These couple lines of the Gospel really hit me at Holy Mass this morning.

Here we have eleven men who spent three years following Jesus, hearing Him preach, and watching Him perform miracles; yet they doubted. They saw him cleanse lepers, forgive sins, and cure the sick; yet, they doubted. Given that these are a couple of the final verses in the Gospel of Matthew, they have even seen him raised from the dead and spent 40 days with Him at this point; yet they doubted.

How true is this attitude of all of us? On any given day, God’s love is overwhelmingly obvious in all of our lives, yet we find reasons to doubt. When he has given us another breath, another sunrise, another sunset, another day, another meal, another friendship, another experience of love, and another opportunity to praise Him, we are still quick to say, “Yeah, but…”

What this passage tells us, though, is that our doubts are completely normal. They are part of the process when growing in natural and spiritual virtue. Many people feel guilty in the spiritual realm when they experience doubt. In the natural order, doubt can lead people to give up on their dreams by making them believe they are a sign they are not really supposed to do what they set out after. However, doubt is neither a reason for guilt or giving in because it is not an expression of disbelief. It is only a temporary suspension of judgment until more evidence becomes available.

Viewing doubt in this light, we can neutralize its immobilizing emotions. If we understand doubt as normal and see it as an opportunity to grow in faith by continuing to act, then we are sure to grow in virtue.

This is where the disciples give us a great example. Yes they doubted, but they still worshipped. We need to follow their lead if we are to attain any of our goals in this world and ultimately attain our goal of eternal life in the world to come.

When doubts leave you feeling paralyzed, take action and your dreams will surely be realized.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus would have done had that boy not brought bread and fish?

Surely Jesus could have fed everyone just the same. After all, He was God. In reflecting on His miracles, however, we see that Jesus always made use of the things people had on hand to communicate His message and reveal His divinity.

At the Wedding Feast at Cana, He changed water into wine. At the Last Supper, He changed bread and wine into His Body and Blood. Here, he uses a meager amount of bread and fish to feed a multitude of people.

If while He walked the earth, Jesus always used those things at hand to work miracles, can we assume He operates any differently today?

I ask this question because God has given you gifts, talents, and wisdom beyond your wildest imagination. Deep down, you already know this. Right now, however, your talents only look like a few pieces of bread. Therefore, every day you wake up and say with the disciples, “But who am I among so many?”

If we look back at the story, though, we see you are not the one who works miracles. Instead, God works miracles as long as you bring what He has given you; nothing more, nothing less. Five thousand men (not counting woman and children) were fed from five barley loaves and two fish all because a boy brought what he was given.

So, what have you been given? And, if you brought that to the people around you each and every day, how many thousands could God feed?

When Jesus called, the apostles followed; it was that simple. There was no brainstorming session with their team and they didn’t talk it over with their families or consult with their mentors. They also didn’t check their bank accounts and make sure they had enough funds or inquire into Jesus’ 401K plan. No, they “immediately” dropped everything and followed Him.

This is a model for all of us to pattern our lives after. A few posts ago, I quoted Stedman Graham as saying, “The foundation of freedom is passion.” Meaning, whatever you can passionately throw yourself into and serve the world doing is your ultimate vocation in this world. And, until you follow that passion, you will always be limiting yourself.

Jesus had a couple chance encounters with people who sought to take the modern “balanced” approach to decision making. They both seemed to have legitimate needs to fulfill before following. One said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (Luke 9:59) While another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” (Luke 9:61) Both of these statements earned rebukes from Jesus.

Why?

I believe Jesus knew how quickly the “cares of life” (Luke 8:14) get in the way of real progress. Ideas, insights, and enthusiasm are often drained when life gets in the way. We may have an amazing plan to build an outstanding business or ministry that will offer much needed service to thousands, if not millions of people, but who has time to implement that plan when the kids need to be picked up from school, dinner needs to be made, and the house needs painting?

So, where is He calling you today? Where in your life are you certain it’s time to “drop your nets and follow him?” And, most importantly, what is keeping you from making that decision?

The Bible is full of examples of God working through men and women and today we tend to forget this simple truth. We are often quick to see God working through the situations in our lives, but neglect the fact that He regularly attempts to work through the people in our lives. Consequently, when someone seeks to assist us our pride gets in the way and we say things like, “I don’t need your charity!”

In similar fashion, we tend to overlook the movements of God within our own heart. Think of the many times you held back after feeling compelled to share a kind word with a friend or a few dollars with the man standing on the corner of the overpass with a cardboard sign on a below freezing day. What about the countless times you thought about making better food choices, developing some exercise habits, or cultivating a prayer life only to get home from work and flop down for another evening of mindless television.

