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My sisters and brothers in the Lord,Welcome to our final week of Disciples Together on the Way. Thanks be to God! And thanks to you for joining me on this pilgrimage over the past year. It’s been a privilege to have your company as, together, we’ve attempted to acquire the habits of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, our Alpha and our Omega.Hence, appropriately, we end with the person Jesus Christ as explained to the world in Chapter 1 or, as it is often known, the Prologue of the Gospel of Saint John. My challenge this week is to read the first 14 verses of this chapter at Christmas Dinner and then take a few moments to prayerfully ponder its significance.Saint John wrote his Gospel in the latter half of the 1st century in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus where he and the Blessed Virgin Mary had established a home. It was in this same city seven centuries prior that the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, had coined both the term and concept of logos. He defined logos as the principle of order or knowledge in the Universe. “All entities come to be in accordance with this Logos,” said Heraclitus.Hence in the Prologue of his Gospel and writing to the Hellenic or Greek world, Saint John makes this remarkable claim: The Logos was made flesh, and dwelt among us! In English, we usually translate the Greek word logos as “word” but, arguably, this doesn’t do justice to the breadth and boldness of Saint John’s assertion. It explains why this particular passage was read for centuries towards the conclusion every Mass as a “Last Gospel”.Hence at Christmas Dinner I ask that you read the Gospel of Saint John Chapter 1, verses 1 through 14. Choose one person to read this passage and then have a few moments of silence so that you can really absorb God’s words. Have it read a second time, and after a few moments of silent reflection, speak what comes to your heart. Be sure to give ample opportunity to others present to share what has entered their heart as well.Okay, here ends this year of Disciples Together on the Way. Our pilgrimage towards God continues, however, and it continues as Disciples Together on the Way. Please be assured of my prayers. I would ask that you return the kindness. Thank you.As the 19th century French writer, Leon Bloy, said: “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” So, let’s become saints. Together.And May God bless you with His grace throughout the Christmas season and beyond, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Welcome to Week 50 of Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Boyea. This is the penultimate week of our year-long pilgrimage as aspiring Christian disciples. Here’s Bishop Boyea's challenge for this week: "When we pick up our Bible, let us read the First Epistle of Saint John. It’s short. Only five chapters. But it packs quite a punch in terms of teaching Christians how to “abide in God” underscoring, as he does, the division of light and darkness, love and hate, life and death, God and the devil, sin and righteousness."To read 1 John go to: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/1

Dear friends, over the centuries the Church has cultivated a discipline of listening to the Lord's Voice through Sacred Scripture. She calls it Lectio Divina or "Divine Reading". It's nourished many disciples all the way to heaven. Hence, this week's challenge: Spend at least 15 minutes each day praying the basic path of Lectio Divina that so many saints have trod.Yours in Christ, + Bishop Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing 

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, Last week we revisited a challenge of strengthening a particular habit of discipleship in our life. Of course, I think it goes without saying how important repetition is in forming good habits. This week I want to extend a similar challenge that has the potential of becoming a powerful foundation for all our holy habits. This week our discipleship challenge is to memorize one of the Psalms.Why is memorization important, you might ask? Well, day in and day out we rely on a tremendous amount of information that we have, effectively, memorized. Whether it’s the password to our computer, email or bank account; or family birthdays or anniversaries; we rely on troves of stored information housed in our memory’s “hard drive” in order to get through the day. The same is true of prayer. As many priests can testify, elderly parishioners afflicted by dementia, including my mother, often have little difficulty recalling prayers learned as children. What is more: The information we memorize actually shapes our thoughts, ideas and outlook on the world. As the old saying goes: “If you hear something enough, you start to believe it.” What we memorize informs how we view ourselves, others and the world around us.  Therefore, we need to be intentional about committing things to memory that will help us hear God’s voice in the midst the noise of the world. Things that will help us be aware of the presence of God throughout the day. Which brings us to the Book of Psalms.The Book of Psalms contains 150 songs. Seventy-three of the Psalms are attributed to King David. The majority were composed for liturgical worship. Many of them are songs of praise and thanksgiving. So why memorize the psalms? In short, because Jesus himself memorized the psalms and he is the role model for any aspiring disciple. Even while dying on the cross, the psalms remained on the lips of our Blessed Lord. In the words of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. And then from Psalm 31: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  I am going to focus on Psalm 91! That is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that: “The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament…Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church. They are suitable for men of every condition and time,” (The Catechism #2596-7)By memorizing Sacred Scripture, we are literally imprinting God’s word on our minds, helping us be better prepared to share Jesus Christ, and his Holy Church, with those who don’t yet know him. Eventually our conversations will become less about our word and more about the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us: Jesus Christ himself. May God bless you in this week’s challenge. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

