What does your personal prayer life look like? Does prayer happen daily or only as needed? Has it changed at all over time? Matthew Kelly offers some points to consider for those who would like to improve their prayer life.

Six Seismic Spiritual Shifts Regarding Prayer presented by Matthew Kelly

1. Just be open to beginning a conversation with God.

It’s the most commonly repeated phrase in the Bible – found in one form or another – 365 times! “Do not be afraid!” It’s what Jesus told his disciples several times when they were frightened or troubled.

I think fear and anxiety are much more common feelings than people admit. Throughout salvation history, God reassured and comforted his troubled people.

On this Labor Day weekend, we’re invited to reflect upon the meaning and importance of work for ourselves as individuals, for our families and community, and for the wider society.

Work has far more significance than merely the practical means to “earn a living” so that we can feed, clothe and house ourselves and our families. Our Catholic Church has a rich set of teachings which explore a “spirituality of work.”

What has God created you to do for Him? Sometimes, it seems obvious. At other times, it can be hard to figure out, especially in rather troubling circumstances. St. John Henry Newman has a beautiful reflection about this situation that I hope you will find helpful.

If you’ve been traveling this summer to a place you’ve never been before, you’ve probably had to use a smartphone app / GPS to provide you with directions on how to get to your destination. You listened to a voice on the device tell you where and when to turn. Not being familiar with the roads, you had to place your complete trust in the device… a little disconcerting especially if it was nighttime or the weather conditions were rather stormy. Yet, you got to where you were going because you followed the directions provided by the GPS.

Ever wonder why we have a fishing net hanging on our church wall? It’s more than a decoration. It’s a reminder of Jesus’ invitation to Peter to lower His net for a catch. (Luke 5:4)

The net reminds us to do what Peter did and trust Jesus, to listen to His guidance and follow where He leads. As we hand over control to Jesus, we’ll experience a blessing, just as Peter was blessed with an abundant catch of fish when He did what Jesus told Him to do – even though he had been unsuccessful previously.