When I was at the Success Symposium in Dallas, Texas last week, I knelt down to pray in the window sill of my 30th floor hotel room. As I prayed, I looked down at the people on the street and noted just how small they appeared. Half inch men and women scurried about while Micro Machine sized cars made their way around. Suddenly it dawned on me that we all have the mistaken notion that God sees us through this prism. We tend to think He is WAY up there in Heaven completely separate from us until we call begging for His help.

However, the scriptures tell us God is intimately involved the lives of His people. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” Still, it is up to us to stay open to His grace because He will never force His way into our lives. Even the outcome of something as overwhelmingly important as our salvation hinged upon the consent of a young girl named Mary who became the ultimate model of humility when she stated, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38)

So listen to your heart because God is knocking. He wants to work through you and in you. Will you let Him in?

Sometimes the easiest way to define something is to start by stating what something is not. Above St. Paul gives us a definition of the fullness of life for Christians. Our lives should be mirrors of this passage because these are the characteristics that will ultimately lead others to Him. Yet, often times, Christians display just the opposite. Many days, one would think this passage read, “And the spirit brings about hate, sadness, war, anxiety, evil, disloyalty, crudeness, self-indulgence; within such are the road to destruction.”

Still, it does not have to be this way. In baptism you literally became a child of God. As such, the flood gates were open to you. The very grace which created the world and sustains it in existence now dwells within you.

Yes, it’s normal to have your off days, just don’t become defined by those days. You were created in Him and redeemed through Him. Now live for Him in the love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control He has given you.

When exactly is it that we cash in our dreams and accept the mundane?

At one point in the session, I paused and verified the grade of everyone in the room. We had one freshman, 7 sophomores, 7 or 8 juniors and couple seniors. With this new information, I posed the question, “Do you believe you can do anything?” To my surprise, not one of them replied, “Yes!” Many of them looked puzzled and cast their eyes down apparently thinking over their alleged “shortcomings.”

I pressed the issue asking, “You’re all between 14 & 17 years old, let me ask you this; if I would have come to you 5 to 7 years ago when you were all between the ages of 5 & 10, and asked you if you could do anything, what would you have said?” In unison they all replied, “Yes!” I followed up, “So, what’s changed?” One of the juniors chimed in, “I don’t know, because when you start to get older, you start to realize how hard things are and just stop believing that.”

I suspect this is the truth across the board. At some point, apparently before High School, we start to become jaded by the world’s pessimism. Instead of acting like a child and only seeing all of the fantastic talents we have been given, we begin to pour all of our attention into what we don’t have and begin the slow decent into mediocrity. 

Yet, it does not have to be this way. We all have a choice. On one hand, we can passively accept the world’s negativism reflected in sayings like, “You have to deal with the cards that you’re dealt.” On the other, we can relentlessly pursue the truth that at each moment we have the ability to choose the highest good for God and experience the greatest amount of fulfillment in this life.

Ultimately the highest good for you may seem absolutely unattainable and you’re probably right. For you, it is unattainable. However, for the believer who draws upon the grace of God in the power of the Holy Spirit, anything is possible. As Paul states in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me.”

So, if you’re faced with overwhelming adversity, take it to prayer. If you feel in your heart this is the Lord’s will for your life, take Jesus at His Word and believe Him when He says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

The seeds of doubt are a cancerous disease that if left unchecked will take root in your life and grow higher than the trees of the Amazon. In addition to becoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the trees of doubt bear much fruit in the form of anxiety, fear, and ultimately despair. As long as we live in a fallen world, we will be subject to temptations to doubt; however, temptations are just that and we have the freedom to turn away from them.

Mark Twain once said, “I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” This underlines the fact that most of the things which keep us awake at night have virtually no basis in reality. Therefore, the best thing we can do when faced with doubts are hold them up to the light of truth to see them for what they are; lies. And Revelation 12:10 shows us who is responsible for them, “For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before God.”

So, the next time you realize you’ve allowed the seeds of doubt to take root, kneel in prayer and say with Jesus, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” Then be vigilant in knowing the blessings you’ve been given and watch those doubts wither like the fig tree.

Well, I’ve got news for you; everything counts. Whether you’re talking about goals in business, your personal life, or your spiritual life, everything counts.

Goals are illusive and when you’re trying to attain them everything you do either moves you closer to or farther away from them. The goal of Lent is to draw closer to Christ by coming to know a small portion of the suffering he took on for you while fasting 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. In remaining faithful to this practice, the elation of Easter takes on new dimensions in your life. While it is tempting to go all out and fall into the “Sundays of Lent” mindset, you have to ask, “Is this moving me closer to my goal?” Not just your short term Lenten goal, but your ultimate goal of eternal life.

