Diocese of Lansing

My sisters and brothers in the Lord,Welcome to our final week of Disciples Together on the Way. Thanks be to God! And thanks to you for joining me on this pilgrimage over the past year. It's been a privilege to have your company as, together, we've attempted to acquire the habits of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, our Alpha and our Omega.Hence, appropriately, we end with the person Jesus Christ as explained to the world in Chapter 1 or, as it is often known, the Prologue of the Gospel of Saint John. My challenge this week is to read the first 14 verses of this chapter at Christmas Dinner and then take a few moments to prayerfully ponder its significance.Saint John wrote his Gospel in the latter half of the 1st century in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus where he and the Blessed Virgin Mary had established a home. It was in this same city seven centuries prior that the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, had coined both the term and concept of logos. He defined logos as the principle of order or knowledge in the Universe. “All entities come to be in accordance with this Logos,” said Heraclitus.Hence in the Prologue of his Gospel and writing to the Hellenic or Greek world, Saint John makes this remarkable claim: The Logos was made flesh, and dwelt among us! In English, we usually translate the Greek word logos as “word” but, arguably, this doesn't do justice to the breadth and boldness of Saint John's assertion. It explains why this particular passage was read for centuries towards the conclusion every Mass as a “Last Gospel”.Hence at Christmas Dinner I ask that you read the Gospel of Saint John Chapter 1, verses 1 through 14. Choose one person to read this passage and then have a few moments of silence so that you can really absorb God's words. Have it read a second time, and after a few moments of silent reflection, speak what comes to your heart. Be sure to give ample opportunity to others present to share what has entered their heart as well.Okay, here ends this year of Disciples Together on the Way. Our pilgrimage towards God continues, however, and it continues as Disciples Together on the Way. Please be assured of my prayers. I would ask that you return the kindness. Thank you.As the 19th century French writer, Leon Bloy, said: “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” So, let's become saints. Together.And May God bless you with His grace throughout the Christmas season and beyond, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Welcome to Week 50 of Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Boyea. This is the penultimate week of our year-long pilgrimage as aspiring Christian disciples. Here's Bishop Boyea's challenge for this week: "When we pick up our Bible, let us read the First Epistle of Saint John. It's short. Only five chapters. But it packs quite a punch in terms of teaching Christians how to “abide in God” underscoring, as he does, the division of light and darkness, love and hate, life and death, God and the devil, sin and righteousness."To read 1 John go to: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/1

Dear friends, over the centuries the Church has cultivated a discipline of listening to the Lord's Voice through Sacred Scripture. She calls it Lectio Divina or "Divine Reading". It's nourished many disciples all the way to heaven. Hence, this week's challenge: Spend at least 15 minutes each day praying the basic path of Lectio Divina that so many saints have trod.Yours in Christ, + Bishop Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing 

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, Last week we revisited a challenge of strengthening a particular habit of discipleship in our life. Of course, I think it goes without saying how important repetition is in forming good habits. This week I want to extend a similar challenge that has the potential of becoming a powerful foundation for all our holy habits. This week our discipleship challenge is to memorize one of the Psalms.Why is memorization important, you might ask? Well, day in and day out we rely on a tremendous amount of information that we have, effectively, memorized. Whether it's the password to our computer, email or bank account; or family birthdays or anniversaries; we rely on troves of stored information housed in our memory's “hard drive” in order to get through the day. The same is true of prayer. As many priests can testify, elderly parishioners afflicted by dementia, including my mother, often have little difficulty recalling prayers learned as children. What is more: The information we memorize actually shapes our thoughts, ideas and outlook on the world. As the old saying goes: “If you hear something enough, you start to believe it.” What we memorize informs how we view ourselves, others and the world around us.  Therefore, we need to be intentional about committing things to memory that will help us hear God's voice in the midst the noise of the world. Things that will help us be aware of the presence of God throughout the day. Which brings us to the Book of Psalms.The Book of Psalms contains 150 songs. Seventy-three of the Psalms are attributed to King David. The majority were composed for liturgical worship. Many of them are songs of praise and thanksgiving. So why memorize the psalms? In short, because Jesus himself memorized the psalms and he is the role model for any aspiring disciple. Even while dying on the cross, the psalms remained on the lips of our Blessed Lord. In the words of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. And then from Psalm 31: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  I am going to focus on Psalm 91! That is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that: “The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament…Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church. They are suitable for men of every condition and time,” (The Catechism #2596-7)By memorizing Sacred Scripture, we are literally imprinting God's word on our minds, helping us be better prepared to share Jesus Christ, and his Holy Church, with those who don't yet know him. Eventually our conversations will become less about our word and more about the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us: Jesus Christ himself. May God bless you in this week's challenge. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

