REVEREND JOSEPH M. ESPER is a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit and pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Anchorville, Michigan. He received his Master of Divinity degree from St. John's Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. Through the years, Father Joe has lectured at Marian conferences, appeared on EWTN, spoken on Catholic radio, and written more than a dozen articles for This Rock, The Priest, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, and other publications. He is also the author of numerous books, including Saintly Solutions, More Saintly Solutions, After the Darkness, Lessons from the Lives of the Saints, and Why Is God Punishing Me? In addition to Amazon, many of his most recent books are available through Queenship Publishing.
Imagine that I were to ask for a volunteer to conduct an experiment here in church—and that you raised your hand and were chosen. Let’s say that I blindfolded you, brought you up front, told you there was a metal water bucket on the floor here, and...
One night, over 125 years ago, there was a fierce storm in the city of Philadelphia, with a strong wind and driving rain. An elderly man and woman entered a small hotel after midnight, and asked the clerk, “Could you possibly give us a room for the...
Many years ago a social worker was assigned to visit and, if possible, assist various families who lived in a poor area of a city. Some of these persons were down-on-their luck, and were struggling financially through no fault of their own; others...
St. Ephrem, a deacon and theologian who lived in the 4th century, was pondering the question of why God allows good people to be tempted; after all, he thought, it would seem reasonable that He would want to spare His children this difficulty...
Some years ago an elderly man collapsed on a busy street corner in downtown Brooklyn, and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital he kept calling out for his son. A nurse at the hospital went through his wallet, looking for identification, and...
Prior to World War II, there were many young people in Germany who belonged to the Nazi youth movement. Some were forced into joining, but most participated quite eagerly and enthusiastically—including a 15-year-old girl named Margaret Mehren. She...
Once there was a highly-respected company with an opening in its sales team, and when it advertised the position, there were more than a thousand applicants. Of the many letters and resumes, one stood out. It said: “I am presently selling furniture...
One of history’s cruelest and most unusual cases of imprisonment happened back in the 14th century in a duchy, or small kingdom, located in present-day Belgium, and the victim was Raynald III, the duke who ruled over the duchy. Everyone...
