Dear Friend,
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis recently gave an important pastoral instruction.
Gossip, he explained, is one of the most dangerous sins because it is so subtle and ambiguous -- many are unable to recognize it. Be on alert against gossip whenever you hear of “secret information” being circulated, or if you hear anyone else’s name is used in a conversation. Gossip exists whenever persons “talk about others” in less than a favorable way.
READ MORE"I am the good shepherd...and I lay down my life for the sheep and they will heed my voice." – John 10:14-16
When you pray, do you only ask Jesus for the things that you want? Do you ever ask Him what He wants from you? How do you listen for His response? Many times Jesus responds in "quiet whispers" that are not so obvious. So take dime every day, in silence, to actively listen for His voice.
Dear Friend,
In his book The Pressure’s Off, psychologist Larry Crabb tells this story from his childhood.
"One Saturday afternoon, I decided I was a big boy and could use the bathroom without anyone’s help. So I climbed the stairs, closed and locked the door behind me, and for the next few minutes felt very self-sufficient.
READ MOREWe often act out of ignorance. Armed with the best of intentions, we think we are seeing clearly and correctly, but we are not. We don’t always understand the full meaning of things and only perceive part of the truth. Hence, our judgments and actions can be impaired by myopic, incomplete or erroneous perceptions. The meaning of life, understanding of human experience, and negotiating life’s challenges can all become skewed without proper understanding and vision. The resurrection of Christ is the corrective to our incomplete and limited view of life. Looking at things with the eyes of faith brings a depth of clarity and understanding to how we see God, ourselves, others, and the world.
READ MORE“Jesus himself stood among them and said to then, ‘peace be with you.’ But they were startled and frightened…” Luke 24:36-37
Throughout the day we have many opportunities to “see the face of Jesus” in others and to “be the face of Jesus” to others. Do we take that opportunity to provide “peace” to those we encounter or are we afraid of what others will think of us and do nothing? Pray for the strength and courage to live a “God-centered” life and not a “self-centered” life.
What a wonderful joy fills us today as we ponder the inexhaustible mercy of God. "Mercy is the heart of God," Pope Francis tells us. The image of a heart has been used to point to the very life source of a person as it is the organ that allows life to flow through our veins and sustain us. Mercy is the heart of God. Imagine this dynamic, powerful, compassionate, piercing, embracing, loving, propelling, penetrating, absorbing, and enveloping, transforming presence of God flowing into the very depth of our souls. It is God's mercy that allows blood to flow through our veins. It is God's mercy that forms every atom of our being and leads us to what is true. God's mercy reveals all superficiality and falsehood, and lays bare all distortions, empty promises, weakness, and sin.
READ MOREDear friend,
Sin demands to have a person be alone. It withdraws the individual from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him or her, and the more deeply the person becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is the isolation.
Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed, it poisons the whole being of a person.
READ MORE"The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own..." Acts 4:32
All that we are and all that we have is a gift from God! Think of your family, your friends, your life, your talents and your money—these are all gifts from God! We aren't really owners of anything, we are merely "stewards" of the gifts God has blessed us with. We are called to be grateful and generous with all or our gifts for the benefit of others.
Who are you? This question was most assuredly asked of Jesus on the day of resurrection and it is a question asked of each of us. Our identities can be described in so many ways. We can start with our gifts and our talents, expertise and unique personality expressions. We can describe things we like and things we prefer to set aside. As descriptive and captivating as these can be, none come close to our essence, our real and true self. While accurate in their own right, the self who lives and interacts with the world is the self we want others to see, the one we project. But there is much more to us just as there is much more to Jesus.
READ MOREDear Friends,
Margaret Cregg, my high school classmate, wrote that in the mid-1990’s her uncle, Father Walter Sangster, began to notice some uneasiness in his throat and a dragging in his leg. When he went to the doctor, he found that he had an incurable disease that caused progressive muscular atrophy. His muscles would gradually waste away, his voice would fail, and his throat would soon become unable to swallow.
READ MOREGlimpse into the life and miracles of Padre Pio in this collection of inspiring, astonishing, and humorous anecdotes.
This collection of inspiring, astonishing, and humorous anecdotes offers a glimpse into the life and miracles of Padre Pio. These personal accounts reveal how he inspired countless conversions through his gifts of bilocation, visions, healing powers, and multilingualism.
Pascal Cataneo, a fellow priest and contemporary of Padre Pio, readers are given a unique window into this Capuchin friar's humility, directness, and humor. By connecting the ordinary with the supernatural, it is shown that the miraculous is possible in this world.