(Holding ball and dropping it to the ground) What made this ball drop? … That’s right gravity.

Just as there are forces at play in the physical dimension that we cannot see but that we can sense the effects of, the same is true in the spiritual dimension. There are forces at play in our everyday spiritual lives that we cannot see, but we can sense the effects of.

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul tells us about the opposing spiritual forces at play in our lives. He calls these warring spiritual forces spirit and flesh. For some of us, this mention of warring spiritual forces may call to mind a cartoon we saw during our childhood where a character has an angel sitting on their right shoulder trying to convince the character to do something good and who has a devil sitting on their left shoulder trying to convince the character to do something bad.

Once we’re ready to move beyond an elementary understanding of these spiritual forces, St. Paul and St. Ignatius of Loyola have valuable insights to share with us about the way these spiritual forces are at play in our every day. While most of us can identify and understand the physical force of gravity on this ball, chances are we could benefit from Saint Ignatius’ help with identifying and understanding how the spiritual forces act on our lives.

The spiritual exercises and rules Saint Ignatius of Loyola shares with us are practical guidelines for the spiritual life. Think of this as the spiritual equivalent of a physical exercise manual. These spiritual exercises help us to be at our best spiritually no matter what the circumstances are in our lives at the time.

The spiritual life, like all of life, consists of normal ups and downs. It can be hard for us to manage and navigate these spiritual ups and downs when we don’t know the spiritual forces at play. We may feel ill-equipped, the spiritual equivalent of babies who are trying to stand up for the first time without knowing about the force of gravity working against us and without having developed the strength necessary to take the appropriate action to rise up.

Saint Ignatius refers to these spiritual forces that are working for us as the good spirit and the spiritual forces that are working against us Ignatius calls the evil spirit. The good spirit refers to the Holy Spirit, as well as the good angels, the grace within us we received at baptism, positive influences around us, and all the ways God works in our hearts to lead us toward God and the good.

When we look back, examine, and reflect on an activity we did, or something we said, our behavior, and we say to ourselves, “man, I’m glad I did that, I still feel uplifted by that, I continue to be filled with joy and purpose because of that,” then this is probably an indication that the good spirit was leading us at that moment and wants us to do more of that.

The evil spirit refers to the enemy scriptures describe as the tempter, the accuser, the one who is the liar as well as the legacy of Original Sin within us. The evil spirit pulls us away from where God wants us to go. If we look at back on something we did, or something we said, or our behavior, and we think to ourselves, “Man, I wish I wouldn’t have done that, I feel disappointed in myself about that. I wish I wouldn’t have given into that temptation. That was not good for me. That wasn’t helpful.” Then, this is probably an indication that the evil spirit was guiding us when we did that.

We should not dialogue with the evil spirit who is trying to tempt us to do these activities and behaviors again and again. You see, we are not passive actors to these spiritual forces. These spirits do not negate our free will.

It is while we are still using our free will that the good spirit tries to build us up and the evil spirit tries to drag us down and make us fall. Saint Ignatius refers to the ups and downs of our spiritual lives as consolation and desolation.

He calls the ups consolation. In consolation, our hearts feel light and are lifted up, we feel inspired, we experience joy, and we desire to connect with others. In consolation, our vision is refreshed so we can see where God is active in our lives and where God is leading us. This is what spiritual consolation looks and feels like.

Early on in our spiritual growth and relationship with God, we may experience a lot of this consolation and joy. Later, in our walk with God, this good feeling may fade, but this could actually be a good thing for us. We are meant to fall in love, not with the good feelings God gives us. We are meant to fall in love with God. And there is a big difference between these two. God is allowing us to discover and experience this difference, which makes all the difference in the world for our eternal soul.

You see, the trouble is we can get addicted to these good feelings and when the will of God is leading us in a direction that will not produce good feelings, then we may fall away from following where God is leading us. Do not take this lack of good feelings to mean God has abandoned us. Instead, take this to mean that God is leading us into a deeper place. Happy feelings, when we are experiencing the presence of God in our lives are great, when they happen, but they are not the same as experiencing the fullness of God.