November 25, 2022 My sisters and brothers in the Lord, Welcome to Week 47 of Disciples Together on the Way! We’ve made it to Week 47! Only four weeks left in our entire program. We’ve made it to the final stretch. So, for that, I say WELL DONE! God bless you. If you’ve missed a week or two do not grow weary but start back up and pray that God give you the persistence to march on. For inspiration, we can look towards our friends the saints as examples of perseverance. We’ve spoken about Saint Monica and how she persevered in prayer for 17 years for the conversion of her son, Saint Augustine of Hippo. Other great examples of persistence are Saint Rita of Cascia and Saint Joseph, foster-father of our Lord. Saint Rita, who lived in 15th century Italy, showed heroic perseverance in her desire to enter the religious life despite being given in marriage to a very violent tempered man by her parents at the age of 12. After her husband died, she again took up her journey to enter the religious life and encountered many trials – yet she persevered and was ultimately allowed to enter the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, Italy. We also see a great example of persistence in the life of Saint Joseph. Despite the many hardships he endured protecting and guiding the Holy Family whether it was the journey to Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, or the loss of the Child in the Temple, blessed Saint Joseph never lost trust in God. He always remained steadfast in his faith. So, in these final four weeks I encourage you to continue your journey down the path of discipleship always turning to the Saints for strength and guidance. For this week, our challenge will be to reflect on the previous eight weeks. The focus of the last several weeks has been the Saints and Corporal Works of Mercy. As a good disciple always does, spend some time in prayer thinking about how those challenges have gone. Were there challenges that came easily? Were there some that seemed more difficult to stick with? Ask the Lord to show you where you need to spend time cultivating the habit of a good disciple by revisiting one of the practices mentioned in these past eight week. Then, repeat that challenge again to begin to develop the habits of a devout disciple. Practice makes perfect! Let us continue on our path of discipleship with the encouraging words of Saint Catherine of Siena: “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.” I’ll be back with a new theme and a new challenge next week. Until then, may God bless you abundantly throughout this week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Yours in Christ, + Earl Boyea Bishop of Lansing

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord, Welcome to this week’s Disciples Together on the Way Challenge. This is our final week focusing on the Corporal Works of Mercy! In the Book of Deuteronomy, the Lord tells us, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” (Dt. 15:10-11) Since there will always be the poor, there will always be the opportunities to serve and support them. During this time of the year, the needs of the poor tend to increase. As the days grow shorter and colder, food, shelter and appropriate clothing become even more essential. Indeed, next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a natural time for us to increase our corporal works of mercy. As we reflect on the bounty and blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us and our loved ones, in gratitude our response can turn to giving back. For many families, this time of year is already a time where they may participate in a food drive, or even go to work at a shelter serving meals to those in need before they go home to enjoy their own celebration. We know from looking at the lives of the saints that many of them achieved their sanctity by serving the poor.  Just think of St. Catherine of Siena in 14th century Italy, Saint Vincent de Paul in 17th century France or, in our own times, St. Teresa of Calcutta in 20th century India. There are many saints who have given their time, talent, and treasure to the poor. Through their actions, they not only brought Jesus to the poor, but also encountered God in them. As St. Vincent DePaul stated, “Go to the poor: you will find God.” In addition to the witness of so many saints in their ministry to the poor, there is also to call to us to this form of holiness and discipleship.  The Book of Psalms tells us “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 82:3-4).  We also read in the First Letter of Saint John: “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 Jn. 3:17-18) In recent years, the various Catholic Charities entities throughout the Diocese of Lansing have been working towards greater collaboration with each other and with the parishes near to them. As we wrap up this final week focused on the Corporal Works of Mercy, let us look for more opportunities to help the poor and those in need. So, here’s this week’s challenge: Donate to your local Catholic Charity or local St. Vincent DePaul food pantry or look for another food pantry or local food drive and donate food or money. And don’t just give your money, volunteer to serve in the soup kitchen. See the Diocese of Lansing website, where you can find links to our various organizations and learn about the ways you can help. https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/catholic-charities May God bless you and your families as you prepare to give thanks for all He has done for you, and as you seek out ways to serve the poor in your lives. + Earl Boyea Bishop of Lansing

