My mind sometimes wanders back to losses. Some people make their love a contest that I am destined to lose. Some drink enough alcohol that they cause pain they don’t even remember. People wander off or stomp off. One of the most devastating losses...
Read the Scriptures, and everywhere you see stressed the importance of faith. Faith is the foundation of our relationship with Jesus. As mentioned in Hebrews 11:6, it is impossible to please God without faith. Faith is mentioned in the Bible over...
There are many people who pray asking great things from the Lord, yet do not experience miracles in their lives. They wonder why. I believe it is because to be granted miracles, we must surrender ourselves to God. If we do not, we are praying...
Once upon a time there was a widowed mother whose only family member was her son, and she loved him with all her heart. The boy grew up, and as a young man entered the army and went off to war. One day the woman received the tragic news that her son...
One Saturday evening in California many years ago, much of the small community of Grass Valley lost power due to a fierce storm marked by heavy rains and strong winds. The pastor of the Catholic parish, Fr. O’Malley, was working on his Sunday homily...
The phrase that comes to my mind reflecting on the Gospel passage from Matthew (18:21-35) is the one immortalized in the book and film The Godfather: “An offer that cannot be refused.” Yes, when it comes to forgiving or unwillingness to...
Forgiveness is a regular theme I discuss in my ministry, Spirit Filled Hearts. We must certainly forgive our neighbor, as we pledge to do every time we recite the “Our Father,” but we must remember, too, to forgive ourselves. We are forgiven! Amen...
If you are looking to be more successful in your prayer life, two practices I strongly recommend are to pray with others, and to combine your prayers with some form of penance such as fasting. Fasting may be an alien concept to many Catholics...
