Over 20 years ago I started blogging. I joyfully wrote for the Lord and for anyone who wanted to read.
The journey has been incredible, and I am so thankful for the experience.
But now, I must take a break from the blogsphere.
My responsibilities as a Catholic deacon have expanded — especially in our diocese’s prison ministry — so I don’t have enough time to dedicate to writing.
I’m sure I will return to this someday, but for now, the Lord has called me to other tasks.
Thank you so much for reading!
And for those who supported my work economically, thank you so much for your generosity!
Sometimes we think faith depends on our own efforts. We think our conduct defines our faith. But don’t be mistaken. You can have perfect behavior but have little faith.
Faith comes from the deepest part of your inner self. It comes from that most intimate place where the Spirit of God speaks to your spirit. So open the door. Let the Spirit in. And let the fruits of your faith be abundant.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-40
PRAYER FOR TRUE FAITH
O loving Lord,
I seek truth. I seek wisdom. Where do I find true faith?
Won’t you show me, O Lord?
Teach my heart that it’s not all about rituals and rules. It’s not about uncontrolled freedom either.
So I seek the deeper truths. Show them to me, O Lord.
If I obey you but don’t love you, what purpose does it serve?
If you set me free, but I don’t listen to you, what good comes from my freedom?
True faith? From where then?
It’s not about control or power. It’s not chaos either. It is not even independence.
Instead, true faith comes from a holy, sacred place.
The modern world throws so many distractions at us. We have an unlimited number of TV channels and things to watch on our phones. But how much of that really changes your life?
Can any amount of screen time restore your soul? Even watching religious content doesn’t really do anything for you in a meaningful way if you don’t take the time to process it.
Your quiet time with the Lord should be non-negotiable.
Go to God. Let him show you things nobody else can.
In your intimacy with the Lord, he reveals to you amazing things about yourself, about the world, and about HIM.
He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
These days we hear about a lot of suffering and tragedy. Everybody has problems. The bad news never seems to stop. And you have your own troubles as well.
All this can tempt you to close your heart. No, you can’t fix the world. And you have your own life to live. But don’t run the risk of ending up with a closed heart that can’t feel compassion anymore.
Sometimes we end up living cold and distant. Only a strong and healthy heart can resist this in a kind and loving way.
So ask God to restore your heart. Ask him to make it healthy and strong again.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26
Prayer for a strong and healthy heart
O heavenly Lord,
The struggles of life and the pain in this world tempt me. They tempt me to harden my heart.
Sometimes I’m afraid to feel. I’m afraid to hurt.
It’s easier just to look away.
Maybe it’s because my own wounds still have some healing to do.
Heal my heart, O Lord! Make it strong again!
Give me a heart like Jesus’ heart.
A heart that isn’t afraid to feel.
A heart that isn’t afraid to give.
A tender, loving heart.
Yes, I know this means I may suffer more, because I will feel more.
More mercy. More compassion. More patience.
But if you make my heart strong I will endure the pain.
For your Spirit will fill my heart and make it a wholesome, healthy place.
A place where your Spirit dwells and thrives.
This is the promise of God, for those who seek a strong and healthy heart.
The worries of life can be overwhelming sometimes. This is why it’s so important to seek God and find rest in him.
On our own, we get tired, apathetic or cold hearted. But in the presence of the Lord, we can learn to live healthy and free.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
PRAYER FOR REST IN GOD’S PRESENCE
O blessed Lord,
So many thoughts and worries swirl around in my head.
And I can’t forget the deeper troubles that hurt my heart.
I feel so insecure. I feel so afraid and alone.
Do you see me, O Lord? Do you see this child of yours who needs you so very much?
So I seek your presence, O Lord.
Because no matter how things look on the outside, on the inside I feel like a wreck sometimes.
I cry out to you from the darkness.
I cry out to you, my Lord, my God!
You tell me your grace is enough.
And in your presence, I know this to be true.
Because somehow, someway you give me all the rest I need.
Let me trust in you. Let me seek you.
Give me the rest my heart so desires.
Let me enter that quiet place where the Spirit of God calms my heart and soothes the pain.
Then, I can rise up, resurrected, solid and strong again to face the day, and eventhe darkest night.
LIFE is far too precious. It’s fragile and fleeting. Don’t waste a single second. Take every chance you get to love more and give more.
It may sound easy, but it’s hard. Fear and shame get in the way. Our ego gets in the way. Our pain gets in the way.
The message of our Lord Jesus, born in a manger, tells us everything.
Even almighty God can be fragile and vulnerable. Even our all-powerful Creator needs tenderness and care. This is how he reaches your heart.
You can do anything you want. You are free to choose. You can hurt and take — or you can give and love. The choice is yours.
The little baby tells us what choices lead to life.
So he tells you: soften your heart. Here I am. Small. Vulnerable. Fragile. See how my Mother holds me. See how my Father guides me. Follow me.
May our Good Lord pour out his abundant blessings over you. May his mercy never stop healing your heart. May his Spirit transform every aspect of your life.
MOST OF US have already prepared the tree and the manger too. Christmas is coming for sure. But how do you prepare?
You scurry around, gather gifts, make plans. And all that’s fine.
But are you taking time — time out for yourself? Not in a selfish way, but in a way to get ready. How will you receive the Child this year? How will you welcome him?
Think back to the first Christmas. Mary and Joseph too were scurrying around, making plans, looking for a place to stay. And the Wise Men gathered their gifts.
But Joseph and Mary found no room at the inn. All they found was a stable. That would have to do.
It might have been dirty, unkempt, probably smelly. It was, after all, where animals gathered to eat.
