Tag: Forgiveness

Does Our Past Imprison Us?

Whenever I mull over my defeats, as well as when I hear some troubling confessions and, in spiritual direction, I see the dangers of living in the past! The past is done and gone…It is no more. God is calling us to live in the present; His present...

Signs of God’s Divine Mercy

In 1985 the country of Lebanon in the Middle East was undergoing something of a civil war, marked by terrorism, bombings, and frequent fighting among rival groups. It was a very dangerous place, even for journalists—as an American named Terry...

The Laity’s Response to Sex Scandals

Even before Catholics could fully grasp the enormity of the sex abuse scandals in their church, new revelations came in waves. And they have continued. Among the latest are that the Church paid more than $4 billion in settlements and lost over $2...

Remaining True to Our Vocation

A married couple, Ardith and Jerry, had many problems in their marriage, but were trying to work things out after being separated for over a year. During the separation Ardith had met a man named Bob, who lived in a city four hours away, and she...

Litany of Forgiveness and Healing

To each invocation, the response is: Forgive Your Church, O Lord. For all the ways Your shepherds have failed to care for Your flock… For the innocent lives that were violated, ruined, or scarred… For the warnings and complaints that...

God’s Unfolding Plan

The first point to be made must be the one of how important the Catholic Church considers the birth of John the Baptist. For her it so important that it “trumps” the regular Sunday readings for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. All three readings...

Turning from Our Evil Ways

… the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. …they turned from their evil ways… We’ve heard countless times that our lives may be compared to a journey. We’ve set out on...

Read the Whole Message

I always get a chuckle when I get an “urgent” email message from my wife. The heading always comes with a highlight telling me to “read the whole message.” My wife knows that along with today’s generation that I, too, have the attention span of a...