“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’ – John 4:13-15

Perhaps you have them in your life just as I do: loved ones who are good people, but who either by choice or by life circumstances don’t share your Catholic faith. And perhaps like me, you’ve had interesting moments with these family members or friends when they asked about the Church or the Faith in general.

Whether because of mainstream media coverage, or simply to make conversation with me, many of my friends who have been away from the Church (or who never knew her to begin with) are suddenly asking questions. Over the past several months, I’ve had my spiritual antenna raised for such encounters where the movements of the Holy Spirit create a moment of opportunity to minister with love.

I sense in these fleeting conversations the opening of a window through which great grace can pass. But I also often fear that something I wrongly say or do in these interactions will again slam shut that window and further distance my loved one from the power of Christ’s embrace.

Look for Those “Well Moments”

There is not an easy “one size fits all” approach to these encounters. You probably know the pain of having someone you love reject the Creed with which they were raised. The accompanying pain tears at our hearts and causes us to secondguess ourselves, and to wonder what we might have done differently. We often wrongly judge—both our fallen away brothers and sisters, and ourselves.

Lately, I’ve been trying to train myself to recognize what I’ve started calling these “well moments”. We know from reading John’s fourth chapter that Jesus himself had an opportunity to meet a Samaritan woman who was not only popularly considered a sinner, but who also was clearly seeking some greater truth in her own life.

Jesus didn’t choose to begin this encounter from a position of judgment or condemnation, but rather in a dialogue. He gently and lovingly led the woman to the truth she was so desperately seeking. John 4:5-42, gives us a model, an object lesson of sorts, for our own “well moments.”

We Need to Walk

Pope Francis broke open the key component of Christ’s encounter with the Samaritan Woman: “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’

In this way, the pope explained, Jesus cut across the barriers of hostility that existed between Jews and Samaritans, crushing the prejudice that existed in relating to women.

The pope said that Jesus’ simple request signals the beginning of an open dialogue, through which, with great delicacy, he entered the interior world of a person to whom, according to social convention, he should not even have spoken to.

“But this is exactly what Jesus does! Jesus is not afraid. When Jesus sees a person He goes towards that person because He is filled with love. He loves all of us. He does not stop before anyone because of prejudice,” Pope Francis said.

He went on to explain that Jesus does not judge, but acknowledges each person making him or her feel considered and recognized, and stimulating in that person the wish to go beyond their daily “routine”.

As we prepare for such encounters in our own lives—those times when we have the opportunity to simply and lovingly journey alongside someone as they move towards Jesus Christ—we need to remember to attend to our own spiritual thirst as well. A life lived immersed in Scripture and the sacraments helps prepare our hearts and minds for “well moments.”

Together let’s meet these opportunities fully prepared to let God work through us. Let’s open a dialogue, set judgment aside and “be not afraid” the next time we find ourselves at the well.

Lisa M. Hendey is the Founder of CatholicMom.com and the author of The Grace of Yes and A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. Lisa writes in multiple Catholic venues and maintains an active speaking calendar, presenting on faith, family, technology and evangelization topics. Visit her at www.LisaHendey.com. This article was first published on The Great Adventure Blog June 26, 2014.

In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis exclaims: “In our day Jesus’ command to ‘go and make disciples’ echoes in the changing scenarios and ever new challenges to the Church’s mission of evangelization, and all of us are called to take part in this new missionary ‘going forth’. Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of the light of the Gospel.”

How will we respond at Cathedral? How about being part of the Alpha ministry? Alpha is a perfect place to get acquainted with others in and outside of the parish around a shared meal and discussion. The ministry is one tool we are using to move our parish from maintenance to Mission. Alpha transmits the faith through initial proclamation, in language any person, even unchurched, can understand and encourages us to go off the church campus to invite others to consider Christianity.

