He Wants to Touch Us
Artist Unknown ON the first night of my missions in Louisiana this past autumn, a woman approached me afterward, her eyes wide open, her mouth agape. “I saw her,” she quietly whispered. “I saw the Blessed Mother.”
Search Results for: Pope francis
Going to the Extremes
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 11th, 2015 Friday of the Second Week of Advent Liturgical texts here THE real danger at this hour in the world is not that there is so much confusion, but that we would get caught up in it ourselves. In fact, panic, fear, and compulsive reactions are part […]
The Beast Beyond Compare
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor November 23rd-28th, 2015 Liturgical texts here THE Mass readings this week that address the signs of the “end times” will no doubt evoke the familiar, if not easy dismissal that “everyone thinks their times are the end times.” Right? We’ve all heard that repeated again and again. That […]
The Seedbed of This Revolution
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for November 9th-21st, 2015 Liturgical texts here Dear brothers and sisters, this and the next writing deal with the Revolution spreading globally in our world. They are knowledge, important knowledge to understand what is taking place around us. As Jesus once said, “I have told you this so […]
Our Lady of the Cab Ride
HE was a Muslim, and he was angry. As my fifteen minute cab ride unfolded, the young, stocky Islamic man at the wheel did not mince words.
He is Our Healing
Healing Touch by Frank P. Ordaz BEHIND this writing apostolate is a whole other level of ministry that happens through my personal correspondence with souls from around the world. And lately, there is a consistent thread of fear, even though that fear is for different reasons.
The Dipping Dish
Judas dips into bowl, artist unknown PAPAL palpitations are continuing to give way to anxious questions, conspiracies, and fear that the Barque of Peter is heading for rocky shoals. The fears tend to revolve around why the Pope gave some clerical positions to “liberals” or let them take key roles in the recent Synod […]
Papalotry?
Pope Francis in the Philippines (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) papalotry |pāpǝlätrē|: the belief or stance that everything the Pope says or does is without error. I’VE been getting bagfuls of letters, very concerned letters, since the Synod on the Family began in Rome last year. That stream of worry didn’t let up the past […]
Five Keys to True Joy
IT was a gorgeous deep-blue sky as our plane began the descent to the airport. As I peered out my little window, the brilliance of the cumulus clouds made me squint. It was a beautiful sight. But as we plunged beneath the clouds, the world suddenly turned gray. Rain streaked across my window as the […]
Sorrow of Sorrows
THE past few weeks, two crucifixes and a statue of Mary in our home have had their hands broken off—at least two of them inexplicably. In fact, just about every statue in our home has a missing hand. It reminded me of a writing I did on this on February 13th, 2007. I think it […]
World-Weariness
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Monday, October 5th, 2015 Opt. Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Liturgical texts here The Hauler of a Boat, by Honoré Daumier, (1808-1879) WE are living at an hour when many souls have grown weary, very weary. And though our weariness may be the fruit of a […]
How Do You Hide a Tree?
“HOW do you hide a tree?” I thought for moment about my spiritual director’s question. “In a forest?” Indeed, he went on to say, “Likewise, Satan has raised a tumult of false voices in order to obscure the authentic voice of the Lord.”
