Catholic Inspiration

Jesus acknowledges us as part of his family when we do the will of our heavenly Father.  May we take these words to heart as we live our faith and drawn near to God and one another. July 24, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

Shepherds brave difficult and stressful conditions in order to protect and provide for the sheep.  The Lord does this for us, and as we conform our hearts to Christ we are strengthened to do the same for one another. July 21, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

The Gospel of Matthew helps us understand how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament by highlighting three crucial themes from the prophet Isaiah.  In doing so, the Lord gives us an example to follow today. July 21, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

Jesus tells the Pharisees that "the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." Once we recognize that Christ is the Son of God, we have the opportunity with a simple question to determine if we are keeping our focus where it properly belongs. July 20, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

The Lord invites us to come to him and find rest...the type of rest where there are no boundaries, no walls, only a trusting faith that draws us closer in our relationship with God.  It is a beautiful image!  May the rest we find in Jesus renew our hearts and spill out into our connections with one another. July 19, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

Jesus offers a word of praise to his Heavenly Father for the goodness he has poured out on creation.  This grace is not because of our own perfection; rather, the Lord meets us in our weakness and blesses us with his merciful love.  It begs a simple question: Are we open to receive it? July 18, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

Jesus speaks about the cities that heard his message and rejected it.  Their punishment is the result of the natural consequence of not repenting.  The point for us is sobering; we have been given so much...does it inspire us to draw near to the Lord? July 17, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

God calls us, empowers us and sends us into the world to offer our lives and become living conduits for the Lord's grace.  Each of us has to make a simple choice: Will we respond to the call and follow Jesus? July 14, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

Fear is a common human experience, yet the Lord invites us to reject it.  We find the power to do this when we call upon Jesus Christ, who gives us the grace we need to face our fear as we follow in faith. July 14, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci

The Lord makes it clear that a life of faith will often be filled with challenges and opposition.  Knowing that there will be tough times, we keep our focus on God...who will give us what we need to keep going. July 13, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

The Lord reminds us in the Gospel, "without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."  God's generosity toward us becomes the model by which we offer our lives for one another. July 12, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

The Lord gives his authority to the Twelve Apostles and sends them out to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven.  This is our legacy of faith; like those first apostles we are empowered by the Lord for service in the world.  Now get to work! July 11, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

The Gospel of Matthew offers a succinct review of the earthly ministry of Jesus, who in turn invites his disciples to pray that God will send more laborers for the harvest.  As the Lord's disciples we continue Christ's ministry in our lives today as we reach out to those who are troubled and abandoned. July 10, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

Both Ezekiel and Jesus are confronted by people who do not want to listen to their message.  The spoken word has power, and when the message is tough we can evaluate our effectiveness by four simple tests: Is it true? Is it useful? Is it good?  Is it loving? July 7, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

When questioned about fasting, Jesus responds with an insight: there is a time to feast and a time to fast.  As the Lord's disciples we are guided by our faith in Christ to discern the appropriate times when we need to adjust our behaviors for the specific needs of a particular situation. Saturday, July 7, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

The call of Matthew in the Gospel reminds us that God calls all of us - regardless of our weaknesses, failures or past history - and invites us to offer our lives.  In other words, God does not call the perfect; rather, the Lord chooses us (warts and all) and blesses us with what we need to accomplish our task.  Like Matthew, may we accept the invitation and follow Christ! July 6, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

The Lord's healing of the paralytic in the Gospel today invites us to consider both what needs to be healed in our lives and how we might bring others to Jesus for the healing they require. July 5, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

The Lord drives out demons from two people in the Gospel, inviting us to discern how we recognize and respond as we focus our lives on Christ.   July 4, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com

Often in life we experience the need for healing, both in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  As we grow in faith we acknowledge the Lord's power to bring this healing to our hearts...and as his disciples we become agents for the healing grace of Christ to work through us in the world. June 30, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com