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You may have heard that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, but have you really heard those words? You may have been in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but have you really seen him in the Eucharist?
Today, Fr. Mike challenges us to take Jesus at His word (John 6:6) and to grow in our faith in His real presence, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist!
How is it that a young French girl who entered the convent at 15 years old and died at only 24 years old would become a Doctor of the Church? How is it that on her deathbed her own sisters thought her life was so unremarkable that they struggled to write her obituary?
Today, Fr. Mike reflects on how the “Little Way” of St. Thérèse of Lisieux contains a secret to holiness for every modern Catholic.
Are there things in my life that are incompatible with holiness?
We all wish to be saints—God’s people with him forever in heaven. But do we will it? Do we choose it?
Fr. Mike wants you to know that today is the day. This is the moment. There’s only one reason you’re not a saint yet.
“The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day.” —St. Gianna Beretta Molla
//Ascension//
Should we really talk to God about everything?
There are a lot of different kinds of prayers (liturgical, litanies, the rosary, the chaplet of divine mercy, etc.), but today Father hones in on mental prayer. Mental prayer—including lectio divina and Ignatian prayer—is about having a conversation with God and inviting him into your mind and your heart. But our minds are messy places, and our hearts are wounded. Should we really be talking to God about all of our thoughts, longings, and desires?
God is quick to forgive, and he’s given us the gift of confession so we can return to a relationship with him after sin. But this love he has for us is so great that he never wants us to be caught by sin again, which is why he allows our sins to have consequences. Just like your parents would teach you why something is wrong, God helps us build knowledge of sin and its consequences by letting us experience them. Without learning from our mistakes, we would just keep falling into the same sins, separating us from a relationship with God.
Today, Fr. Mike explains why God lets us learn from our mistakes, and how it shows the depth of his mercy.
St. Paul tells us, “Do everything without grumbling,” but even the best-intentioned Christians can fall into a toxic habit of constant complaining. It’s true that sometimes, sharing a complaint can help rectify an unjust situation or call attention to something that needs to change. But when you start fixating on the negative things around you and voicing your critiques or grievances about everything in your life, you imprison yourself in your own personal hell.
Today, Fr. Mike encourages us to ask for God’s grace to break free from the habit of complaining.
“It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God, and with fitting honor to acknowledge him.” – Tobit 12:7
How often do you acknowledge the works of God? How often do you recognize what he’s doing in your life? In this passage from Tobit, the Archangel Raphael is encouraging us to pay attention to the works of God—not only in our lives, but in the lives of those around us. He is constantly present, even in our most mundane tasks. But how often do we notice his works, note his presence and goodness, and declare it to the world?
Today, Fr. Mike encourages us to acknowledge the presence of God in our lives through 3 steps: noticing, noting, and declaring.
This is just an introduction to discovering God in your everyday life. To go deeper, check out Danielle Bean’s new book, Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday (https://tinyurl.com/yzof686f)