What does our faith mean to us – both as individuals and as a Church?

In today’s first reading, we hear the story of the prophet Amos. Amos was called by God, but he didn’t desire to be a prophet. He didn’t know how to prophesy when God called him, but he still said yes. He trusted that God would provide what was necessary. Amos went and told God’s people to reform, turn away from their sins, and be faithful to God. King Amaziah sent Amos away, because like many of us, he didn’t want to hear a challenging message. But Amos never gave up, because he knew God’s call for him was real. Even though it was difficult to pursue God’s calling, Amos stayed faithful.

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The Gospel of Mark tells the story of a deaf man that couldn’t speak. Jesus took him away from the crowd, put His fingers into his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Jesus sighed and said, “be opened,” and the man was healed.

God can heal your wounds too, but it requires us to “be opened.” The Lord sees you, even if other people don’t see you. Jesus wants to step into your life, take you to the side, and be alone with you.

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Evaluating your prayer life is an objective way to see if you put God first. Have you prayed today? No? Have you eaten today? Did you hang out with your friends? Have you worked? If the answer is yes, then you put those things above your relationship with God. Prayer doesn’t help your relationship with God, prayer is your relationship with God.

When you go to pray, you don’t have to fight for God’s attention – He has been fighting for your attention. Anytime you pray, it’s always a response to a prompting from God. He’s asking for your heart.

One practical way to pray is through mental prayer. Remember the acronym PAL: praise, ask, and listen.

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When men pray, things change. And, the world needs your voice.

What does masculinity look like? It’s important for us to understand what masculinity is, because God created it for a reason.

When we want to understand what masculinity is, we need to ask God what His intention was in creating man. God created men in His likeness, and a man reveals something unique about God. God gave Adam the important task of protecting and maintaining the world. But Adam didn’t trust God completely. So often we fall into this sin, “I’m my own man; I make my own way; I know what is right. I don’t need to trust You.”

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This morning during Mass, Fr. Mike reminded us that even though our personal sins caused the death of Jesus, His death for our salvation is the best thing that could have ever happened.

Just like the story of Joseph in Genesis, God took the worst season in Joseph’s life to save many. Joseph’s brothers attempted to kill him out of jealousy, but decided to sell him into slavery instead. Shortly after he was sold into slavery, he was imprisoned. During his imprisonment, people became aware of his gifts of discernment, and he began working for the Pharaoh. During his time with Pharaoh, he navigated the country through a devastating famine. God used the worst thing that ever happened to Joseph and saved thousands of lives.

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