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 the midst of my day, but what has stayed with me the most from that conversation was not what we said, but how. For in the midst of our sharing, I felt us quickly slip into the easy give and take and playful banter that has always been the nature […]
choices
112 posts
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 God’s graces and the Holy Spirit. For Roman Catholics, this means that we frequent the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation. Although God’s graces are present in all the sacraments, Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation are the ones that we can receive frequently, even daily. It is in Holy Eucharist […]
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 is the key if we are going to be transformed into saints. Why? Pretty simple. You become who you spend time with. We all know that we are influenced by our environment–the people, places and things that we are surrounded by, day in, day out. For example, you want to become […]
Ever wondered why many people in our society today claim to be spiritual, but not religious? Much research has been about this, but I think it’s actually fairly simple–people no longer have adequate fear of the Lord. What is fear of the Lord? According to Blessed Fr. John Hardon, SJ, fear of the Lord: “… inspires a person with profound respect for the majesty of God. Its corresponding effects are protection from sin through dread of offending the Lord, and a strong confidence in the power of His help. The fear of the Lord is not servile but filial. It […]
For many today, love is understood to mean that you must accept whomever the person says they are and whatever it is that they choose to do. This supposedly shows you have respect for the person’s freedom and individuality, and how they choose to express themselves. Yet, I came across a quote that I’d like for you to think about: “Announcing the Gospel is the first and greatest act of charity.” — St. Arnold Janssen True love always desires the best for the other. And to desire the best for another includes being honest and straightforward with them–even when the […]
Today, I read an article and saw a video that depicted the spread of Christianity for the last 2000 years. (I’ll paste a link to the article and video below) As I watched the video, I was struck by the reality of how the Gospel spread across the world throughout the centuries, even before the advent of all the communications methods like phones, radio, television, internet, and social media that are so commonplace today. Before modern communications, individuals simply shared the joy of the Good News with each other in a very simple, but profoundly powerful way. How? By sharing […]
The freedom to choose and exercise our will is what makes us human beings. No other creatures on this earth have this capacity. Our world is increasingly made up of choices–about what we buy, eat, watch, listen, read, etc.–I mean, really, how many options do we need to have for our coffee in the morning? Yet, an unintended consequence of all the choices around us, is we become overwhelmed, and an inertia slowly develops that gradually paralyzes us and eventually decreases our ability to make any choices. The unnamed evil of our times is acedia, or sloth, which is not […]
“If today you hear the sound of God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” This verse from Scripture always gives me pause. Pause because I have to consider 2 things: 1) whether I have heard God’s voice, and if so, what have I heard? And 2) if I haven’t heard God’s voice, is it because my heart is closed to hearing? Or does my heart hear, but I ignore it because something is distracting me? Our Lord asks one thing of us, and that is for us to give Him our whole selves, and what this verse does is force me […]
I just spent the last 4 days with a phenomenal group of people at a Cursillo de Cursillo retreat that was held in Montgomery Alabama at St Bede’s Catholic Church. Everything throughout the days–the prayer and meditations (thanks, Deacon Mark!), the talks presented on the Cursillo charism and methodology, table discussions, the food!, the conversations at mealtimes, the singing (This Little Light of Mine!), the friendships and sharing, to the the Masses celebrated (big thanks and shout out to Fr Nicholas! Will be praying for you and your Youth next weekend!)–were enriching and meaningful and it was evident that the […]
All of us have a mentality. Our mentality are the ideas, values and beliefs from which our minds interpret, appreciate and believe a certain reality. In other words, what I perceive and what I think about what I perceive, creates my reality. Whether we acknowledge it or not, our mentality influences, shapes and directs us; it is reflected in our decisions and actions because it is the essence of who we are. And this is why it is so important for us to know and understand what our mentality is. Our mentality is not always the same. It can change […]