The opposite of consolation is desolation. Ignatius calls the spiritual downs we experience in life desolation. We experience desolation during those times when our hearts feel heavy and weighed down, causing us to want to fall into despair, driving us down the spiral ever deeper into our own negative feelings. Desolation is when we have a tendency to turn in on ourselves and our selfish desires. Desolation cuts us off from community and makes us want to give up on spiritual practices that used to be important to us. Desolation tries to take over our whole consciousness and make our past, present, and future seem worthless, meaningless, and hopeless. Desolation makes our spiritual lives feel dry, unsatisfied, and drains us of energy.

During these times of desolation, we may experience a desire to move closer to God and yet have an indescribable feeling that something is holding us back. This is the evil spirit trying to keep us in desolation. One way the evil spirit tries to keep us in desolation is by tempting us to try to flee the desolation into some sort of gratification, which really doesn’t help things. When we give in to this temptation of trying to flee desolation into some sort of gratification or pleasure, we end up causing this spiritual down in our lives to be much lower and longer than it otherwise would be.

In times of desolation, the good spirit is calling us to be patient and to be faithful. In desolation, we are to continue our spiritual exercises we were doing before this desolation began such as praying, going to Mass, and reading the Bible. Continuing these spiritual practices will be a light for us when all other light seems to have gone out. The moment we are most tempted to stop praying, to skip Mass, to stop reading the Bible, and to be unfaithful to God in some other way, that is precisely the moment it is most important for us to keep being faithful. This is certainly true in our human relationships such as a marriage, so why would our relationship with God be any different?

By staying faithful, this sends the message to the evil spirit that the evil spirit is wasting time trying to get us to fall and eventually the evil spirit will depart for a time looking for an easier and weaker victim. Like Jesus’ Good Friday, every time we faithfully carry the cross with Jesus, it always leads to an Easter Sunday. The good spirit is always stronger than the evil spirit. When we stay patient and faithful to our vows to God through the desolation, the downs we experience will be less deep and less long.

Desolation is a normal part of life just like a rainy day is a normal part of the weather forecast. This desolation or rainy day is not going to last forever. Jesus is letting us know that there is a sunny day ahead in the forecast and it is coming a lot sooner than the evil spirit is leading us to believe. The good spirit is trying to guide us through these downs so that we may grow closer to God and neighbor through them.

By making it through these tough times, we are growing and gaining in spiritual strength. Without desolation, we would remain spiritual children who never grow up. When we take two steps forward and one step back in the spiritual life, we go forward to God only by never giving up. By learning from Saint Ignatius, may we have a new set of spiritual eyes to see and to understand what has always been happening in our spiritual lives. This is revealing to us a part of ourselves we’ve always experienced but may not have known how to name or understand and therefore haven’t been able to take the appropriate action. May our eyes be opened, at least a little, so that we may be aware, understand, and take action.

So, during times of consolation, we should thank God who has given us this grace, receive these blessings, and store up this grace for the challenging times that might lie ahead when we may need to draw on this grace.

And during times of desolation, we should be patient and remain faithful to our spiritual practices, and do even more than before with these practices.

And if you remember nothing else I’ve said, remember this, While the evil spirit may lead you to fall, the good spirit will not let you down.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C – June 26, 2022
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21
Psalm: Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
Reading 2: Gal 5:1, 13-18
Gospel: Lk 9:51-62

Did you know it only takes two moments to make a lasting impression? For example, let’s say you take a trip to Cedar Point with some friends or family.

During your visit, every hour on the hour, I text you asking you to rate your experience at that moment on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being a terrible experience and 10 being an amazing experience. At 11 a.m., you just got off the Millennium Force roller coaster and you rate the moment a 10. At 1 p.m., you just paid $9 for a hot dog and you rate the moment a 3. At 5 p.m., you are waiting in a long line for a ride, so you rate the moment a 3. At 9 p.m., you just ended the day by riding the Maverick roller coaster and you rate the moment an 8.

