One of my favorite Saints is Saint Ignatius Loyola. He got in lots of trouble during his life because some of his revolutionary ideas. During his lifetime, plenty of folks believed that holiness was found in the monastery, not on the streets. They believed that faith was for the convent, not for the family. Saint Ignatius’ revolutionary idea (at that time) was what if we formed an order of priests who could preach and provide retreats for the every day person. What if we showed the common working person that faith is for everybody – that, actually, following Jesus and believing in Him is quite practical, rather down to earth, in a word – doable.

I love these post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. If I were to imagine, if I were to “make-up” what Jesus would do or say immediately after the resurrection, I’d imagine He’d be explaining events, teaching, lecturing, asking the Apostles if they “get it.” I’d imagine Jesus would give quite the theological treatise after the mighty events of His passion, death, and glorious resurrection. And yet, He doesn’t go there. Jesus stays practical, He stays accessible, He “gets to work” so to speak. It’s a reminder to all of us of how practical, how every day our Faith really is. When we acknowledge Our Lord’s presence, when we say, “Jesus, I know you are here.” “Lord, I believe you are with me.” “Jesus, I invite you to be with me throughout this day.” He walks with us every step of the way.

How can you make your faith more of an everyday faith?

Do you invite Jesus into every moment of your day? How can you do this better?

Is your faith practical or all theoretical? How can you find the balance in your life?

“Jesus, I know you are here.”

“Lord, I believe you are with me.”

​"Come Holy Spirit."

Let your faith inspire your actions. Continue to grow intellectually and internally, but ask how you can respond to that growth in action today. Simply and practically.