By Lucas Hernandez and Brody Koenig

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “as it was in the days of Noah will be at the coming of the Son of Man, as the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up till the day Noah entered the Ark, they didn’t know until the flood came and washed them all away. This shows how unexpected it will be when Jesus returns. This passage also talks about a man whose house was broken into and robbed. If the master of the house had known the hour of the night the intruder would come, he would have stayed up all night waiting for him.

This passage made me realize that we have no idea when we will leave this world, if we die or if we go on the day of judgment, we have no clue when we will go. Knowing this, we must always remain faithful, because when we lose faith, we lose touch with God. When God comes, you need to have faith in him, because if you are separated from God, then on the day of judgment, you will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That correlates with the man whose house was robbed; if he knew when it was going to happen, he would have stayed awake, just like if you knew when Jesus would come, you would stay faithful. So remember that Jesus can come at any moment.

By Sophia Shine  

In today’s gospel, we hear a story about Jesus arriving in Bethany to find that a man named Lazarus had been in his tomb for four days. The man in the tomb has two sisters, Martha and Mary, Mary stays at home, but Martha approaches Jesus upon his arrival, saying that he has the power to save her brother and to allow him to resurrect from the dead. She knows that whatever Jesus asks for, God will give to him. Jesus then replies saying that Martha’s brother will rise from his tomb, and she replies with faith in God saying that yes, she knows he will rise. Jesus then states that he is the resurrection and the life, and that whoever believes in him will live forever. He asks Martha if she believes this and she replies, “Yes, Lord.” 

This story can be applicable to our lives in many ways. To start, when we are in hard times, we should act as Martha and approach and speak to God rather than acting as her sister Mary and staying home, or avoiding Christ. In addition to this, we should always talk to God with confidence and faith in him. When Martha says that she knows whatever Jesus asks of God will be given to him and that she knows her brother will rise if Jesus wants him to, this is a perfect example of having faith in God and trusting that he has a plan for us. When we are struggling we need to remember that God is there for us always, and he will save us. Finally, we need to know that if we believe in God we will be able to live with him eternally. As the gospel says, those who believe in Jesus will live and never die. For us this means that we need to surrender ourselves to Christ in order to live eternally with God, or reach our ultimate goal of being in heaven.

Overall, the gospel teaches us that we should always approach God rather than hiding from him, have faith in his plan, and believe in him so that we might have eternal life.

By Abby Searles – Rotary Student of Month

I’ve grown up surrounded by the Lord my entire life, and as I was writing this speech, it occurred to me that my accomplishments aren’t what define my character. My character is decided by how I treat those around me… 

At the beginning of this school year, Dr. Jim Tabor said something that really stood out to me. He stated that we, students of Regis, must treat one another as if they are Christ. And so…I thought about what this means for me as a volleyball captain, a voice on the student council, a publisher to the student body, and as a senior. 

Treating others as if they were Christ means putting their needs above your own, it means congratulating your opponent, it means saying a simple hello to someone you don’t get along with, and overall, it means being self-aware of how your actions affect those around you. 

How often do we forget about forgiveness? How often do we forget that it is everyone’s first shot at life, too? I often think about these questions. And I realize that I have so many leadership opportunities to express to people the importance of treating others as if THEY ARE CHRIST. 

So…if there was one thing that I wanted you to know about me after listening to this speech, it is that I strive to be a disciple of the Lord. I am a woman who cares deeply about her performance, whether academically, on the court, on the stage, among my peers, or within my relationships. I value the opportunities given to me to strengthen my character. I live for a challenge, and I want to achieve amazing things in life! 

So…Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak to you all today. Have a wonderful week and God Bless!!

“God treats you as sons.” – Hebrews 12:7

The Second Reading from the Letters to the Hebrews states that God will treat us as sons. God did not set the world in motion and leave us on our own. On the contrary, by our baptism we are brought into the life of the Trinity. We become beloved children of God and receive the grace to grow in wisdom and holiness.

Despite this great gift we have been given, we frequently reject the will of our Father and follow the ways of the world. So just as a loving father on earth corrects his biological children, so does our Father in heaven discipline us so that we can return to the road of righteousness. God wants us to get through the narrow gate so that we can recline at table with Him for eternity in the Kingdom of God.

“Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” – Luke 12:34

In this gospel, I hear Jesus sounding calling me out. Do I really put God first in my life? If I look at what consumes most of my free time am I focused on my faith or on the pleasures of the world? How many hours do I spend in prayer as compared to watching the Star Wars Trilogies for the 28th time? Why do I doom scroll on my phone instead of serving my brother in need? If death came for me today, have I really pursued holiness or simply practiced my faith in a way that is comfortable?