Think about the many ways you can participate in the life of the parishserving at Mass, joining a Bible Study or Book Club, joining the Knights of Columbus or helping the Cathedral Council of Catholic Women (CCCW). Increased opportunities both during the day and in the evenings for adult faith formation is helping parishioners and guests to continue to be formed in the faith. All of this missionary movement is to help people become intentional disciples of Jesus Christ. And we will continue to seek ways to form and accompany parishioners as they discern their unique way to make Christ known in the world.

The list below outlines the differences between a parish in maintenance mode and one that is in mission mode. Bobby Vidal, who is the Director of Evangelization and Lay Formation at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Santa Clarita, California wrote the first seven and the eighth was provided by Sherry Weddell, author of the book “Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples.”

Reflect on these differences with us. When ready, think about your answer to this question: How will you continue to help the Cathedral move from maintenance to mission?

If you are interested in any of our ministries at the Cathedral or for more information about the next session of Alpha starting on June 10th, please reach out to Vicki Compton at [email protected] or 522-3342.

The quote famously attributed to Saint Francis goes, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” These days, when so much of our communication takes place on keyboards and screens, words truly are necessary for sharing our faith online. In my own social media presence, I’ve struggled to strike the right balance of piety and down-to-earth humor, inner peace and occasional doubt that will make my Catholic faith relatable to my friends and followers who aren’t believers. So, how do we choose what to say in our posts, comments, and updates that attracts others to the Gospel? Here are a few do’s and don’ts I’ve learned along the way.

Do: Make it personal

I love to share what God is doing in my life. When I do so on Facebook or Twitter, I have the freedom to speak from personal experience without feeling preachy—since, after all, I’m simply relating my own stories. I’ve posted many times about how God is leading me, like when I started volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, or the many things I’m thankful for, like my recent 10-year anniversary of becoming Catholic. Personal testimony is compelling. Both in my “real” life and in my relationships on social media, I’ve had friends reach out with questions about Christianity after I’ve shared openly about my spirituality. When others hear stories about your walk with God, it may intrigue them enough to turn to you when they’re seeking answers.

Do: Make it real

On social media, we often try to present an image of perfection in order to show we’re “good” Christians. I’d be embarrassed to admit to hundreds of people that my marriage has hit a rough patch or that it’s a weekly struggle to get my kids to go to Mass without a meltdown. (In fact, it’s during these times that I often post a cheery status update to garner likes that will make me feel better.) But to make our faith appealing, we don’t have to post the status updates of a saint. Your friends know you’re human. Let’s try to keep it real by mentioning authentic struggles alongside the highlight reel. I recently shared a podcast episode that featured a painful story from my past, and it actually felt really good to get so honest. Jesus himself said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

Do: Make it an invitation

It’s the final, critical step of evangelism: Making a concrete offer for others to take a step toward Christ. Could you tell your Facebook friends about a service opportunity they could join at your church, or extend an open invitation to Mass to your Instagram followers? (Since it’s all online, at least you won’t experience the awkwardness of rejection in person.) When my husband and I lead music for the Stations of the Cross at our church, I like to put the word out on social media. Not surprisingly, we’ve had far more friends show up to this particular church event than get in touch out of the blue.

Do: Speak with charity and kindness

It stings when people say hurtful or uninformed things about our religion on social media. But while it’s important to stand up for our convictions, we’re far more likely to win over online friends to Christ with gentle words than with a battering ram of righteous anger. My hot-button issue online? The right to life. The minute I see Facebook friends on a tirade against the pro-life movement, I want to rip their arguments to shreds in ALL CAPS. But when I can stay a bit more mindful, I try instead to lead with open-ended questions that get to the bottom of the other person’s feelings or beliefs. (Or, when possible, offer an invitation to discuss in person.) A show of compassion and open-mindedness may go further than you expect. I recently had an agnostic pro-choice friend share a Catholic article I had written on her own Facebook page—an action I believe was fueled by the mutual respect we’d shown each other online.