The Hour of the Exiles
Syrian refugees, Getty Images “A MORAL tsunami has swept through the world,” I said ten years ago to the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Violet, Louisiana. “But there is another wave coming—a spiritual tsunami, which will sweep many people out of these pews.” Two weeks later, a 35 foot wall of water […]
You Are Also Called
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Monday, September 21st, 2015 Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist Liturgical texts here THERE is a model of the Church today that is long overdue for an overhaul. And it is this: that the pastor of the parish is the “minister” and the flock are mere […]
The Scandal of Mercy
The Sinful Woman, by Jeff Hein SHE wrote to apologize for being so rude. We had been debating on a country music forum about excessive sexuality in music videos. She accused me of being rigid, frigid, and repressed. I, on the other hand, tried to defend the beauty of sexuality in sacramental marriage, of monogamy, […]
The Triumph – Part II
I WANT to give a message of hope—tremendous hope. I continue to receive letters in which readers are despairing as they watch the continual decline and exponential decay of society around them. We hurt because the world is in a downward spiral into a darkness unparalleled in history. We feel pangs because it […]
Like a Thief in the Night
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Thursday, August 27th, 2015 Memorial of St. Monica Liturgical texts here “STAY AWAKE!” Those are the opening words in today’s Gospel. “For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
Personal Relationship With Jesus
First published October 5th, 2006. ith my writings of late on the Pope, the Catholic Church, the Blessed Mother, and the understanding of how divine truth flows, not through personal interpretation, but through the teaching authority of Jesus, I received the expected emails and criticisms from non-Catholics (or rather, ex-Catholics). They have interpreted […]
Rekindling Love for Jesus
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Wednesday, August 19th, 2015 Opt. Memorial of St. John Eudes Liturgical texts here IT is palpable: the body of Christ is tired. There are so many loads that many are carrying in this hour. For one, our own sins and the myriad temptations we face in a […]
The Parallel Deception
THE words were clear, intense, and repeated several times in my heart after Pope Benedict XVI resigned: You have entered dangerous days… It was the sense that great confusion was going to come upon the Church and the world. And oh, how the past year and a half has lived up to that word! […]
Keeper of the Storm
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Tuesday, June 30th, 2015Opt. Memorial of The First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church Liturgical texts here “Peace Be Still” by Arnold Friberg LAST week, I took some time off to take my family camping, something we rarely get to do. I set aside the Pope’s new encyclical, […]
Listening to Christ
NOT since Humanae Vitae has there perhaps been an encyclical letter that has generated more angst, more concern, more anticipation than Laudato si’. I have printed it off and will spend the weekend reading and meditating upon it.
The Testing
Gideon, sifting his men, by James Tissot (1806-1932) As we prepare for the release of a new encyclical this week, my thoughts have been drifting back to the Synod and the series of writings I did then, particularly The Five Corrections and this one below. What I find most notable in this pontificate of Pope Francis, is […]
Will You Leave Them for Dead?
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Monday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time, June 1st, 2015 Memorial of St. Justin Liturgical texts here FEAR, brothers and sisters, is silencing the Church in many places and thus imprisoning truth. The cost of our trepidation can be counted in souls: men and women left […]
On Gay Marriage
THE HARD TRUTH – PART II WHY? Why would the Catholic Church be against love? That is the question many people ask when it comes to the Church’s prohibition against gay marriage. Two people want to get married because they love each other. Why not?
The Spirit of Truth
Dove released by Pope Francis attacked by a crow, January 27th, 2014; AP Photo ALL over the world, hundreds of millions of Catholics gathered this past Pentecost Sunday and heard the Gospel proclaimed: …when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. (John 16:13) Jesus did not say “Spirit […]
Belle, and Training for Courage
Belle SHE’s my horse. She’s adorable. She tries so hard to please, to do the right thing… but Belle is scared of just about everything. Well, that makes two of us. You see, almost thirty years ago, my only sister was killed in a car accident. From that day on, I began to be […]
Standing With Christ
Photo by Al Hayat, AFP-Getty THE past two weeks, I have taken time, as I said I would, to ponder my ministry, its direction, and my personal journey. I’ve received many letters in that time filled with encouragement and prayer, and I am truly grateful for the love and support of many brothers and […]
On My Ministry
THIS past Lent was a blessing for me to journey with tens of thousands of priests and laymen alike all over the world through the daily Mass meditations I wrote. It was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. As such, I need to take some quiet time to reflect upon many things in my ministry […]
Silencing the Prophets
In memory of the prophetic witness of the Christian martyrs of 2015 THERE is a strange cloud over the Church, especially in the Western world—one that is sapping the life and fruitfulness of the Body of Christ. And it is this: the inability to hear, recognize, or discern the prophetic voice of the […]
The Stripping
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Thursday of Holy Week, April 2nd, 2015Evening Mass of the Last Supper Liturgical texts here JESUS was stripped three times during His Passion. The first time was at the Last Supper; the second when they clothed Him in a military cloak; [1]cf. Matt 27:28 and the third time, […]
When the Spirit Comes
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 17th, 2015St. Patrick’s Day Liturgical texts here THE Holy Spirit. Have you met this Person yet? There is the Father and the Son, yes, and it is easy for us to imagine them because of Christ’s face and the image […]
It is Living!
