Our lives are a day-to-day movement toward or away from God. Like a child learning, it's a function of baby steps. Consider this your homework for the summer. Take measure of where you are in your faith today and again at the end of the summer. Try not to be in a hurry; instead, be patient, open to God's grace, and attentive to His still, small voice every day.

We ought to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to carry out the will of God for each one of us as brothers and sisters of Christ. How do we do that? In the moments of our daily life which we seem to be pulling away with temptations and discouragement, while asking whose voice it is that we are hearing, we can call upon the Holy Spirit by saying: “Come, Holy Spirit, Come!”

When God asks us to change, we tend to resist or ignore it and lose ourselves in worldly distractions. The tension that's created is an indicator of where God is pressing on us, where He wants to work. Fr. Bill has a phrase he likes to use: "Mine (as in, 'dig') for conflict". Search your heart for those places of conflict and tension and dig into them. Invite the Lord into those places and ask for what you need: the grace to forgive, the humility to ask for help, whatever it may be.

Remember the acronym Fr. Anthony gave us, FAMILY: Forget About Me. I Love You. Ask God to help you to stop fixating on your own wants. Seek out those around you and ask them how they are doing. Don't take yourselves so seriously, but rather lose yourself in the loving service of others, loving as God loves. In that exercise, we learn compassion. Then, you will be imitating and giving glory to the Most Holy Trinity, and your life will be full of a communion of love.

A mosaic is composed of multiple individual pieces that together creates a beautiful image. Similarly, we are each crafted unique and distinct with our own gifts, and unite as one Body sharing God’s love to the world. Consider attending a different Mass time or sitting somewhere different and introduce yourself to those around you whom you do not know. Get to know them and the gift they bring to this diverse and unified Body of Christ called Holy Trinity Parish.

None of us goes through this life without our share of disappointment and frustration. It’s our belief in the life to come that allows us to be okay with this. Recall this quote that Fr. Dave introduced a few years ago, from Fr. James Martin, S.J.:
"This isn’t heaven. You’re not God. Don’t be a jerk."
Repeat this to yourself when feeling frustrated or discouraged, to reframe your perspective and help you bear the day's burdens as we await the Great Day to come.

Receiving the Eucharist is an invitation as well as a commandment. Jesus told us to "remain in [His] love," to “take this and eat it for this is my body,” that all who struggle will be refreshed if they come to him. Jesus loves us deeply. He is a friend who wants to be with us always, through the good and the bad. So whenever you feel misunderstood, lonely, sad, or unloved, come to Mass and receive Jesus who loves you more than anyone else in the world, for the Eucharist is the most powerful way to be close to Him and His love.

We are the branches grafting to Jesus, the vine who pumps into us that sap/the spirit which is the nutrient to stay healthy, grow and bear fruits of comfort, familiarity, and peace so that we live and move, and have our being rooted in Christ, our love and anchor.