"Joe, are you familiar with the word sojourn?" My spiritual director recently asked me this question. While I had a sense of the word's meaning, I had to look it up to be sure. The definition was not what I expected. Sojourn simply means a temporary stay. Having recently published a book called Our Journey WITH God I was obviously intrigued.  While it is not a word we commonly hear today, it is very relevant. We have all been forced to sojourn as the pandemic quarantine ordered us to "temporarily stay" at home. This sojourn has had a wide-ranging impact on us individually and collectively. The Bible is full of examples of God's people being on a sojourn: There was famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, since the famine in the land was severe. Genesis 12:10  Joseph and Mary sojourned in Egypt with the infant Jesus. “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him. " Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. Matthew 2:13-14  Threatened by the ruling class of the Hebrew people, Paul experienced multiple sojourns as God prepared him for his ministry. Then he(God) said to me, ‘Go, I shall send you far away to the Gentiles.’ Acts 22:21  In each of these incidents we see that the sojourn was precipitated by a threat. We have always had the benefit of looking back on these and other stories to see God's hand at work in the midst of difficult times. We know that His people were most able to endure every threat when they kept their eyes and hearts turned toward Him, trusting that He would provide.  We are threatened by an unseen enemy to our health and well-being. This threat is not something you and I can control or defeat. We are left to wait for the all-clear that it is safe to "return" to normal. Turn your eyes and heart toward God. Regardless of where you are and what you are experiencing, Jesus makes this promise that will see you through your time of sojourning:  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. John 15:7  We are in the midst of unsettling and sometimes scary times. Where do you see God's hand at work? What are you asking from Him currently? Is that prayer one of trusting in Him to do as He wills? Our prayers may not be answered in the way we want or in our desired timeframe but if we remain in God, can you imagine a better place for our hearts to stay!

While driving home from a visit with Joshua, our youngest son, we were surprised at how light the traffic was as we traveled through the city of Chicago on a Wednesday morning. As the trip continued I became aware of how few passenger cars were on the road. Truck traffic was the same but their presence only made the lack of cars more obvious. Things were different. One thing that hadn't changed were the numerous construction sites along our route. The ever present orange barrels and flashing merger signs were always preceded by one sign in particular:

Our Journey WITH God is finished!!! . .. IN GOD'S TIME It has been 5 years, 7 months and 23 days since I started writing this book, but hey, who's counting?!? It has been an incredible experience, unlike any other and I'm really excited to share it with you! Maria, my wonderful, lovely, patient, selfless wife, was my editor from beginning to end. One day, near the end of the process, she mentioned writing another book. I said, "Stop right there! When you were giving birth to our children, did I tell you I wanted to have "another" one?!?" (Moms: please understand that I'm not suggesting that this was as tough as child birth, only that it was a labor of love that I needed to "recover" from). Maria and I laughed as she apologized and we agreed to put "another book" on the back burner, preferably on a stove somewhere very far away. While a due date for the birth of a baby is somewhat of an estimation, I have to admit I missed the "due date" of Our Journey WITH God by...a lot!!!! Not days or weeks, but months!!!!!! I guess I should have known. If you're answering the call to write a book about a journey with God, you should expect to—go on a journey with God. I did, but like so many things in life, (especially parenting) I had no clue what was in store for us. Days of excitement about a new concept or completed section were often followed by frustrating delays driven by mass deletions and whole section re-writes. Simply put, this was...a journey. God has been good to us throughout the ups and downs and twists and turns of authoring this book, just as He is in all of life. In God's time, the book was finished. I give God the glory and look forward to what He has prepared for me in this next phase of my journey and I hope you'll purchase the book to join me on the journey. Click here to buy Our Journey WITH God and I'll sign it for you and ship it for free!

