Our faithfulness isn’t expressed in token gestures or in rigid orthodoxy, but in living according to the mission and values of Jesus

To believe that Jesus is calling us to a life of discipleship means that we must be willing to place ourselves at the service of others

Like the Prophet Amos in the First Reading and the Apostles in our Gospel, we are also called entrusted with the responsibility of tirelessly proclaiming the Good News of God’s Mercy.

We are called to reach across the boundaries—whatever form they might take—and invite others to join us in living out this mission.

The Season of Lent ultimately reminds us that holiness is possible for us only when we enter into the struggle.

Grace and life are offered to us, we are called to express our gratitude in and through our love and service of those around us.

If we take to heart the Christmas and Epiphany revelations that Chris is truly present among us, then we also have to recognize that “ordinariness” is no longer a possibility for us.

This feast also invites us to reflect how the vocation of the Apostles—to tell the story of Jesus—witnesses to the great truth of Christmas.

We are being asked to trust that God has kept—and continues to keep—the promises made to our spiritual ancestors so many centuries ago.

Our Advent journey is one of lament and longing, a cry for that life which only God can give.

Like those leaders called out by Jesus and Malachi, we also have a special kind of covenantal relationship with those whom we are called to serve.

The call to ministry is nothing more than to serve and to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of those entrusted to our care.

It isn’t enough to simply talk about reconciliation and healing, we must do the hard work of forgiving, which, for disciples of Jesus, is just one aspect of taking up one’s cross and imitating Jesus himself.

God scatters the seed whether we’re ready, paying attention, or willing to receive the seed at all. This is part of God’s gracious self-giving. God is always speaking to us and the seed is always being sown. 

We can never stop listening or learning. And so, in a sense, in this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is asking us, “How well are you listening?” and “Who are you listening to?”

Our task is simple: to share good news—to proclaim Christ—by sharing with the world what we ourselves have seen and come to believe.

Jesus disappears from the disciples’ physical sight so that he might become more present to the eyes of their hearts.

The invitation for us this Sunday is to reflect on how we understand the Holy Spirit and to open our minds and hearts to the Spirit’s transforming love.

The Evangelist John uses this final visit to Bethany as an opportunity to prefigure what is to come and to highlight the growing animosity of Judas Iscariot and all those who wanted Jesus to die.

The Season of Lent reminds us that holiness is really only possible for us if we enter into the struggle, remembering that whatever darkness we may encounter will not overtake us.