IT was one of the most powerful lessons in my life. I want to share with you what happened to me on my recent silent retreat… Continue reading
THE FAMILY WEAPONS
On Deliverance
I AM hearing from several Christians that it has been a summer of discontent. Many have found themselves wrestling with their passions, their flesh re-awakened to old struggles, new ones, and the temptation to indulge. Moreover, we have just emerged from a period of isolation, division, and societal upheaval the likes of which this generation has never seen. As a result, many have simply said, “I just want to live!” and thrown caution to the wind (cf. Temptation to be Normal). Others have expressed a certain “prophetic fatigue” and turned off the spiritual voices around them, becoming lazy in prayer and slothful in charity. As a result, many are feeling more edgy, oppressed, and struggling to overcome the flesh. In many cases, some are experiencing a renewed spiritual battle.
On Becoming a Real Man
My Joseph, by Tianna (Mallett) Williams
SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH
SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
AS a young father, I read a chilling account many years ago that I’ve never forgotten:Continue reading
You Be Noah
IF I could collect the tears of all the parents who have shared their heartbreak and grief of how their children have left the Faith, I’d have a small ocean. But that ocean would be but a droplet compared to the Ocean of Mercy that flows from the Heart of Christ. There is no One more interested, more invested, or burning with more desire for the salvation of your family members than Jesus Christ who suffered and died for them. Nonetheless, what can you do when, despite your prayers and best efforts, your children continue to reject their Christian faith creating all kinds of internal problems, divisions, and angst in your family or their lives? Moreover, as you pay attention to the “signs of the times” and how God is preparing to purify the world once again, you ask, “What about my children?”Continue reading
Reshaping Fatherhood
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 19th, 2015
Solemnity of St. Joseph
Liturgical texts here
FATHERHOOD is one of the most amazing gifts from God. And it’s time we men truly reclaim it for what it is: an opportunity to reflect the very face of the Heavenly Father.
Losing Our Children
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for January 5th-10th, 2015
of the Epiphany
Liturgical texts here
I have had countless parents come up to me in person or write me saying, “I don’t understand. We took our children to Mass every Sunday. My kids would pray the Rosary with us. They would go to spiritual functions… but now, they’ve all left the Church.”
The question is why? As a parent of eight children myself, the tears of these parents has sometimes haunted me. Then why not my kids? In truth, every one of us has free will. There is no forumla, per se, that if you do this, or say that prayer, that the outcome is sainthood. No, sometimes the outcome is atheism, as I’ve seen in my own extended family.
A Priest In My Own Home – Part II
I AM the spiritual head of my wife and children. When I said, “I do,” I entered into a Sacrament in which I promised to love and honor my wife until death. That I would raise the children God may give us according to the Faith. This is my role, it is my duty. It is the first matter upon which I will be judged at the end of my life, after whether or not I have loved the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and strength.Continue reading
A Priest In My Own Home
I remember a young man coming to my house several years ago with marital problems. He wanted my advice, or so he said. “She won’t listen to me!” he complained. “Isn’t she supposed to submit to me? Don’t the Scriptures say that I am the head of my wife? What’s her problem!?” I knew the relationship well enough to know that his view of himself was seriously skewed. So I replied, “Well, what does St. Paul say again?”:Continue reading
Too Late?
The Prodigal Son, by Liz Lemon Swindle
AFTER reading the merciful invitation from Christ in “To Those In Mortal Sin” a few people have written with great concern that friends and family members who have fallen away from the faith “don’t even know they’re in sin, let alone mortal sin.”
Spiritual Armor
LAST week, I outlined four ways in which one can enter the spiritual battle for one’s self, family and friends, or others in these tumultuous times: the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Fasting, and Praise. These prayers and devotions are powerful for they form a spiritual armor.*