This gospel ends with Jesus stating, “still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” I cannot plead ignorance of what Christ expects of me. If I want the Lord to wait on me at the table, I must live an intentional life of faith, ready to respond to Him whenever he knocks.

“it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.” – Col 1:27

I was struck by this line in second reading for Mass this Sunday. Essentially Paul is stating that God shares the mystery of life with man through each of us. By our baptism Christ comes to reside in us, we become temples of the Holy Spirit. Do our lives, reflect this reality? Have we like Mary in today’s gospel, made Jesus our number one priority? At the end of the Mass, the Deacon or Priests directs us to, “go in peace glorifying the Lord with our lives.” If people do not see Christ in each of us, we will not be able to attract others to the faith.

A suggestion for all of us this Sunday is to take some time to reflect on how the glory God is reflected in our lives. If you are lacking in some areas, consider imitating Mary and make time to sit at the feet of the Lord and listen to him by meditating on sacred scripture, going to Eucharistic Adoration, or attending daily Mass.

Viva Cristo Rey!

“The seventy-two returned rejoicing.” – Luke 10:17

For the Sunday reading I am struck by the description of the return of the disciples. After having been sent out on mission by Jesus; they return rejoicing. A life of faith is viewed by many in the contemporary world as being listless, involving nothing but giving up the goods of the world, which means that from a contemporary perspective it surely cannot be joyful. The disciples turn this idea completely upside down. Jesus sends them out with no money, no sack, and no sandals to proclaim that the “kingdom of God is at hand” and to heal the sick. There is no doubt this would have been a difficult task but because of their trust in Christ and faithfulness to his instructions they have great success and experience a joy that can only be found in a relationship with Jesus.

The message for us is clear. If we want to live joyful lives, we too must go on mission. We must trust that God will provide us with the necessary talents, gifts, and financial support so that we can effectively proclaim that the “kingdom of God is at hand” to our family, friends, and members of our community. If we are faithful in this task, just like the disciples we too will return to Jesus rejoicing.

Viva Cristo Rey!

“I have competed well; I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

This Sunday the Church celebrates the two greatest leaders of the early Church; Peter and Paul. What I find remarkable about their lives is first that they were flawed men who were still called by Christ to proclaim the Gospel. Too often we get held back from serving the Church because we do not believe we are worthy enough. We know our own sins and failures so we hang back and leave it for others. Peter and Paul were not that much unlike all of us in this regard but were confident that Jesus would use all of their strengths and flaws for the growth of the kingdom.

The second aspect of their lives which should be a lesson for all of us is that if you proclaim the Gospel, you will be opposed. For Peter and Paul this included periods in jail, being stoned and left for dead, and ultimately giving their lives because of this faithfulness to proclaiming Christ is King. While hopefully none of us will be martyred for the faith, we do need to be accept the difficulties that being a follower of Christ and continue to share beauty of the faith with all meet so that we can say like Paul at the end of our lives, “I have completed well; I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Viva Cristo Rey!

“I received from the Lord what I have also handed on to you.” 1 Corinthians 11:23

From today’s readings, I am struck by how the early Church placed such an emphasis on the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Immediately after the resurrection, we know that coming together on Sunday to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ was of utmost importance to the first followers of Jesus as was the priority of passing on this mystery of the faith to the next generation of Christians. If this sacramental celebration is something that was so important to those who knew Jesus in the flesh, what do we all need to do to make receiving the Eucharist a priority for our own spiritual lives? One thing that all of us can do this summer is spend some time meditating on this great mystery. Perhaps make it a goal to once a week spend just 30 minutes in front of the Tabernacle pondering why Jesus still chooses to feed us with his Body and Blood.

Viva Cristo Rey!

“I found delight in the human race.” – Proverbs 8:22-31

“You have given him rule over the works of your hands. “- Psalm 8

“The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 5:1-5

“The Spirit will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” – John 16:12-15

Today’s gospel passage from John seems to indicate that through the Spirit, God will share Jesus’ knowledge of his intimate relationship with the Father with all of us. Why would God do this? If we look around the world today we see wars, assassinations, violence, hatred, and greed. God has given us dominion over the world that he created and we seem bent on destroying his creation. Yet, God still chooses to pour his love into our hearts. Why???

The answer comes at the end of the first reading God delights in us!!! Just as parents delight in every small action of a their children, God delights in you and me. There is nothing that we can do that will stop this God (who in the words of Catherine of Sienna is in crazy love with you) to continue to seek communion with us.

This brings me great relief to know that despite my flaws and failures, God still delights in me, pours his love into my heart, and calls me to participate in the dance of love with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Viva Cristo Rey!