Reflections (Page 2)

One of the great preachers through whom God really speaks to me is the famous American preacher Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. His anointed words still touch my heart and give me God’s saving perspective in my life. Holy Week is a splendid opportunity for us to let people like Fulton Sheen journey with us. This famous creator and host of several television and radio programs throughout the American country has alot to teach us concerning the Holy Week. To…

As human persons, God (potentially) gives us five senses: …to See, to Hear, to Touch, to Smell, and to Taste. Given these gifts, we note that we are different than the angels. Unlike our heavenly helpers, who are purely spiritual beings, we humans have been created with both spirit (soul) and matter (body). According to the Baltimore Catechism, “a sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to bring grace.” In each of the 7 Sacraments, God (through His Church) uses physical…

In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death… (Hebrews 5:7) This powerful statement underlines forcefully how close to our flesh, to our predicaments, to our fears, to our anguish God made himself in the flesh of his only begotten Son, Jesus. We must be heartened by Jesus’ loud cries and tears to ponder existential questions that we might…

Once upon a time there was a widowed mother whose only family member was her son, and she loved him with all her heart. The boy grew up, and as a young man entered the army and went off to war. One day the woman received the tragic news that her son had died in battle. She was heartbroken and had no one to console her. Having a deep faith in God, she prayed, “O Lord, I need to see him again—just for five…

Decades ago, a familiar sign held by bold believers at major sports events, simply read “John 3:16.” For those unfamiliar with the Bible, it refers to these words: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” But what are we to understand by the words “everyone who believes in him?” Taking into consideration the pattern of Jesus’ public life and his horrific…

In October 2021, a pregnant girl in South America was considering abortion, but she changed her mind; because of the loving support of pro-life volunteers and priests at a women’s shelter run by the Church, she decided to have her baby. This infuriated a group of radical, pro-abortion feminists, and they reacted by spraying red paint on the walls of the cathedral in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and then marching inside as Mass was being said. When…

There was a couple that had been married for more than 50 years when one day, unexpectedly, the husband passed away. A few days after the funeral, their pastor visited the widow and found that even though she was grieving, she was filled with peace and joy. “Mrs. Winslow, I’m glad to see you’re holding up so well. But even so, I’m sure you must miss your husband terribly.” The widow responded: “Oh, yes, I miss him more than ever.…

I’d bet that, for many of us when we were growing up, one of our favorite movies was The Wizard of Oz. One of the scenes from the movie that’s always stuck with me is when Dorothy and her friends return to the wizard’s castle and bring him the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West, as he had ordered. However, the wizard—who appears to them as a huge, disembodied vaporous face, flanked by streams of shooting fire—curtly dismisses them without granting…

The Preface of the Second Sunday of Lent tells us that the impressive display of breathtaking glory enveloping even the body of Jesus at the Transfiguration, was shown to Peter, James, and John to help them (and the rest of the group) to get over the scandal of the cross. (cf. Mark 9:2-10) To fully appreciate the intensity of our readings, we need to become a bit familiar with their colorful oriental symbolism. A high mountain: God reveals his presence on high…

The readings for the First Sunday of Lent leave us feeling uneasy, somewhat uncomfortable and with troubling questions in our minds. The first and second readings (Genesis 9:8-15 and 1 Peter 3:18-22) mention the global devastation caused by the flood survived solely by Noah and seven others. However, confronted by havoc, at times, we dare to question the promise made by God himself: …there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth…” (Genesis 9:11). The second reading also mentions the Risen Lord descending…

Lent is upon us. Many take the opportunity to grow closer to our Lord by taking on extra penances, fasting a little more often, or perhaps allotting additional time for prayer and devotion. Lenten practices are meant to establish more permanent spiritual habits that will continue long after the celebration of the Easter Vigil. Turning toward St. Therese, the Little Flower, can yield an abundance of spiritual fruit and instill lifelong habits, responding to the invitation of Jesus, “for everyone who asks, receives;…

This past Christmas marked 10 years since my father’s passing. During his illness (that began in early October), there was a two-week hospital stretch that I remember as a “twofer.” For each morning, I sat in the middle of a room he shared with another man (a WW2 veteran) also suffering from a heart condition. During Morning Prayer, with both men sleeping (my father on the right and the other man on the left), I prayed that God would heal…