Voice in the Wilderness

Peter failed. We all fail. But when we meet the risen Lord, there's really only one thing he is going to ask us. The post Do You Love Me? appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

The resurrection is big news. But St. Paul reminds us that this big news spreads in small ways, like yeast in dough. The post Do Something Small appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

The chants sung during the veneration of the cross today remind us how bad things really are and why we can call this day good. The post My People, What Have I Done to You? appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Watching a loved one suffer can leave you feeling helpless. Yet, as Jesus enters his own passion, he reminds us that there is great power in standing by a friend who is suffering. The post It Is You Who Have Stood by Me appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

St. Paul says that, more than anything, he desires to know Christ, to grasp Jesus. But he also rejoices that Jesus first grasped him. The post Grasped by Christ appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

When we get headed in a certain direction, we tend to keep going. It takes an outside force to reverse course. In the spiritual life we call this grace. The post Spiritual Inertia appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Mary's heart was completely open and docile to the will of God. We should pray that our hearts and those of the whole world would be like hers. The post A Consecrated Heart appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

As I was climbing the Appalachian Trail through the Smoky Mountains, one chant kept me going. Not Aquinas or Palestrina... Dory. The post Just Keep Swimming appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Like Jesus, I'm headed into the wilderness for Lent. I'm going to test my backpacking skills with a 70 mile trek on the Appalachian Trail next week. There are lessons to be learned in the wilderness. The post Lessons from the Wilderness appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and today's liturgy reminds us that it is also the start of a great spiritual military campaign. The post Prepared for Battle appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Many of our sins are similar to the fruit of a tree. If you want to change the fruit, you've got to heal the root. The post Healing the Root of the Tree appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

If you've been hurt, the natural instinct is to want to get even. Mercy is the supernatural practice that breaks the cycle of hurt. The post The Power of Mercy appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain. But he has been raised! We are now destined for eternal life, and that should make a difference in how we live each day. The post Not in Vain appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

When it seems like we're at the end of what we can endure, Jesus asks us to lower the nets one more time. Trying just once more with God's help results in a miracle. The post One More Time appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Love is patient and bears all things. At least it should. Love is a choice to remain committed to the good of another. We might fail to live up to this but, with God, love never fails. The post Love Never Fails appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Our country was founded on these ideals. Are we living up to them? The post Value Them Both appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

When faced with difficulty, we need to do three things: pray, do whatever we can for ourselves, and then trust that God has got things under control. The post God’s Got This appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Christians are to be a light of revelation to the world. Yet our lives can sometimes reveal that the world is more important than God. The post Manifestly Attractive appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Recent years have left many feeling vulnerable and powerless. This is exactly how Jesus came. Like Jesus, we are also protected. The post Vulnerable but Protected appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

When most animals are born, they quickly get up and walk. Humans take a lot longer. And that's part of God's plan. The post Weaker Than a Giraffe appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

When St. Francis created the original Christmas nativity scene in the year 1223, he insisted that there be an ox and a donkey. Here's why. The post Where the Food Is appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Mary believed the message of the angel Gabriel. She believed the prophets and scriptures. She trusted God, and so should we. The post Blessed Who Believe appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Gaudete is a command to rejoice. But to understand why we should rejoice, we need to understand another Latin word. The post The Lord Is Near appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

The coming of Jesus was prepared for since the moment Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. Part of that preparation was preparing Mary to be the Mother of God. The post Prepared for the Coming appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

It's dangerous to be sick and not know it. If we're spiritually sick, God has to find a way to let us know. We may be exiled, but we can also return. The post Time to Return appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

If things seem like winter in your life, don't panic. Lift up your soul. Get ready to run. God will definitely come. He is to be expected. The post To Be Expected appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Restoration, freedom, right praise... it's all at the beginning of today's Mass in honor of Christ the King. The post Kingdom in a Collect appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

What happens when we die? The thought should give us all a sense of holy fear, but also hope. The post That Dreadful Day appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

In an emergency, there is always something you can do. For a pilot, the first priority is to fly the airplane. The post Fly the Airplane appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

We think a lot about the food we put into our bodies, but what about the sounds? The post What Do You Hear? appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

In the great backpacking trek of life, Jesus doesn't want to leave anyone behind. The post We All Made It appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Not only should Christians not be surprised by suffering, we can even learn to be thankful that God permits certain sufferings. The post From Suffering to Glory appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Angels are real. And so are a lot of other things that you can't see. The post More Than Meets the Eye appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Prophets speak on behalf of someone. If you're baptized, you're a prophet of God. So what are you speaking? The post You’re on the List appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

If you imagine a world of peace and harmony, then you need a world beyond this one. You need to imagine heaven. The post Imagine appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

The heroes of 9/11 had been practicing a long time before that fateful day. Words of belief must be put into action. The post Scouts Are Tomorrow’s Heroes appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

In the beginning, God created. But then sin entered the world and, ever after, we have been constantly in need of recreation. The post Recreated appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Receiving Holy Communion means we are committed to acting a certain way. We leave Mass sent on mission. The post Doers of the Word appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

The same God who created everything out of nothing by his Word changes bread and wine into God by the words spoken at every Mass. The post Words of Eternal Life appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

God chose Mary to be the vessel through whom he took on flesh and entered this world. He, of course, prepared Mary for this great mission. The post Perfectly Prepared appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

It turns out that a Garth Brooks concert has a lot to teach us about the Mass and about the life of faith that Jesus wants to share with us. The post Standing Outside the Fire appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

The Word of God is much more than text on a page. The Word is a person. That person is made present at Mass in the Liturgy of the Word. The post Present in the Word appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Where does the Mass come from, and why do we do what we do? Today I consider the history of the Mass and explain the Introductory Rites. The post How Many Churches Are in This Church? appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Civil leaders fail. Church leaders fail. We all fail. So what does Jesus expect us to do in the midst of this messed up broken world? The post Broken Leaders appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

A good Scout knows that being prepared doesn't mean you take everything. You take exactly what you need, no more no less. Today, Jesus teaches the apostles what they need to be prepared. The post Be Prepared appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

In today's second reading, Paul asks God three times to take away a certain struggle in his life. God says no. His grace is enough and his power is made perfect in weakness. The post When God Says No appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Life is filled with ups and down, mountains and valley. When we're at either extreme, it's always good to remember that it will not always be that way. The post God of Mountains and Valleys appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Our beloved war dead remind us that our country is worth dying for. The crucifix reminds us that God thinks you are worth dying for. Both are "worth the pain." The post Vale la Pena appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

The forests of Philmont Scout Ranch are beautiful and precious. Historic suppression of fires means that today's scouts surprisingly spend their conservation hours cutting down trees. The post Made for Fire appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Today Jesus ascends to heaven and leaves his apostles on their own.... and this is a good thing. The post Ready to Solo appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.

Jesus loved his disciples so much that he died for them. The word he uses to describe this "greatest love" is not spouse, but friend. The post Friendship Is the Greatest Love appeared first on Shawn The Baptist.