Posts by Fr. Joshua West
The Gift
Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit! At first glance it seems an odd thing for Jesus to do. Jesus rejoices! The Holy Spirit as we understand is the love between the Father and the Son. When understood this way, as a relationship of love, we cannot imagine Jesus not rejoicing in the Spirit. What could…
Read MoreWhat Sort of Fruit?
Our Lord is at it again. He is doing, quite possibly, what he is best trained and qualified for…criticizing the Pharisees. Jesus says to follow their preaching, for they have important things to say. But do not follow their examples of living life. It is only God who has the capacity to truly read hearts…
Read MorePocket Full of Forgiveness
“We resemble God most when we forgive our neighbors.” St. Faustina — Diary, 1148 The only tough part about being a saint is being like God. It is a daily endeavor that we get to share with God. God does not hold himself up and then tell us, “Okay now, you be like this…” He…
Read MorePower of a Smile
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” This is a quote from Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The smile was just as important as the work that she did with the poorest of the poor. Mostly known for her work with the rejected…
Read MoreIn That Small Box
What Does the Priest Think During Confession? In my life as a priest, a question that I get asked, usually by a nervous penitent, is “what are you thinking as I confess my sins?” “Do you remember my sins?” Fair questions and maybe similar to the ones that I had when I was young. If…
Read MoreResentment
“Today’s Gospel makes no sense”? Any third-party observer would think the people crazy. And yet how often this is our life. What has Jesus come to offer us? From the perspective of eternal salvation what is a herd of swine? From the angle of heaven what are a few strips of bacon? What is lost…
Read MoreWe Are Family
My grandmother shared with the family, one summer, our family genealogy. I’m not sure how she went about collecting all the information, but it was a project she undertook over several years. All this was done before programs like ancestory.com existed. I’m American, so from my perspective, there were some amazing things I learned. James…
Read MoreMaking Sacrifices
When we freely choose to follow Jesus and be His disciple, there will be struggles. Christ promised it. “Take up your cross and follow me”. When a young woman chooses to intimately follow Christ by being a religious sister, she knows there are sacrifices involved. She is giving up the possibility of a husband with…
Read MoreRichness in Things That Matter to God
The beginning of the today’s Gospel is interesting. It shares with us what Jesus is truly about. How often we expect Jesus to solve every problem in our life. Jesus came to turn men’s hearts from the things of this world to the realities of God. That which had been lost due to original sin.…
Read MoreWhat Kind of Soil Are You?
I am not a farmer. I don’t know farming. It is not something that I am even especially attracted to. I have very little experience with seeds and planting and watering. My limited experience comes from my childhood. As a young kid, my mom had the idea of starting a garden and I got to…
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