I received a number of letters and comments over the weekend from my American friends, nearly all of them cordial and hopeful. I get the sense that some feel I am a bit of a “wet rag” in suggesting that the revolutionary spirit afoot in our world today has not nearly run its course, […]
A word that has given me strength for many years now came from Our Lady in the famed apparitions of Medjugorje. Mirroring the urging of Vatican II and the contemporary popes, she also called us to look at the “signs of the times”, as she implored in 2006: My children, do you not recognize the […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Thursday, October 27th, 2016 Liturgical texts here St. John Paul II on a prayer walk near Edmonton, Alberta (Arturo Mari; The Canadian Press) IT came to me a few years ago, as clear as a flash of lightning: it will only be by God’s grace that His children will […]
Photo by Janice Matuch A friend connected to the underground Church in China told me of this incident not long ago: Two mountain villagers descended into a Chinese city looking for a specific female leader of the underground Church there. This elderly husband and wife were not Christians. But in a vision, they were given […]
Litany of Humility by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being extolled, Deliver […]
PART I The Monastery of the Trinitarians of Mary, Tecate, Mexico ONE might be forgiven for thinking that Tecate, Mexico is the “armpit of Hell.” By day, temperatures can reach nearly 40 degrees Celsius in the summer. The land is pocked with massive rocks making agriculture nearly impossible. Even so, rain rarely visits the […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Friday, September 1st – 2nd, 2016 Liturgical texts here Associated Press I have returned from Mexico, and am eager to share with you the powerful experience and words that came to me in prayer. But first, to address the concerns noted in a few letters this past month…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Wednesday, August 17th, 2016 Liturgical texts here Our Lady of Grace and the Masters of the Order of Montesa Spanish School (15th century) I AM so blessed, in many ways, by the present mission Jesus has given me in writing you. One day, over tens years ago, the […]
Pope Francis opening “doors of mercy”, December 8th, 2015, St. Peter’s, Rome Photo: Maurizio Brambatti/European Pressphoto Agency FROM the very beginning of his pontificate, when he refused the pomp that often accompanies the papal office, Francis has not failed to stir controversy. With deliberation, the Holy Father has purposely tried to model a different […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Friday, August 12th, 2016Opt. Memorial of St. Frances de Chantal Liturgical texts here SEVERAL years ago during the pontificate of St. John Paul II, Cardinal Carlo Caffara (Archbishop of Bologna) received a letter from Fatima visionary, Sr. Lucia. In it, she described what the “Final Confrontation” would be […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor Thursday, August 4th, 2016Memorial of St. Jean Vianney, Priest Liturgical texts here EVERY day, I receive an email from someone who is upset by something Pope Francis has recently said. Every day. People aren’t sure how to cope with the constant flow of papal statements and perspectives that seem at odds […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Tuesday, June 28th, 2016 Memorial of St. Irenaeus Liturgical texts here LOOKING over his shoulder at the past 2000 years, and then, the times directly ahead, John Paul II made a profound statement: The world at the approach of a new millennium, for which the whole Church […]
Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images WHAT would it be like to stand in the winds of a hurricane as the eye of the storm approached? According to those who have been through it, there is a constant roar, debris and dust are flying everywhere, and you can barely keep your eyes open; it is hard to stand […]
By Mark Mallett “THAT Pope Francis!” Bill slammed his fist on the table, turning a few heads in the process. Fr. Gabriel smiled wryly. “What now Bill?” “Splash! Did you hear that?” Kevin quipped, leaning across the table, his hand cupped over his ear. “Another Catholic jumping over the Barque of Peter!”
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for Tuesday, June 14th, 2016Liturgical texts here POPE Francis has thrown open wide the “doors” of the Church in this Jubilee of Mercy, which has passed the halfway mark as of last month. But we might be tempted to deep discouragement, if not fear, as we see not […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for June 7th, 2016 Liturgical texts here Elijah Sleeping, by Michael D. O’Brien THESE are the days of Elijah, that is, the hour of a prophetic witness being called forth by the Holy Spirit. It is going to take on many facets—from the fulfillment of apparitions, to the prophetic […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for June 6th, 2016 Liturgical texts here TO the point: we are entering a period where the earth is plunging into a great darkness, where the light of truth is being eclipsed by the moon of moral relativism. In case one thinks such a statement is fantasy, I […]
The Last Trumpet, photo by Joel Bornzin I have been shaken today, literally, by the voice of the Lord speaking in the depths of my soul; shaken by His inexpressible grief; shaken by the deep concern He has for those in the Church who have utterly fallen asleep.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for May 31st, 2016 Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Liturgical texts here Visitation, by Franz Anton Pmaulbertsch (1724-1796) WHEN this present and coming Trial is over, a smaller but purified Church will emerge in a more purified world. There will rise from her soul a song of praise… the […]
AP Photo THE events unfolding around the globe tend to set off a flurry of speculation and even panic among some Christians that now is the time to buy supplies and head for the hills. Without a doubt, the string of natural disasters around the globe, the looming food crisis with drought and the collapse […]
“Two Deaths”, by Michael D. O’Brien IN a response to my article Fear, Fire, and a “Rescue”?, Charlie Johnston wrote At Sea with his perspective on future events, thereby sharing with readers more of the private dialogues we’ve had in the past. This provides, I think, a crucial opportunity to underscore some of the most important aspects of […]
I have received many letters asking me to comment on Amoris Laetitia, the Pope’s recent Apostolic Exhortation. I have done so in a new section in the greater context of this writing from July 29th, 2015. If I had a trumpet, I would blare this writing through it… I often hear both Catholics […]
from Pentecost by El Greco (1596) OF course, a reflection on the “gift of tongues” is going to stir controversy. And this doesn’t surprise me since it is probably the most misunderstood of all charisms. And so, I hope to answer some of the questions and comments I’ve received over the past few days on this […]
Christ and the Good Thief, Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), c. 1566 THERE is so much confusion today as to what “love” and “mercy” and “compassion” mean. So much so that even the Church in many places has lost her clarity, the force of truth that at once beckons sinners and repels them. This is no more evident […]
THERE is a far greater plan behind the Lenten Retreat which so many of you just participated in. The call at this hour to intense prayer, the renewal of the mind, and faithfulness to the Word of God is actually a preparation for Reign—the reign of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in […]
BASKING in the warmth of the charcoal fire Jesus has lit through our Lenten Retreat; sitting in the glow of His nearness and Presence; listening to the ripples of His ineffable Mercy gently caressing the shore of my heart… I have a few random thoughts left over from our forty days of reflection.
LENTEN RETREAT Day 40 AND so, we have come to the end of our retreat… but I assure you, it is just the beginning: the beginning of the great battle of our times. It is the beginning of what St. John Paul II called…
LENTEN RETREAT Day 39 IT’s certainly possible to purchase a hot air balloon, set it all up, turn on the propane, and begin to inflate it, doing it all on one’s own. But with the help of another experienced aviator, it would become so much easier, quicker and safer to get into the skies.
LENTEN RETREAT Day 38 THUS far in our retreat, I have mainly focused on the interior life. But as I said a few days ago, the spiritual life is not only a calling into communion with God, but a commission to go out into the world and…
LENTEN RETREAT Day 36 THE “hot air balloon” represents one’s heart; the “gondola basket” is the will of God; the “propane” is the Holy Spirit; and the two “burners” of love of God and neighbour, when lit by the “pilot light” of our desire, fill our hearts with the Flame of Love, enabling us to soar […]
LENTEN RETREAT Day 25 The Temptation by Eric Armusik I remember a scene from the film The Passion of the Christ when Jesus kisses the cross after they place it on His shoulders. That’s because He knew His suffering would redeem the world. Likewise, some of the saints in the early Church deliberately traveled to […]
LENTEN RETREAT Day 24 WHAT a gift we have through the Sacrament of Baptism: the innocence of a soul is restored. And should we sin after that, the Sacrament of Penance restores that innocence again. God wants you and me to be innocent because He delights in the beauty of a pristine soul, re-made again […]
LENTEN RETREAT Day 16 THERE is a reason, brothers and sisters, why I feel Heaven wants to do this Lenten Retreat this year, that up until now, I have not voiced. But I feel this is the moment to speak about it. The reason is that a violent spiritual Storm is bearing down all around […]
LENTEN RETREAT Day 14 SALVATION is a gift, a pure gift from God that no one earns. It is freely given because “God so loved world.” [1]John 3:16 In one of the more moving revelations from Jesus to St. Faustina, He beckons: Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy […]
LENTEN RETREAT Day 8 IT is one thing to have self-knowledge; to see clearly the reality of one’s spiritual poverty, lack of virtue, or deficit in charity—in a word, to see the abyss of one’s misery. But self-knowledge alone is not enough. It must be wed to humility in order for grace to take effect. Compare […]
LENTEN RETREATDay 3 Dear friends, this is not the meditation I had planned for today. However, I have been dealing with one little crisis after another for the past two weeks and, in truth, have been writing these meditations after midnight, averaging only four hours sleep a night the past week. I am exhausted. And […]
LENTEN RETREAT Day 2 NEW! I am now adding podcasts to this Lenten Retreat (including yesterday). Scroll to the bottom to listen through the media player. BEFORE I can write further, I sense Our Lady saying that, unless we have faith in God, nothing in our spiritual lives will change. Or as St. Paul put it… […]
LENTEN RETREAT Day 1 ASH WEDNESDAY by Commander Richard Brehn, NOAA Corps Scroll to the bottom to listen to the podcast of each meditation if you wish. Remember, you can find each day here: Prayer Retreat. WE are living in extraordinary times. And in the midst of them, here you are. No doubt, you probably […]
by Shawn Van Deale THERE is no other word to describe what is happening in our world today: madness. Sheer madness. Let us call a spade a spade, or as St. Paul says, Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them… (Eph 5:11) …or as St. John Paul II bluntly […]
THERE once was a Great Ship that sat in the spiritual harbour of Jerusalem. Its Captain was Peter with eleven Lieutenants at his side. They had been given a Great Commission by their Admiral:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 11th – 16th, 2016 Liturgical texts here THIS call “out of Babylon” into the desert, into the wilderness, into asceticism is truly a call into battle. For to leave Babylon is to resist temptation and to break at last with sin. And this presents a direct threat […]
HOW can we, as Christians, live in this world without being consumed by it? How can we remain pure of heart in a generation that is immersed in impurity? How can we become holy in an era of unholiness?
I AM receiving many letters at this time asking me about Charlie Johnston, Locutions.org, and other “seers” who claim to receive messages from Our Lady, angels, or even Our Lord. I am frequently being asked, “What do you think of this prediction or that?” Perhaps this is a good moment, then, to speak on […]
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 NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 9th, 2015 Opt. Memorial of St. Juan Diego Liturgical texts here Elijah Fed by an Angel, by Ferdinand Bol (c. 1660 – 1663) IN prayer this morning, a gentle Voice spoke to my heart: Just enough to keep you going. Just enough to strengthen your heart. […]