Let’s say I text you about a month later and ask you to rate your overall experience at Cedar Point. Instead of just averaging the rating of all the moments throughout the day and giving your Cedar Point experience a rating of a 6, something peculiar happens. You text back saying your overall experience at Cedar Point was a 9.

Psychologists have discovered the explanation for this discrepancy. They call it the peak-end rule. When we look back on an experience, the peak-end rule says we disproportionally remember and emphasize the peak (this could be an extremely high point or an extremely low point) and the end of the experience. This means for our Cedar Point experience, we remember the peak moment of riding the Millennium Force and the end moment of riding the Maverick and we rate the overall experience a 9.

Now, what does all this have to do with the reading from the Gospel of John we just heard? I think we see the peak-end rule at play in this reading. The Gospel writer John had 33 years’ worth of Jesus’ life as content to write about. Yet, John dedicated five whole chapters or 25% of his Gospel to one evening of Jesus’ life. In today’s Gospel reading, we heard about this evening of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday.
Think of the peak moment. Here, John is the youngest guy at the table, about ready to break bread with the man John thinks the world of and worships, and what happens? Jesus bends down and serves John by washing John’s feet. I think John would have rated that moment a 10. So, that may be a peak moment for John.
What about the end? We tend to value someone’s last words or the words they speak at the end of their life. The last words of dying people are usually a pretty good indication of what’s in their hearts (final requests, final warnings, philosophies of life, etc.). In today’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking just a matter of hours before he is to die, what is essentially his last will and testament to his disciples. Jesus speaks of the things that are most important to him, the things he values that he wants to leave behind to those whom he cares about the most.

These are words of love. This is the capstone to the legacy of love Jesus has been building during his time with his disciples. He says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”Jesus knows human psychology and human nature well. Jesus knew this was his last evening before dying. Jesus wanted John to remember and emphasize the legacy of love he left behind when he died. Jesus was a master of the moment, and he still is today.

We’ve seen how the peak-end rule impacted the Gospel of Jesus Christ According to John. Now, how will this peak-end rule impact the Gospel of You According to Jesus Christ? When it comes to the good news of each of our lives here on earth, what will Jesus focus on and emphasize? What will the Gospel of You According to Jesus Christ be? When Jesus looks at each of our own lives here on earth, what moments of our lives will have special meaning for him and what will be his particular manner of telling the story about our lives, and what significance will he find in our lives of how we’ve shared in his cross and resurrection? Jesus said the way we love others will be how it’s clear who his disciples really are. But, when we love others, we aren’t just loving others, of course, we are actually loving Jesus.

In Matthew 25, verse 35, Jesus begins telling us that when we feed others who are hungry, give drink to those who are thirsty, welcome the stranger, give clothing to those who are naked, care for the ill, and visit the imprisoned, we are doing so for him. I believe these moments in our lives where we have shown love for others and Jesus will be the peak moments of our lives for Jesus. In these moments, Jesus, who thinks the world of us, gets to experience us bowing down to serve him in the same way he has served us.

But what about those extremely low moments of our lives? How will Jesus remember those low moments of our lives? The good news is that we don’t need to spend a bunch of time worrying about the low moments of our lives being remembered or focused on in the end by Jesus. Pope Francis said God forgets our sins that we have been absolved of during Confession. These low moments of our lives that we tend to allow to occupy a lot of real estate in our minds, that we tend to ruminate on, and that we are tempted to let define us, once we’ve confessed them and we’ve been absolved of them, God has already forgotten them. Jesus wants our Gospel to be like his Gospel, free from any sight of sin. Jesus wants our Gospel to be like his Gospel, with us being moment makers who are building a legacy of love.



One way we can determine the type of legacy we are building is to take a look at what we are focused on in each moment and to ask ourselves if we are being more like Jesus or more like Judas. In any given moment, are we focused on being givers or being takers? We saw both of these roles played out on Holy Thursday evening in John’s Gospel. Jesus gave a foot washing. Judas took the foot washing. Jesus gave the food at the Last Supper. Judas took the food and took off to betray Jesus. Jesus prepared to give his life out of love for us. Judas took the money and betrayed Jesus. When Judas took off to go betray Jesus, Jesus says something odd. Did you catch that in today’s Gospel reading?

