For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. If it weren’t said by Jesus, we would think that this statement is so unfair, and even cruel; but it is a simple...
When we undergo trials, we fight the battle of fear. Fear of the current situation, fear of the future, fear of what will happen to us, our loved ones, our family, marriage, relationships, job, children, friends and, well, you get the picture. At...
The readings for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time should help us avoid crossing over from Christian self-confidence into narcissism and rampant self-importance. For a long time, Elijah had such a high degree of self-confidence that, empowered...
Over a hundred years ago, in the days of vaudeville, there was a husband-and-wife team named “Boris and Olga” who performed a knife-throwing act. Olga would stand next to a wooden wall on stage, while Boris, from twenty feet away, threw knives all...
In the Gospel of Matthew (10: 26-33), Jesus talks about the right kind of fear we should have as we live out and preach his Gospel mainly with our lives. It can be understood better if taken together with what is written in the preceding verses...
With everyday events bombarding us with what seems to be bad news compounded by bad news, fear becomes more and more of a factor in our lives. Fear is our enemy. It is meant to defeat us and at the very least immobilize our ministries...
Fear is a common first reaction. Fear of fear may cause more problems than the actual fear itself. Fears can be real or the result of an over active imagination. Real fear makes sense and is positive. There are facts that support it. Unspecific fear...
There is a story of a young woman who, one evening, was waiting for a bus in a crime-ridden area. A rookie policeman approached her and asked: “Do you want me to wait with you?” Quickly, she noted: “No, that won’t be...
