Getting no response from MCP2515 using SPI
After many hours of debugging and testing the circuit, I finally found the issue being tied to the RESET PIN on the MCP2515. I misunderstood the datasheet thinking that the RESET PIN could be floating and that I could use software RESET in its place. That is NOT the case. The RESET PIN must be terminated with a pull up resistor OR tied to the RESET circuit of your MCU. I chose the PULL-UP resistor option. This prevents the MCP2515 from being stuck/hung in the RESET mode. After adding the pull-up to the circuit, I am now able to communicate with the MCP2515. It would be nice if the datasheet had a section of "Minimum Required PINS" like some datasheets have. Hope this helps someone else by making sure all the required PINS are terminated before coding :)