Don’t: Get too academic

As much as we Catholics may love to dig into the finer points of transubstantiation or the difference between venial and mortal sin, most people are not won over to the Gospel by theological treatises. If your social media posts delve too often into a religious academic discussion, your unchurched (and possibly even your churched) friends’ eyes will glaze over. I know I tend to skip over lengthy back-and-forth theological discussions when I see them online. The comments so often seem self-important, and the highbrow religious terminology is a turn-off. The unfortunate reality is that many people already have a preconceived notion of the Catholic Church as an esoteric institution. Instead of feeding that stereotype online, maybe it’s time to present our faith on a more relatable level—and keep the discussions of dogma to a minimum.

Don’t: Be (only) religious

My relationship with Jesus is the bedrock of my life, but it’s not the only subject I find interesting. And, quite honestly, when religious friends of mine post nothing but saint pictures and Bible verses, even I tend to tune them out. People want to see you’re a real, approachable person who does more than pray 24/7. Showing you have a sense of humor and a life outside of church might convince others that they, too, could embrace faith as a part of their journey. On social media, I especially love pointing out things that strike me as hilarious, like weird things my kids say, or the time my church’s song sheet made a super funny typo. After all, social media presents an opportunity to share all of our lives with others, including—but not limited to—our faith.

Sarah Garone is a Catholic wife, mom, nutritionist, food blogger, and freelance writer in Mesa, Arizona. When she’s not cooking up something healthy and delicious in the kitchen (or cooking up ideas for writing), you can find her sharing recipes and reflections at “A Love Letter to Food.”

I was recently reading an article about the real aspects of true love. The psychologist writing the piece said that many people hide behind the words “I love you.” They can start believing that if they say it enough times, it simply becomes true.

Jesus claimed that the world would know his disciples by the fact that they loved one another. In the Church, we speak of loving one another quite frequently. I hope that someone can tell that I am a disciple of Jesus by the way I love others. However, that hope is something I have to keep in the center of my mind because I fear too often that I speak more of love than act out of love.

As Christians, we can find ourselves hiding behind our words. History, unfortunately, has shown us that our witness of action has not always been profound enough. The world will surely know whom it is we serve if we love like Jesus, we act like Jesus, and we serve others like Jesus. Our stewardship will bear witness to the transforming power of Jesus Christ, and we will bring others to him. Our love will be an instrument of our evangelization. Our words will become true, not because we said them enough, but because they are true.

Tracy Earl Welliver is a Catholic author, speaker, consultant, and Gallup-certified Strengths coach with over 25 years experience in parish ministry. He is currently the Director of Parish Community and Engagement for LPI, having previously served for 22 years as Pastoral Associate at Saint Pius X Catholic Church in Greensboro, NC. Tracy also currently sits on the ICSC Board of Directors. He has a BA in theology from DeSales University and a MTS from Duke Divinity School. Tracy has been married to his wife, Mariann, for 27 years and they have 3 children.

For this Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, we are given the image of the Good Shepherd from John’s Gospel. This image of the Lord is familiar to most of us and has been the subject of countless pieces of art. There is always the danger of sentimentality with the image of the Good Shepherd, the danger of creating an unreal image. In art, the Good Shepherd is always presented as clean, tidy, serene, but is that really a correct image of the Good Shepherd?

This past Tuesday, May 7th, a man by the name of Jean Vanier died in France at the age of 90. Some of you may have heard of him, most probably have not. He grew up the son of the governor-general of Canada when our northern neighbors were still not fully independent of the British Empire. He served in both the British and Canadian navies and considered the priesthood for a time before finding a unique calling from the Lord in his mid-30s.

In the early 1960s, following a visit to his spiritual director in France, and at his urging, Jean started visiting asylums in France In seeing the horror of the conditions that many lived in and the inhumanity that they were subjected to on a daily basis in inadequate and underfunded institutions, he felt called to act. In beginning his work with the mentally and physically disabled, Jean said that he found those he served to be a “source of life and truth, if we welcome them and put ourselves in their service.” What started in a broken down home in north-east France turned into what today is known as L’Arche International with 154 communities around the world in 38 countries in the service of men and women with physical and mental disabilities. The community’s name comes from the French word for “ark,” specifically Noah’s Ark, which served as a refuge for Noah and his family amidst the destruction of the world.