The oncologist had gone to examine the blood samples I had given upon arriving at his office. The 20 minutes that Maria and I sat waiting seemed like an eternity. He finally returned and sat down on his wheeled stool without making eye contact which caused no small amount of alarm. The doctor had a message for us that he did not seem in a hurry to share. We braced for the bad news. Eventually, he looked up at our concerned faces and immediately apologized. His hesitation came, not from what he could tell us, but what he could not. I didn't have cancer but he could not tell me what was causing my seriously debilitating symptoms. In this week's Gospel Jesus holds back some of His news. Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you." John 15:26-27, 16:12-15 Jesus is sharing these words with His disciples on the night He was arrested. They have no idea what awaits Him and themselves in the coming days. The essence of Jesus' message is that the things that are about to happen are necessary. They are not yet ready to hear the bad news. He does tell them the good news. In time His Spirit will come in truth. Jesus clearly states that the Holy Spirit will "declare" what is to come. In that time they will come to understand why everything happened the way it did. With hindsight, we know that Jesus' promise of the Spirit brings the ability and courage to "declare" His Good News to the world. But the disciples were hearing these words without knowing the rest of the story. They had to wait, just as Maria and I awaited the news from the doctor. The uncertainty was deeply disconcerting. While uncertainty is a part of our journey with God we are blessed to know the rest of the story. Receive the Good News and declare it with the confidence that His Spirit brings. As for me, I am healthy! But you'll have to stay tuned to the Weekly Journey to hear the rest of the story!

I really didn't want to leave. I've always said I've wanted to live in a place like this so leaving was tough. This past weekend for Maria's birthday we went to stay with our friends Jan and Andy at their beautiful home at Lake James in North Carolina. Here is the view from their boat dock.

When I read this week's Gospel I realized that I needed to share with you what I'm going through in spite of the fact that it's very personal. My recent struggles are deeply personal and they are getting in the way of what I know to be true. I'm in a strange place and I'm not sure what to do or where to go. It feels like I'm taking one step forward followed by two steps back. For example, we went to a concert last Friday night. Chris Tomlin and Matt Maher headlined the Worship Night in America show. It was wonderful. I truly felt God's presence and my spirit was lifted in spite of my recent struggles. However, three days later I'm back in my funk. Why does this happen? Is my answer in the Gospel? The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." Luke 24:35-48 Even though they experienced Jesus' presence and their "hearts had been burning within them" the disciples still struggled. They were troubled and had questions in their hearts. Jesus proved to the disciples that He was present with them in body. Not only did Jesus show them HIs scars but He also ate fish to demonstrate His physical presence. Once He established this Jesus spoke truth. In a few sentences, He brought clarity to everything that had happened, was happening and if we read further what was to happen. (The coming of the Holy Spirit... "And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father...") The answer to our struggles, doubts and fears are always found in Jesus. I'm not being flippant. If we listen to what He said to the disciples in this Gospel passage, Jesus' coming, suffering, death and resurrection applies to all of humanity's ills. You and I are no different. As I wrote these words today Jesus helped me to understand the why of my struggles. More importantly, He showed Himself to me in His Words (read the Gospel above) and in them, I have found the peace that has escaped me for some time. "I am a witness to these things!"

Have you ever had an experience that caused you to stop and say, "What just happened?" We just had a family emergency that caused me to look back and ask that question. I'm still trying to make sense of everything that happened. With Palm Sunday upon us, I'm wondering about how those around Jesus might have answered that question in the days surrounding His crucifixion. As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so." The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of." Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them one prisoner whom they requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion. The crowd came forward and began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed. Pilate answered, "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate again said to them in reply, "Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?" They shouted again, "Crucify him." Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?" They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified. The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort. They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him. They began to salute him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him. They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. They brought him to the place of Golgotha — which is translated Place of the Skull — They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it. Then they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what each should take. It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." With him they crucified two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross." Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among themselves and said, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him. At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "Look, he is calling Elijah." One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down." Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" Mark 15:1-39 As Jesus entered Jerusalem, those closest to Him must have constantly wondered about everything that was swirling around Jesus. The Sanhedrin, Pilate and the crowds all played a part in an emotionally charged "trial", where the defendant passively accepted His brutal and gruesome fate. The question, "What just happened?" would have elicited many answers depending on the individual. We do hear an answer from one person, the centurion at the foot of the cross. This man showed up for an ordinary workday. (Yes it was ordinary for a Roman centurion to be a part of a crucifixion.) He witnesses the death of another "criminal" he may never have laid eyes on before. However, something causes him to come to an extraordinary conclusion. The experience of listening to Jesus' passion and crucifixion each year provides us with an opportunity. We can ask ourselves, "What just happened?" Depending on where we are in life at that instant we will have a unique response. The Lenten journey allows us to reflect on what happened to Jesus. We must, at the same time, remember Who He was. The centurion helps us in that. "Truly this man was the Son of God." Have a blessed Holy Week!

It’s snowing again this morning. March in southwestern Pennsylvania; it was three times warmer in February! I wonder if the poor flowers that sprouted early will survive? Those bulbs beneath the frozen ground eventually bring us the first glimpse of spring. It is almost here. I can’t wait!!! The Gospel does the same this week. Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. "I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and will glorify it again." The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this indicating the kind of death he would die. John 12:20-33 in the midst of the Passover Feast Jesus’ presence has created a buzz. The Greeks from afar want to see Him. The disciples have their expectations of Jesus’ role but His words continue to puzzle them. Jesus, on the other hand, clearly understands His purpose. Jesus provides an unsolicited explanation of the meaning of life and death. Death must come in order for new life to spring forth. Our winters are the same. All flowers wilt and eventually die in the fall. Green turns to brown and the snow buries everything in winter white. And yet hope lies beneath the surface. The disciples surely struggled to understand the meaning of Jesus' prediction. Death? Jesus demonstrated what it meant to live through death. We are called to do the same. We must be willing to die to self so that we can live in Him. This is the harsh reality of the Christian life. But the beautiful fruit that results is worth enduring, just like our winter!

Have you ever found yourself answering a simple question with a rambling tangent that totally misses the mark? I have done that more times than I can count. The look on the face of the person asking me the question usually lets me know I'm confusing them. While that is never my intention I often feel like I need to provide background and support for my eventual answer. I would have loved to see the faces of the Pharisees when Jesus answered their question in this week's Gospel: When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." Matthew 22:34-40 The leaders of Jesus' day continue to ask Him questions that are intended to trap Him. Jesus, always aware of their motivations, answers their questions in a number of ways. In this exchange, Jesus' directly answers the question about the greatest commandment but he doesn't stop there. He answers a second question of His own asking. In doing so Jesus points to love of neighbor as a way to love God. Then Jesus pulls everything together with His final statement. "The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." In this statement Jesus puts an end to the discussion. In essence, the answer to every question is always, love God! Simple, right? Not so fast. Even though the Pharisees, as lovers of the law, would have agreed with Jesus' first answer they would have stumbled on the second. Imagine their faces. "Dang, He did it again!" They might have said. "We do love God, but our neighbors? And wait a minute we were trying to trip you up." Isn't it interesting and wonderful how everything truly does come back to these two commandments?!? If we honestly look to our intentions we will almost always find that the deeper we look the more likely we are to find our true motivation. Is it our love of God and neighbor or are we seeking our own selfish desires? I can answer that one simply. Love God first and neighbors second! End of discussion!

As the brand new religious education director at St. Barbara I had just met Angie when she enrolled her daughter in the first grade. We had had a lengthy conversation about Angie's story and her serious health issues. I was inspired by her courage. In the second week of the program I conducted my annual parent meeting. A week later, Angie excitedly said she couldn't wait to share a story with me. She had been invited out to breakfast with a group of women who had just heard me speak at the parent meeting. One of the women complained saying, "I don't think I like this new director." Angie asked her why. "Because he is telling us that our faith is more important than all of our other family activities." Angie told me how she had responded to the woman. "Think about what you just said." After a long pause the woman said, "Oh my! I think I do like this guy." I want to emphasize that this story is not about me. However, it clarifies this week's Gospel: Jesus said to his apostles: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward." Matthew 10:37-42 Keep the context of Jesus' words in mind. He has mentioned division, persecution and even death as He prepares the apostles for their ministry to the lost of Israel. "...more than mother and father...daughter or son?" Can you imagine the thoughts of the apostles? "Wow, people aren't going to like this message." But the reality is that some did accept this challenging message from Jesus. And Jesus makes it clear that for those who do so, the reward is great! Angie had the courage to help the woman see past my words to the core of my message. But it's not about me. Or you. Or our families. It is about Jesus Christ. He must come before all else. Once we place Him there we can courageously proclaim Jesus' message to all.