Dear Friend,As we continue to meditate on the Corporal Works of Mercy, it is interesting to note that a good portion of the Church’s teaching about them is contained in the Catechism's section on the Commandments and, particularly, on the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not steal.” Let us see how almsgiving fits into this category.Almsgiving — not to mention the other Corporal Works of Mercy — is considered an act of justice as opposed to an act of mere charity. Almsgiving is closely tied to our duty to love our neighbor.  The Catechism teaches that “Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to be able to give to those in need” (CCC #2444).  The text continues with a quotation from the Church Father, Saint John Chrysostom, who wrote: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours but theirs.” (CCC #2446)It should be clarified that almsgiving — a requirement for being a disciple of Christ — is different from tithing. Tithing is offering God the first fruits of our labor — of our earnings — giving a regular percentage of our earnings to God and the Church. It is fulfilling our duty to God and His Church.Almsgiving, on the other hand, is fulfilling our duty toward our neighbor and our community.  That being said, almsgiving is charitable giving above and beyond our regular tithe. In the Bible, almsgiving is also tied to making amends for sins.  In Sirach 3:30 it says: “As water quenches a flaming fire, so almsgiving atones for sins.” Similarly, in the book of Daniel 4:27, King Nebuchadnezzar is told to “Redeem your sins by almsgiving and your iniquity by generosity to the poor.”Jesus, during one of his meals at a Pharisee’s house, as part of his challenges to his fellow diners, added: “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41).With all of this in mind, we come to our weekly challenge: Develop a plan for almsgiving and discuss it with your family/spouse. It could be placing a jar at the entrance of your home into which everyone in your family contributes spare change and then periodically donates the money to a local crisis pregnancy center or other charitable organization. You could donate the funds from your bottle returns to charity. You could also simply go over your budget with your spouse and decide on an amount to contribute to charity beyond your regular tithe.  Until next week, may God bless you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Welcome to this week’s Disciples Together on the Way Challenge for November 6 to 12. This week we continue with the theme of the Corporal Works of Mercy.Each of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy are rooted in the teachings of Christ – they give us a model on how to treat one another – to see and to serve Christ in those we encounter: So, Bishop Boyea's challenge this week is to visit the sick, the elderly or the homebound. But, before you take this valuable action spend some time in prayer – pray for the individual or individuals you are going to visit.  Pray for their needs and ask God to grant them some relief if that be His will. Lastly, ask God to give you the grace to see His face in the people you visit.  Let your ears, your mouth and your hands be Christ to them and pray that you see the face of our Lord in them as well.

Today we begin a new theme as Disciples Together on the Way: The Corporal Works of Mercy.What are the corporal works of mercy? These are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his or her bodily or, to use another word, corporeal existence. Hence the word "corporal".These works of mercy include feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:“Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.”As we approach the Feast of All Souls and the Month of the Holy Souls in November, Bishop Boyea's challenge this week focuses on one particular Corporal Works of Mercy: Burying the dead. He says:"Here’s my challenge for this week: Visit a cemetery. That may be a visit to a grave of a loved one or, even better, a grave that never receives a visitor or someone to pray for their soul. In fact, if we visit a cemetery and pray for the dead between November 1 and November 8 we receive a plenary indulgence. That is the remission of the temporal punishment due for our sins whose guilt has already been forgiven."

Welcome to Week 42 of Disciples Together on the Way with Bishop Boyea. This week, Bishop Boyea continues on the theme of the saints. Here's his challenge:"My challenge for you this week is to read about the saint feast days for this week. Choose one to celebrate in some manner. If you are drawn to celebrate another saint this week – maybe a patron saint of your household or parish feel free to do so. Let’s make a fuss of it!" The saints celebrated this week are as follows: Sunday, October 23: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time;Monday, October 24; Feast of St. Anthony Claret, Bishop;Tuesday, October 25: Feast of Six Welsh Martyrs and Companions; Feast of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria, Martyrs; Feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, Martyrs;Wednesday, October 26: Feast of Saint Fulk of Piacenza, Bishop;Thursday, October 27: Feast of Saint Evaristus, Pope and Martyr;Friday, October 28: Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles;Saturday, October 29: Feast Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem, Bishop.