We heard the following verse in today’s Gospel reading: “When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” Most theologians interpret this to mean that the decisive act has been done. Now, that Judas has left the last supper, everything has been set into motion for Jesus’ betrayal, mock trial, beating, crucifixion, resurrection, and his glorious coronation in heaven.

But I think there is something more to this. Now, that Judas has left, the only disciples who were left surrounding Jesus were disciples who ultimately were givers; people who ultimately were prepared to give their lives out of love for Jesus. These are all people who would glorify Jesus with their lives.

When we disciples today, like those disciples at the Last Supper, receive the food of Jesus’ body in the Eucharist, we have the master of the moment, the one who John tells us is love, residing within us. So, all we have to do is share with others the love which we have received. To love means to give, not only something material but also something of oneself: one’s own time, one’s friendship, one’s abilities. Jesus is interested in doing something still here today and he is inviting us to be a part of it. Jesus knows that we too are moment makers. In the ordinary moments of our day, we have the opportunity to help make heaven and earth come a little bit closer for us and others.

When someone walks away from an interaction with us, do they have something they didn’t have before their encounter with us? Jesus wants others to walk away from us with a smile, a little more joy, a greater sense of peace, and more strength to endure their suffering than they had before. Jesus wants us to give to others a lifelong gift, a love that transcends this world.

This is how we build a legacy of love: one moment at a time. And about those two moments from your life that will make a lasting legacy, who knows, maybe you could make one of these moments today.

5th Sunday of Easter Cycle C – May 15, 2022
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: Acts 14:21-27
Psalm: Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
Reading 2: Rev 21:1-5a
Gospel: Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35

Jesus said, “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” (Doing the sign of the cross and looking up to heaven) Whoa, Jesus, do I seriously have to preach on this? There are people here looking at me who are rich. Could you please help me out here with what to say to them? Amen.

Jesus said, “Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.” (Doing the sign of the cross and looking up to heaven) Um, Jesus. It’s me again. There are people here who had a big meal before coming here and are filled now. Are you sure woe to them is the message you want them to hear? Amen.

Jesus said, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.” (Doing the sign of the cross and looking up to heaven) Jesus, this is getting really awkward here. There are people here who have been laughing at comedies on Netflix and funny videos on YouTube this weekend. Any help you could provide me on what to say to them would be great. Amen.

And Jesus said, “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.” (Doing the sign of the cross and looking to heaven) Jesus, there are many here who people speak well of and who are well respected. What should I say to them? Amen.

Whenever there are teachings of Jesus and his church like these woes from today’s Gospel that are tough for us to hear because they make us uncomfortable with the way we are living our lives, or that we are frustrated by, or that we simply don’t understand, it is tempting to ignore them, call them ridiculous, or be dismissive of them in some other way. These woes are pointing out four areas that Jesus thinks can be spiritually dangerous. Instead of being dismissive of these tough teachings, Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to try to understand them from his perspective, and to see them through his eyes.

With this being World Marriage Week, with World Marriage Day being today, and St. Valentine’s Day being just a day away, let’s try looking at these woes Jesus spoke of through the lens of love and from the perspective of the one who is love.

When I say through the lens of love, I want to be more specific. By a show of hands, has anyone ever heard of the book The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman? Okay, some of you have heard of it and some have not. For those of you who have not heard of it, let me provide a quick description that may also serve as a refresher for those of us who read the book a long time ago. The author says that there are five main love languages or ways we feel loved and can show our love to others.

The first love language is physical touch such as a handshake, hug, or kiss.

The second love language is words of affirmation such as telling someone you like their haircut or telling them they did a good job.

The third love language is gifts such as giving someone flowers or a box of chocolates.

The fourth love language is acts of service such as washing the dishes for someone or making a meal for them.

The fifth love language is quality time such as talking with someone and giving them your undivided attention.

Out of these five love languages, the author says that each of us humans has a primary love language, meaning that one of these love languages is the primary way that we feel most loved. The author goes on to say that whatever our primary love language is, that is the default love language that we use when trying to express our love to someone else. This can cause some frustration and misunderstanding in a relationship. For example, when a newlywed husband is focused completely on physical touch and his wife is thinking to herself, “would this guy just do the dishes?” Alright, enough about me and my life.

What do you think Jesus’ primary love language is? … Any guesses? As I was reflecting on today’s Gospel reading and trying to understand the woes Jesus talks about, I think I discovered the answer. I think Jesus’ primary love language is acts of service (pointing to the crucifix).

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as ransom for many.” To try to understand the woes Jesus is talking about, let us look at them the way someone who has the primary love language of acts of service might look at them.

“Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” Okay, here’s how much Jesus valued money: He entrusted the money bag that was to take care of the financial needs of Jesus and the apostles … to a thief. It’s not so much what you’ve been given as it is what you do with it. In the verse that immediately proceeds today’s Gospel reading, we are told that Judas was selected as an apostle. Judas was there and when Jesus said “woe to you who are rich,” Judas heard these words, but he didn’t listen to them. This is the same Judas who was probably the richest apostle. The way he got the riches and maintained this status of being rich was by stealing and selling out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. If you took $30 and you bought a University of Toledo hoodie and you gave it to someone you see at a street corner asking for help, the reality is this makes you $30 less rich. This sacrifice to clothe someone in need of clothing delights Jesus, the one who was stripped of his clothing and hung upon the cross naked.

“Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.” Bishop Fulton Sheen said there are two philosophies of life. The pagan philosophy of first the feast, then the fast. Then there’s the Christian philosophy of first the fast, then the feast. It’s when we’re hungry that we most appreciate food. As Jesus hung upon the cross, he was not filled, yet over the last 2,000 years, Jesus has made a meal for millions. The more empty space we create for him, the more Jesus can fill it.

Jesus said, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.” Here, I am thinking of a King who has his court jester making him laugh while he is oblivious to the suffering of his people right outside the walls. Or bringing it a little closer to home, I am thinking of the person who is laughing at a funny show on Netflix or a funny video on YouTube, instead of tending to the emotional needs of a loved one who is sad, depressed, or suffering possibly near death in a hospital or nursing home or right within their own home. When we pause the laughing and hit the play button on tending to the emotional needs of those we love and care for, that makes Jesus happy. Remember, many of those who loved and cared for Jesus weren’t there for him during his darkest hour. As he hung upon the cross, the vast majority of the apostles were someplace else they presumably deemed way less sad.

Jesus said, “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.” Having our reputation and people speaking well of us as our primary focus for our decision-making is very dangerous spiritually. There are all kinds of ungodliness we do for the sake of people speaking well of us. There are times when we are faced with a decision of either telling people the truth or telling them what they want to hear. If people speak well of us because we tell them the lie they want to hear, woe to us. There are times when the popular thing to do at the table is not to give thanks to God for the food in front of us. There are times when the popular thing to do is to go to the sporting event and skip Mass. When we sacrifice what makes us popular for doing what is right, Jesus delights in these acts of service.

If you want a picture of the most blessed person who has ever walked the earth, this is it (pointing to Jesus on the cross). As Jesus hung upon the cross, he was not rich in the world’s eyes as he had no money. As Jesus hung upon the cross, he was not filled as he was hungry. As Jesus hung upon the cross, he was not laughing. As Jesus hung upon the cross, they were not speaking well of him, they jeered at him and reviled him.

Why? Because this great act of service is how Jesus shows his love for you. Friends, today, Jesus says these words to each one of us: “I have shown you how much I love you with the ultimate act of service (pointing to Jesus on the cross). Love me and one another the way I have loved you.” Now, how will you respond to this love that has been given to you?

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C – February 13, 2022
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: Jer 17:5-8
Psalm: Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Reading 2: 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20
Gospel: Lk 6:17, 20-26