But Joseph and Mary made the best of it. They prepared the space they best they could so Mary could give birth to her Son. God’s Son.
They prepared a place for the Child to arrive.
And upon his arrival, that dirty, smelly, messy stable would then become a holy place, a sacred place.
What about your preparation? What’s going on in your heart now?
Maybe in some ways your inner life is messy too, like the stable they found in Bethlehem. Maybe it’s unorganized. Things aren’t exactly the way you want them to be. And maybe you’ve been trying or hoping for a change for some time now.
So during this time of Advent — this time of preparation — get ready. Get the manger inside your heart ready. Prepare the space the best you can, within your reality now.
Open yourself up to the arrival of hope.
Open yourself up to new possibilities.
Open yourself up to the Good News of forgiveness and salvation.
You don’t have to do it all yourself. In fact, you can’t.
But that inner, messy, unorganized place can be transformed by the coming of the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord.
Let the arrival of the Child make your inner life holy. He can change your life.
Prepare a space for him to arrive.
Let him make your heart his home.
And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
I’M JUST like you. I worry too. I too feel the pressures of this world weighing down upon us. And like you, I too have moments of great joy and celebration.
I also think about the future for my kids. What world will we leave for them? And I ask myself sometimes, “Why are things so hard? Why is the world so complicated? Why so much hurt, pain, and division?”
So many people, all over the world, are struggling now. So many are the victims of those who abuse their power. They tell you they’re looking out for you, but in reality they’re just taking advantage of the little ones.
So many voices out there claim to tell the truth. And you might listen to them for a while, but eventually you realize, many are driven by selfish motives.
You might feel like running away from it all. Or maybe, like the man in the parable, you feel like you’ve been beaten up and left half-dead on the side of the road. You feel like a truck ran over you.
But then the Lord tells you, “Resist. Resist the temptation. Fight against the devil that tells you there’s no hope. Know that the Lord your God is at work at all times.”
And just like that, the Word of God cuts through all the noise. And just like Jesus said, you see Satan fall like lightning from the sky. You see past the lies and deceit of the enemy.
You see the Lord Jesus approach you. He cleanses your wounds with oil and wine. He lifts you up to care for you.
And after you’ve been nursed to health, you know. You know what you must do to face a world hurt by inflated egos and indifference.
You must dive even deeper into your faith. Five, ten, even a hundred times deeper if need be.
Let God reorder your priorities. Let Jesus be the voice you listen to and follow. Let Christ be the Way, the Truth, and the Life in your entire existence.
Do not be naive. There are vicious forces at work in this world. Extreme violence has been unleashed. Atrocities and perversions of all kinds are thriving now.
But do not be afraid — for victory is the Lord’s. He lays low the enemy with his mighty hand. No one can escape his judgment. And he sends his armies forth to do battle.
And who are his soldiers?
They are the many that he has picked up on the side of the road and nursed to health. Just like you. Just like me.
They were once wounded and weak, but now they are strong and united. In compassion, in patience, in tenderness, and in mercy — in service and in peace. These are their weapons of choice. The weapons of the love of God — and nothing in the universe is more powerful.
Many have already paid the highest price for their faith. Let us not forget them.
And there are many we will find, half-dead, on the side of the road. The Lord calls us to heal them — to serve them.
And so let us dig even deeper into our faith. Be it five, ten, or even a hundred times deeper if need be.
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What’s it like to be in harmony with God 24/7? Is it possible? My latest book explores this in depth.
YOU CAN do it, O child of God. You can move forward. You can rebuild. Even when the resistance seems overwhelming, do not be afraid.
Have courage. Have faith.
When you look around you, what do you see? Obstacles? Chaos? Impossible barriers? Everything in ruins, all the walls torn down — smoke and fire rise into the sky.
You see aggression on all sides. Attacks on the body and mind. And there’s so much to do. So many things to take care of. People depend upon you.
How can you possibly rebuild when you feel like you can barely keep up?
I say, hear this. Hear what the prophets have said across the ages.
Fear not. Remember the Lord. Remember his name, his power and might.
Fight for your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters. Fight for your families and friends. As long as your heart beats and you have breath in your lungs, fight for those you love, O child of God.
Let the Lord give you the strength and courage you need. Let him make you nimble and quick. Let the Lord make your steps solid and secure.
With one hand you will swing your hammer. You will rebuild the walls of your fortress once again. With the other hand you will wield the sword — the holy weapon of the Word of God — that which feeds you and sustains you.
You will move forward, inch by inch, moment by moment, day by day. You will move forward and walk with faith.
If needed, you will even crawl ahead. You will dig in, dig deep, and claw your way forward. And even if the hounds of hell stand in your way, they will not stop you.
For the Lord goes before you. He blesses you. His mighty Spirit opens the way. And you will follow him. Trusting. Believing.
And even if it seems as if the chaos has overcome you, even if everything seems hopeless and lost, even if you are hanging on by a thread, know this:
The Lord is at work, always. He is preparing the way. His providence will come.
The Body of Christ will feed you. The Blood of Christ will cleanse you.
No matter how hard it gets, the Lord will not leave you.
Rest in him. Trust in him. Give yourself up to him.
And when the trial is over, a spacious place will open up wide before you.
He will lead you to rest in green pastures blessed with sunshine and a springtime breeze.
He will restore your strength once again.
He will shower you with his abundant grace.
Walk with your Lord. Trust in him. All the days of your life.
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What’s it like to be in harmony with God 24/7? Is it possible? My latest book explores this in depth.
Prayer For Anxiety 