Jean noted “as we share our lives with the powerless, we are obliged to leave behind our theories of the world, our dreams, and our beautiful thoughts about God…to be grounded in a reality that can be quite harsh.” In speaking of the value of serving those in his community, he said “when those engrained in a culture of winning and of individual success really meet them, and enter into friendship with them, something amazing and wonderful happens. They too are opened up to love and even to God. They are changed at a very deep level. They are transformed and become more fundamentally human.”

For me, Jean Vanier was a living icon of Christ the Good Shepherd, seeking out those whom society saw as less than desirable, and bringing true Christian care and compassion to them.

Christ the Good Shepherd is not a sanitized figure in art but our loving savior who enters into the messiness of our lives and the brokenne ss of our sinfulness, to bring us back to life and love with God. And he invites us to do the same, to bring his goodness, love, and mercy to the broken, the vulnerable, and to societies “undesirables;” to bring anyone and everyone to God by our authentic living out of the Gospel.

To learn more about Jean Vanier and L’Arche International, you can visit L’Arche International’s website at larche.org and you can find the article that I read on May 7th about his death in the Washington Post.

Father Christopher House is the Rector of the Cathedral and serves in various roles within the diocesan curia, namely Chancellor and Vicar Judicial.

I’ve always been a sucker for some good slapstick humor (growing up on Ace Ventura and Wayne’s World), and Wreck-it Ralph has been a welcome addition to our children’s movie library.

In the Wreck-It Ralph sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet (spoilers ahead), Venellope’s game Sugar Rush is about to be unplugged. The steering wheel for the console was broken after Ralph tried to change up the driving course to make it more exciting for her. After discovering that a replacement steering wheel was up for auction on eBay, Ralph and his best friend venture into the internet to save Sugar Rush, beginning an epic adventure.

There’s a lot of fun and humor that ensues, but the lightness takes a turn when Venellope discovers an online racing game called Slaughter Race. She discovers a new method of racing where everything is new and finds a desire to leave Sugar Rush and move to the online game permanently. In an effort to keep Venellope from leaving the arcade, Ralph finds a virus that he hopes will make Slaughter Race boring.

This is the part that struck me. The virus scans the new game and says over and over, “Searching for insecurities. Searching for insecurities.” The first scan hones in on Venellope’s glitch and then distributes that glitch all around her. With her insecurity taking over the game, the game is rebooted, causing Venellope to abandon the race for fear of deletion. She is in despair and thinks it is all her fault until Ralph reveals that he is the one who uploaded the virus. They fight, and Venellope tells Ralph that she never wants to see him again, sending him into grave despair. The thing he wanted to save is now taken from him because of his failure to choose the good for the other.

In that despair, the virus escapes from the game into the online world and begins to scan for insecurities. Its sight sets on Ralph, calling him a “100% insecurity.” Then the virus clones a lot of insecure Ralphs to infiltrate the internet.

This is the motus operandi of the enemy: identifying our insecurities and making them larger than life.

He prowls the earth “like a roaring lion searching for whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8), and for a lion to devour someone the person would have to be vulnerable to the attack, would have to be insecure, even if just for a moment.

With Ralph, the virus (enemy) takes his insecurity and makes it much louder and much larger than it actually is.

Take our nagging insecurities. You’re a bad parent. You’re not good enough. You can’t do this. You don’t have the ability to be successful. The enemy latches onto that insecurity and makes it larger than life.

So the virus multiplies “Ralph,” but each of these new insecure Ralphs are a fraction of who he really is—only his insecurity multiplied.

At one point, the real Ralph approaches the search bar (Mr. Nosemore) and exasperatingly asks, “How did this happen?” And the search bar replies that if insecurities are left unchecked they can “destroy friendships.”

Mind. Blown.

The enemy not only hones in on my insecurities but, if left unchecked, the insecurities can become so large that they begin to define who I am. Then, we allow them to direct our lives, to ruin our relationships, to breed insecurity instead of extending healing.