Here's Bishop Earl Boyea's challenge to you for Week 41 of Disciples Together on the Way: "If you don’t already have a patron saint for your household, then I encourage you to nominate one.""Is there someone who exemplifies the goals your household has? Was he or she particularly generous, kind, or courageous? Maybe he or she suffered with such dignity and joy that your household finds encouragement during their trials.""Of course, it is always best to turn to God and ask Him who He would like to nominate. The Lord knows your household best and can choose the best-suited Saint in Heaven to intercede for you.""If you are living with family members, try having a conversation about this with them. If you live alone, perhaps bring a couple of names in prayer to the Lord and have him select one for you."

Here's Bishop Earl Boyea's challenge for Week 40 of Disciples Together on the Way, October 9 to October 15, on the topic of the saints: "Get to know the saints! Pick a saint and read about his or her life or watch a video describing the saint. Perhaps, we might try to know more about a saint after whom we were named as babies or one whose name we took in Confirmation. Then, for this week, let us have a daily prayer devotion to that saint. We might go to our neighborhood Church and light a candle in honor of that saint.  Perhaps, we can visit a shrine such as the Blessed Solanus Casey Center in Detroit or the Cross in the Woods in Indian River. The saints are the best teachers of our faith because they’re living proof that transformation in grace is possible. And it’s for everyone! Get to know the saints!"

This week Bishop Earl Boyea begins a new theme as Disciples Together on the Way: The Saints. That is, those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. This is a call for all of us!Hence, this week, Bishop Boyea is holding up one particular example of saintliness in the world: Saint Thomas More, the great 16th century English statesman who served King Henry VIII as Lord High Chancellor of England. Bishop Boyea's challenge is to watch the 1966 film, A Man for All Seasons, which recounts the dramatic story of Thomas More's holy life and holy death. The film is widely available on most streaming services.

Over the past three weeks we have prayed daily to discern the will of God in our lives knowing that the closer we align our mind, heart, soul and strength to his divine plan for our lives, the happier and holier we will be. This week, as Disciples Together on the Way, it's time for action.

How does God speak to us when we are discerning his divine will for our lives knowing, as we do, that in following these supernatural promptings we will find our greatest happiness, peace and purpose in this life and, Deo volente, in the next? Listen to the advice of Bishop Earl Boyea in, this, Week 37 of Disciples Together on the Way.

This week Bishop Boyea continues to guide us through a 30-day retreat based upon the writings of the great spiritual master, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th century founder of the Society of Jesus. Click on this video to discover Saint Ignatius' 14 rules for discerning the will of God in your life. Thus, Saint Ignatius’ motto can become our motto in life as well: Ad majórem Dei glóriam! For the greater glory of God!

This week, as Disciples Together on the Way, Bishop Earl Boyea is taking us on retreat. What's a retreat? Bishop Boyea explains: "That’s time away from the business of daily life, often in solitude, often in silence, often directed by a spiritual guide." Bishops and priests are required in Canon Law to make a retreat yearly."All of us, though, are called to holiness. Sisters and brothers, we are all called to be saints! Hence, it is good that we all make a retreat in order to discern God’s call in our lives. And that’s exactly what we’ll do over the next four weeks as Disciples Together on the Way."  "So, now here is what we will be doing: this week and for the next three following weeks we will be going on retreat.  The busy person kind of retreat. So, early every morning for 30 days we’ll text you an installment of a 30-day Ignatian retreat that has been developed by St. Mary Catholic Center at Texas A&M University. It is called Taking Back the Crown and was created to reach out to students." Click here for link to 30-day Ignatian retreat: https://anchor.fm/takingbackthecrown/episodes/Day-1---Getting-Started-on-Retreat-St--Ignatius--an-Act-of-Presence-ebogud