This past weekend Maria and I traveled to Florida to help her brother, John, and his wife, Holli, move into their new home. We were surprising them and the anticipation leading up to our arrival was palpable. We excitedly rang the doorbell. When John opened the door he was totally shocked. We didn't know it but their help had backed out just before the closing that morning. We had arrived just in time. That is exactly what happens in this week's Gospel. Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying, "Master, the one you love is ill." When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." He said this, and then told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him." So the disciples said to him, "Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved." But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, "Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him." So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go to die with him." When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, "The teacher is here and is asking for you." As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Sir, come and see." And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him." But some of them said, "Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?" So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me." And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go." Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. John 11:1-45 Jesus doesn't immediately depart for Bethany when he hears of Lazarus' illness. He knows that God's timing is perfect and Jesus expects the unexpected. Everyone around Jesus sees the immediate circumstances and they respond accordingly. Understandably, there is a sense of desperation as Mary and Martha send for their friend Jesus. The disciples are concerned for Jesus' safety in light of the past threats on His life. What we see transpiring throughout this story is Jesus moving at "just the right pace" in spite of the urgency of the situation. We, on the other hand, have a tendency to seek the fastest route to resolving our problems. The reality is that we often have no real control over the situations that confront us. But God the Father does! And Jesus demonstrates His confidence in HIs Father's timing. How often do we fuss and fret that things aren't happening as we had hoped? When we walk in God's timing everything falls into place, Just In Time! Maria and I had no idea just how much of a blessing we were going to be to John and Holli. But God the Father did! And we all gave Him the glory for bringing to life John and Holli's new home just as He does in all things. JUST IN TIME!!!

Just this afternoon I had a conversation with two women, Sue and Rosemary, from a local church who are planning to run the Alpha course. I've been heavily involved with Alpha for the last two years and they were asking me for advice. From my perspective they have already done a good job in preparing to run the course but they are well aware of the fact that they aren't quite "there" yet. Having never run Alpha leaves them with doubts. We see something similar in this week's Gospel. When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:2-11 The disciples of John the Baptist were surely struggling to grasp the meaning of his imprisonment. They had followed him with willing hearts. They witnessed the crowds responding to his message of repentance. Then John was arrested. In the midst of all this they faithfully sought Jesus with a measure of hope and perhaps doubt about who He was. When Jesus told them to witness about what they had heard and seen, things became clear. John's disciples experienced Jesus, the One. Not only did they experience Jesus but they knew of His works as well. Being out in front of Jesus with John the Baptist was a challenging task. These disciples had to trust in John and more importantly trust in the promise of the coming Christ. Sue and Rosemary also need to trust in the promise of the coming Christ - in the Alpha course. Until the participants come to the course and meet Jesus and see His works they can't know. It is up to Sue, Rosemary and their team to prepare the way... That takes great faith, the same kind of faith that John the Baptist and his disciples demonstrated. The key is in the answer to John's original question. Is it really you? Are you the One? If we believe that Jesus is the One we are all called to prepare the way for Jesus in the lives of the people Jesus brings across our path. Jesus does the rest because He is the One!