In the fourteenth rule of discernment from St. Ignatius of Loyola, he writes that the enemy “behaves as a chief bent on conquering and robbing what he desires: for, as a captain and chief of the army, pitching his camp, and looking at the forces or defenses of a stronghold, attacks it on the weakest side, in like manner the enemy of human nature, roaming about, looks in turn at all our virtues, theological, cardinal and moral; and where he finds us weakest and most in need for our eternal salvation, there he attacks us and aims at taking us.”

Like this virus in Ralph Breaks the Internet, the enemy of human nature, according to the fourteenth rule, walks about the “walls” of your heart, seeking out the insecurities and attacks through that weakness.

After Ralph’s insecurity is multiplied and distributed in the internet, it begins to attack everyone in search of Venellope. The loss of her friendship was the reason of his insecurity—losing her, being alone, was the foundation of his weakness. I think it even hearkens back to the initial Wreck-It Ralph film—perhaps losing her would affirm what he thought all along: “I’m just a bad guy.” A bad guy doesn’t have friends.

Ralph tells Venellope to save herself and she asks what he will do. And he says, “I got a date with the man in the mirror.” Isn’t that the way to combat the enemy?

Facing the man in the mirror means that we must look within and fortify those weaknesses. If you take the insecurities and reinforce them with the truth—that you are made in the image and likeness of God, that you are beloved, that you are adored by him whom we adore—then the weaknesses disappear within his grace. Often when we find our weaknesses, we hide them. We shy away from them and not only believe them to be our definition but retreat into the isolation that the enemy extends to us (see rule thirteen). This weakness must be only mine. No one else is weak like this. If I tell anyone, they’ll think I’m crazy. So what does Ralph do? What should we do in the face of the enemy?

He goes into this literal giant of his insecurities. He tries to kill the virus by sheer force but realizes that the only way to overcome the insecurity is to speak truth into the weakness.

Ralph’s fear was losing his friend and the suffering it may cause. In his confronting of the virus, he says, “You just have to let her go. It will hurt . . . a lot.” Then, as he finds peace in self-gift, of letting his friend go to pursue her dreams possibly without him, the virus disappears.

We must do the same. We must look our insecurities in the face and correct the lie. Weaknesses, insecurities, times when we think we are less, must be recognized for the false truth that they are.

Recognizing the lie of the enemy comes from habitual introspection, perhaps with the help of spiritual direction and/or retreat. It also requires true friendship with someone with the ability to speak the truth of our belovedness into our lives, especially when the insecurity seems daunting and we forget who we are. We must have someone to remind us of our belovedness, for it is only the beloved who can see the belovedness of others. That friendship is the start of true evangelization.

Rachel Bulman is a wife, mother of 4, speaker, and blogger. She enjoys seeking truth, finding beauty, rediscovering the goodness in all things; and answering the call to holiness through her life as a beloved daughter of God. Find more of her work at RachelBulman.com.

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During the month of May, we will be sharing Catholic Marian prayers with you in the Weekly. We hope this will enhance your devotion to Mary, our Blessed Mother.

The Magnificat

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
he has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.

(Luke 1:46-55)

Scripture contains this prayer of Mary’s joy and wonder at her role in the mystery of the Incarnation.

The Church recites this beautiful prayer daily at Evening Prayer (Vespers) in the Liturgy of the Hours.

I find myself feeling guilty the last few years on Mother’s Day. I wake up in the morning, typically sleeping in because my husband got up with Gracey. I enjoy the hand-made gift or the meal that was cooked in the kitchen by my daughter. I am offered to, “go get your nails done” or “go take a nap.’ In both circumstances I feel “mom guilt” that I should be playing with the kids, cleaning diapers, picking up small Barbie shoes or wiping off snotty noses. You can’t step away from motherhood. It is a full-time job, not like “40 hours a week”, but every minute of the day. It is something we find very hard to take a break from because when one child gives you a break, the other is tugging on your dress. My mother exemplifies this role of motherhood. Her phrase is often, “ATM: Any Time Mom.”

