Convert Ops

10/16/2026

Reflection on John 14:1-6:

Christ makes some bold claims. Let's unpack a little of each of them:

Christ says “I am the Way.”
He quickly follows this with “no one comes to the Father except through me”.
Through His passion, death, and resurrection; through His intercession.
He is the Sacrifice for our forgiveness and the only path linking heaven and earth.

Christ says “I am the Truth.”
He is the Word Incarnate, Truth embodied.
He is the ultimate, unchangeable revelation of the Father.
He is a moral lighthouse in a world of moral relativism.

Christ says “I am the Life.”
He is the source and summit of our Faith.
He is the only way to salvation.
To know Him is to know reality as God authored it.

Through His replies, Jesus is asking and answering the Apostles’ questions:
Which direction do you want to go? Because I am the Way.
What do you want to find? Because I am the Truth.
Where exactly do you want to remain? Because I am the Life.

This is Christ’s call to get off the fence and decide:
Which direction do you want to go?
What are you hoping to find when you get there?
When you find it, will you want to stay?

We pray for that hope today.

10/16/2026

Reflection on Luke 13:22-30:

Picture a married couple, reminiscing about their wedding day. They look back and remember the family and friends, the food and the good times. They remember their vows. They remember that's the day they gave their whole selves to one another and started living for something bigger than themselves alone. That day, they looked at the one another and made a promise to put them first and vowed to help them get to heaven.

They knew that day was the beginning, not the end.

Accepting Christ’s love works the exact same way. It’s the day you look at the cross and realize
The Personification of Love put you first in the ultimate way.

Some couples wake up every day and choose each other. They actually want to be together, to have those deep conversations, and to share their lives. They intentionally love each other.

There are other couples, unfortunately, who live under the same roof, eat the same meals, and make superficial small talk,
but at some point completely lost that deep connection. They are roommates who long ago forgot the intimacy they once shared.

Our relationship with Jesus should look like that first couple.
We should actually want to show up: to go to Mass, to sit in Adoration, to be His hands and feet in the world, and to hear His voice.

But if we aren’t careful, we will drift into being "roommates" with Him and lose that intimacy our hearts long for.

Proximity is not the same as intimacy.

We might go through the motions - doing all the Catholic things - without ever actually knowing Him. And nobody wants to show up at the door only to hear, "I don't know you."

Intimacy requires being intentional.

Therefore, seek Him. Look for Him in your everyday routine, open the door when He knocks, and build your life around Him the same way you would a spouse. Keep Him close, and you should never find yourself locked outside.

10/16/2026

It's been a bit...sorry.

I have started Homiletics this year in ordination prep. I will share my first two and the Gospels they're reflections on.

Please keep in mind they're short, 2-minute homilies, so there is a LOT of stuff in a little bit of space.

10/16/2026

"Wisdom from above is first of all innocent. It is also peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy and the kindly deeds that are its fruits, impartial and sincere. The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace."

08/24/2026

https://jonbrooks16670.substack.com/p/loaves-and-fishes?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=8jylg9

Feeding the masses

08/20/2026

Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.

08/01/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/jonbrooks16670/p/building-his-kingdom-with-the-materials?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=8jylg9

“Of what use is it to a man to gain the whole world, if he pays for it by losing his soul?”

07/28/2026

“For His mercy endures forever.” - Psalm 136

I read that tonight. That particular Psalm repeats it every other line. Full disclosure, I actually read the wrong section in the Liturgy of the Hours. Apparently, I needed to read it and God used my own stupidity in service of that goal. So I read it: “for His mercy endures forever.”

Then I read it again: “for His mercy endures forever.”

And I thought to myself, “JB…what does that snippet of a verse repeated around two dozen times in that one Psalm mean to you?”

“Well, JB, it means everything.”

It means forgiveness…over and over and over. It means when I screw up - like really screw it up - He still loves me, and is waiting on me to put down my pride and ask Him for that forgiveness. To “repent and sin no more”. Or at least do your best…and know that He is ready, waiting to forgive me “70 times 7”.

It means unconditional love. The kind we should have towards our spouse and children. The kind we should show to our neighbor…after all, He did say to “love your neighbor as yourself”, and who puts conditions on themselves. Most of us go above and beyond with giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt in any situation. He does that for us so we can do that for others.

It means eternal. It “endures forever”. Period. Hard stop. Forever. For all time. From Day 1 of Creation to…infinity. Endless. Always. Perpetual. Evermore. In perpetuity. You cannot fathom the amount of mercy He has available to us.

“For His mercy endures forever.” They are more than just words on a page. They're a promise - His Promise.

04/26/2026

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;

And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.

Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever.

04/12/2026