Can We Exhaust God’s Mercy?

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for September 24th, 2017
Sunday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Liturgical texts here

 

I am on my way back from the “Flame of Love” conference in Philadelphia. It was beautiful. Around 500 people packed a hotel room that was filled with the Holy Spirit from the first minute. All of us are leaving with renewed hope and strength in the Lord. I have some long layovers in airports on my way back to Canada, and so am taking this time to reflect with you on today’s readings….Continue reading →

Participating in Jesus

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Detail from the Creation of Adam, Michelangelo, c. 1508–1512

 

ONCE one understands the Cross—that we are not mere observers but active participants in the salvation of the world—it changes everything. Because now, by uniting the whole of your activity to Jesus, you yourself become a “living sacrifice” who is “hidden” in Christ. You become a real instrument of grace through the merits of Christ’s Cross and a participant in His divine “office” through His Resurrection.Continue reading →

Understanding the Cross

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MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS

 

“OFFER it up.” It’s the most common Catholic answer we give to others who are suffering. There is truth and reason as to why we say it, but do we really understand what we mean? Do we really know the power of suffering in Christ? Do we really “get” the Cross?Continue reading →

Mercy in Chaos

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88197A59-A0B8-41F3-A8AD-460C312EF231.jpeg

 

People were screaming “Jesus, Jesus” and running in all directions. —an Earthquake victim in Haiti after a 7.0 quake, January 12th, 2010, Reuters News Agency

 

IN coming times, God’s mercy is going to be revealed in various ways—but not all of them easy. Again, I believe we may be on the verge of seeing the Seals of Revolution definitively opened… the hard labor pains at the end of this era. By this, I mean that war, economic collapse, famine, plagues, persecution, and a Great Shaking are imminent, though only God knows the times and seasons. [1]cf. The Seven Year Trial – Part II Continue reading →

Footnotes

Going Into the Deep

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for September 7th, 2017
Thursday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

Liturgical texts here

 

WHEN Jesus speaks to the crowds, he does so in the shallows of the lake. There, He speaks to them at their level, in parables, in simplicity. For He knows that many are only curious, seeking the sensational, following at a distance…. But when Jesus desires to call the Apostles to Himself, He asks them to put out “into the deep.”Continue reading →

Afraid of the Call

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for September 5th, 2017
Sunday & Tuesday
of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

Liturgical texts here

 

ST. Augustine once said, “Lord, make me pure, but not yet!” 

He betrayed a common fear among believers and unbelievers alike: that being a follower of Jesus means having to forego earthly joys; that it is ultimately a call into suffering, deprivation, and pain on this earth; to mortification of the flesh, annihilation of the will, and rejection of pleasure. After all, in last Sunday’s readings, we heard St. Paul say, “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” [1]cf. Rom 12:1 and Jesus say:Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Rom 12:1

A Thread of Mercy

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IF the world is Hanging by a Thread, it is the strong thread of Divine Mercy—such is the love of God for this poor humanity. 

I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy.  —Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary, n. 1588

In those tender words, we hear the interweaving of God’s mercy with His justice. It is never one without the other. For justice is God’s love expressed in a divine order that holds the cosmos together by laws—whether they are laws of nature, or laws of “the heart”. So whether one sows seed into the ground, love into the heart, or sin into the soul, one will always reap what he sows. That is a perennial truth that transcends all religions and times… and is being played out dramatically on 24 hour cable news.Continue reading →

Hanging By a Thread

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THE world seems to be hanging by a thread. The threat of nuclear war, rampant moral degradation, division within the Church, the attack on the family, and the assault on human sexuality has frayed the world’s peace and stability to a dangerous point. People are coming apart. Relationships are unraveling. Families are fracturing. Nations are dividing…. That is the big picture—and one that Heaven seems to agree with:Continue reading →

The Seven Seals of Revolution

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IN truth, I think most of us are very tired… tired of not only seeing the spirit of violence, impurity, and division sweeping over the world, but tired of having to hear about it—perhaps from people like me too. Yes, I know, I make some people very uncomfortable, even angry. Well, I can assure you that I have been tempted to flee to the “normal life” many times… but I realize that in the temptation to escape this strange writing apostolate is the seed of pride, a wounded pride that does not want to be “that prophet of doom and gloom.” But at the end of every day, I say “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. How can I say ‘no’ to You who did not say ‘no’ to me on the Cross?” The temptation is to simply close my eyes, fall asleep, and pretend that things are not what they really are. And then, Jesus comes with a tear in His eye and gently pokes me, saying:Continue reading →

The Marian Dimension of the Storm

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The elect souls will have to fight the Prince of Darkness.
It will be a frightening storm — no, not a storm,
but a hurricane devastating everything!
He even wants to destroy the faith and confidence of the elect.
I will always be beside you in the Storm that is now brewing.
I am your Mother.
I can help you and I want to!
You will see everywhere the light of my Flame of Love
sprouting out like a flash of lightning
illuminating Heaven and earth, and with which I will inflame
even the dark and languid souls!
But what sorrow it is for me to have to watch
so many of my children throw themselves in hell! 
—Message from the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth Kindelmann (1913-1985);
approved by Cardinal Péter Erdö, primate of Hungary

 

Continue reading →

The New Gideon

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MEMORIAL OF THE QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

 

Mark is coming to Philadelphia in September, 2017. Details at the end of this writing… In today’s first Mass reading on this memorial of the Queenship of Mary, we read about the call of Gideon. Our Lady is the New Gideon of our times…

 

DAWN expels the night. Spring follows the Winter. Resurrection proceeds from the tomb. These are allegories for the Storm that has come to the Church and the world. For all will appear as though lost; the Church will seem utterly defeated; evil will exhaust itself in the darkness of sin. But it is precisely in this night that Our Lady, as the “Star of the New Evangelization”, is presently leading us toward the dawn when the Sun of Justice will rise upon a new Era. She is preparing us for the Flame of Love, the coming light of her Son…

Continue reading →

Revolution… in Real Time

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Vandalized Statue of St. Junípero Serra, Courtesy KCAL9.com

 

SEVERAL years ago when I wrote about a coming Global Revolution, particularly in America, one man scoffed: “There is no revolution in America, and there won’t be!” But as violence, anarchy and hatred are beginning to reach a feverish pitch in the United States and elsewhere in the world, we are seeing the first signs of that violent persecution that has been brewing beneath the surface that Our Lady of Fatima predicted, and which will bring about the “passion” of the Church, but also her “resurrection.”Continue reading →

Journey to the Promised Land

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for August 18th, 2017
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Liturgical texts here

 

THE whole of the Old Testament is a kind of metaphor for the New Testament Church. What unfolded in the physical realm for the People of God is a “parable” of what God would do spiritually within them. Thus, in the drama, stories, triumphs, failures, and journeys of the Israelites, are hidden the shadows of what is, and is to come for Christ’s Church…Continue reading →

True Woman, True Man

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ON THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

 

DURING the scene of “Our Lady” at Arcātheos, it seemed as if the Blessed Mother really was present, and sending us a message at that. One of those messages had to do with what it means to be a true woman, and thus, a true man. It ties into Our Lady’s overall message to humanity at this time, that a period of peace is coming, and thus, renewal…Continue reading →

Our Lady of Light Comes…

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From the Final Battle Scene at Arcātheos, 2017

 

OVER twenty years ago, myself and my brother in Christ and dear friend, Dr. Brian Doran, dreamed about the possibility of a camp experience for boys that not only formed their hearts, but answered their natural desire for adventure. God called me, for a time, on a different path. But Brian would soon birth what is today called Arcātheos, which means “Stronghold of God”. It is a father/son camp, perhaps unlike any in the world, where the Gospel meets imagination, and Catholicism embraces adventure. After all, Our Lord Himself taught us in parables…

But this week, a scene unfolded that some men are saying was the “most powerful” they’ve witnessed since the camp’s inception. In truth, I found it overwhelming…Continue reading →

The Ocean of Mercy

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for August 7th, 2017
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Opt. Memorial of St. Sixtus II and Companions

Liturgical texts here

 Photo taken on October 30th, 2011 in Casa San Pablo, Sto. Dgo. Dominican Republic

 

I JUST returned from Arcātheos, back to the mortal realm. It was an incredible and powerful week for all of us at this father/son camp situated at the base of the Canadian Rockies. In the days ahead, I will share with you the thoughts and words which came to me there, as well as an incredible encounter all of us had with “Our Lady”.Continue reading →

Summoned to the Gates

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My character “Brother Tarsus” from Arcātheos

 

THIS week, I am rejoining my companions in the realm of Lumenorus at Arcātheos as “Brother Tarsus”. It is a Catholic boys camp situated at the base of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and is unlike any boys camp I’ve ever seen.Continue reading →

