Do you remember when “What would Jesus do?” was a popular phrase? It still is in some circles, but I remember in the late 2000s when everyone was wearing the rubber bracelets that had “WWJD?” printed on them. The more I think about this phrase, the more I do not like it. The way it is phrased makes it sound like Jesus is simply a historical figure or somehow removed from our situation, who we recall to make a moral decision.

I heard a very interesting discussion lately on negativity and how we as people tend to see negative things more readily than we do positive things. The point was being made that throughout history, pessimists were more likely to survive longer than optimists, meaning that "pessimistic genes" were more likely to be passed on to future generations.

In my line of work, I have met many people who describe experiences of counseling that were not productive or helpful and that left the person thinking that counseling was a waste of time. Whether it is an individual, couple, or a parent bringing a child, some people leave with a bad experience that makes them want to write off the entire counseling field as unhelpful.

Do you ever make goals for yourself? It is something we are often taught about in school as children or something we preach to our own children when it comes to grades, colleges, and careers, but how often do we really sit down and make goals for our own spiritual lives?

Despite mental health issues becoming more problematic and widespread throughout the world, there is still a stigma surrounding counseling.  I have had a great number of clients who come to counseling and say that their spouses, families, and friends have no idea that they are there and that they would like to keep it that way. 

This week’s Gospel has always been interesting to me for a couple of reasons. One is because of how frequently our sadness, anger, and frustration can result in our gaze turning inward which results in self-pity and pride.

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday which makes it a great day to reflect on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As we know, sin cuts us off from God’s sanctifying grace. Although our sin may cut us off temporarily from sanctifying grace, it can always be regained through an honest and authentic reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Rejoice! He is risen! This is one of the best times of year to look at your life and all that you have to be grateful for. We are saved from sin and death! Easter is always a good reminder that everything is grace. In an age of entitlement, it is easy to forget that the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the life we have are all incredible graces from God.

It is Palm Sunday and there is only one week left of Lent! I pray that all of you have had a grace-filled Lent and find yourselves closer to the Lord through sacrifice and prayer. Speaking of prayer, this week I wanted to discuss silence.

Depending on what Mass you went to this weekend, you may hear the Gospel reading about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This Gospel reading has always helped me to reflect more on the humanity of Jesus. Jesus weeps for his friend Lazarus. Jesus, who knows all things and already knew that Lazarus was dead before anyone told him, wept. Jesus, who knew that He could raise Lazarus from the dead at any moment, wept.

Easter is rapidly approaching and Lent will be over soon. At the halfway point, I think it serves us well to revisit our Lenten commitments. I frequently hear Lenten practices compared to New Year’s resolutions in that people sometimes want to quit if they fail at all in the process.

One way to understand the Old Testament is to see it as the story of God slowly teaching the people of Israel who he is. I think we sometimes forget that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn’t have the Bible, religious education classes, or religious leaders to teach them all about the one, true God.

In the Gospel this weekend, we hear about the Transfiguration. I have always found Peter’s words to be fruitful to reflect on because of his desire to remain in the presence of the Transfigured Christ, Moses, and Elijah. It reminds me of the very human desire to pause time when things are going well in our lives.

Lent has officially begun! Every year, the conversation around this time is usually what people decided to give up for Lent. This Lenten practice can be frustrating, but it is ultimately for us to grow closer to Christ. Too frequently I hear people staying at the surface level of simply giving something up for a couple of months and then relieved to get it back at Easter.

In today’s Gospel, I was struck by the image of someone with a plank in his or her eye trying to examine the eye of another. The plank would physically hold them at a distance from the other person. It would literally keep everyone around them at an arm’s distance. It is a bit of a humorous image, the idea of seeing people walking around with 2x4’s protruding from their heads.