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 16th, 2015 Liturgical texts here WHEN the official comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal his son, the Lord replies: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come […]
Opening Wide the Doors of Mercy
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Saturday of the Third Week of Lent, March 14th, 2015 Liturgical texts here Due to the surprise announcement by Pope Francis yesterday, today’s reflection is slightly longer. However, I think you will find its contents worth reflecting on… THERE is a certain sense building, not only among […]
Sheathing the Sword
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Friday of the Third Week of Lent, March 13th, 2015 Liturgical texts here The Angel atop St. Angelo’s Castle in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy THERE is a legendary account of a pestilence that broke out in Rome in 590 A.D. due to a flood, and Pope Pelagius II […]
The Progression of Totalitarianism
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Thursday of the Third Week of Lent, March 12th, 2015 Liturgical texts here Joseph Sold Into Slavery by His Brothers by Damiano Mascagni (1579-1639) WITH the death of logic, we are not far from when not only truth, but Christians themselves, will be banished from the public sphere […]
Pray More, Speak Less
I could have written this for the past week. First published THE Synod on the family in Rome last autumn was the beginning of a firestorm of attacks, assumptions, judgments, grumbling, and suspicions against Pope Francis. I set everything aside, and for several weeks responded to reader’s concerns, media distortions, and most especially distortions […]
The Right Spiritual Steps
THE RIGHT SPIRITUAL STEPS: Your Duty in God’s Imminent Plan of Holiness Through His Mother by Anthony Mullen YOU have been drawn to this website to be prepared: the ultimate preparation is to be really and truly transformed into Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Spiritual Motherhood and […]
Bearers of Love
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Thursday of the Second Week of Lent, March 5th, 2015 Liturgical texts here TRUTH without charity is like a blunt sword that cannot pierce the heart. It might cause people to feel pain, to duck, to think, or step away from it, but Love is what sharpens truth […]
The Way of Contradiction
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Saturday of the First Week of Lent, February 28th, 2015 Liturgical texts here I listened to Canada’s state radio broadcaster, the CBC, on the ride home last night. The host of the show interviewed “astonished” guests who could not believe that a Canadian Member of Parliament admitted to […]
The Most Important Prophecy
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Wednesday of the First Week of Lent, February 25th, 2015 Liturgical texts here THERE is a lot of chatter today about when this or that prophecy will be fulfilled, particularly over the next few years. But I frequently ponder on the fact that tonight might be my last […]
The Great Adventure
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Monday of the First Week of Lent, February 23rd, 2015 Liturgical texts here IT is from a total and complete abandonment to God that something beautiful happens: all those securities and attachments that you clung desperately to, but leave in His hands, are exchanged for the supernatural life […]
Me?
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Saturday after Ash Wednesday, February 21st, 2015 Liturgical texts here IF you really stop to think about it, to really absorb what just happened in today’s Gospel, it should revolutionize your life.
My Young Priests, Be Not Afraid!
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Wednesday, February 4th, 2015 Liturgical texts here AFTER Mass today, the words came strongly to me: My young priests, do not be afraid! I have put you in place, like seeds scattered among fertile soil. Do not be afraid to preach My Name! Do not be afraid to […]
Fruits and Thoughts
ONE day to go before, what is now, a twenty-date concert tour begins. I am excited, because I sensed when my latest album was produced, that these songs would begin healing in many souls. Then along came Pope Francis calling the Church to become a “field hospital” for the wounded. [1]cf. The Field Hospital And so, on Tuesday my wife […]