Fr Joseph EsperA 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...
Once upon a time two very good and holy men who lived in the same town died on the exact same day. They had never met during their lifetimes—for one was quite poor, and had lived in the ghetto, or rundown section of town, and the other was very...
One of the seven deadly sins is envy, or jealousy, and it can be a very unattractive attitude because it often involves an element of hypocrisy. There was an instance in which the actors in a play were extremely jealous of each other’s success, with...
Chances are you’ve heard of the famous Passion Play of Oberammergau in Germany. Back in 1633, one hundred villagers died in an epidemic of the bubonic plague, and the people vowed that if God would spare the rest of them, they would reenact the...
Many centuries ago there was a wealthy pagan who attributed his success in life to the different idols, or false gods, he worshipped. In his home he had a shrine to them, with a large, almost life-sized statue of the chief pagan god, and half-a...
I think many priests would say that 2002 was one of the worst years of their life—for that was the year in which the clergy sexual abuse scandal became widely known. In 2002 I learned first- hand that it’s possible to feel ashamed and guilty over...
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...
In 1856 a boy named Matt was born to a poor family in Ireland, the second of 12 children. His father was a laborer with a fierce temper and a fondness for alcohol; his mother was a hardworking, saintly woman who tried to ensure her children grew up...
Throughout the Church’s history there have been many visionaries and mystics who have undergone intense spiritual experiences. One of the most amazing was a German woman named Therese Neumann, who lived in the 20th century. She had numerous visions...
Have you ever had the experience of being hungry or thirsty, but not knowing exactly what you wanted—a time when you stood looking inside the refrigerator, saying to yourself, “I want something, and I don’t know what, but I do know it isn’t anything...