Tag: catholic

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We’re All Broken

Years ago, I gave my testimony at a Catholic Men’s Fellowship event. Following me was a man whose name I don’t recall. However, he asked a question that I’ve never forgotten, that is “you know when you ask someone how they’re doing and the say ‘good’; do you know they’re lying?”

How true is the above? So many of us rarely share our true feelings, instead putting forward a gruff exterior…believing that we’re unique in our challenges. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is…we’re all broken. 

This issue is central to my ministry. Praise God…Jesus is the answer to our universal brokenness. Only in following Him leads us to a path of peace, joy, and fulfillment.  

Matthew West sings a song, Truth Be Told, which speaks to our brokenness and always lying about it. It could be the theme song of Mark Joseph Ministries.  

I’d encourage you to close your eyes and listen to Matthew sing it here. Then pray through the lyrics, which are below. 

Truth Be Told

Lie number one you’re supposed to have it all together
And when they ask how you’re doing
Just smile and tell them, “Never better”

Lie number 2 everybody’s life is perfect except yours
So keep your messes and your wounds
And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors

Truth be told
The truth is rarely told

Now I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

There’s a sign on the door, says, “Come as you are” but I doubt it
‘Cause if we lived like it was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded
But didn’t you say the church should look more like a hospital
A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals
Like me

Well truth be told
The truth is rarely told
Oh am I the only one who says

I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

Can I really stand here unashamed
Knowin’ that your love for me won’t change?
Oh God if that’s really true
Then let the truth be told

I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
Yeah I know

There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

 

Thank you, Matthew for such a great song. Thank you, God for loving us more than we’ll ever know, no matter what we’ve ever done. 

As always, feel free to contact me at [email protected] with comments, questions, concerns, challenges, or prayer requests. 

God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Remember…God made you for GREATNESS!!!

Mark Joseph

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Weekly Blog

What Church Could Be Once Again

Pre-COVID, what’s your experience of Church? Were the pews full? Do entire families attend? Is there a vibrancy?

Many of us are old enough to remember when the Parish was central to family life. As I recall, most of the people on our street attended my boyhood Parish. So did many more, who we got to bond with every Sunday as entire families. With the Masses full, we didn’t just jet out of the parking lot after, but engaged with other families, often around the donut table. Sacraments were flourishing. My parents would go to the New Years’ Eve and Valentine’s Day dances at the Parish with their many friends. There was the summer Parish picnic and other events throughout the year. Father used to come over for dinner and my parents would volunteer at the Parish.

For most of us, those memories are of the past. Christianity has suffered from dramatically decreasing numbers over the last several decades. This trend includes the Catholic Church, with Masses being much less crowded. In many Dioceses, some Parishes are closing or clustering. Statistically our numbers are way down, whether it’s the number of weddings, baptisms, or first communions. Add to that the reduced number of Priests and Religious Sisters. What is on the rise is the number of Parishes without a resident Priest, now 1 in 5 in the U.S., up five-fold over the last several decades.

What the Local Church Can Become

Imagine Parishes where Churches are full for every Mass. Parishioners participant in vibrant and engaging liturgies, in Parishes that are known for their hospitality. The number of volunteers at the Parish is only exceeded by those in small groups. There’s an atmosphere of “family ministry”, where programs not only exist for the entire family, but youth and adults of all ages, at all stations of life. In addition:

  • Religious Education classes are full, led by engaged teachers, who share the love of Christ with their students while providing strong Catholic orthodoxy in a compelling way.
  • With a culture of evangelization and discipleship, the RCIA program ushers in numerous people to the Church every year.
  • Based in a deep spirituality, there is a culture of generosity which includes Parishioners’ time, talents, and treasures, both within the Parish as well as providing service to the community.
  • Parishes are known for their outreach to those in need, attracting people to the faith, and accompanying their Parishioners in their spiritual growth.
  • Parishes are the center of activity for Parishioners and others in the community.
  • Not only are vocations to religious life no longer in short supply, but the elderly are cared for, marriages are thriving, and families are growing in holiness.
  • Significantly more people are living their faith, have hope, and know their purpose in life.

You think the above is a thing of the past, a pipedream? Think again. It can be done. Although they are not in significant number, there are Catholic Parishes, with strong Pastoral leadership, as well as non-denominational Churches, which are “re-envisioning Church” and renewing the spiritual lives of their Parishioners.

What Can We Do?

I don’t know about you, but the parents and grandparents I know who are actively engaged in their faith (me included) have one primary desire, in addition to pursuing our faith. That is passing along the faith to their kids and grandkids. Friends too. It’s Jesus’ desire too, giving us the Great Commandments and Great Commission.

Consistent with Vatican II and the New Evangelization, the laity are called to work with our Clergy, who cannot do it alone. Our Priests need support, assistance, and collaboration in revitalizing our Parishes, making them places of vibrant worship and missionary discipleship.

What do you see as your role? How can you help? What can you do? There’s a lot. Feel free to reach out to me. Happy to chat about it. We can have what we had years ago and to my way of thinking, it’s a pursuit worth pursuing. Amen!!!

As always, feel free to contact me at [email protected] with comments, questions, concerns, challenges, or prayer requests.

God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Remember…God made you for GREATNESS!!!

Mark Joseph

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Weekly Blog

Do You Ever Feel All Alone?

