augustine. And certainly, these prayers were instrumental in his conversions. But I do not think it is too much to say that the way God answered these prayers of a desperate mother was by helping her son to become good friends with Saint Ambrose.

This time of year, it is not uncommon to hear people refer to "Jolly Ol' Saint Nick". But just who was Saint Nicholas? And how does the common and popular image of Saint Nicholas compare to the real Saint Nicholas?