the blog
Reflections for the journey
Whose Standard Are You Choosing?
Bishop Robert Barron's Reflection for today, this Feast of Mary as Queen of Heaven, is absolutely brilliant, so wanted to share it. In particular, Bishop Barron refers to the "two standards" meditation that is part of St Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. The...
Choosing What To Do In These Times We Have Been Given
In light of all the many events that have gone on nationally and personally, it's hard to believe that only 4 days has passed since I last posted. For those who may be unaware, the reports out of Washington DC and Pennsylvania regarding the abuse of minors by Catholic...
Doing All Things In Him With Immaculata
Today is the Memorial of St Maximilian Kolbe. He was a Franciscan priest who was martyred in 1941 in the Auschwitz concentration camp when he volunteered to take the place of a husband and father who had been chosen to die by the Nazi prison guards. St Maximilian had...
Two Easy Ways To Put First Things First
I have found that beginning and ending each day properly, or "right ordered", is one of the keys to experiencing peace in my life. To be "right-ordered" means simply to put first things first. And that means my first, and my last, thoughts are of God. My first thought...
No End to the Overflowing and Abundant Graces
I have now been blogging daily for more than a month (actually 38 days!) and I am in awe at how our Lord has sustained and helped me in this endeavor--just as He said he would when I first committed to 30 days straight. I admit that my hesitancy to a daily writing...
We Should Fight to Stop Fighting
One of my favorite spiritual authors is Father Jacques Philippe, a member of the Community of the Beatitudes in France. The members of the Community are from all states of life--married and non-married laity, priests, religious, consecrated virgins--and are actively...
Are You Paying It Forward?
Almost 20 years ago, there was a movie called, Pay It Forward. The movie chronicles how a 12 year old young man is given an assignment to think of a way to change the world and put it into action. The result was the launch of a goodwill movement known as "pay it...
Problems Call For Repentance
https://semcsem.wordpress.com/2018/08/10/problems-call-for-repentance/
One Simple Way to Guarantee Your Children Find Happiness
Here in Alabama, another school year has begun. (Yes, you read that properly) Anyway, the last two days I have seen a flurry of photos posted on social media by many friends who are parents of school age children. There are lots of smiles amongst the nice, crisp...
Why do YOU not trust God?
So today's Gospel gives us the story of Jesus walking on water and how Peter had the courage to get out of the boat and walk on water, too--until he stopped trusting Jesus. Peter's initial success and then subsequent failure prompted me to reflect today upon the many...
The Senses of the Story
So yesterday as I shared how the Harry Potter series can help in cultivating a life of Christian virtue, I made mention that the best stories prepare us to engage more fully with the Story. How is that the case? Because the more we prepare our hearts and minds, the...
Harry Potter and the Cultivation of the Virtuous Life
One of my profound joys is the reading of a phenomenal story. Especially if it is one that echoes the Story, and thereby the very reading, it has the potential to transform the mind and heart of the reader. A definite example of this kind of story is the Harry Potter...
Courageously Simple
Today, I had the "joy" of dealing with moving stuff out of our basement crawl space in anticipation of workers coming on Monday to take care of some water issues. As I was moving FAR too many boxes of Christmas decorations, storage trunks, bike gear, and other...
How Clear Is Your Vision?
Today, I received an ENORMOUS gift from God. What was it? He clarified my vision. What do I mean by that? Well, throughout my day, God continued to send me signs that made it clear that I was on the path that He was desiring for me to walk in my life right now. I know...
Finding Your Place in The Story
Today I had the great joy of reconnecting with an old friend. We shared what we had been up to, everything from the big highlights and current challenges to the small joys found in the midst of walking the journey with God. It was a beautiful grace and consolation in...
Easy Ways to Grow in Virtue Every Day
Several posts ago, I shared the 4 Simple Steps to Holiness. Today, I am going to focus upon Step 3--Growing in Virtue each Day. The beginning of growth in virtue comes from a place of humility and understanding of oneself. This self-knowledge needs to be well-formed...
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam—For the Greater of God!
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) is the Latin motto of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), a male religious order in the Roman Catholic Church founded by St Ignatius of Loyola. AMDG means "For the Greater Glory of God", and it effectively encapsulates the charism and...
Living a Life of Grace
Today, I am continuing to expand upon the 4 Simple Steps to Holiness. The first step is the habit of daily prayer and meditation. The second step is living a life of grace. What is a life of grace? It is for us to intentionally open ourselves to being filled with...
Hope For the Future Shines Brightly
Yesterday and today, I had the privilege of spending time in conversation with candidates from our parish who are preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation in a couple of weeks during their "Exit Interviews." The interviews have a two-fold purpose: 1) to...
The Foundation Of All Things
Yesterday, I shared the 4 Simple Steps to Holiness, and promised that I would elaborate about each of the steps in the days ahead, so today I will talk a bit more about the foundation of all things in the spiritual life--daily prayer and meditation. Time with our Lord...