Real Food, Real Presence

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IF we seek Jesus, the Beloved, we should seek Him where He is. And where He is, is there, on the altars of His Church. Why then is He not surrounded by thousands of believers every day in the Masses said throughout the world? Is it because even we Catholics no longer believe that His Body is Real Food and His Blood, Real Presence?Continue reading →

Seeking the Beloved

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for July 22nd, 2017
Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

Liturgical texts here

 

IT is always beneath the surface, calling, beckoning, stirring, and leaving me utterly restless. It is the invitation to union with God. It leaves me restless because I know that I have not yet taken the plunge “into the deep”. I love God, but not yet with my whole heart, soul, and strength. And yet, this is what I am made for, and so… I am restless, until I rest in Him.Continue reading →

When the Weeds Begin to Head

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Foxtail in my pasture

 

I received an email from a distraught reader over an article that appeared recently in Teen Vogue magazine titled: “Anal Sex: What You Need to Know”. The article went on to encourage young people to explore sodomy as if it were as physically harmless and morally benign as clipping one’s toenails. As I pondered that article—and the thousands of headlines I’ve read over the past decade or so since this writing apostolate began, articles which essentially narrate the collapse of Western civilization—a parable came to mind. The parable of my pastures…Continue reading →

Divine Encounters

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for July 19th, 2017
Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Liturgical texts here

 

THERE are times during the Christian journey, like Moses in today’s first reading, that you will walk through a spiritual desert, when everything seems dry, the surroundings desolate, and the soul almost dead. It is a time of testing of one’s faith and trust in God. St. Teresa of Calcutta knew it well. Continue reading →

The Scandal

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First published March 25th, 2010. 

 

FOR decades now, as I noted in When the State Sanctions Child Abuse, Catholics have had to endure a never-ending stream of news headlines announcing scandal after scandal in the priesthood. “Priest Accused of…”, “Cover Up”, “Abuser Moved From Parish to Parish…” and on and on. It is heartbreaking, not only to the lay faithful, but to fellow-priests. It is such a profound abuse of power from the man in persona Christi—in the person of Christ—that one is often left in stunned silence, trying to comprehend how this is not just a rare case here and there, but of a much greater frequency than first imagined.

As a result, the faith as such becomes unbelievable, and the Church can no longer present herself credibly as the herald of the Lord. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Light of the World, A Conversation with Peter Seewald, p. 25

Continue reading →

The Paralysis of Despair

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for July 6th, 2017
Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Opt. Memorial of St. Maria Goretti

Liturgical texts here

 

THERE are many things in life that can cause us to despair, but none, perhaps, as much as our own faults.Continue reading →

Who Are You to Judge?

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OPT. MEMORIAL OF
THE FIRST MARTYRS OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH

 

“WHO are you to judge?”

Sounds virtuous, doesn’t it? But when these words are used to deflect from taking a moral stand, to wash one’s hands of responsibility for others, to remain uncommitted in the face of injustice… then it is cowardice. Moral relativism is cowardice. And today, we are awash in cowards—and the consequences are no small thing. Pope Benedict calls it…Continue reading →

Courage… to the End

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for June 29th, 2017
Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Liturgical texts here

 

TWO years ago, I wrote The Growing Mob. I said then that ‘the zeitgeist has shifted; there is a growing boldness and intolerance sweeping through the courts, flooding the media, and spilling out onto the streets. Yes, the time is right to silence the Church. These sentiments have existed for some time now, decades even. But what is new is that they have gained the power of the mob, and when it reaches this stage, the anger and intolerance begin to move very fast.’Continue reading →

When the State Sanctions Child Abuse

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Toronto Pride Parade, Andrew Chin/Getty Images

 

Open your mouth for the dumb,
and for the causes of all the children that pass.
(Proverbs 31:8)

 

First published June 27th, 2017. 

 

FOR years, we as Catholics have endured one of the greatest scourges to ever grip the Church in her 2000 year history—the widespread sexual abuse of children at the hands of some priests. The damage it did to these little ones, and then, to the faith of millions of Catholics, and then, to the credibility of the Church at large, is nearly inestimable.Continue reading →

The Need for Jesus

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SOMETIMES the discussion of God, religion, truth, freedom, divine laws, etc. can cause us to lose sight of the fundamental message of Christianity: not only do we need Jesus in order to be saved, but we need Him in order to be happy.Continue reading →

The Blue Butterfly

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A recent debate I had with a few atheists inspired this story… The Blue Butterfly symbolizes the presence of God. 