Many of you may be thinking, “Hey, not even Saints fast on Sunday, so back off!” Yes, that’s true, not even Saints fast on Sunday. But who says you have to overindulge on everything you gave up to break your fast? The Orthodox give up meat, meat products, fish, eggs, dairy, wine, and oil for Lent. However, the most strict among them will break their fast on Sunday by touching oil to their lips, while even those who aren’t as strict only allow for oil and wine.

I’ve been imitating this practice for years and it works. You get the pleasure of having a bit of what you gave up, while keeping with the season of sacrifice in holding back. This year, I once again gave up starch, sauce, and dairy. Therefore, I broke my fast this Sunday by having some salad dressing. Next Sunday, who knows, I may get wild and have some cheese!

If you’re one who typically treats the Sundays of Lent like Sunday Feasts, I encourage you to give this new approach to the season a shot. In doing so, I promise you will not only come to know the suffering Christ through the entire season of Lent, but the joy you of Resurrection you experience at Easter will multiply exponentially.

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad’ducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40)

Many people visiting my site for the first time might be tempted to ask, “What does any of this have to do with the moral life anyways? You sound like some hippie on his tree hugging soap box yelling about the evils of McDonald’s and other food manufacturers all the time. I just don’t see what any of this has to do with the imitation of Christ.”

Well, thank you for asking; I’ll be happy to explain.

In the Gospel passage listed above, the Pharisees attempt to pigeon hole Jesus by asking him, “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?” In order to fully understand the meaning of this question, we have to reflect on the context. This lawyer was not simply referring to the 10 Commandments. Instead, he was referencing the 613 Mitzvot (”commandments”), which the Jews discerned from reading the Torah, also known as the Five Books of Moses; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Keeping this in mind, the question actually reads, “Out of the 613 laws of Moses, which one should we really follow?” This is a seemingly clever tactic. There are so many good ones to choose from. Will he go for not making an idol of yourself (Exodus 20:4)? Or maybe he’ll pick not listening to a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:4), that’s a really good one.

The problem with this approach is the Pharisees are focusing on the external rules one must follow, but Jesus cuts straight to the heart, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”

Again, you may be asking, “Ok, so you Jesus was a really smart guy; what’s the point?”

The point is this; if you’re a Sugar Addict like me and you continue to indulge your addiction, you’re probably overweight, so your body is suffering. You’re also putting a great amount of strain on your mental health because your brain chemistry (which I’ll cover in a later post) is also not what it should be. As a result, you often feel guilty because you question if you love God more than your x, y, or z addiction you always fall into after binging on food. Therefore, your heart is split. In addition to this, your thoughts are relentlessly raising out of control. You try to pray and only get half way through one scripture passage before you are overrun with guilt. You constantly find yourself saying, “Just this one last time Lord.” In short, you have two Gods; your addiction and the One True God; Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.

So, I have to ask; if you’re an overweight Sugar Addict who feels like they have no self control and is not eating properly or exercising, can you really, “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind?” Is it possible to love the Lord with all your mind if you constantly feel like you’ve lost it?

I believe the answer is obvious.

Moving onto the second part of Jesus’ response we read, “And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Note Jesus does not say, “You shall love your neighbor.” No, he says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If you’re anything like I use to be, you’re overweight, moody, edgy, lethargic, etc. Because of this, you don’t even like yourself, let alone love yourself.

Therefore, I’ve also got to ask; if you don’t even like yourself, is it possible to honor this command of Jesus and love your neighbor? He clearly teaches otherwise.

So, we have to conclude that how we live physically has a great impact on how we live spiritually. I will personally admit, without getting specific, that before I overcame my Sugar Addiction, I too felt like I had no self control and, as a result, was constantly walking around in mortal sin. For the uninitiated reading this blog, one mortal sin cuts you off from the grace of God and can mean total separation from Him for all eternity, which is what we call hell.

Therefore, we can go one step further and say, how we live physically in this life, ultimately impacts how we will live forever in the next.

To steal a phrase from St. Thomas Aquinas, you were created for nothing short of “True Light, Complete Fulfillment, Eternal Joy, Consummate Delight, and Perfect Bliss.” That is to say, you were created for nothing short of dwelling in the Glory of God in heaven forever. Yet, Jesus reminds us, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7)

If we give ourselves fully to God in baptism and live in accord with His will in all things, right down to the very food we eat, not only will we one day experience the joy of His everlasting Kingdom, but our entire existence will become a foretaste of the glory that is to come.