So, the coat of arms in my archdiocese is epic. It shows a phoenix, which is a symbol of resurrection. And on the chest of the phoenix is the IHS, which is the holy name of Jesus. And so, in the first reading for this Sunday, Saint Peter, our first pope, heals a man by the holy name of Jesus. He can heal because of his name because Jesus’ name is mighty. In the Old Testament, God’s name was a symbol of his power and his presence.
And so every time we say the name of Jesus, we are reminded that it is powerful and that he is present to us. Often, we don’t know how to pray, and all we have to do, from the depths of our hearts, is say his name, Jesus. So the next time it’s really hard to pray from the depths of your heart, you can say, “Jesus.” That’s enough. This is Spirit Juice, peace.
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Be Consistent With Jesus
Maybe or maybe not you have a friend like this, someone who is so good at giving grand gestures, someone who really knows how to show you a good time. But that person then, like, ghosts you for two weeks straight. If we don’t have consistency in a friendship, then it just feels empty. And here is what Jesus is saying in this…
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Resume As A Christian
If you had a resume for being a Christian, what would be on it? In the second reading for this Sunday, Saint Paul lists out his resume, and it’s not what you think. Saint Paul doesn’t boast of his successes and awesomeness. He boasts of his weaknesses. His weaknesses are what makes him strong, offering his vulnerability to Jesus. For Saint Paul, he has a huge list for his resume. He has…
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Embracing Shame
Defensiveness, denial, rationalization, avoidance. What do these things have in common? It’s what we do when we avoid shame. None of us like to experience shame. None of us like to experience suffering. And we love to avoid. We love to deny. We love to distract ourselves because shame does not feel good. Here is the gospel, though, where Saint Peter does the same thing. He tells Jesus…