At the moment we give birth (or in my mom’s case, adopt) we instantly give up our life for another. Whether we realize it or not, our interests, our needs, our desires, are secondary. This is not a complaint, rather a challenge. I remember my mom telling me the story of my adoption. She had just won a seat on the school board in Rochester, MN. The social worker called my mom saying, “Congratulations, Vicky! You are going to be really busy!” My mother replied, “Oh yes, between work and this new role, I am sure it will be busy, but exciting!” The social worker replied, “No, I mean you are going to be really, really, busy Vicky. I have a child for you and Doug (my dad) to meet.” As soon as possible, my parents and I met for the first time. We all fell in love and just as quickly as a blink of the eye, my mom was willing to sacrifice her life for mine. She surrendered.

She was all in. My mom had an amazing career as a doctor, from residency at Mayo Clinic, to her oncology practice in Peoria, IL. She tirelessly worked for women in crisis. Breast cancer in the 80’s was often a death sentence, but she comforted and educated so that she could provide the best care possible. She assisted in creating the Heartland Clinic in Peoria, IL, which helps disadvantaged in the community receive quality healthcare. She led “Race for the Cure” and advocated in the legislature to have insurance companies cover mammograms. After all this hard work and accomplishment, by the time I entered school she decided to “retire early.” She attended school Masses, helped as a “room-mom,” joined the school board, lead the Girl Scouts Troop, and said “yes” to just about anything she could do to support my brother and I growing up. She modeled Mary, who is the ultimate role model for all of usmother or not. Mary saw it all. When invited, she surrendered.

Mary surrendered to motherhood in a way that is hard to imagine. Her surrender was rooted in God’s will. While she couldn’t know the details to come, she knew the profound, earth-shattering call that was now her responsibility- to nurture, love, support, teach, comfort, the Son of God. Whoa.

While we might think that raising Jesus was filled with peace and joy, it was not without turmoil. Think about the time He was lost as a teen, to her support of His ministry beginning at Cana, and the heartache of holding her battered, lifeless, beloved Son. She saw it all. She surrendered and endured it all with an unshakable faith. She is the perfect role model of a disciple who illuminates light and love. Her love transcends any anxiety, insecurity, or materialism…much like the love we receive from our mothers.

Each one of us is called to radical love. In the spirit of Mary, are we willing to radically surrender and love our brothers and sisters who may differ from us? Are we willing to surrender our will for God’s will?

On this Mother’s Day, I pray that you will know and feel the love that Mary has for you. If your mom is with us today, thank her. If your mom is among the angels, thank her. If you are without a mom, thank the one who nurtures you and supports you in your life, whoever that may be. We should all be grateful for the role Mary plays in our lives— a Mother who is nurturing, loving, supportive, and always a “ATM”- anytime mom!

Katie Price is the Coordinator for Stewardship at the Cathedral and works for the Diocese of Springfield, IL by helping parishes grow in discipleship and stewardship efforts.

This weekend as we celebrate the third Sunday of Easter, we continue with the appearances of the risen Lord as recounted in John’s Gospel. This Sunday’s Gospel selection is packed with details, beginning by taking us to the shore of the Sea of Galilee where the disciples, who are out on the sea fishing, encounter once again the risen Jesus who is waiting for them on land. The Gospel implies that they do not recognize Jesus physically as his appearance has been glorified in the resurrection, but they do recognize him in faith due to their catch of fish having followed Jesus’s command to lower their nets.

This is Peter’s first personal encounter with Jesus since denying knowing him while in the court yard of the high priest during Jesus’s trial. What a change we see in Peter.

Most of us would be reluctant from guilt to come face to face with the Lord, but Peter, who ran from him, now cannot wait to get to him; he doesn’t wait for the boat to get to shore but jumps over the side in a hurry to greet Jesus.

While Peter sinned against the Lord, it is apparent here that Peter trusts in the Lord’s love, mercy, and forgiveness.

