Redeemed Online

Evangelizing the Online World

You are here: Home / Archives for Scripture

Scripture: Our Mirror

by 4 Comments

Scripture is a challenging mirror.

St. Gregory the Great wrote, “The Holy Bible is like a mirror before our mind’s eye. In it, we see our inner face. From the Scriptures, we can learn our spiritual deformities and beauties. And there too we discover the progress we are making and how far we are from perfection.”

This amazing quote reminds us that we have much to learn, but we also have much to be encouraged about.

Easter Sunday may seem like a distant past, but we continue on our Easter journey. It’s a time to rejoice. It’s a time to seek Jesus in a new way.

Today and in the weeks ahead, I want to encourage you to enter into Scripture and follow along with the daily Mass readings. They can be found on the USCCB website here. The daily Mass readings follow a cycle that walks through the essential parts the Bible in two years. Make the most of your mornings by reading and praying through these daily Mass readings the Church provides for us. Let Christ speak to you and both challenge and encourage you today.

Watch this week’s video now:

UPDATES
1. Thanks for your feedback on our Lent campaign. If you haven’t taken our survey yet and you want to, click here.
2. We are getting ready to launch some new initiatives and to do so, we need to hit our target goal of $1,100 a month of funding from our monthly patrons. I am excited to share we are at $935 a month as I am writing this. We are hoping to launch a new daily podcast, continue to create weekly videos, and make some improvements to our website. If you have been touched by our work, would you consider becoming a monthly patron at $5 or $10 a month at patreon.com/redeemedonline to help make these things happen?

Our Talents

by Leave a Comment

“How do I know I am fulfilling God’s will? How do I know I am heading in the right direction? How do I use what God has given me and give it back to him? I don’t know what talents God is asking me to share.”

Sound familiar? When I was younger, I thought that to serve God’s Church, I needed to do mission work, or be a minister, or be a teacher, or be a nun! I didn’t see how my talents “fit” into serving my local parish, and I didn’t think that I was able to serve God outside of the parish either!

God has given me talents that I can clearly use in His Church, such as youth ministry and music, but He also gifted me with a love of graphic arts, web design, being empathetic, and being a good listener. I didn’t see how those directly related to Parish life. What I did learn though, was that by volunteering my time and talents into my Parish, God led me to the people He wished for me to serve — and they weren’t always a part of my Parish family!

God wants you to be happy, and he wants you to use your gifts to help others. That’s it. The key is to be open to saying “yes,” even when you don’t see how you “fit.”

 

My suggestion to those who are trying to determine how they can use their talents is to write out your gifts and what gets you excited. Then talk to your Pastor or people you know who are connected to Parish groups. Find out if there are any needs you can help relieve, and don’t be afraid to give something new a try!

God gives us our talents so that they may bear fruit. Don’t bury your talents. Your Church needs you. 

Is it the end of the world?

by Leave a Comment

Usually when I hear someone announce, “It’s the end of the world,” I quickly try to get away from that person. While Jesus doesn’t give us many details about the “end times” there are several parables Jesus tells us to help us focus our hearts and our lives on what matters most as we think about the end times.
The end times are here. This statement isn’t meant to scare you but to remind you that we believe the end times were ushered in by Jesus’s coming to the world.  We patiently wait for him to return. This Sunday’s Gospel challenges us to think about whether we are ready. What do you need to do in your life to prepare to encounter God?
We don’t have to wait for the end of the world to encounter him. You will meet Jesus this Sunday at Mass, so take time to consider what you might need to do to make room for him in your heart this week.

Latest Podcast Episode: Easter and the Gospel

Easter changes everything. The Good News does not end with the cross. We have to stop “looking for the living among the dead.” Luke 24:5. Christ is risen!! We are invited into the new life of the resurrection. This episode continues our series on the Good News and what this means for us today.

Be encouraged today: “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” St. John Paul II.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

Be Great Like Jesus

by Leave a Comment

Lets play a quick game! How many of these questions can you answer without using Google?

  • Who won the Super Bowl 8 years ago?
  • What movie won an Oscar award for “Best Picture” 3 years ago?
  • Who was considered the world’s best golfer 2 years ago?
  • What song was top of the charts this time last year?
  • What was on the front page of the newspaper last weekend?

So how did you do? If you didn’t know most of the answers, you’re in good company. I don’t know the answers either! Isn’t it funny how quickly we forget these things? The people who are considered “greatest” at their sport or art, quickly lose their fame and are easily forgotten. That’s because the world’s definition of “greatness” is flawed and fleeting.

Lets try some easier questions. How many of these can you answer?

  • Who was your favorite grade school teacher?
  • What’s the nicest thing your parents ever did for you?
  • When did you feel the most loved by a friend?

I’m sure everyone could answer these questions much faster! Do you see the difference? People may not remember your achievements, but they will always remember how you made them feel. True and lasting greatness comes from relationships we form. Who is the best at creating lasting relationships? Jesus.

Striving for greatness is not a bad thing, but what we are looking to be great at, matters! In the words of Pope John Paul II, “It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives.” Do you want to be great? Look to the one who is Greatness Himself.

Latest Podcast Episode: The Cross and the Good News

The crucifix displays the love of Jesus, but we often we miss it the message because it has become such a common image for us. In this episode, Andy Lesnefsky talks about the good news and the cross.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

The Greatest Commandment

by 2 Comments

I have a question for you: how can you pay for something if you are broke? Or, how can you feed someone if you don’t have any food to give them? The answer is simple — you can’t.

In the same way, you can’t give the love of God to others if you yourself do not receive it. 

When the Pharisees try to trap Jesus in their question about the greatest commandment, I can almost see Jesus shaking them in frustration going, “Just following the rules isn’t the point!!! The point is to love God, who loves you!!” Of course instead, Jesus keeps calm and is very deliberate in his wording: by focusing on our relationship with God first, we can then love our neighbors (through the 10 commandments), giving them what we ourselves have received!

How are you working on your relationship with God? Here are a few ideas if you need some inspiration:

  • Stop by a church or chapel on the way home, spend 10 minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament
  • Read the Psalms and praise God through them
  • Pray in your car, making time to listen to what God has to say to you
  • Thank God for loving you, and ask Him to remind you of His love in a real way today

Comment your ideas and prayer practices below! 

I would love to connect with you.

Whether you want to connect with me about #ShareJesus or are looking to connect about a project, contact me to kick things off.