November 25, 2022My sisters and brothers in the Lord,Welcome to Week 47 of Disciples Together on the Way! We've made it to Week 47! Only four weeks left in our entire program. We've made it to the final stretch. So, for that, I say WELL DONE! God bless you.If you've missed a week or two do not grow weary but start back up and pray that God give you the persistence to march on.For inspiration, we can look towards our friends the saints as examples of perseverance. We've spoken about Saint Monica and how she persevered in prayer for 17 years for the conversion of her son, Saint Augustine of Hippo. Other great examples of persistence are Saint Rita of Cascia and Saint Joseph, foster-father of our Lord.Saint Rita, who lived in 15th century Italy, showed heroic perseverance in her desire to enter the religious life despite being given in marriage to a very violent tempered man by her parents at the age of 12. After her husband died, she again took up her journey to enter the religious life and encountered many trials – yet she persevered and was ultimately allowed to enter the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, Italy.We also see a great example of persistence in the life of Saint Joseph. Despite the many hardships he endured protecting and guiding the Holy Family whether it was the journey to Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, or the loss of the Child in the Temple, blessed Saint Joseph never lost trust in God. He always remained steadfast in his faith.So, in these final four weeks I encourage you to continue your journey down the path of discipleship always turning to the Saints for strength and guidance.For this week, our challenge will be to reflect on the previous eight weeks.The focus of the last several weeks has been the Saints and Corporal Works of Mercy. As a good disciple always does, spend some time in prayer thinking about how those challenges have gone. Were there challenges that came easily? Were there some that seemed more difficult to stick with? Ask the Lord to show you where you need to spend time cultivating the habit of a good disciple by revisiting one of the practices mentioned in these past eight week. Then, repeat that challenge again to begin to develop the habits of a devout disciple.Practice makes perfect! Let us continue on our path of discipleship with the encouraging words of Saint Catherine of Siena: “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”I'll be back with a new theme and a new challenge next week. Until then, may God bless you abundantly throughout this week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,Welcome to this week's Disciples Together on the Way Challenge. This is our final week focusing on the Corporal Works of Mercy! In the Book of Deuteronomy, the Lord tells us, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” (Dt. 15:10-11) Since there will always be the poor, there will always be the opportunities to serve and support them.During this time of the year, the needs of the poor tend to increase. As the days grow shorter and colder, food, shelter and appropriate clothing become even more essential. Indeed, next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a natural time for us to increase our corporal works of mercy. As we reflect on the bounty and blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us and our loved ones, in gratitude our response can turn to giving back.For many families, this time of year is already a time where they may participate in a food drive, or even go to work at a shelter serving meals to those in need before they go home to enjoy their own celebration. We know from looking at the lives of the saints that many of them achieved their sanctity by serving the poor.  Just think of St. Catherine of Siena in 14th century Italy, Saint Vincent de Paul in 17th century France or, in our own times, St. Teresa of Calcutta in 20th century India. There are many saints who have given their time, talent, and treasure to the poor. Through their actions, they not only brought Jesus to the poor, but also encountered God in them. As St. Vincent DePaul stated, “Go to the poor: you will find God.”In addition to the witness of so many saints in their ministry to the poor, there is also to call to us to this form of holiness and discipleship.  The Book of Psalms tells us “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 82:3-4).  We also read in the First Letter of Saint John: “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 Jn. 3:17-18)In recent years, the various Catholic Charities entities throughout the Diocese of Lansing have been working towards greater collaboration with each other and with the parishes near to them. As we wrap up this final week focused on the Corporal Works of Mercy, let us look for more opportunities to help the poor and those in need.So, here's this week's challenge: Donate to your local Catholic Charity or local St. Vincent DePaul food pantry or look for another food pantry or local food drive and donate food or money. And don't just give your money, volunteer to serve in the soup kitchen.See the Diocese of Lansing website, where you can find links to our various organizations and learn about the ways you can help. https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/catholic-charitiesMay God bless you and your families as you prepare to give thanks for all He has done for you, and as you seek out ways to serve the poor in your lives.+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Dear Friend,As we continue to meditate on the Corporal Works of Mercy, it is interesting to note that a good portion of the Church's teaching about them is contained in the Catechism's section on the Commandments and, particularly, on the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not steal.” Let us see how almsgiving fits into this category.Almsgiving — not to mention the other Corporal Works of Mercy — is considered an act of justice as opposed to an act of mere charity. Almsgiving is closely tied to our duty to love our neighbor.  The Catechism teaches that “Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to be able to give to those in need” (CCC #2444).  The text continues with a quotation from the Church Father, Saint John Chrysostom, who wrote: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours but theirs.” (CCC #2446)It should be clarified that almsgiving — a requirement for being a disciple of Christ — is different from tithing. Tithing is offering God the first fruits of our labor — of our earnings — giving a regular percentage of our earnings to God and the Church. It is fulfilling our duty to God and His Church.Almsgiving, on the other hand, is fulfilling our duty toward our neighbor and our community.  That being said, almsgiving is charitable giving above and beyond our regular tithe. In the Bible, almsgiving is also tied to making amends for sins.  In Sirach 3:30 it says: “As water quenches a flaming fire, so almsgiving atones for sins.” Similarly, in the book of Daniel 4:27, King Nebuchadnezzar is told to “Redeem your sins by almsgiving and your iniquity by generosity to the poor.”Jesus, during one of his meals at a Pharisee's house, as part of his challenges to his fellow diners, added: “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41).With all of this in mind, we come to our weekly challenge: Develop a plan for almsgiving and discuss it with your family/spouse. It could be placing a jar at the entrance of your home into which everyone in your family contributes spare change and then periodically donates the money to a local crisis pregnancy center or other charitable organization. You could donate the funds from your bottle returns to charity. You could also simply go over your budget with your spouse and decide on an amount to contribute to charity beyond your regular tithe.  Until next week, may God bless you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Welcome to this week's Disciples Together on the Way Challenge for November 6 to 12. This week we continue with the theme of the Corporal Works of Mercy.Each of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy are rooted in the teachings of Christ – they give us a model on how to treat one another – to see and to serve Christ in those we encounter: So, Bishop Boyea's challenge this week is to visit the sick, the elderly or the homebound. But, before you take this valuable action spend some time in prayer – pray for the individual or individuals you are going to visit.  Pray for their needs and ask God to grant them some relief if that be His will. Lastly, ask God to give you the grace to see His face in the people you visit.  Let your ears, your mouth and your hands be Christ to them and pray that you see the face of our Lord in them as well.

Today we begin a new theme as Disciples Together on the Way: The Corporal Works of Mercy.What are the corporal works of mercy? These are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his or her bodily or, to use another word, corporeal existence. Hence the word "corporal".These works of mercy include feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:“Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.”As we approach the Feast of All Souls and the Month of the Holy Souls in November, Bishop Boyea's challenge this week focuses on one particular Corporal Works of Mercy: Burying the dead. He says:"Here's my challenge for this week: Visit a cemetery. That may be a visit to a grave of a loved one or, even better, a grave that never receives a visitor or someone to pray for their soul. In fact, if we visit a cemetery and pray for the dead between November 1 and November 8 we receive a plenary indulgence. That is the remission of the temporal punishment due for our sins whose guilt has already been forgiven."

Welcome to Week 42 of Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Boyea. This week, Bishop Boyea continues on the theme of the saints. Here's his challenge:"My challenge for you this week is to read about the saint feast days for this week. Choose one to celebrate in some manner. If you are drawn to celebrate another saint this week – maybe a patron saint of your household or parish feel free to do so. Let's make a fuss of it!" The saints celebrated this week are as follows: Sunday, October 23: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time;Monday, October 24; Feast of St. Anthony Claret, Bishop;Tuesday, October 25: Feast of Six Welsh Martyrs and Companions; Feast of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria, Martyrs; Feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, Martyrs;Wednesday, October 26: Feast of Saint Fulk of Piacenza, Bishop;Thursday, October 27: Feast of Saint Evaristus, Pope and Martyr;Friday, October 28: Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles;Saturday, October 29: Feast Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem, Bishop.

Here's Bishop Earl Boyea's challenge to you for Week 41 of Disciples Together on the Way: "If you don't already have a patron saint for your household, then I encourage you to nominate one.""Is there someone who exemplifies the goals your household has? Was he or she particularly generous, kind, or courageous? Maybe he or she suffered with such dignity and joy that your household finds encouragement during their trials.""Of course, it is always best to turn to God and ask Him who He would like to nominate. The Lord knows your household best and can choose the best-suited Saint in Heaven to intercede for you.""If you are living with family members, try having a conversation about this with them. If you live alone, perhaps bring a couple of names in prayer to the Lord and have him select one for you."

Here's Bishop Earl Boyea's challenge for Week 40 of Disciples Together on the Way, October 9 to October 15, on the topic of the saints: "Get to know the saints! Pick a saint and read about his or her life or watch a video describing the saint. Perhaps, we might try to know more about a saint after whom we were named as babies or one whose name we took in Confirmation. Then, for this week, let us have a daily prayer devotion to that saint. We might go to our neighborhood Church and light a candle in honor of that saint.  Perhaps, we can visit a shrine such as the Blessed Solanus Casey Center in Detroit or the Cross in the Woods in Indian River. The saints are the best teachers of our faith because they're living proof that transformation in grace is possible. And it's for everyone! Get to know the saints!"

This week Bishop Earl Boyea begins a new theme as Disciples Together on the Way: The Saints. That is, those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. This is a call for all of us!Hence, this week, Bishop Boyea is holding up one particular example of saintliness in the world: Saint Thomas More, the great 16th century English statesman who served King Henry VIII as Lord High Chancellor of England. Bishop Boyea's challenge is to watch the 1966 film, A Man for All Seasons, which recounts the dramatic story of Thomas More's holy life and holy death. The film is widely available on most streaming services.

Over the past three weeks we have prayed daily to discern the will of God in our lives knowing that the closer we align our mind, heart, soul and strength to his divine plan for our lives, the happier and holier we will be. This week, as Disciples Together on the Way, it's time for action.

How does God speak to us when we are discerning his divine will for our lives knowing, as we do, that in following these supernatural promptings we will find our greatest happiness, peace and purpose in this life and, Deo volente, in the next? Listen to the advice of Bishop Earl Boyea in, this, Week 37 of Disciples Together on the Way.

This week Bishop Boyea continues to guide us through a 30-day retreat based upon the writings of the great spiritual master, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th century founder of the Society of Jesus. Click on this video to discover Saint Ignatius' 14 rules for discerning the will of God in your life. Thus, Saint Ignatius' motto can become our motto in life as well: Ad majórem Dei glóriam! For the greater glory of God!

This week, as Disciples Together on the Way, Bishop Earl Boyea is taking us on retreat. What's a retreat? Bishop Boyea explains: "That's time away from the business of daily life, often in solitude, often in silence, often directed by a spiritual guide." Bishops and priests are required in Canon Law to make a retreat yearly."All of us, though, are called to holiness. Sisters and brothers, we are all called to be saints! Hence, it is good that we all make a retreat in order to discern God's call in our lives. And that's exactly what we'll do over the next four weeks as Disciples Together on the Way."  "So, now here is what we will be doing: this week and for the next three following weeks we will be going on retreat.  The busy person kind of retreat. So, early every morning for 30 days we'll text you an installment of a 30-day Ignatian retreat that has been developed by St. Mary Catholic Center at Texas A&M University. It is called Taking Back the Crown and was created to reach out to students." Click here for link to 30-day Ignatian retreat: https://anchor.fm/takingbackthecrown/episodes/Day-1---Getting-Started-on-Retreat-St--Ignatius--an-Act-of-Presence-ebogud

This week Bishop Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way challenge is a little different from previous weeks as we take a pause from beginning a new challenge to refocus on a challenge that we've already done.  "Think about a challenge that was presented over the past eight weeks. They focused on the virtues and then on intercessory prayer," says Bishop Boyea. "Ask the Lord to show you where you need to spend some more time and effort cultivating the habit of a good disciple. Then, repeat a particular challenge from these past eight weeks." Note: The past eight challenges have been: Week 26 | The Virtues | Every day this week, recite the Litany of HumilityWeek 27 | The Virtues | Invite a family to your home for a meal or take a meal to a homebound personWeek 28 | The Virtues | Moderation: At meals, eat less than you desire and don't tell anyoneWeek 29 | The Virtues | Overcoming the Deadly Sin of AngerWeek 30 | Intercession | Ask family, friend, or stranger if there is anything you can pray for, then commit to praying for that intention for the weekWeek 31 | Intercession | Every day this week pray for someone you find difficult or would view as an adversaryWeek 32 | Intercession | Pray for Your Beloved DeadWeek 33 | Intercession | Pray for someone who is lapsed from the Faith

Welcome to Week 33 (August 21 to 27) of Bishop Earl Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way focussing on intercessory prayer. This week Bishop Boyea is challenging us to pray for someone in our lives who is lapsed from the Catholic Faith. "This week's challenge is to pray for that person each day.  We are continuing our discipleship of intercessory prayer. But this week's focus is on someone in deep spiritual need," says Bishop Boyea.  "I would also encourage you to create your own “War Room”. It could be a special place or perhaps just a particular time of day that you spend in intercessory prayer." What exactly is a "War Room"? Listen and find out! God bless you.

Welcome to Bishop Earl Boyea's latest weekly Disciples on the Way challenge. This week, Bishop Boyea concludes his series of challenges focussed on cultivating virtue and eliminating vice. The focus of this week's challenge is the deadly sin of anger. In the Holy Gospels, Jesus makes it clear that anger is a form of murder and that it has grave consequences to our souls (see Matt. 5 : 22). Saint Paul, too, mentions anger alongside adultery in his list of sins that will keep people out of heaven (see Gal. 5 : 20-21). Hence Bishop Boyea's challenge: "Hence, our challenge this week is to reflect on times when we regularly lose our patience. Each day as part of our daily prayer and throughout the day, let us be attuned to what causes us to become impatient."Here is his script in full: Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,Have you ever heard somebody deploy the maxim that "There is nothing new under the sun"? Or opine that "To everything there is a season"? Or suggest that in this life we should "Eat, drink, and be merry"? All these well-worn aphorisms are drawn from the Book of Ecclesiastes. A lesser known but equally arresting and relevant phrase, though, is found in Chapter 7 of that great Old Testament book of wisdom: Do not be quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.These days it seems many people are quick to lose their tempers and respond impatiently with others. Indeed, many seem to feel it a right to rage at opponents regarding whatever issues they have latched on to or offenders of whatever bothers them. With recent studies claiming that many people are under more stress than in prior decades, as well as increased levels of anxiety due to multiple factors, it comes as no surprise that many of us are firecrackers waiting to go off. If we are honest, we know that we all have certain things that may trigger impatience and cause us to lose our peace. So why is anger so deadly? And how do we quell our anger with the virtue of patience? Stay tuned.The Church has much to say about the virtue of patience. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, patience is listed as one of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit. “The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity." (C.C.C. 1832)We've all heard that, “patience is a virtue!” In the Catechism, the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are listed under the section on virtues. The reason for this is because “a virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.” (C.C.C. 1803)We are called to grow in virtue, and thus in patience. This takes work. It takes repetition and discipline. If we are finding ourselves more impatient than normal, we will want to call on the Holy Spirit for help and then to practice being patient in those moments. We can tell whether we are living in union with the Holy Spirit when we can see the fruits of the Spirit active in our lives. When we see the opposite, we know we have work to do.Hence, our challenge this week is to reflect on times when we regularly lose our patience. Each day as part of our daily prayer and throughout the day, let us be attuned to what causes us to become impatient.Once we are able to recognize what causes us to be impatient, we can pray about ways to increase patience.  This may include help to avoid those situations when we know that our patience is driven to the limits.  In addition, the scriptures are a great place to start as we pray for patience.Her

Welcome to this week's Disciples Together on the Way challenge for July 17 to 23. This week Bishop Earl Boyea continues on the theme of the virtues. In particularly the virtue of temperance or, as it is also known, moderation. He says:"My challenge for this week is for us to practice moderation at our daily meals. Let us eat a bit less than we desire by taking smaller portions and don't tell anyone why we are consuming less.  The Lord sees the intentions of our heart." Here is Bishop Boyea's script in full: Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,My sisters and brothers in the Lord, welcome to this week's Disciples Together on the Way Challenge. This week we continue with the theme of the virtues. In fact, I want to talk to you about the passions. As it often does, the Catechism of the Catholic Church sets out the issue very clearly. It states: “The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy” (CCC #2339).  The Catechism adds, “Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action, evil in the opposite case….  Emotions and feelings can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices” (#1768).So how do we govern our passions? The answer is the virtue of Moderation or, as it is sometimes known, Temperance. And that's the topic of this week's challenge.Each one of us, as a disciple of Christ, is called to a life of holiness.  And we know that such a life is not attainable unless we continually cultivate virtue in our daily life. The practice of virtue disposes us to conduct ourselves more frequently in a morally good manner. Thus, we can better resist what Saint Thomas Aquinas labeled as the three "implacable enemies of the soul": The world, the flesh and the devil. Thus, we can readily pursue the path of holiness, happiness and peace that comes through greater intimacy with our Triune God.By practicing the virtue of Moderation we strive to tame the desires of the flesh by limiting ourselves to certain physical pleasures, or pleasures of the senses.  Now, pleasure is not all bad, for God has placed certain longings in our hearts for our good and the good of others. However, if we are led by the wrong yearnings or over-indulge our pleasures we will quickly stray from the path of holiness and in fact become slaves to such pleasures.Again, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that Temperance is “the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keep desires within the limits of what is honorable.” (CCC 1809) As disciples of Christ we want to glorify God by living a holy, honorable life.Therefore, by exercising Moderation in our daily lives we can, by the grace of God, keep our earthly desires in check in hopes of having a life guided by the Spirit.So, my challenge for this week is for us to practice Moderation at our daily meals. Let us eat a bit less than we desire by taking smaller portions and don't tell anyone why we are consuming less.  The Lord sees the intentions of our heart.I'll be back with another challenge on the virtues next week. Until then, may God bless you with His grace throughout this coming week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Welcome to another Disciples Together on the Way challenge on the theme of the virtues. This week, July 10 to 16, it's the twin virtues of generosity and hospitality. Here's Bishop Earl Boyea's challenge you: "Invite a family to your home for a meal or take a meal to a homebound person." Here's a link to his script in full: https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/news/week-27-disciples-together-way-w-bishop-boyea-july-10-july-16-virtues-invite-family-your-home

Welcome to Week 26 of Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing's Disciples Together on the Way challenge. We are now beyond the halfway mark of this yearlong pilgrimage! Deo gratias! This week Bishop Boyea turns to the theme of the Virtues. What are the virtues? And why are they important to anybody who aspires to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Watch this short video to find out as Bishop Boyea reveals his latest weekly challenge: "Every day this week, recite the Litany of Humility. Here is a link to the Litany of Humility: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/litany-of-humility-245

Welcome to Week 25 of Bishop Earl Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way challenge. This week is a Review Week. Time to pause, pray and pick your toughest challenge. God bless you. Here's Bishop Boyea's script in full: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We are now well into the second third of our yearlong pilgrimage as Disciples Together on the Way. Congratulations and thanks for staying with your commitment. From our beginning in January, we have made it to the summer! As with any long trip, however, it makes good sense to pull over from time to time and see how the journey is going so far.  Maybe there is a need to stretch the legs, have a bit of refreshment and be certain we haven't lost anything along the way.  With that sense of journeying together for the long haul, this week I invite you once again to look back and choose a challenge from the previous weeks and engage in it again.  A list of all the challenges can be viewed by clicking here. It could be a challenge which you struggled with before. Perhaps now will be the right time, with God's grace, for success.  Being willing to re-challenge ourselves is a sign of growth in developing the habits of a disciple.Hopefully there was a challenge in the past months which brought you joy, peace or a new closeness to the Lord. Maybe you lived Lent in a new way through renewed prayer, sacrifice, or the Stations of the Cross. It could be that a relationship was rekindled through your prayer or deliberate thanks. If there was a challenge you wanted more of, pick it up again and work towards keeping it as a lasting habit.Regardless of what you choose to revisit this week, know that the on-ramp to the road of discipleship is never closed for repair.  The love of God invites us back after every falter, flat tire, or detour.  Enjoy the journey, we are in this together! And may God bless you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. + Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Welcome to Week 24 of Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Boyea. This week we conclude the theme of The Eucharist. Here's Bishop Boyea's challenge for this week: Pray a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament. Below is his script for this week: Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord, The night before his passion and death, Jesus suffered greatly as he prayed to his heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. In his sorrow and distress he turned to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John. Christ asks them to remain with him in his agony. What followed? The Holy Gospels tell us: “When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?” (Matthew 26:40) My friends, can we keep watch with Christ for one hour? That will be the challenge in this week's Disciples Together on the Way as we conclude our four week theme on the Holy Eucharist. The challenge for this week is to pray a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament. Some of you may already do it on a regular basis. Perhaps you are already signed up at an adoration chapel near you that offers perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Or perhaps your parish offers a weekly holy hour to which you regularly go and spend some time with the Lord. If so, you already know all the goodness that spending just sixty minutes with Jesus brings into your life.We Catholics believe that, during such a Holy Hour, Jesus Christ is actually present in the Blessed Sacrament. This means that when we go to adoration we really are in the presence of God the Son. Therefore, when we enter the church or the chapel, we have no doubt that there is no better place on earth to spend that next hour.In his Encyclical Mysterium Fidei, Pope St. Paul VI wrote: “As St. Thomas says, the fact that the true body and the true blood of Christ are present in this Sacrament "cannot be apprehended by the senses but only by faith, which rests upon divine authority… Do not doubt that this is true; instead accept the words of the Savior in faith; for since He is truth, He cannot tell a lie."So, let us always enter the church or the chapel with this is mind.  And we should prepare ahead what it is we would like to  do in His presence. Remember that Jesus is always waiting for us to come to Him and enter in a communion of love with Him, as we read in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me”.As we enter the church or adoration chapel let us get ready to open the doors of our heart to Jesus. We can talk to Him as with a good friend. We can share our joys and successes.  We can ask Him for advice on the difficult matters of our day.  We  may also tell Him about the bigger challenges we are facing in our life. He already knows them but opening up with Him is a good way to begin our conversation.  Then, we should listen deeply in our heart for what He wants to tell us.If you are not used to spending time with the Lord in adoration, reading your Bible or praying a Rosary are helpful ways to begin. Read the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday and find a phrase that catches your attention. See what the Lord is trying to tell you through it. You can also pray the Holy Rosary and offer it for a special intention or pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet or another favorite devotion.See you next week and, also, be assured of my prayers for you.  Until then, may God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Dear Brothers and Sister in Christ,I was born in April 1951 in the city of Pontiac. The eldest of ten children, our family went en masse to Sunday Mass at our local parish, Our Lady of the Lakes. As you can imagine, we had to arrive pretty early to get a pew that could accommodate us all. Not least because in the 1950's it is estimated that nearly 8 in every 10 Catholics in the United States attended Sunday Mass. Now that figure is estimated to be about 4 in every 10. The big drop occurred during the 1970's.That's a lot of Catholics who are not at Sunday Mass and, thus, distant from Our Lord truly present in the Holy Eucharist. That has to be a source of great sorrow and, indeed, heartache for those of us whose loved ones no longer practice their Catholic faith. So, what can we do? That's the theme of this week's Disciples Together on the WayThis week I challenge you to offer the grace from your attendance at Holy Mass for a person who is away from the Mass. This is one of the groups that I highlighted in my 2012 pastoral letter, Go Announce the Gospel of the Lord.Over the intervening decade, we have all put considerable effort into inviting “the lost sheep” back to Holy Mass, especially Sunday Mass, and to the Holy Eucharist. As a Diocese we have also focused on this group more recently in our work on the upcoming Synod and have attempted to engage in conversation with some of our neighbors or family who do not attend Mass or have lapsed from the practice of the Faith.This is a group which can be tricky to talk with.  Many people are reticent to talk about why they left, or maybe they don't think anyone cares that they did.  Either way, we don't often find ourselves in situations where people are open to discussing it. That is why prayer should be our first step in this effort. Trust in God to provide the mercy for their soul and the help that a person needs to turn back to him in the Holy Eucharist.While it is impossible to lay out the value of any particular intercession we offer for other people, here is a point of catechesis. It is always fitting to offer your attendance at Holy Mass for this; in essence, you are offering to the Father the Holy Eucharist for someone's return to the Holy Eucharist. This symmetry is most apt.Whether we pray the Holy Rosary, or the Liturgy of the Hours, or commemorate a saint's feast day, we are always pointing back to the work of redemption that Christ accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection, which is celebrated and re-presented in each Mass. The full paschal mystery, therefore, is ever present in heaven. In the Eucharistic liturgy, we, here on earth, reconnect with that perpetual heavenly event.  We can help make that connection for our friends' sake.So, ask the Heavenly Father to give you a name of someone to lift up in prayer, perhaps a family member who has been away from the Holy Eucharist or someone else in that situation.  Then the next time you attend Holy Mass, either one day this week or next Sunday, offer your participation in the Mass for that person.  It might provide the grace needed to move him or her toward coming back to Jesus Christ truly present in the Holy Eucharist.May God bless you in your endeavors in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ, + Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Welcome to Week 22 of Bishop Earl Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way. This week's theme is the Eucharist. This week's challenge from Bishop Boyea is thus:"Spend 15 minutes praying before Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, praying before the Lord who meets us and becomes our companion along the way." Here's Bishop Boyea's script in full: Dear Friend,Welcome to Week 22 of Disciples Together on the Way and our second week focusing on the theme of the Holy Eucharist. As we walk together this week, let us recall the story of the Road to Emmaus:Disheartened by Jesus' death and bewildered that someone might have taken his body from the tomb, two followers of Jesus made their way out of Jerusalem for the village of Emmaus. Understandably, these grief-stricken disciples left Jerusalem and the normal joys of Passover week — the seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread — sad and downcast.  They “had hoped that [Jesus would be] the one [who would] redeem Israel” (Luke 24:17) … and now, he was dead. They had likely heard Jesus preach, raise the dead, feed thousands, give sight to the blind, make the deaf hear, cast out demons (see Luke 24:19). Not only was this someone in whom they had placed all their hopes; but now he was dead.  He had actually been executed as a criminal, by crucifixion!Perhaps you've had times in your life that you've felt this kind of devastation? Perhaps you didn't know it was possible to be so heartbroken? What breaks most of our hearts is a loss of love.  Pope Benedict XVI talks about this kind of sadness when he says that “the root of man's wretchedness is loneliness, is the absence of love – is the fact that my existence is not embraced by a love that makes it necessary." (1)The US-based Dominican priest, Fr. Peter John Cameron, writes: “Our misery arises when we live without a love strong enough to justify our existence no matter how much pain and limitation go along with it. What our heart is crying out for is a true companion in whose love we experience how truly necessary and invaluable our existence is.”On their journey to Emmaus the hearts of these disciples burned within them as the mysterious man walking beside them opened the Scriptures to them: “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26). Arriving at their destination, they urged the man to remain with them. It was then, at table, as they received the bread Jesus gave to them, that he vanished from their sight. Even as he vanished, Jesus — Emmanuel, “God with us” — abided with them in the bread become His Body.Again, Fr. Peter John Cameron writes, “the very word companion derives from the two Latin words cum, meaning 'with', and panis, which means ‘bread'. A companion is literally ‘bread-with-us' — in other words, all that we need. This literally is the Eucharist! The Eucharist proclaims that God is not a distant fact toward which human beings strive with great effort. 'Rather he is Someone who has joined man on his path, who has become his companion'.” (2) Jesus is the love which gives our lives a full meaning; and the Eucharist is that loving presence with us always.Hence, this week's challenge is to spend 15 minutes praying before Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, praying before the Lord who meets us and becomes our companion along the way. Whether it's formal exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in your parish or if it's just fifteen minutes before the tabernacle, spend this extended time with Jesus, who is our true Companion.And may God bless you, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. + Earl BoyeaBishop of LansingFootnotes: (1) Joseph Ratzinger, Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for a Fundamental Theology, trans. Mary Frances McCar

Welcome to Bishop Earl Boyea's latest Disciples Together on the Way challenge for Week 21, May 29 to June 4, on the new theme of The Eucharist. Bishop Boyea's challenge is:  "Attend Holy Mass at least one day this week in addition to Sunday." Listen to the Bishop explain why he has chosen this as the latest challenge of Disciples Together on the Way.     

Welcome to this week's Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Earl Boyea for Week 20, May 22 to 28, on the theme of Thanksgiving. Here's this week's challenge from Bishop Boyea: "My challenge for this week is: First, thank God for some particular difficulty or pain or burden you are experiencing in life and for the good that, we believe, God will derive from it. Second, offer the Sunday Mass in thanksgiving for the difficulties."Not easy, eh? Listen to Bishop Boyea's explanation of how and why we can profit from our sufferings by uniting them to Jesus Christ. 

Welcome to this week's Disciples Together on the Way challenge from Bishop Earl Boyea for Week 19, May 15 to 21, 2022, on the theme of Thanksgiving. Bishop Boyea's challenge is this: "Around the breakfast or dinner table each day this week, have everyone in the household share what you want to thank God for today." *For more information on Disciples Together on the Way go to: https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/on-the-way

As we approach Mother's Day on Sunday, May 8, Bishop Boyea has a special challenge for us in Week 18 of Disciples Together on the Way: "Write a letter to your mom, living or dead, and say a Hail Mary for her every day this week." Listen to this short message to find out why Bishop Boyea thinks this is very important as we attempt to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. * To find out more about Disciples Together on the Way, go to https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/on-the-way

What a tumultuous and, potentially, momentous week in the realm of pro-life politics! Monday saw the leak of a draft opinion by the United States Supreme Court overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion across the U.S. Meanwhile in Michigan, the pro-abortion lobby and their political allies are attempting to re-define or, even, re-write the state constitution to include a so-called "right to abortion". What to make of it all? And how should Catholics respond? Here to answer those questions, and many more, is Jenny Ingles,  Director of Fertility and Life Ministries for the Diocese of Lansing. Asking the questions in this podcast is David Kerr, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Lansing.Podcast recorded, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Diocese of Lansing Podcast #33. 

Welcome to Week 17 of Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Earl Boyea. This week,  May 1-7, Bishop Boyea moves onto the topic of thanksgiving which he says "stands at the very heart of our faith and our worship". So, here is this week's challenge which begins Sunday. Bishop Boyea says: "Pick a person each day this week and think of something about that person deserving our thanks. And then do it. Tell him or her of your appreciation. This will be pleasing to God and will build that brother or sister in love." To find out more about Disciples Together on the Way go to: https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/on-the-way

Welcome to Week 16 of Bishop Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way (April 24 to 30) focussing on the theme of Devotions. This week's challenge from Bishop Boyea is this: "Choose a litany from the suggestions provided and pray one every day, as a household." Listen to Bishop Boyea as he explains what litanies are and why they are important to the life of the Christian disciple. Meanwhile,  here is his list of ten suggested litanies for you to choose from:Litany of the SaintsLitany of the Holy Name of JesusLitany of the Sacred Heart of JesusLitany of the Most Precious Blood of JesusCardinal Merry del Val's Litany of HumilityLitany of Saint JosephLitany of LoretoLitany for LifeNovena to Blessed Fra Angelico for the Beautification of the WorldPadre Pio's Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Welcome to Week 15 (April 17 to 23 ) of Bishop Earl Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way challenge. As we celebrate the great Solemnity of Easter, here is Bishop Boyea's challenge for this week: "This week's challenge continues our theme of devotions: I am challenging each of us to get a small bottle of holy water, bring it home and then renew our Baptismal promises individually and, if you can, as a family."Watch this video to find out why and how to renew your Baptismal promises. God bless you!

This month the Diocese of Lansing is hosting her first ever healing retreat for adults whose lives have been negatively impacted by a parental divorce or separation during childhood. The retreat is being facilitated by the Catholic apostolate, Life-Giving Wounds.  It is a three-day retreat, April 29 - May 1, 2022, being held at the Saint Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt.  What damage does divorce do to children? How does that impact on adult life? How can healing be achieved for those who bear those wounds in adulthood? They are just three of the questions asked in this podcast to Dr. Dan Meola, Founder of Life Giving Wounds. Asking the questions is David Kerr, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Lansing.Meanwhile, to find out more about the forthcoming retreat or to register, click here: https://www.lifegivingwounds.org/calendar/michiganretreat

Welcome to Week 14 (April 10 to 16 ) of Bishop Earl Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way challenge. As we approach Holy Week, which begins this Sunday, Bishop Boyea's challenge is this week: "My challenge for this week is that we Attend the Holy Week services.  Secondly, I ask that we Begin the Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday."Watch this video as Bishop Boyea explains more about the Holy Week services on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Plus, he also gives an introduction to the Divine Mercy Novena. For the text of the Divine Mercy Novena click here: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/divine-mercy-novena-9119

Welcome to Week 13 of Bishop Earl Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way. Here is this week's discipleship challenge from Bishop Boyea:  "Attend the Stations of the Cross and invite a friend or, especially, a family member to join you."  Why pray the Stations of the Cross? Here is what Pope Benedict XVI has to say: “The Way of the Cross … invites all of us, and families in particular, to contemplate Christ crucified in order to have the force to overcome difficulties. The cross of Christ is the supreme sign of God's love for every man and woman, the superabundant response to every person's need for love. At times of trouble, when our families have to face pain and adversity, let us look to Christ's cross. There we can find the courage and strength to press on.” Pope Benedict XVI, Good Friday, 2012.  As for, how to pray the Stations of the Cross, click here to find out. 

Welcome to Week 12 of Bishop Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way. This week is a Reflection Week with Bishop Boyea issuing this challenge: "Let us choose the challenge from a previous week which we found to be the most difficult and let's do it again! That's our challenge for this week. It's a repeat!" Here's the link to the Disciples Together on the Way webpage that lists the previous 11 challenges: https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/on-the-way.In brief, here's a reminder of the 11 weekly challenges so far: Week 1 | Praise | Praise God every day this week and praise another person every day too. Week 2 | Praise | Recite the Magnificat every evening for the next seven days, starting Sunday. Week 3 | Praise | Over the next seven days, starting Sunday, pray seven different psalms.Week 4 | Asceticism | Fast from something each and every day except Sunday.Week 5 | Asceticism | Begin each day with 30 minutes of prayer.Week 6 | Asceticism | Tell a friend or family member about the gift of fasting and to then invite that person into fasting from something together.Week 7 | Asceticism | Exercise self-restraint in speech and read the Epistle of Saint James Chapter 3, verses 1 to12, each day. Week 8 | Asceticism | Make a nightly examination of conscience.  Week 9 | Asceticism | Recite and memorize a nightly Act of Contrition. Week 10 | Repentance | Take the opportunity to go to Confession.Week 11 | Repentance | Apologize to Someone to Whom You Owe an Apology.

Welcome to Week 11 of Bishop Earl Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way challenge. This week Bishop Boyea writes: "My challenge this week: I want each of us to reflect on a wrong we have committed towards someone and apologize to that person from the heart." Why is saying "sorry" so important to the life of the Christian disciple. Listen to Bishop Boyea as he explains. 

Welcome to Bishop Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way Challenge for Week 10, March 13 to 19:"Take the opportunity to go to Confession and, if going to Confession is a healthy habit you have already formed, then my challenge to you is to invite a friend or family member to seek the Lord's mercy through this sacrament in order to experience the healing of our Lord Jesus Christ."* To find times and locations of Confessions in your area go to: https://masstimes.org/* A guide on How to Go to Confession:  https://thelightison.org/guide-to-confession/

Bishop Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way Challenge for Week 9 is this: "Beginning Sunday,  nightly recite an Act of Contrition and, in doing so, to memorize it by the end of the week". Here's a suggested Act of Contrition from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:"O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen."   

Dear sisters and brothers in the Lord,This week we begin a new set of challenges focussed on the theme of repentance. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines repentance thus: “Repentance is a reorientation of our whole life, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, and a turning away from evil. At the same time, it entails the desire and resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and grace. This conversion of heart is accompanied by an often painful sadness which the Church Fathers called animi cruciatus or affliction of spirit and also compunctio cordis or repentance of heart.” Catechism of the Catholic Church 1431How do we know what to be sorry for? That's where this week's challenge comes in. Starting Sunday, I am challenging you to make a nightly examination of conscience. How do we do that?For help, let's turn to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He is the 16th century founder of the Jesuits. He is also often regarded as the unofficial patron saint of discernment. One of the few rules Saint Ignatius insisted upon for his fledgling religious order was that all Jesuits would daily examine their conscience – not once but twice! I'm only suggesting we do it once, at the conclusion of each day. The Jesuits call this Examination of Conscience The Examen. The word comes to us from the Latin meaning to “weigh accurately”.You could describe the Examen as “spiritual stocktaking” at the end of each day.  We are to become better aware of our day, understand what we did or did not do, and take action to make some change.  Right, enough theory. Let's try it out! There are various versions of the Examen prayer in circulation but here's one with six clear steps. We'll reproduce all this in print so that you can use it each evening: Step One: Be Still. Take a moment to acknowledge God's love for you and presence in this very moment. Rest with him in silence and stillness. Take a few deep breathes. Step Two: Thankfulness. Invite the Lord to show you what of this day you are most grateful for…small or big things...joyful moments or challenging ones that brought growth. Thank Him.Step Three: Review your day. Invite the Holy Spirit to lead this time of reflection, helping you see with the eyes of God what took place in your day.  Take note where you had joy, life, energy, peace, closeness to God and where you had darkness, dryness, anxiety, heaviness of heart, etc.  Ask the Lord for understanding of the meaning of the various spiritual movements you've experienced.Step Four: Repentance. As you look back across you day, see those moments where you sinned or fell short of saying “yes” to God's promptings in given situation. And then? Ask God for forgiveness. You can use whatever words of sorrow well up from your heart or, if it is a help, you can employ a traditional text such as the following:O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.Step Five: Look forward to tomorrow. Ask God to show you ways you can learn from today's experiences in order to make better choices tomorrow. Step Six: A Moment of Gratitude.  Give thanks for this time of prayer and the inspirations God brought with our own words or perhaps by praying a Glory Be or a Hail Mary.I hope this prayer form blesses your journey in growing in deeper communion with our Lord. May God bless you throughout this week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl Boyea Bishop of Lansing

My sisters and brothers in the Lord,Welcome to Week 7 of Disciples Together on the Way. This is our final week exploring the traditional Christian practice of asceticism or, to give it another name, self-denial. Why is this theme so important? Well, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states: “The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.” Hence, if we want to be happy…let us continue to learn to practice asceticism.This week's challenge is to exercise self-restraint in our speech. More specifically, each day, we'll read the Epistle of Saint James Chapter 3, verses 1 to12, which is a beautiful meditation on the need to control the tongue.  Each day we'll attempt to put those verses into practice by becoming more intentional about our speech, working to avoid sins of the tongue and using our speech to bless rather than curse.The Church has always taught that our words can be sinful, and even gravely so. Each Sunday during the Confiteor, we say: “I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do . . .”So how do we sin by our words? Let's consider a few areas. Do we take the Lord's name in vain? Do we use swear words, curses, or other profanities? What about gossip or detraction? The sin of detraction is when we disclose another's faults to those who didn't need to know.   An aside. As readily as information is spread in our modern society, I sometimes think we have forgotten that detraction is a sin. Consider this story involving the 16th century saint of Rome, Philip Neri.  A woman once confessed to St. Philip that she had spoken to two or three persons of some small hidden fault of a friend of hers. As a penance, St. Philip had her to buy a chicken at the market and  bring it to him. Every step from the market to St. Philip she was to pluck a feather. When she finally handed St. Philip the featherless chicken, St. Philip told her: “Now go back the same way, pick up all the feathers you dropped and bring them to me.” She said, “But father, I cannot, for they been scattered over the city.” St. Philip said: “And also your detraction has gone all over the city and you cannot repair it.” Hence, let's not ignore the sin of detraction.Let's consider a few more areas of sinful speech. Do we engage in calumny — false statements that harm others' reputations? Do we lie? Do we boast or brag? Flattery? Insults? Dirty jokes? Sarcasm? Do we interrupt others when they are speaking? Do we control the tone of your voice, or do we find that we regularly raise the tone of our voice or speak in a bitter tone? Do we shout or yell? And last, but not least, how do we use social media?Yes, there is much here. But don't be discouraged! Ask God for help. He doesn't expect us to become perfect in one short week. Rather, out of love for Him, spend each day growing in virtue in this area. And when you fall short, repent and begin anew.So, to recap: Our challenge this week is to tame our tongue and to read James 3: 1-12 each day. Next week, we'll begin a new theme and I'll be back with another challenge.  Until then, may God bless you throughout this coming week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Next week on Thursday, February 24, over 800 priests, deacons, religious, parish staff and school teachers from throughout the Diocese of Lansing will gather to learn more about the implementation of Realign Resources for Mission across the diocese. Entitled “Made for Mission”, this one-day conference will afford participants an opportunity to talk, listen, discuss and, most importantly, pray with and for each other. In this Diocese of Lansing Podcast, Deb Amato of the Realign Resources for Mission's Office of Implementation looks forward to next week's conference and also gives an update on how the implementation of Realign Resources for Mission is going.* For more on Realign Resources for Mission, go to: https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/office-bishop/realign-resources-mission-latest-news

My sisters and brothers in the Lord,Welcome to Week 6 of Disciples Together on the Way. How did you get on over the past week in attempting to find time for meditative prayer each morning? If you succeeded, great! If not, keep trying. And please be assured of my prayers as you do. This week, we continue our pilgrimage together into the traditional Christian practice of self-denial or, as it is often called, asceticism. This week's challenge will move us beyond ourselves and into another aspect of being a disciple, that is, helping others to be disciples. So, this week's challenge is to tell a friend or family member about the gift of fasting and to then invite that person into fasting from something together. This could be a household activity, such as where the whole household fasts from unnecessary screen use for the week. That's just one example. There are many others.If you've been with us over the past few weeks, you'll know that this is our third challenge focusing on fasting. In our first challenge, two weeks ago, we began discovering the importance of fasting to the life of the Christian disciple. Last week, as I mentioned previously, we were attempting to wake up early to pray for 30 minutes each morning. If you completed those two challenges, you will now have a very recent experience both of fasting — whether from food or some other pleasure — and also had a week of prayer to help you reflect on your experience.Did you notice anything beneficial from your fasting? Were you able to be more recollected at prayer? If you gave up some form of entertainment, did you notice that you had additional time, whether for God, for your family, or for others? Perhaps you found more silence? Did your hunger make you more attentive to the presence of God in your day? Or maybe your fast made you realize that your happiness had become too dependent on comfort and entertainment? Did your Friday fast lead to a more meaningful Sunday feast?When we invite friends or family members to join us in this week's challenge, we should share with them our experience of fasting and the personal benefits we experienced from that fasting. Hopefully that experience, both of fasting and of daily morning prayer, has helped us to see the good that comes from stepping back from comfort and pleasure and making greater space in our life for God.  Each week, in a little way, Fridays provide this opportunity. I have already mentioned that Fridays are days of penance but, perhaps, some of us are wondering why this is so. That's a good question.We remember Friday each week as a special day of penance because it was on Friday that Jesus Christ died to redeem us from our sins. Of course, we can never repay this debt. But we are nevertheless called to do penance for our sins and those of others and to unite our own sufferings with those of Christ crucified. So, each Friday, the Church obliges us to do penance, whether by abstaining from meat, or fasting, or some other way.So, to recap: Our challenge this week is to tell a friend or family member about the gift of fasting and invite that person into fasting from something together. We might consider doing this with our household or family. And as many of us are too dependent on our phones and other devices, I'll be limiting my screen use this week and recommend that you join me.  Next week, we'll finish our four-week theme of asceticism and I'll be back with another challenge.  Until then, may God bless you throughout this coming week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Welcome to Week 5 of our Disciples Together on the Way challenge. How did you get on last week with our six days of fasting? If you embraced the challenge, I hope you feel the better for it. I suspect that you probably do. Hence, this week, let's continue with our theme of self-denial or, as it is traditionally called, asceticism.   This week our focus will be to increase our self-discipline and pursuit of being spiritually healthy by beginning each day with 30 minutes of prayer. Why pray? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this:  “The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.” Many people find that the best time to pray is first thing in the morning. I know I do. It's certainly the best way to start our day. Now, I know that not everyone is “a morning person”.  Some of us simply struggle to get out of bed. Even if we don't have that problem we can often develop a morning routine which creates an obstacle to prayer. Perhaps we check our mobile phone immediately after waking up. Or perhaps we turn on the television or the radio or music or read the morning newspaper before embarking upon our day-to-day activities.Regardless of where we fall within the scale of being a morning person or not, God is always thirsting for us to turn to him in prayer. Every day. Hence, it is those precious first moments of our day that often provide us with an unparalleled opportunity to enter into a peaceful, intimate and reflective conversation with our Loving Father that we can, hopefully, sustain throughout the day. Over 1500 years ago in north Africa, Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote that “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.” If that is so, just imagine the difference it could make for us intentionally to start each morning with 30 minutes of putting God first. What a difference that could make to the rest of our day…and to the rest of our lives. To paraphrase Bishop Fulton Sheen, those 30 minutes will become our “half hour of power” that launch us – and sustain us – through the rest of our day. The Apostle Paul also gives great insights into the peace and joy God can bring to our day when he tells us, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7; RSV).These words from St. Paul again provide us with reassurance that starting our day in prayer and thanksgiving to God will help us set aside our anxieties and bring peace over all we do.And so, as a simple recap of my challenge for this week, I encourage us to begin our day this week with 30 minutes in quiet conversation with our Lord. To prepare ourselves to do this, consider going to bed 30 minutes early each evening in order to wake-up 30 minutes earlier each morning. If you have already formed this habit of prayer before rising in the morning … I ask you to please take a moment during that time of prayer this week to keep in mind those who are striving for the same and ask the Lord to encourage them on their journey.So, rise and shine to the great morning that awaits us! God bless and I look forward to seeing you next week as we continue this pilgrimage as Disciples Together on the Way.   And may God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl Boyea Bishop of Lansing

Welcome to Week Four of Disciples Together on the Way. I hope you enjoyed the first three on the theme of Praise. What a great starting point. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them toward him who is its source and goal: the "one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist." Amen. And, so, now to our next theme. For the next four weeks, our discipleship challenges will emphasize self-denial or, as it is often called, asceticism. Okay. Let's get straight to it. This week's challenge is to fast from something each and every day except Sunday. For example, fast from unnecessary mobile phone use; or time spent on social media; or watching TV; or alcohol; or desserts. In short: Think of something you'd really hate to go without…and then go without it.  So, take a moment in prayer today or tomorrow to ask God what it is you should give up this week.  In addition, this coming Friday we will also fast from our normal amount of food. That means eating only one full meal with the other two meals reduced to something like snacks. Now if you're anything like me, you probably don't like fasting. Yet Jesus fasted. There's also a long tradition in the Church of fasting throughout Lent and on other penitential days, such as Fridays. So as disciples of Jesus, it's important that we not ignore either fasting or, more generally, asceticism. And I think we will even see that, when we embrace more self-denial in our life, we will find that life becomes more meaningful as we become less dependent on comfort and pleasure, more attentive to the Holy Spirit, and ultimately, more free to give and receive love.Why should that be the case? To understand the need for fasting better, let's turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism tells us that Jesus calls all of us to conversion and penance. This is not just an initial conversion to the Gospel, as important as that is, but it is a lifelong task! A daily conversion. What Jesus is truly seeking from us is an interior conversion of the heart, where our life is completely reoriented toward God and to the Gospel.  The Catechism says that this interior conversion primarily consists of three things: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. The 5th century Italian saint, Saint Peter Chrysologus, beautifully explains this. He says: “Fasting is the soul of prayer, almsgiving is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing.” End quote. Enough said. So, if we are truly to be disciples of Christ, we must not neglect any of these three. Dare I suggest that — particularly in our modern world of comfort, distraction, and abundance — that we too often neglect fasting? Could this neglect of fasting and asceticism be limiting our discipleship? So, over the next week, let's start to rediscover the importance of fasting in our lives. In our personal prayer each day, let's consider ways that we can embrace fasting not just this week, but in our daily lives. Here are a few ideas. Did you know that every Friday of the year is an obligatory day of penance for all Catholics? While not required in the United States, many Catholics continue to embrace the traditional practice of abstaining from meat. The US bishops have also recommended treating Friday as a mini-Lent, making it a day of fasting and abstinence.   Not only can fasting help make our spiritual life more focused and prayerful, it also makes each Sunday that much more celebratory. Next week, we'll continue our theme of asceticism and I'll be back with another challenge.  Until then, may God bless you throughout this coming week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Yours in Christ,+ Earl Boyea&nb