 

HE sat at the edge of the circular cement pond in the middle of the park, a fountain trickling away at its center. His cupped hands were raised in front of his eyes. Peter gazed through a tiny crack as though he were looking into the face of his first love. Inside, he held a treasure: a blue butterfly.Continue reading →

Making Way for Angels

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for June 7th, 2017
Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Liturgical texts here 

 

SOMETHING remarkable happens when we give praise to God: His ministering angels are released in our midst.Continue reading →

The Old Man

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for June 5th, 2017
Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of St. Boniface

Liturgical texts here

 

THE ancient Romans never lacked the most brutal of punishments for criminals. Flogging and crucifixion were among their more notorious cruelties. But there is another… that of binding a corpse to the back of a convicted murderer. Under penalty of death, no one was allowed to remove it. And thus, the condemned criminal would eventually become infected and die.Continue reading →

The Unforeseeable Fruit of Abandonment

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for June 3rd, 2017
Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions

Liturgical texts here

 

IT rarely seems that any good can come of suffering, especially in the midst of it. Moreover, there are times when, according to our own reasoning, the path that we’ve set forward would bring about the most good. “If I get this job, then… if I am physically healed, then… if I go there, then….” Continue reading →

Climate Change and The Great Delusion

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First published December, 2015 on…

THE MEMORIAL OF ST. AMBROSE
and
VIGIL OF THE JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY 

 

I received a letter this week (June 2017) from a man who worked for decades with large corporations as an agronomist and agricultural financial analyst. And then, he writes…

It was through that experience that I noticed that trends, policies, corporate training and management techniques were going in a curiously nonsensical direction. It was this movement away from common sense and reason that drove me to questioning and searching for truth, that led me much closer to God…

Continue reading →

Finishing the Course

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 30th, 2017
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Liturgical texts here

 

HERE was a man who hated Jesus Christ… until he encountered Him. Meeting Pure Love will do that to you. St. Paul went from taking the lives of Christians, to suddenly offering his life as one of them. In stark contrast to today’s “martyrs of Allah”, who cowardly hide their faces and strap bombs on themselves to kill innocent folks, St. Paul revealed true martyrdom: to give oneself for the other. He did not hide either himself or the Gospel, in imitation of his Savior.Continue reading →

True Evangelization

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 24th, 2017
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Liturgical texts here

 

THERE has been much hullabaloo since Pope Francis’ comments a few years back denouncing proselytism—the attempt to convert someone to one’s own religious faith. For those who did not scrutinize his actual statement, it caused confusion because, bringing souls to Jesus Christ—that is, into Christianity—is precisely why the Church exists. So either Pope Francis was abandoning the Church’s Great Commission, or perhaps he meant something else.Continue reading →

Peace in Hardships

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 16th, 2017
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Liturgical texts here

 

SAINT Seraphim of Sarov once said, “Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you, thousands will be saved.” Maybe this is another reason why the world remains unmoved by Christians today: we too are restless, worldly, fearful, or unhappy. But in today’s Mass readings, Jesus and St. Paul provide the key to becoming truly peaceful men and women.Continue reading →

On False Humility

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 15th, 2017
Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Opt. Memorial of St. Isidore

Liturgical texts here

 

THERE was a moment while preaching at a conference recently that I felt a slight self-satisfaction in what I was doing “for the Lord.” That night, I reflected on my words and impulses. I felt shame and horror that I might have, in even a subtle way, attempted to steal a single ray of God’s glory—a worm trying to wear the King’s Crown. I thought about St. Pio’s sage advice as I repented of my ego:Continue reading →

The Great Harvest

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…behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat… (Luke 22:31)

 

EVERYWHERE I go, I see it; I am reading it in your letters; and I am living it in my own experiences: there is a spirit of division afoot in the world that is driving families and relationships apart like never before. On the national scale, the gulf between the so-called “left” and “right” has widened, and the animosities between them have a reached a hostile, nearly revolutionary pitch. Whether it is seemingly impassable differences between family members, or ideological divides growing within nations, something has shifted in the spiritual realm as if a great sifting is occurring. Servant of God Bishop Fulton Sheen seemed to think so, already, last century:Continue reading →

A Crisis of Community

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 9th, 2017
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Liturgical texts here

 

ONE of the most fascinating aspects of the early Church is that, after Pentecost, they immediately, almost instinctively, formed community. They sold everything they had and held it in common so that everyone’s needs were cared for. And yet, no where do we see an explicit command from Jesus to do as such. It was so radical, so contrary to the thinking of the time, that these early communities transformed the world around them.Continue reading →