Up, down, up, down, left, right, left, right A, B, A, B, select then start. When I was a kid, if you pressed those buttons at the beginning of a Nintendo game called, “Contra”—you would receive unlimited lives. Then, when I was playing the game, everything was different. Suddenly, I was not afraid to lose a life, because I knew I would receive another one.

The story of Jesus saturates the metanarrative of the Bible, and prophecies of His first coming are found throughout the Old Testament. In His life, Christ fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies. Palm Sunday, the event we celebrate today, is one of those. This reflection therefore will show how events in Old Testament predicts that when the Messiah appears, He will show up in a very dramatic way in Jerusalem.

When I was a child, they would put missing children on the side of milk cartons. It was to bring awareness to the problem of missing children and to empower you if you saw one of them in public to call the authorities. Question—what would you put on the side of a milk carton today because you think it is “missing” from the world? It can be anything, even something abstract, like justice. For me, and I am following the lead of the last few popes of the 20th Century and into the 21st, the world needs above all “joyful missionary disciples.”

We are almost halfway through Lent. For some of us, the journey has been fruitful, yet for some others it has been a real challenge. The recognition that we often take two steps forward and one step backward can be discouraging. We are at the point where we are questioning our own sincerity. The fact is that we must repeat and renew our choices over and over again.

As Americans, we tend to love freedom. Many of us hold dear our fundamental freedoms enshrined in the 1st Amendment—the right to free speech, to assemble, to freedom of religion, etc. But we often find today people on opposite sides of an issue invoking freedom as to why their position is correct. This begs the question—what is true freedom?

Dear Family of God,

Experience has shown that most Christians desire so much to do God’s will but often find themselves resisting Him. Anyone who has been through this experience knows it can sometimes be overwhelming. The remedy to this conflict is Surrender. Lent is a good time to seek this grace.

Two of the most influential works of Western Civilization are “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad” by the Greek writer Homer. They are illustrative of the two great metaphors for life: The Odyssey explores life “as a journey”, while the Iliad sees life “as a battle.” The revelation of the Christian faith makes plain the battle of our lives. It is a battle between good and evil, between God and Satan, between the Spirit and the Flesh.

Dear Family of God,

In recent times, I have been asked by some well-meaning Catholics if the wars and persecution of Christians around the world is a sign of the end time? I found a good response to this concern in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 675-677.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark we encounter Jesus in a Capernaum’ synagogue casting out a demon (what the bible calls an “unclean spirit”) from a man. The demon recognizes Jesus immediately, both who he is, and the power that he has over him. That power is demonstrated when Jesus expels the fallen angel.

When we see Gospel stories like this one, we may be tempted to think that this sort of demonic influence no longer takes place in our modern scientific times. On the other hand, some people can become overly enamored with the devil and demonic activity. They can ascribe too much power to evil influence that can breed a fear and despair in those who believe it. What is the appropriate response to the demonic?

Dear Family of God,

Most of you would agree me with that the world we live in today is becoming very polarized. And, we are witnessing the same concern here in our beloved country. In a deeply polarized society, people constantly attack each other. I guess some of you deal with this every day, especially if you are very active in social media. But as Christians, we can’t get caught up in this and live like the people of the world. In Romans 12:1, St. Paul admonishes us, “Not to be conformed to the standards of the world.…” There is the need then to constantly examine our conscience. How do we respond to attacks or opposition? Or how have we been responding to opposition?

We start telling lies around the age of three, the experts tell us. It’s understandable. Lying is a god-like power. Whatever I want, I need only say it, and the world rearranges itself accordingly. It’s amazing at first. But soon reality snaps back and I’m faced with a dilemma. If I remain committed to my lie I start to fracture into pieces. My words and reality drift apart, and I find myself lost in a lonely world of further falsehoods and fear of being found out.

The readings for this weekend speak to us about God’s call. Those of us doing our best to practice the faith heard God’s call at one point in our life and said yes to Him. The goal of God’s call for each one of us is to grow in holiness. Our celebration this weekend gives us an opportunity to reexamine our expectations about the call to holiness. It is important we have the right understanding of what holiness is, else we risk burdening ourselves with unrealistic expectations.

Dear Family of God,

This weekend we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. What is Epiphany?

The word Epiphany (επιφάνεια) comes from two Greek words; epi, “on, upon”; and phaino, “to appear, to shine.” Therefore, the “Epiphany” refers to the divinity of Jesus “Shining upon” the earth. In other words, it is the manifestation of His Divine Nature. The Feast of Epiphany commemorates the coming of the Magi as the occasion for the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the Western Church.