While at breakfast, Jesus asks Peter “do you love me more than these?” This could mean one of two things. One interpretation is that Jesus is not comparing Peter’s love for him with Peter’s love for his brothers, but rather that Jesus knows that they all love him but he asks Peter if Peter’s love for him surpasses the others’ love for Jesus. Another interpretation is that Jesus is asking this in reference to the boat and the nets, symbolic of Peter’s former life; Jesus could be asking if Peter is truly willing to leave it all behind for love of him. What is agreed upon by scholars and theologians is that this is the moment of Peter’s rehabilitation. It was next to a fire that Peter denied that Lord three times; here, again by a fire, Jesus affirms his love for Jesus three times, not with great remonstrations as he had done at the Last Supper but simply but saying with emotion “Lord, you know that I love you.”

Assured of his love, Jesus now tells Peter, rather plainly and not hidden in fine print, what the reality of that love will mean, that days will come when Peter will suffer for that love, and in the same breath Jesus once again makes the great invitation to Peter: “follow me.”

As disciples, the same question is asked of us: “do you love me more than these?”

Are we striving to perfect our love for the Lord? Are we willing to place love of him before everything and everyone else? Are we willing to accept the crosses that come from loving him? While loving him will certainly bring crosses, his love will bring us beyond those crosses to greater life, both here and in the life to come. Jesus lays everything out before us concerning discipleship, the good and the unpleasant. He also gives us the same invitation: “follow me.”

What’s our answer?

Father Christopher House is the Rector of the Cathedral and serves in various roles within the diocesan curia, namely Chancellor and Vicar Judicial.

**Please note there is NO 5:15 PM Mass Tuesday, May 7th.**

I hate wet clothes. Maybe I should saying highly dislike, because hate is such a strong word, right? I detest wet clothes even on a hot summer day. I am not sure why it is, but ever since I was a kid, something about a “water ride” at an amusement park never scared me, just annoyed me. You would set out on this fun roller coaster, just to come off it soaking wet for the remainder of the afternoon…your next ride would be wet, the bench at lunch would be wet, your tennis shoes, socks, oh the list of terror continues. I know this sounds silly, but I would prefer to do anything over jumping in the water fully clothed.

Reading the Gospel this Sunday made me think of getting uncomfortable for Jesus. Peter upon seeing Jesus was so excited that he didn’t have the patience for the boat to come ashore. He jumped right in the water, fully clothed, no hesitation. With joy and zeal, the last thing on his mind were wet clothes. That would be the one instance I would jump freely out of the boat, fully clothed, to get to Jesus. It would require discomfort, annoyance, and general displeasure to do so, but it would be worth it to see Him on the shore.

Friends, this is what discipleship and stewardship are all about. How many of you are comfortable witnessing the Good News on Facebook? When we see a post about a pro-life issue, do we share it, even if we may have “friends” who would be offended? How many of us are willing to sit next to the stranger in the pews and shake their hand, offering welcome? How many of us are willing to say yes to tithing, even though we fear we may run out of money for weekend activities? How many of us are willing to bring the kids or grandkids to Mass on Sunday or daily Mass, even though we know it is sometimes a challenge and we face kicking and screaming? What is normally an inconvenience or uncomfortable experience, often produces the best fruit for the soul.

• Maybe your “shared” Facebook post reaches someone considering an abortion.
• Maybe that stranger was considering joining the parish and becoming Catholic and you were the one that introduced them to Jesus and our Parish.
• Maybe the re-prioritization of our finances leads our family into a deeper prayer life, in which we eat at home on Friday night and pray before the meal, instead of rushing through a drive-thru window.
• Maybe the grandkids won’t kick and scream, and next time invite their parents to Mass with you.

The willingness to jump in, to “let go, and let God,” is hard. However, in my life during the hardest times, I found my vocation, my spiritual home, and great joy. Let go and let God be the driver. He would jump in, fully clothed, to get to you. What would it look like if we were willing to jump in first toward Him?

Katie Price is the Coordinator for Stewardship at the Cathedral and works for the Diocese of Springfield, IL by helping parishes grow in discipleship and stewardship efforts.