Easter

The Bible lists nine “fruits of the Holy Spirit” (Gal 5:22-23): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These “fruits” are the result of the presence of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, our behaviors change and our lives change as a result, regardless of the situations we find ourselves in. If you desire to have that Spirit more alive and active or just want to go deeper and be renewed, try praying the following:
Come Holy Spirit. Come into my heart. Open my mind. Clear away my distractions. Renew my life. Renew my faith. Renew my passion. Renew my behavior. Turn my pride into humility. Change my anxiety into peace. Change my sorrow to joy. Move my heart to love as you love. Come Holy Spirit. Set my heart on fire for love of you. Enkindle my desire for Christ. Move my heart for needs of others. Open my mind to your Scriptures. Inspire me to serve others. Come Holy Spirit. Sanctify me. Strengthen my will. Purify my conscience. Transform my mind. Come Holy Spirit and make me new. Amen.

Theologians urge caution about literally thinking of heaven as being "up," rather than an experience beyond our understanding of space and time. That said, we naturally find ourselves looking "up" when we lift our eyes toward heaven. Our calling is to strike a balance: always keeping our faith strong by looking "up" while always keeping our feet on the ground to do God's will here on earth.

We don’t all look the same way, think the same way, or vote the same way - and yet, here we are, gathered together by God’s love around this Table. All of us have someone in our life, even if we disagree with them or they make us uncomfortable, who needs encouragement, a simple hello, an invitation to go for a walk. Find that person; notice them; gather them in. Be their connection with the love of Christ.
 
You can read the full transcript and watch a recording of Admiral McRaven's commencement speech (referenced in Dcn. Brett's homily) at bit.ly/McRaven2014.

God wants us to be close to us, accompanying us wherever we go, through thick and thin. Jesus said he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive Christ - which means the Eucharist is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This is the way we follow Him who is the way.

God, our Good Shepherd, has made us for Him. He's tuned our lives to resonate to his voice. If you feel as though God is not speaking to you, your life may be out of tune. We're a bit like a radio, in that way - God is always speaking to us, but we need to set our hearts and minds - indeed, our very lives - on the right channel. 

All of us wrestle with the temptation to keep people, situations and even organizations in small, familiar boxes that we can understand, and maybe even control. And when they no longer fit in those boxes – when they change or grow or undergo conversion – it’s easy for us to not see it – or, worse, to resist it, not letting them change and grow. In doing so, we blind ourselves to the possibility that God is doing something new, and we become a hindrance rather than a help to God’s plan.
This week, sit with these questions:
Where in your life are you resisting God’s initiative, the newness God might be trying to bring?
Is it your skepticism in the face of a loved one who’s trying to change their life?
Is it your resistance to truth in the words of those who may see something that we ourselves don’t want to see?
Is it in demanding that your workplace or your team or even the Church conform to what’s personally comfortable or culturally acceptable?
Is it in the anger or stubbornness with which you greet some change in your life?
Where might God be saying to you, “Ooo! What’s over here?” and where might you be responding, “Eh. I’m good right here.”?
Someone once said, “The only predictable thing about God is that He’s unpredictable.” Where is this predictably unpredictable God working in your life, rocking your boat - and how can you learn to trust Him and enjoy the ride?

We all experience doubts; it's part of being human. How we handle our doubt is the key: doubts can diminish faith, but they can also be the catalyst to increase faith. But how do we move forward and have faith beyond our doubts? Fr. Bill suggests the following three things:
Allow your doubt to be the catalyst for more understanding.
Come to that understanding starting from a place of trust.
Don't stop praying, going to Mass, or going to Confession.

No matter how deep your darkness gets, no matter how deep you feel buried by your sins, Jesus loves you and wants to dig you out. Jesus’ Resurrection proves that he is more than capable to rescue you. He desires that each one of us would be with him in heaven for eternity. That is not just good news - it’s the greatest news ever.
 
Watch the original footage of the tree well rescue that Fr. Bill talks about in his homily (contains occasional use of strong language).