This week Bishop Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way challenge is a little different from previous weeks as we take a pause from beginning a new challenge to refocus on a challenge that we’ve already done.  "Think about a challenge that was presented over the past eight weeks. They focused on the virtues and then on intercessory prayer," says Bishop Boyea. "Ask the Lord to show you where you need to spend some more time and effort cultivating the habit of a good disciple. Then, repeat a particular challenge from these past eight weeks." Note: The past eight challenges have been: Week 26 | The Virtues | Every day this week, recite the Litany of Humility Week 27 | The Virtues | Invite a family to your home for a meal or take a meal to a homebound person Week 28 | The Virtues | Moderation: At meals, eat less than you desire and don’t tell anyone Week 29 | The Virtues | Overcoming the Deadly Sin of Anger Week 30 | Intercession | Ask family, friend, or stranger if there is anything you can pray for, then commit to praying for that intention for the week Week 31 | Intercession | Every day this week pray for someone you find difficult or would view as an adversary Week 32 | Intercession | Pray for Your Beloved Dead Week 33 | Intercession | Pray for someone who is lapsed from the Faith

Welcome to Week 33 (August 21 to 27) of Bishop Earl Boyea's Disciples Together on the Way focussing on intercessory prayer. This week Bishop Boyea is challenging us to pray for someone in our lives who is lapsed from the Catholic Faith. "This week’s challenge is to pray for that person each day.  We are continuing our discipleship of intercessory prayer. But this week’s focus is on someone in deep spiritual need," says Bishop Boyea.  "I would also encourage you to create your own “War Room”. It could be a special place or perhaps just a particular time of day that you spend in intercessory prayer." What exactly is a "War Room"? Listen and find out! God bless you.

Welcome to Bishop Earl Boyea's latest weekly Disciples on the Way challenge. This week, Bishop Boyea concludes his series of challenges focussed on cultivating virtue and eliminating vice. The focus of this week's challenge is the deadly sin of anger. In the Holy Gospels, Jesus makes it clear that anger is a form of murder and that it has grave consequences to our souls (see Matt. 5 : 22). Saint Paul, too, mentions anger alongside adultery in his list of sins that will keep people out of heaven (see Gal. 5 : 20-21). Hence Bishop Boyea's challenge: "Hence, our challenge this week is to reflect on times when we regularly lose our patience. Each day as part of our daily prayer and throughout the day, let us be attuned to what causes us to become impatient."Here is his script in full: Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,Have you ever heard somebody deploy the maxim that "There is nothing new under the sun"? Or opine that "To everything there is a season"? Or suggest that in this life we should "Eat, drink, and be merry"? All these well-worn aphorisms are drawn from the Book of Ecclesiastes. A lesser known but equally arresting and relevant phrase, though, is found in Chapter 7 of that great Old Testament book of wisdom: Do not be quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.These days it seems many people are quick to lose their tempers and respond impatiently with others. Indeed, many seem to feel it a right to rage at opponents regarding whatever issues they have latched on to or offenders of whatever bothers them. With recent studies claiming that many people are under more stress than in prior decades, as well as increased levels of anxiety due to multiple factors, it comes as no surprise that many of us are firecrackers waiting to go off. If we are honest, we know that we all have certain things that may trigger impatience and cause us to lose our peace. So why is anger so deadly? And how do we quell our anger with the virtue of patience? Stay tuned.The Church has much to say about the virtue of patience. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, patience is listed as one of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit. “The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity." (C.C.C. 1832)We’ve all heard that, “patience is a virtue!” In the Catechism, the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are listed under the section on virtues. The reason for this is because “a virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.” (C.C.C. 1803)We are called to grow in virtue, and thus in patience. This takes work. It takes repetition and discipline. If we are finding ourselves more impatient than normal, we will want to call on the Holy Spirit for help and then to practice being patient in those moments. We can tell whether we are living in union with the Holy Spirit when we can see the fruits of the Spirit active in our lives. When we see the opposite, we know we have work to do.Hence, our challenge this week is to reflect on times when we regularly lose our patience. Each day as part of our daily prayer and throughout the day, let us be attuned to what causes us to become impatient.Once we are able to recognize what causes us to be impatient, we can pray about ways to increase patience.  This may include help to avoid those situations when we know that our patience is driven to the limits.  In addition, the scriptures are a great place to start as we pray for patience.Her