Have you ever felt like you’re running the race of life alone? You may be surrounded by lots of people every day. Or maybe you’re lucky enough to have several good friends. But still, you feel alone. You feel isolated, unable to turn to anyone who truly understands what you’re experiencing.

Yea, I hear you…because I’ve been there.

Not long ago, I read a study that indicated that 50% of adults complain of loneliness. Can you imagine the numbers for teens and young adults? Some observations. First, with social media, our smart devices, the internet, and other technology, while we’ve never been more connected, we’ve never been more isolated. Statistically speaking, people have fewer friends today than decades ago.

When things get challenging, we often are most isolated, doing it to ourselves. That was true for me. I was surrounded by all kinds of people, but felt all alone. I was an island unto myself, not sharing with anyone what was really going on. I remember after the fact, talking to an old buddy, explaining what occurred during my tragic times. He apologized for not being in touch, to which I responded that it probably wouldn’t have mattered in that I wasn’t really willing to communicate the real truth to anyone.

Sharing our true feelings, our challenges, our “secrets”, takes vulnerability, which leads to trust, the foundations to authentic relationship. You know…we’re not meant to go through life alone. We’re meant for community. We’re meant for relationship. With the exception of my wife, where that vulnerability and trust exist, the only place I’ve been able to find it is in my men’s group, where I get tother with the same 3 guys every week to learn more about our faith and grow in fellowship…sharing real life. I’d encourage you to find or start a small group. For ideas, visit https://steubenvilleconferences.com/discipleship-quads/.

There’s another way I’ve found authentic relationship. Can you guess who or what it is? Can you say JESUS? In John 15:15-16, Jesus tells us “I have called you friends…it was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you”.

Jesus wants to be your friend and is there for you. That may sound strange for some, but it’s true. It’s been true for me for the last 15 years. Fortunately, by God’s grace, I learned some critical things that allowed me to leave the loneliness, now being surrounded by the best people I ever have, including JESUS.

If you’d like to make the same transition in your life, I have a message for you today. It’s never too late to become the person God made you to be.  I invite you to attend this free webinar to see how you can accomplish the same things for your life. It starts here.

 

REGISTER NOW

 

As always, feel free to contact me at [email protected] with comments, questions, concerns, challenges, or prayer requests.

God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Remember: God made you for GREATNESS!!!

Mark Joseph

 

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Weekly Blog

Who Do You Rely On?

Who do you rely on? Think about that. Who do you need to rely on? The individuals. The institutions or organizations. What would you do if those who you need weren’t there? What would be the impact on your life?

For kids, the obvious answer is their parents. From toddler to young adult, kids rely on Mom and Dad (unfortunately many only have one). As adults, we rely on one another. For those of us married, your spouse is your partner in life. Your young adult children are often still reliant on you, maybe emotionally, sometimes even financially. The elderly rely on others, including family, for their health and wellbeing. Friends need friends. We need one another.

It goes beyond family and friends. Have you ever considered what and who it takes to get food on your table, supplies to your house, or clothes on your body? The supply chain extends from the raw materials, including our farmers, to manufacturing, distribution, transportation, etc. Add to the above our reliance on government, our employers, institutions, organizations, and more.

All of the above is critically important. We couldn’t survive without others. And although I don’t want to minimize our physical needs, here’s the thing…when it comes down to it, who do you rely on more than anyone else? If you’re like most, it’s those who love you the most…that’s who you rely on. So, the question becomes “who loves you the most”? To many of us, the answer is clear…JESUS CHRIST.

God our Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, love us more than we’ll ever know, no matter what we’ve ever done. That love is so great that God gave us His only begotten Son. That love is so strong, that Jesus Christ subjected Himself to His tortuous passion, ending in His execution by painful Crucifixion.

Here’s a visual for you. While Jesus hung on the Cross, every single face in human history…past, present, and future, flashed in front of His, where Jesus met each of us, the sinners He died for, eye to eye. If any one of us were the last person on earth, He would still have died that same tortuous death on the Cross…just for you. There is no greater love.

Here in Holy Week, as we enter the Triduum (from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday), I’d suggest that more than anything or anyone, we need to rely on Jesus. There’s a lot to that…too much to discuss here in the 600 words I allow myself. That said, I can direct you to where it all begins, that is in understanding and internalizing the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. There’s no better time to do that than during Holy Week. Here are some suggestions:

  • Watch The Passion of the Christ, produced by Mel Gibson, with Jim Caviezel as Jesus
  • Read about Jesus’ Passion in one of the Gospels:
    • Matthew 26:30–27:66
    • Mark 14:26–15:47
    • Luke 22:39–23:56
    • John 18:1–19:42
  • Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32

I’d suggest doing each, maybe during different days of the Triduum…taking each to prayer. Here’s where my journey has brought me. In understanding the unconditional love of Jesus Christ, I now know that the unimaginable achievable, we can live Heaven here on earth, and there is a distinct path to peace, joy, and fulfillment. Who wouldn’t want to rely on that? Or He who gives us that?

As always, please contact me at [email protected] with comments, questions, concerns, challenges, or prayer requests.

My prayer is that you truly feel the love of Christ during this Holy Week!!! Happy Easter!!!

God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Remember…God made you for Greatness!!!

Mark Joseph