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,Welcome to Disciples Together on the Way. This is our third and final week focusing on the theme of praise. In our first week, we learned how praise puts us into right relationship with God and, as a result, also into right relationship with our brothers and sisters. In week two, we learned to pray the Blessed Virgin Mary's great canticle of praise, the Magnificat, and realized that through such docility in prayer, God can make mighty that what is presently lowly. This week, we turn our song of praise to the Book of Psalms.  The Book of Psalms contains 150 songs. Seventy-three of the Psalms are attributed to King David. The majority were composed for liturgical worship. Many of them are songs of praise and thanksgiving. So why pray the psalms? In short, because Jesus himself prayed the psalms and he is our model of prayer. Even while dying on the cross, the psalms remained on the lips of our Blessed Lord. In the words of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And then from Psalm 31: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” As with Christ, so too with his Church. In Chapter 4 of the Acts of the Apostles, what language do the persecuted Christians employ to express their joy at the release of Peter and John? The Psalms! And, in particularly, Psalm 2, which reads: “Why do the nations protest and the peoples conspire in vain? Kings on earth rise up and princes plot together against the LORD and against His Anointed One.” After they prayed this psalm, we are told that the place where these early disciples were meeting was shaken; that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit; and that they then spoke the word of God boldly. That is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that: “The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament…Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church. They are suitable for men of every condition and time.” ((CCC 2596-7) And so, to this week's challenge: Over the next seven days, starting Sunday, I would like you to pray seven different psalms. Each of these seven psalms is a beautiful song of praise. What is more, as you pray each psalm, I would like you to place yourself into the midst of the text. Place your own life, your own experiences, and those of the people around you, into those ancient yet timeless poems. Allow yourself to be inspired; to be helped; and to be healed, as you praise of God for all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do in your life. Here's our list: On Sunday, pray Psalm 19; Monday, Psalm 29; Tuesday, Psalm 33; Wednesday, Psalm 47; Thursday, Psalm 48; Friday, Psalm 65; and on Saturday conclude with Psalm 66. It has been rightly said that the Psalms are “a school of prayer.” If the public ministry of Christ was sustained by the Psalms and the evangelization efforts of the early Church was also fueled by the Psalms, then we too must pray the psalms if we are to be Christ's disciples in contemporary society.   So, enjoy this week's challenge as we continue our pilgrimage as Disciples Together on The Way. And May God bless in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Yours in Christ,+ Earl Boyea Bishop of Lansing  

Lansing, January 14, 2022Feast of Saint Felix of NolaDear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,Welcome to Week Two of Disciples Together on the Way Challenge. How did you get on over the past seven days praising God and praising others? Well, I hope. If not, just pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and start all over again. The hallmark of the saints, after all, is that they never gave up!This week we continue with the theme of praise, the form of prayer which “embraces all other forms of prayer and carries them toward him who is its source and goal” which is Almighty God. In the Fall of 1965, I entered Sacred Heart Seminary High School in Detroit. I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed my years at seminary. Sacred Heart in those days was a place of great learning and piety, of course, but also of great fun and friendships, many which persist to this day. One of the most enduring legacies of my years at seminary is this: praying Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Vespers (Evening Prayer).In those years at the seminary, the Church was going through many changes and, as a result, we did not have use of the current four volumes of the Liturgy of the Hours. So, our daily morning and evening prayer was a bit haphazard. Still, we prayed the Psalms and, at morning prayer, we prayed the Benedictus of St. Simeon. At evening prayer, we prayed the Magnificat also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary.The text is taken the Gospel of Luke's account of an expectant Mary's visitation to her similarly pregnant cousin Elizabeth. In the canticle's first three verses, Mary proclaims to her kinswoman:“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46-49)What a beautiful hymn of praise to God. Mary recognizes she is lowly. So are we! And yet, through her perfect co-operation with God's grace she will become loved and lauded until the end of time. There is the lesson for us. In praising God, we reflect, we magnify, we radiate, we share in the God's great plan for his universe and all creation – you and I included. There lies the path to happiness as well as to Heaven. The popular 20th century evangelist, Bishop Fulton Sheen, liked to compare the radiance of Mary to the reflective light of the moon. He writes:“God, who made the sun, also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. [Thus] the Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the Mother of Men.” As with Mary. So too with us.Hence, my challenge this week: I want each of us to recite the Magnificat every evening for the next seven days, starting Sunday. Ave Maria!See you next week as we continue our pilgrimage as Disciples Together on the Way. Until then, may God bless you throughout this coming week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Friday, January 7Optional Memorial of Saint Raymond of Penafort My sisters and brothers in the Lord,Welcome to Week One of Disciples Together on the Way.  In the Holy Gospels Our Blessed Lord identifies himself as “the way”. And, indeed, the early Christians often referred to their new life as disciples of Jesus Christ as “the Way” (e.g., Acts 9:2).Last year, many of us spent time together reading through selected books of Sacred Scripture as part of our Year of the Bible. I really enjoyed doing that with all of you. As we read the Bible, we were encountering the Word of God, that is, Jesus Christ himself. He was making us his disciples. He wants us to become even better disciples. So, together, this coming year, we will be presented with weekly challenges. These, I hope, will help each of us live an ever more authentic, deeper and happier Christian life as disciples of Jesus Christ.If we are on the way, however, where exactly are we going? Well, this life is a journey from God to God. He is our source and our destination. We are each a pilgrim on that narrow path. It's not an easy journey. We all know that. However, if we co-operate with God's grace we can make it and, even better, we can make it together. And, so, to the topic of our first weekly challenge: Praise.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God” adding that it “embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them toward him who is its source and goal” which is Almighty God (#2639).Praise puts us into right relationship with God and, as a result, we also find ourselves in right relationship with our brothers and sisters. Hence praise is an ideal place to begin our pilgrimage because it's also where, please God, we'll end our earthly pilgrimage.As a beautiful reminder of that, I'd recommend you find time to read or listen to the epic poem, the Dream of Gerontius. It was written by Saint John Henry Newman, and later set to music by the composer, Sir Edward Elgar. The poem follows the main character, Gerontius, as he nears death and then reawakens as a soul, preparing for judgment. As he approaches the throne of God, the heavenly angels can be heard singing in chorus: Praise. Praise. Praise. “Praise to the Holiest in the height; And in the depth be praise: In all His words most wonderful; Most sure in all His ways!” Heaven is a communion of praise of God. If we haven't done so already, let us begin to join that communion of praise this week.So, here's my twofold challenge which starts on the first day of the coming week, Sunday. Ready? Okay:First: Praise God every day this coming week. Every day. For example, pray the Divine Praises or the Glory Be upon waking each morning. Or do both!  Second: Praise at least one person each day this coming week. And praise them for something specific. How quick we can be to criticize. How slow we can be to praise. Yet, to praise others is also to praise God for the goodness of his creation.So, to recap: One: Praise God every day this week. Two, praise one of God's creatures every day. Disciples of the Lord must seek out and thank God for all that is good. So, let us be good disciples together on the Way.I'll be back with another challenge next week. Until then, may God bless you throughout this coming week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.​+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing