Mark’s testimony concludes with Part V today. To read Parts I-IV, click on My Testimony. NOT only did the Lord want me to unequivocally know the value of one soul, but also how much I was going to need to trust in Him. For my ministry was about to be called in a direction I […]
The Breezy Point Madonna, Mark Lennihan/Associated Press “NOTHING good ever happens after midnight,” my wife says. After nearly 27 years of marriage, this maxim has proven itself true: don’t try to sort out your difficulties when you should be sleeping.
Peace Be Still, by Arnold Friberg FROM time to time, I receive letters like these: Please pray for me. I am so weak and my sins of the flesh, especially alcohol, strangle me. You could simply replace alcohol with “pornography”, “lust”, “anger” or a number of other things. The fact is that many Christians today […]
Peace is not merely the absence of war… Peace is “the tranquillity of order.” —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2304 EVEN now, even as time spins faster and faster and the pace of life demands more; even now as tensions between spouses and families increase; even now as cordial dialogue between individuals disintegrates and […]
Saul attacking David, Guercino (1591-1666) Regarding my article on The Anti-Mercy, someone felt that I was not critical enough of Pope Francis. “Confusion is not from God,” they wrote. No, confusion is not from God. But God can use confusion to sift and purify His Church. I think this is precisely what is happening at this […]
Justin Trudeau at Gay Pride Parade, Vancouver, 2016; Ben Nelms/Reuters HISTORY shows that when men or women aspire to the leadership of a country, they almost always come with an ideology—and aspire to leave with a legacy. Few are just mere managers. Whether they are Vladimir Lenin, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Adolf […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for November 22nd, 2017 Wednesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Cecilia, Martyr Liturgical texts here TRUSTING THE first sin of Adam and Eve was not eating the “forbidden fruit.” Rather, it was that they broke trust with the Creator—trust that He had their best interests, their […]
Sunset in the eye of a hurricane SEVERAL years ago, I sensed the Lord say that there was a Great Storm coming upon the earth, like a hurricane. But this Storm would not be one of mother nature, but one created by man himself: an economic, social, and political storm that would change the […]
The following is written by Mark Mallett, a former television journalist in Canada and award-winning documentarian. THE Ruini Commission, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to study the apparitions of Medjugorje, has ruled overwhelmingly that the first seven apparitions were “supernatural”, according to the leaked findings reported in Vatican Insider. Pope Francis called the Commission’s report […]
Medjugorje visionary, Mirjana Soldo, Photo courtesy LaPresse “WHY did you quote that unapproved private revelation?” It’s a question I get asked on occasion. Moreover, rarely do I see an adequate answer to it, even among the Church’s best apologists. The question itself betrays a serious deficit in catechesis among average Catholics when it comes […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for October 26th, 2017 Thursday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Liturgical texts here IT seems to me that the world is moving faster and faster. Everything is like a whirlwind, spinning and whipping and tossing the soul about like a leaf in a hurricane. What is strange is […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for October 21st, 2017 Saturday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Liturgical texts here IT can be a terrifying thing to feel your faith in Christ waning. Perhaps you are one of those people.
MANY feel that Pope Francis’ announcement declaring a “Jubilee of Mercy” from Dec. 8th, 2015 to Nov. 20th, 2016 bore greater significance than may first have appeared. The reason being is that it is one of numerous signs converging all at once. That hit home for me also as I reflected on the Jubilee […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for October 17th, 2017 Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Opt. Memorial St. Ignatius of Antioch Liturgical texts here AFTER a warm cordial greeting to the Romans, St. Paul turns on a cold shower to awaken his readers:
Mass Shooting, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 1, 2017; David Becker/Getty Images My older daughter sees many beings good and bad [angels] in battle. She has spoken many times about how its an all out war and its only getting bigger and the different kinds of beings. Our Lady appeared to her in a dream […]
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. […]
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 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, […]
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; […]
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 […]
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 […]
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… […]
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 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.
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, […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
…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 […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for May 2nd, 2017 Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter Memorial of St. Athanasius Liturgical texts here THERE is a scene in one of Michael D. O’Brien’s novels that I have never forgotten—when a priest is being tortured for his faithfulness. [1]Eclipse of the Sun, Ignatius Press […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for April 29th, 2017 Saturday of the Second Week of Easter Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena Liturgical texts here IF time feels as if it is speeding up, prayer is what will “slow” it down.
Mark in concert with wife Lea WARM Easter greetings! I wanted to take a moment during these celebrations of Christ’s Resurrection to update you on some important changes here and upcoming events.
Jesus Walking on Water by Michael D. O’Brien THERE is an underlying theme I try to weave throughout all the aspects of my ministry: Be not afraid! For it carries within it the seeds of both reality and hope:
ON THE SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY To repent is not just to acknowledge that I have done wrong; it is to turn my back on the wrong and start incarnating the Gospel. On this hinges the future of Christianity in the world today. The world does not believe […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for March 16–17th, 2017 Thursday-Friday of the Second Week of Lent Liturgical texts here JADED. Disappointed. Betrayed… those are some of the feelings many have after watching one failed prediction after another in recent years. We were told the “millenium” computer bug, or Y2K, would bring the end […]
The Heart of Jesus Christ, Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta; R. Mulata (20th century) WHAT you are about to read has the potential to not only set women, but in particular, men free from undue burden, and radically change the course of your life. That’s the power of God’s Word…
IT was the most cunning of lies in the Garden of Eden… You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of [the fruit of the tree of knowledge] your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil. […]
Photo by EPA, at 6pm in Rome, February 11th, 2013 AS a young man, I dreamed of being a singer/songwriter, of dedicating my life to music. But it seemed too unrealistic and impractical. And so I went into mechanical engineering—a profession that paid well, but was totally unsuitable to my gifts and disposition. After […]
THE “culture of death”, that Great Culling and The Great Poisoning, are not the final word. The havoc wreaked upon the planet by man is not the final say on human affairs. For neither the New nor the Old Testament speak of the end of the world after the influence and reign of the “beast.” Rather, they speak of […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 13th-15th, 2017 Liturgical texts here Cain slaying Abel, Titian, c. 1487—1576 This is an important writing for you and your family. It is an address to the hour in which humanity is now living. I have combined three meditations in one so that the flow of […]
Refugees, courtesy Associated Press IT is one of the most volatile topics in the world right now—and one of the least balanced discussions at that: refugees, and what do with the overwhelming exodus. St. John Paul II called the issue “perhaps the greatest tragedy of all the human tragedies of our time.” [1]Address to Refugees in Exile […]
While writing about the Storm of Fear, Temptation, Division, and Confusion recently, the writing below was lingering in the back of my mind. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says to the Apostles, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” [1]Mark 6:31 There is so much happening, so fast in our world as we approach the Eye of the Storm, that […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Wednesday, February 1st, 2017 Liturgical texts here Peter’s Denial, by Michael D. O’Brien IT’s a bit surprising, really. After speaking with astounding wisdom and performing mighty deeds, onlookers could only sneer and say, “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?”