Poor St. Peter! One minute he is named by Jesus as the rock upon which the Church will be built, and the next minute he is chastised by the Lord for falling prey to temptation. Welcome to the spiritual life! Yet this spiritual battle of building up and tearing down is part of our journey of faith, inviting us to always keep our focus on Christ.
August 9, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
What gives you the strength to keep going, to persevere when opposition seems overwhelming? The Canaanite woman in the Gospel of Matthew offers us an example of persistence in faith as we follow the Lord in challenging times.
August 8, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
St. Peter's call to Jesus across the water offers us a number of aspects of fear as it appears in our hearts. From terror to doubt, from panic to illness...Christ comes and strengthens our faith so we can respond to his saving gift of grace.
August 7, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
Like water and air, we require food to survive. Our physical needs point to similar spiritual nourishment, and Jesus responds by telling us that he is the Bread of Life. May we hunger to receive the Lord regularly in the sacrament of Holy Communion!
August 4, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
The cruel death of John the Baptist offers a brutal reminder that our world is filled with forces of destruction. In the face of injustice we keep our eyes fixed on the Cross of Christ, so that we can acknowledge the evil around us with the strength of the Lord who triumphs over it.
August 4, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
The Gospel today reminds us that seeing and listening to Jesus is not enough to foster our faith; rather, we already have what we need to respond to the Lord in our hearts for the grace that God extends to us all.
August 3, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
Like fishermen who cast their nets and then sort their catch on land, Jesus teaches that we will be sorted at the end of time. Knowing that there will come a day when we will judged can help us live each day as a precious gift that is meant to be lived with faithful conviction.
August 2, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven is a treasure so precious that nothing else compares to it. It's a good reminder for us when we are distracted or tempted by other things that seek to lead us astray.
August 1, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
Sometimes we might be tempted to downplay the presence of evil and final judgment...no so, today, in the Gospel of Matthew! The Lord explains a parable with grim consequences for those who choose to follow the path that leads to death and eternal damnation.
July 31, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
Hunger is one of our most basic needs, a reminder that we are dependent on a steady diet of decent nutrition to thrive. This need also applies to our spiritual lives, and we come to the Lord who feeds us with bread from Heaven.
July 29, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
Sometimes we can take for granted the time we have on earth, delaying important and even crucial tasks until it is too late. The Lord reminds us that in the end there will be a harvest...and the crop we grow will determine our destination in eternal life.
July 28, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
Hearing a message is not enough; we are called to listen and then respond with understanding. The difference is great and the Lord points out the distinction in the Gospel parable today.
July 27, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
On this feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne - the parents of Mary - we recognize that God often works through people to carry out the plan of salvation. That means that God works through us! May we today say YES to whatever the Lord sets before us as we do our part to be human agents for God's grace.
July 26, 2018 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
The Lord reminds us today that if we want to be great in Heaven then we have to serve one another here on earth.
July 25, 2018 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI
Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com
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