theROCK

Come Back to the Cross

Two years ago, as our mom began her journey home to God, she held court in the ICU room. There were conversations with spouses, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. One by one the five of us, her children, entered alone to listen. A strong and loving woman with remarkable faith, she chose her words carefully so there could be no argument. Arguing was pointless, you were not going to win, besides, she was usually right. She opened her prayer book, instinctively brought to the hospital, and handed me the prayer "Come Back to the Cross."

Dear Lord, you became man, suffered, and died to win salvation for all souls.

Look graciously on the souls of those who have drifted away from You and the faith.

Grant them Your grace to see the errors of their ways and return to the fold of Your care

Teach me to stay close to them during this trying time and strive to convert them by action and prayer more than by words that may antagonize.

O sweet Jesus, I trust You to do everything to bring Your children back to You. Amen.

Mom said, “Michael, you need to get them back to Jesus, get them back to His Church. Get the babies baptized.”  Thanks mom. That isn’t too daunting. But isn’t this what we are ALL called to do? Is there a better time to start than Lent? Is there a better image than THE Cross? You share your favorite restaurant, movie, recipe…why not your faith?

In my early 20’s, I was lost, distracted. Working Sunday mornings was a good rationalization. I was busy. God would understand. Decades later, a framed prayer in my office reads: “Lord, I shall be very busy today. I may forget Thou, but do not Thou forget me.” Yep, it was mom’s, She is still teaching me.

Add these prayers to your daily conversation with God. Share it with those who need to see it. Seek the lost or distracted during this Lent; family, friends, or acquaintances. God will provide the words.

LISTEN to their story…it is still being written and Jesus has the lead role.

SHARE your story of how Jesus is your rock; how He gives you the strength to face the challenges of this world.

PRAY WITH them. It may be awkward at first, but both will move past it.

JOIN them during the Triduum and at Easter. Join them the Sunday after Easter.

There are three players in this story, Jesus, the lost, and those called to “Be Christ” and walk with the lost (that is all of us). Thankfully, all is possible with and through God. He gave His only Son for us. The least we can do is give Him our hearts and tell His story.

He's got This

Apologies to my mom in heaven and sister in Vernon who will roll their eyes as the word “got” is used thirteen times in this reflection.

Walking through the school hallway, you hear some interesting phrases. One that caught my attention was “I got this.” This phrase was more popular when our son was in grade school, complete with an inflection at the end. A few years ago, our campus access road was named “you got this.” On the softball field, a fly ball is met with “I got it.” We are proud; don’t need anyone to help us. We got this. Right?

Wrong!

While it may be true that you and I think we “got it,” the truth is we don’t “got this” and we don’t need to get it alone. The Good News is God’s got it and He provides everything we need to get it.

Fast forward to the Mass of Remembrance, a beautiful part of the grieving process. How else can you explain it? Families coming together to put their trust in God after losing a loved one. Having participated as a grieving family the past two years with the loss of my mom in 2023 and mother-in-law in 2024, it became quite clear. We don’t got it. God does.

All of us have or know people who have challenges or are suffering . . . medical issues, mental health, relationships, finances, and a host of other things. I am not saying doctors don’t play a part (lest the Pastor get upset with me), and we certainly have an important role in dealing with our own issues and those of someone we love or simply know. God puts the people we need right in front of us. Sometimes we are the person who is called to be the support and guidance needed for another.

What can we do? Pray. Pray WITH others...right then and right there. Be Christ to someone in that moment. Don’t worry, He will give you what you need in the moment.

Lean in. “Let go and Let God.” Give it to Him fully and without reservation. Listen to Him. While we “got a little,” He’s got it all. All we need to do is ask Him and trust Him. One day we hope to understand His reasons for all that occurs in our lives, the blessings and the challenges. For now, just know . . . He’s Got This.

We Are Gifts from God

I have been described as a high-motor guy, although some mornings the oil doesn’t seem to get to the joints as quickly as needed. Conversations and projects requiring my attention are plentiful. My wife needs to remind me to eat when I get deep into a home project. To quote Professor Hinkle, “busy, busy, busy.” Strangely, I enjoy the pace.

Oh I relax, I’m known to watch a movie on the couch with my eyes closed. One of our joys is sitting at our backyard fire pit, especially after floating the day away in the pool. Sometimes there is conversation and other times just quiet. It is an opportunity to be alone in our thoughts or “just be.” Electronics are set aside and we observe birds singing to each other, an evening sky, and the wind in the trees.

Then it hits you. Everything, and I mean every person, place, thing, even our own lives, are gifts from God. Why does He give us these gifts? How do we use them?

The “why” is easy to answer. It is because He loves us, unconditionally, regardless of how we answer the “how” question.

God placed us here to be a gift to others. No pressure. We have a great example in Jesus. Love, listen, forgive, guide, and support. Focus less on what we don’t have. Thank God daily for what we have already received, even the minor things.

Be a gift to others, often in small, everyday ways. Spend time with an elderly parent or a friend in need. Listen to understand and not to reply. Let someone merge in traffic or go before you in a line. Hold a door open. Smile. For in giving we receive. Don’t worry, God has equipped us and will walk with us as we become gifts that keep on giving (and receiving).

Our mission statement says it . . . we are called to Be Christ each for the sake of all. Let’s get to work.