One of the most common questions we get from those who are in full-time ministry, to volunteers, to parents and grandparents is; ‘How can we better engage today’s young people?’

In fact, I often imagine a Jewish mother approaching Jesus asking Him what she can do to get her son to go to the synagogue.

One of the most common questions we get from those who are in full-time ministry, to volunteers, to parents and grandparents is; ‘How can we better engage today’s young people?’

In fact, I often imagine a Jewish mother approaching Jesus asking Him what she can do to get her son to go to the synagogue.

Most Christians can rattle off the answer to the question, “what is the greatest commandment?” That is to love God and love neighbor.

Or specifically, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mk 12: 29-31).

I was blessed to teach 7th & 8th grade for three years and high school for ten. While I taught many different religious classes, the course I always taught was Catholic morality (which was also my favorite).

Obviously one of the major components of a morality class is to teach the concept, importance, and practice of chastity…to teenagers.

But there is a mistake people make in teaching chastity that many times we make in evangelization.

If 100 people were asked right now, “Would you like to see more political ads and social media posts,” how many would say yes? I think the number would be none, zero, zilch, nil, nada!

I think all of us are ready for this election cycle to be over and yet we still have a week and a half.

Most cradle Catholics have been raised on the stories of Martyrs. An honest reflection upon these stories would probably range from inspirational to horrifying. Ultimately though each story of a Martyr is challenging because it begs the question: what would I do?

Each of us have a three-fold relationship to martyrdom: me to the Martyr, martyrdom in me and me as a martyr to others.

Most cradle Catholics have been raised on the stories of Martyrs. An honest reflection upon these stories would probably range from inspirational to horrifying. Ultimately though each story of a Martyr is challenging because it begs the question: what would I do?

Each of us have a three-fold relationship to martyrdom: me to the Martyr, martyrdom in me and me as a martyr to others.

After speaking at conferences or parishes we love the interaction at our resource table. To hear peoples’ stories, testimonies, heartbreak over loved ones leaving the Church and their own passion to evangelize, provides us with such inspiration and urgency to continue this mission of Casting Nets Ministries.

One of the questions that comes up over and over is, ‘what book would you suggest for me (or my book club, or parish) to read about evangelization?’

This past week we lead our first ever retreat / reunion for former Transform Your World Evangelization Training Camp campers. Even though it was a small and socially distanced group we had all six years of camp represented.

We had college students and college grads. We had a married couple expecting their first baby, a young lady about to enter the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, a young man entering a discernment year for the Archdiocese of Chicago, we had a young lady about to begin her second year teaching high school theology and those still discerning God’s plans.

It was a wonderful and blessed experience.

This past week we lead our first ever retreat / reunion for former Transform Your World Evangelization Training Camp campers. Even though it was a small and socially distanced group we had all six years of camp represented.

We had college students and college grads. We had a married couple expecting their first baby, a young lady about to enter the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, a young man entering a discernment year for the Archdiocese of Chicago, we had a young lady about to begin her second year teaching high school theology and those still discerning God’s plans.

It was a wonderful and blessed experience.

I was reading 1 Corinthians this morning, Paul says, "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are" (1 Cor 3:16,17).

These two lines are fascinating and so important for the time we now live.

I was reading 1 Corinthians this morning, Paul says, "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are" (1 Cor 3:16,17).

These two lines are fascinating and so important for the time we now live.

Being a parent, you come to learn that there is a wide chasm between what our children need and what they want. Or as my mother would often respond to my request, “You need that like you need another hole in the head.”

Not only is there a chasm between what children want and need but there can also be a gap between what they fear and what is real. Remember being a child and seeing a monster in the dark only to have the lights turned on to find out it is just a jacket hanging on a chair.

There is a place in the Holy Land that has no Church and no information sign. Very few pilgrims visit this place even though it is within walking distance of several popular sites along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

It is a singular cave on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. In fact, it is the only natural cave on the north side. Located below the Church of the Beatitudes, in-between the Church of the Primacy of Peter and Capernaum, this isolated cave offers an amazing view of Galilee.

One of the highlights of visiting Galilee, the northern region of the Holy Land, is a stop in Capernaum. Capernaum was headquarters for the “Jesus for Messiah Campaign”. It was the home of St. Peter, the “Town of Jesus” and sight of many dramatic stories of the Gospel including the Bread of Life Discourse in the synagogue.

The Gospel of John is certainly different then the other three Gospels. Perhaps this difference stands out no more then in the accounts of the Last Supper. In John, Jesus goes on a long, long…long discourse mixed in with prayer.

Amid Jesus speaking about His relationship to the Father and the love they have, one of the Apostles ask a question that I think has come to most of our minds. St. Jude asks, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world” (Jn 14:22)?

For those who know me well, perhaps you have heard me share how the Lord has called me to the carpet these last four years on the issue of Trust. Over and over in the depths of my heart I have heard Him say, “Do you Trust me?”

If you are anything like me, you probably would answer, “Yes Lord of course I trust you. I do this and I have done that.” And yet, He wants more, He wants us to trust in every part of our life.

But here in lies the frustration…me hitting my stubborn head against the brick wall…what does this kind of trust look and feel like in real life???

For those who know me well, perhaps you have heard me share how the Lord has called me to the carpet these last four years on the issue of Trust. Over and over in the depths of my heart I have heard Him say, “Do you Trust me?”

If you are anything like me, you probably would answer, “Yes Lord of course I trust you. I do this and I have done that.” And yet, He wants more, He wants us to trust in every part of our life.

But here in lies the frustration…me hitting my stubborn head against the brick wall…what does this kind of trust look and feel like in real life???

The other day I was reading the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel. To be honest the prophets of the Old Testament can be tough to understand.

The prophets many times did weird things, spoke with cryptic language (at least to us), and seemed to only say things that upset everyone.

However, this passage was not so much a warning to the people of Israel or Judah but to the prophet himself: