Saint Oliver Plunkett was the last Roman Catholic Martyr to die in England. He was canonized in 1975, the first new Irish saint in almost 700 years.

God calls us in the midst of ordinary things. Often only looking for God in the dramatic, spectacular, the ritual or the sacred places, we miss that He is walking beside us. Every moment of every day, in every circumstance and experience, God is calling to us, “Follow me.” Sometimes, we are too distracted to hear this call. Other times, we would rather ignore it or pretend it wasn’t heard.

Guided by the spirit There will always be something behind us and before us. Time moves on and the world continues to rotate. Will we miss that which exists right before our eyes because they are shut while we are consumed by the past or worried about the future?

And to another he said, “Follow me.” In every moment of every day, in every circumstance and experience, God is calling us. We can easily get distracted and not hear it or simply ignore it, pretending it wasn’t even heard. When we do hear it and favorably respond, there are some conditions that must be met. Jesus makes it clear that once we say yes to his invitation, we must stay focused and forge ahead. We cannot keep looking behind or worry about unfinished business. There are some tasks, and discipleship is one, that require our full devotion.

Sir Thomas More was a humanist and statesman in Tudor England. He is still widely known today as the author of Utopia. More was a prolific writer and theologian. A true martyr of the Church, he was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886, and canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 19, 1935.

Good dietitians will remind us that we are not only the product of what we eat but the disciplines we undertake. Many people spend a great deal of time and effort eating a healthy diet, getting a sufficient amount of rest, and engaging in regular exercise. Experts tell us that attending to these increases our chances for a longer life. While this is certainly a worthy pursuit, is our earthly life really the one that requires the most attention and effort?

Sacred Vessels Have you ever paid attention to the purification of the sacred vessels after Holy Communion? If you haven’t, I highly recommend doing so this Sunday. See the care with which the priest handles the chalice and the paten, pouring water into them to cleanse any loose particles of the Body and Blood of Christ. Observe the loving reverence he uses in wiping them dry with a special purificator. It’s a ritual unto itself, and a powerful moment for reflection.

Jesus went to those most in need. He forgave the sinner, ate with the outcast, defended, and fed those who were poor and hungry. He worked for true justice, risked being unpopular, willingly accepted suffering and death, and always stayed connected with his Abba, Father. Jesus also consistently reminded folks that God’s compassion, love, and mercy trump everything, even the law. This is the Christ that the Eucharist calls us to be.

Saint Germaine was born in Pibrac, France in 1579 to poor parents. Her story is a heart wrenching one. She was born with a deformed right arm and hand, and her mother died when she was an infant. Her father remarried, but her stepmother brutally abused and neglected her.

Life can leave us feeling very distracted and detached. Perhaps this is why many people seek things that make them “feel good,” wrongly believing those things actually provide a sense of meaning and purpose. In truth, they are simply more distractions.

Up to the Job Have you ever had a job for which you didn’t feel qualified? I think we all have, whether it was a paying gig or not. A lot of us parents often feel in awe of the magnitude of that role and lose sleep worrying that we made the wrong decision in one situation or a bad call in another. Some of us feel intimidated by what our communities need from us, on the parish level or in our personal relationships. Or maybe we are simply dreading a task that seems too big, too overwhelming — that necessary basement cleanout, or the weekly organization of family schedules.

n creative celebration of the Most Holy Trinity, pray a rosary with creation. Find a quiet place outside or sit near a window. Contemplate the amazing Divine Gift that is before you. Admire it. Study it. Become one with it. Ask for the guidance of Brother St. Francis as you pray: “You, Holy Father, are King of heaven and earth. You are three in one, God above all gods. You are good, all good, and supreme good, Lord God, living and true. You are love. You are beauty. You are gentleness. You are joy. You are hope and happiness.” Admire the wonder and majesty of God in all that is around you. Ask for wisdom and understanding.

Born to nobility, St. Norbert of Xanten, was ordained as a subdeacon and served in the court of Henry V, Emperor of Germany, however, at court it was easy to be distracted by wealth, power and luxury and he lived a worldly and corrupt life there. By the grace of God while traveling in a storm he was nearly struck by lightning and almost killed. This experience changed St. Norbert and he became penitent, left his court post, and after a period of discernment in a monastery, felt called to be a priest.

St. Josemaria Escriva tell us, “To live according to the Holy Spirit means to live by faith and hope and charity. To allow God to take possession of our lives and to change our hearts, to make us resemble him more and more.”

If you are married, I’m guessing that you know the best way to break bad news to your spouse, whether you realize it or not. Maybe it’s simply that you know not to talk about the budget after your wife’s football team has lost. Maybe you know your husband will take the news that your sister is coming to stay a little easier if you tell him over his favorite dinner. We do the same thing with our children, our friends, our coworkers — we have all learned the language of the people we love.

Even though Pentecost is rightly celebrated in late spring, the robust experience of a New England fall can provide a profound metaphor for reflection. A full expression of fall colors is beautiful to behold. But, with all of its majesty and beauty, the observer knows the experience of death is soon to come. Creation will be dark and barren for a while. Pentecost cannot be separated from the cross. Before God’s transformative, life-giving power can bear fruit, we must first die.

St. Joan of Arc (1412 – 1431) has had her story told throughout history through many books, movies and plays. She was born in the village of Domrémy, near the province of Lorraine, to a French peasant family. At a young age, she began to experience visions and voices, which were later identified to be of St. Michael, St. Catherine of Alexandria, and St. Margaret of Antioch. At the age of 13, all three saints told her that she was to drive the English from French territory, and that she must bring the Dauphin to Reims for his coronation. Trusting in God, she did as she was told.

We all have our ideas of who God is. We have to remember, however, that our ideas of God often do not capture who God really is. God is a wonderful mystery whose identity is inexhaustible. This makes life an exciting journey in search of belief, love, glory, and unity.

God’s Game of Telephone You’ve probably played the game of “pass it on” before, maybe years ago on the playground. It’s a simple concept: one person whispers something in another person’s ear, and it gets repeated person by person throughout the group, until finally the last one to hear the message has to say it out loud. Whatever ends up being said at the end of the game is usually a far cry from the original statement, and everyone has a good laugh. 

Unity and diversity can exist together. Our western minds have a grave difficulty seeing unity without conformity. We tend to believe that unless everyone believes the same thing, assents to the same body of truths, styles, and opinions, unity is not possible. Jesus, in today’s Gospel, expresses a tenderness and an intimacy that the disciples actually can witness.