Inclined to be Good

With elections coming up we often hear the terms, "corrupt governments," "corrupt politicians" or "corrupt business men." These are all titles and descriptions that are thrown about on television and social media, especially in the current political race. What does corrupt really mean though? Does it mean that these people are inherently bad. Do we think that these people have always been bad and we just never realized it? "Corruption" is thrown in our face so often that people tend to think that we as humans are inherently bad. Personally, I have always been a supporter of the belief that we as humans are inherently good. I remember being in High School and my teacher once asked us to write an essay on this exact topic. I was astonished to find that many of my classmates felt that humans are naturally inclined to do do bad things. Mind you this was after reading books like Lord of the Flies and similar novels. So I can see why they might have argued for the later. However, I can't help but believe that we are naturally inclined to be good people.

Remind Me Who I Am

"When I lose my way and I forget my name, remind me who I am. In the mirror all I see is who I don't wanna be, remind me who I am. In the loneliest places, when I can't remember what grace is."

I heard these lyrics recently playing from my phone as I washed the dishes one day. It had been over a year since I last heard this once beloved song. While it may seem like a random probability this song would pop up among the hundreds of other songs on my playlist, I oftentimes find that God has a way of intervening, whether through a song, person, or book, at exactly the right time with exactly the right message. And so He did.

Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord

At the end of every Mass we usually hear the priest or deacon say, “Mass has ended, go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” or sometimes “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” It happens so often we usually don’t give these words much thought. Instead we manically say in response “Thanks be to God” and then proceed to sing the closing song. We breeze over the fact that we were just commissioned to spread the Gospel with the people we meet in the week. We fail to realize that as members of Christ’s body we have just been reminded of our responsibility to live our lives as an example of the faith giving glory to the Lord with our actions. One of the last things that Jesus said before His Ascension was,

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

Small Acts of Kindness and Love

What if we spent less time trying to make our life better than everyone else's? And instead we spent more time trying to making everyone else's life better?

Will you pursue your Personal Legend?

           As I prepared to visit a dear friend of mine in windy Chicago, I decided to dust off a book I had put away for some years. Many told me to read this beloved book, “The Alchemist”, but I was too distracted by the business of life to delve into the pages that contemplated life in a fictitious, yet very real manner. As I sat crammed in between two passengers on a plane bound for Chicago, I entered into the land of Andalusia with a young boy named Santiago and was instantly enchanted by his quest to discover his Personal Legend and treasure. You will not find many plot spoilers here (for you should also put off business to read this rather rare gem), but a brief highlight of how this book wrestles with the all too familiar question of why we should listen to our heart.

It's A New Day, It's A New Dawn

"Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

Thy Will Be Done

Whether we are young or old, rich or poor many of us are stuck with the idea that we must change the world. At one point I wanted to become an astronaut and go to space. It seemed like the most splendid thing I could accomplish. What greater adventure could there be than reaching those shining stars? Mind you, I am no longer working towards blasting off into the space. My focuses are slightly closer to home.