I just walked into the office.

Let me write those words again.

I just WALKED into the office.

Over the past year, I’ve received four lumbar shots, had three MRIs, two x-rays, a myelogram, my bloodwork done several times, three hospital stays, a discectomy, and an anterior lumbar interbody fusion. I’ve used a cane. Then, a walker. Finally, a wheelchair.

My poor little sniffly kindergartner cannot seem to stay healthy. As a result, my wife and I have been emphasizing a few keys she can focus on to bolster her immune system.

The First Key: Reduce Sugar. You have enough energy already. Sugar has virtually no nutritional value and only leaves you wanting more. The Second Key: More Veggies and Fruits. This is the stuff that “sticks to your bones.” It makes you big and strong. The Third Key: Stop Sharing Your Water Bottle. You are inviting germs into your body. The Fourth Key: Stop Wiggling Your Baby Teeth. Keep your hands out of your mouth. Be patient. The Fifth Key: Get Your Sleep. You’ll die without it.

It can be difficult to stay “locked in” all the way through Mass. We know it isn’t easy to pay full attention to anything these days. I sometimes wonder if that is the real reason movie theaters aren’t as popular as they once were. It might not be because Netflix and other streaming services are releasing so many new films or the increasing size of crystal-clear televisions. It might just be that people want to scroll on their phones while watching a movie.

Full attention to anything seems to be at an all-time low and it is easy to miss something important. That said, I hope you didn’t miss a crucial ingredient in this Sunday’s first reading.

When Jesus prepares his disciples for his imminent departure, he begins with the words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

Easy for him to say, right? He is God. Meanwhile, we are stuck here on Planet Earth dealing with the fallout of free will.

And the free will God has given us applies to everyone. It’s given to folks who use it to follow Jesus’ example with astonishing consistency. It’s also given to folks who moderately try to be Christians, but never venture too far beyond their own comfort. And unfortunately, it’s given to those who repay the gift with cruelty and sin.

In Acts 2, Peter stands up and delivers an amazing homily. I’m not overstating it. Three thousand people were baptized when he was done.

Peter spoke about his faith with the power of the Holy Spirit. And we are called to do the same.

Before you decide to set aside my words, allow me to set aside your excuses. (Lovingly, of course.) ;)

Have you ever prayed with every fiber of your being, just to feel as though all you got in return were the sound of crickets? I’ve been there.

Or have you ever thundered the heavens with frustration because the phrase, “God will never give you more than you can handle” just didn’t seem to apply to you? I’ve been there, too.

This Sunday’s First Reading comes to us from Acts 2:24-47 and we get a great glimpse of the Early Church.

“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers…

”Sound familiar? As in “every Sunday familiar?” (And I know, some of you who attend daily Mass are reading this and saying, “No David! Every day familiar!”)

Jesus died. A whole bunch of people saw it. The witnesses were all sorts of folks. Good guys. Bad guys. Civilians. Soldiers.

Then Jesus rose. A whole bunch of people saw it. A group of women on the road. A group of men on the road. And a group of men Locked In A Room.

But this is how it works with the Lord. When he gets knocked down, he never stays down. (Remember the stations of the cross?)

I was walking across the inner courtyard of my high school when I heard an eruption of sound from the other end. A crowd was quickly forming, and the energy was unmistakable. It was a fight. Naturally, I headed that way.

By the time I got there, the crowd had multiplied, but I swam the butterfly for the varsity swim team and I was more than able to muscle my way to the front.

As we approach Easter, Jesus keeps raising the stakes through miracles of increasing wonder. This time, he raises Lazarus from the dead. And now, our savior is truly on a collision course with the cross. Yet, I’d like to draw our attention to a specific moment in the Gospel reading.

In the eleventh chapter of John, Jesus was told Lazarus was ill and then chose to remain where he was for two days. He did not rush. And when he finally did arrive, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.

Easter is around the corner, and with it comes the greatest miracle in human history. So, it’s a good time to get used to the idea of miracles.

In the ninth chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus meets up with a man who has been blind since birth. Everyone is concerned with WHY he was blind. “Was the man sinful?” “Were his parents the ones who sinned?”

But Jesus isn’t focused on the WHY.

He is concerned with the WHO. (In this particular case? The man born blind.)

What do you thirst for? And I’m not talking about Coke, coffee, or whiskey.

A big, blue, animated genie with the voice of Robin Williams appears before you and gives you one wish. No one else is around to judge your answer. What do you go with? Then, ask yourself why?

This weekend, the Second Reading instructs us to “bear our hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

This is hard medicine because it acknowledges that the Lord will not always remove our hardships. It goes on…

“He called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design…”