Our Sarah just moved into her new apartment in central Florida. Typically, I have only worried about hurricanes in the past when they hit the gulf coast because I have family there. Now as Hurricane Matthew nears the Atlantic coast I find myself paying more attention than usual. This is potentially the worst hurricane in decades. That realization gave me pause as I thought about Sarah's safety and then about those in the path of this huge storm. Every indication is pointing to potentially catastrophic devastation. Hundreds of thousands of people are being told they must evacuate their homes and businesses. In this week's Gospel we see Jesus interacting on a personal level with those who had experienced a life altering, devastating illness that required them to be "evacuated" from society to protect the general population. As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Luke 17:11-19 Obviously the healing of the lepers is an important part of this Gospel. However the unknown backstory of the lepers is important. Imagine these people living their lives when an illness appears that changes everything. Leprosy had no cure so lepers had to be completely quarantined from the rest of society. Think of the "storm" they faced in their personal lives, as leprosy separated them from everyone and everything they knew and loved. Forever! If they were healed and approved by the priests they could return to society but that rarely happened. That is why the response of the ten men is so important to the message here. Their lives had been given back to them. Most likely they had no hope of ever returning to their normal lives and yet Jesus restored everything. And yet only one of the ten returned to thank God his savior. Take note of what Jesus says to the one who did return. "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." The man has already been healed of leprosy. Jesus is now speaking of the man's salvation. Shouldn't the others be just as grateful? Shouldn't you and I? If we've trusted our life to Jesus as savior He has restored us to the life we are intended to have. A life with God that lasts forever! Glory to God! Thank you Jesus! I feel compelled to pray! "Lord God you are our creator and redeemer. We trust you in all things. As this storm nears the densely populated coast may you protect all who are in its path. Comfort those who have already lost loved ones and their homes. In the end you are the true savior. Please protect those in harm's way that they might gratefully give You the glory. In Jesus mighty name I pray."

I can be a pretty emotional person so the timing of this week's Gospel is profound in a number of ways. If you read last week's post you know that my Father-in-law, Jack, passed away unexpectedly on January 20th. Queue the emotions! It has been a week full of emotional ups and downs as Maria's family progressed through this challenging experience. Jack was laid to rest in his hometown of Coupon yesterday and we all came home to start living our lives without him. This morning I came to realize that today, Thursday, is the day that my Share Jesus video was being sent out to thousands of people. The interesting part of all this is that we recorded the video almost two months ago. I knew it was for this Sunday's Gospel but I had no idea what would be going on in my life when the video was emailed. God did! I am grateful to Him for this "personal" reminder. Here is the video entitled, Dealing with Anger Towards God. I pray that God speaks to you wherever you are in this moment. Please #ShareJesus by sending this on to others and comment below about your emotional experiences with God.

We will be sad at Mass this Sunday. My wife Maria's Dad passed away suddenly this past Wednesday. However, I expect that we will be comforted by this week's Gospel from Luke: Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 When Jesus went back to Nazareth where He grew up it marked the beginning of a journey that ended at His excruciating death on the cross. We know that His bodily death was also a beginning because Jesus fulfilled his own prophecy by rising from the dead on the third day. Jesus conquered death so that we might have eternal life with Him. John Mark Luther, Jack to his family, is going home to the place where he grew up. For Jack, that means to tiny Coupon, Pennsylvania in Cambria County. Population in the 2010 census was 73. Jack will be buried in the Saint Joseph Cemetery in his family's plot. Jack was one of a kind! He loved his family in his own unique way. He loved to golf, bowl, tell stories with his Manhattan in hand and was always ready for a hearty debate. He will be missed. Jack believed what Jesus spoke of in this passage and he is no longer "captive" in this life. We mourn Jack's passing but look with hope to that day when we too go home! Rest in peace, Jack.

How certain are you of where you are headed in life? Me? It depends. There are days when my path seems clear. Then I get a text or the phone rings and my whole world seems to shift. As you read this week’s Gospel imagine how the disciples must have felt after Jesus dropped this message on them. Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. "And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Mark 13:24-32 Let me try and put this into context. Here are the headings of the paragraphs preceding this passage in the 13th chapter of Mark’s Gospel. The Destruction of the Temple Foretold The Signs of the End The Coming Persecution The Great Tribulation WHOA! Heads up! Things are going to get interesting. Imagine the flurry of glances and responses while this message is being delivered. Jesus concludes this earth-moving message with one word. In verse 37 He says, “What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” The Greek root of this word is not the word we might use when asking someone to watch a YouTube video. It has a much more active meaning: to be vigilant and on guard, fully awake, aware, alert and intently focused. Jesus is instructing and exhorting His disciples so that they can remain faithful and obedient through the coming trials they will face. I believe we are to read this message from Jesus in that same way. Our world can change with a simple text message. Regardless of the persecution or tribulation that it might bring we must trust in Jesus. If you have chosen to be one of His elect this is the only text message that ultimately matters:

Relationships can be so challenging. In the last few days both of my sons have turned to me for support and guidance in the midst of some very difficult and emotional times. As a parent I have experienced very real pain with each of them as they try to process through these relationship challenges. I want nothing more than for them to be happy and healthy but I know real life isn’t so smooth. How do I respond to them in a Godly way as I experience the rush of powerful emotions that accompany a father’s heart? Where do I find the strength to stand beside them and hold them up when my knees are weak? How do I speak truth to them about relationships without wounding our relationship? I have to be honest with you. As my sons, young men, confide in me I realize that my heart is being stretched and challenged to respond lovingly. Let’s look at this week’s Gospel and see how Jesus responds to those close to Him. Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. There is a phrase that points to the core meaning of this passage. “And they took offense at him.” Note that these are not strangers that Jesus is interacting with. This is His hometown. These people have a relationship with Him. But their "offense" is based on who they think Jesus is. Biblically, it is a sin to cause offense and it is a sin to be offended when none is given. The obvious question then follows; is Jesus guilty of causing offense to those He knows? Of course we can surmise that, being sinless, Jesus could not have been “at fault” in this situation. Therefore those that He is speaking to are guilty of the latter form of sinful offense. They are taking offense at Jesus because He is speaking the truth. In other words they are not rightly related to and with The Truth, Jesus. Jesus not only speaks the truth but Jesus is the Truth. Jesus knows that their hearts are not right with Him. In fact He is “amazed at their lack of faith” in the Truth. When It comes to truth in relationships this is where we are challenged with this “offensive” principle. When “The Truth” is involved we must ensure that our hearts are rightly related to Him. Our focus must be on Christ. Our hearts must be right with Him if we are going to have the opportunity to share the truth as Jesus did. More and more, as our culture erodes, we are going to be challenged to stand up for the Truth. That is not to say that we can beat people over the head with our own current interpretation of the truth. This is not a license to assume Jesus’ role as we relate to those around us. We cannot condemn and judge! We are called to love, first and foremost. If our hearts are not rightly related to Him it is more likely that we will respond not in love but in condemnation and judgment, which destroys relationships. Relationship must come first! When we have loved others unconditionally, God’s Truth will speak through us. In essence we become a reflection of Him who is the Truth. This week’s Gospel has really convicted me. I realize that my responses to others might be coming from a heart that is not fully turned towards Jesus. I realize that I have not cornered the market on Truth. In fact, it is a pretty sure sign that when I am convinced that I have the truth, I need to sit down with The Truth to find out what is in His heart. Then I need to ask His Spirit to show me what is truly in my heart. Instead of asking for the "right" answer I need to ask how I can love in these situations. That is why I want to love Joey and Josh and allow them to find the Truth on their own. I believe a big part of our problem as Christians today is that in our humanness we are convinced that we know the Truth. Here are a few questions to ponder. Do I have more to learn? Can I continue to grow in my faith? Am I holding stubbornly to some previous understanding of who Jesus Christ is when He wants me to know Him more deeply? These questions look inward. They challenge us to focus on our heart. God is infinitely greater than we can know. Who are we to think we know His heart in all things? I have very prayerfully considered challenging you with these questions and conclusions. I don't want to "offend" you. However, the truth is...we are called to The Truth. Our focus needs to be on our relationship with Jesus. And the Truth is Jesus died for all out of His infinite love. Therefore we are to love until it hurts! That is the opposite of speaking our truth that hurts others. Jesus brings the Truth. He can only do so as we build relationships with those He loves. If someone takes offense at our words that are grounded in our current set of beliefs we may be guilty of "being offensive". If they take offense at our self-sacrificing and loving behavior then we hopefully can rest assured we are not guilty of giving offense. Back to Joey and Josh. As they struggle to mature as men I realize that I too am continuing to mature. My relationship with them has to grow along with them. How I parented them when they were young is no longer adequate for the men they are becoming. There it is! That's the key. We must continually BE-come more like Jesus Christ. Only then will we be a reflection of He who is, the Truth to the world. In so doing we might even "amaze" Him with our faith!