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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Truth

What is truth?


This is the question Pilate asked Jesus while the answer was staring him in the face.  Truth is objective not relative, that is reality is grounded in God, not us.  The quicker we accept this, the better we can handle suffering.


The great tragedy of today is that truth has been replaced by preferences, goodness by whim and beauty by “fun.” In my 37 years of teaching, the overwhelming majority of students I encountered were of the belief that truth, goodness and beauty were relative: They were whatever you wanted to make of them. My conception of them may differ from yours, and this was to be celebrated, not lamented.


The reality is far different. We are in a severe moral crisis in which the eternal truths have been exchanged for temporary fads. We have been blinded into valuing quick fixes more than a permanent transformation.


If only we would open ourselves up to God through prayer and penance, we would be given the grace to see things as they truly are and the power to love as God wants us to. On our own, we are pitiably weak creatures, but with sanctifying grace, we can live the very life of God. This is extraordinarily beautiful.


Read rest


Sunday, December 28, 2014

Tips for Confession

Some tips on going to confession from a priest who cares:
1. Prayerfully prepare! If you don't prepare, it's like practicing your Spanish at the ATM with a bunch of people waiting in line.
2. Prepare with an examination of conscience. Many different kinds are available — based on the Ten Commandments, the Virtues, your particular vocation, for adults, for children, etc. Prepare. Don't be that sinner who has to confess not being prepared to confess.
3. Think about what you've made friends with that is keeping you from a true friendship with God. Greed? Pride? Too much bacon? Selfishness? Lukewarmness? Seriously — think about you're sins with respect to whom or what you have favored more than God.
4. Be ready to repent! "I'm done with this, that and the other thing. I want to change and I trust in the Lord to help me!" That should be our disposition to the sacrament. Our faith and repentance unleash the mighty power of God's grace in the confession!
5. GO. TO. CONFESSION. DO IT! God promises mercy. He doesn't promise tomorrow.


Read Rest

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Celibacy

In order to fulfill this mission of the Gospel it is necessary to free oneself from any earthly and human attachment. And seeing that this separation signifies the loss of what is taken for granted, Jesus promises a "recompense" that is more than appropriate.

Now, seeing that the Gospels were written between 40 and 70 A.D., their redactors would have been brought into a bad light if they had attributed to Jesus words that did not correspond to their conduct of life. Jesus, in fact, demands that those who have been made participants in his mission must also adopt his way of life.

But what does Paul mean, when in the first letter to the Corinthians (9:1, 4-6) he writes: "Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? . . . Do we not have the right to our food and drink? Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?" Do not these questions and statements take it for granted that the apostles were accompanied by their wives?

One must proceed with caution here. The apostle's rhetorical questions referred to the right of the one who proclaims the Gospel to live at the expense of the community, and this also applies to the one who accompanies him.

And this obviously brings up the question of who this companion may be. The Greek expression "adelphén gynaìka" requires an explanation. "Adelphe" means sister. And here sister in the faith means a Christian, while "gyne" indicates - more generically - a woman, whether virgin or wife. In short, a female person. This makes it impossible to demonstrate that the apostles were accompanied by wives. Because if this were a case one would be unable to understand why an "adelphe" is distinctly spoken of as a sister, and therefore a Christian. As for the wife, it must be understood that the apostle left her at the time when he became part of the circle of disciples.



Link

Monday, December 22, 2014

The Devil's Tactics

In any relationship, the best two ways to combat temptation to get annoyed with someone is to have patience and to talk about it. Both are easier said than done.


Patience is a virtue not easily acquired, but it is one of the most fundamental virtues to living a life of peace and holiness. Without patience, we would daily fight about the littlest things and the relationship would fall apart soon after the honeymoon.


Yet, patience by itself is never enough in a healthy relationship. “Patience” could easily turn someone into a doormat whereby the other person walks on them on a daily basis. That is why communication is a most necessary key to living a happy and joy-filled marriage (or any type of relationship for that matter). If you do not talk about the things that are annoying you, then it is impossible for the other person to possibly change or to recognize their behavior.
To continue the example of not picking up your clothes, at first you can have a little patience, allowing the other person some leeway room, but if it is something that is perpetually bothering you, it must be talked about. It is a habit the can be changed.


It will be up to the couple to discuss and communicate what habits can be changed and what things will require a perpetual practice of patience.Some habits are easier to deal with than others. However, once the topic is out in the open, it can’t fester beneath the surface and become a greater problem down the road. Open communication is the key.


Link

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Power of Silence

Silence is the beginning of prayer. It is the beginning of thought. It is the beginning of love. God is largely: silent. (Yet is anyone or thing remotely as powerful?)
In silence, Daniel knew God's Voice. God's Spirit leads men to silence and repentance. God's message to Nebuchadnezzar was conveyed through dreams -- in quiet. Silence leads to inspiration; it leads to understanding. It is rational. Yet, it is imaginative. Usually, it is calm. "Silence is often referred to in terms of space: the immensity inside, the cave of the heart, the oasis of quiet, the inner sanctuary, the interior castle, the sacred center where God dwells," notes one spiritual source.
There was the silence of the Manger. Silent night. It is a golden rule. Hold your tongue and you will hold your peace. Silencio. You don't usually regret what you have not said.
It is God's first language.
"Silence of the heart is necessary so you can hear God everywhere, in the closing of the door, in the person who needs you, in the birds that sing, in the animals," said Mother Teresa.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Suffer in Mass

Going to Mass and worshipping God is not intended to be easy.  We are to suffer with Him as His loving action is represented on Calvary. 


The traditional Latin Mass is so obviously focused on God, directed to the adoration of Him, that one who is mentally present to what is happening is ineluctably drawn into the sacred mysteries, even if only at the simplest and most fundamental level of acknowledging the reality of God and adoring our Blessed Lord in the most Holy Sacrament. I am afraid to say that it is not clear at all that most Catholics attending most vernacular OF liturgies are ever confronted unequivocally and irresistibly with the reality of God and the demand for adoration. Or, to put it differently, the old liturgy forms these attitudes in the soul, whereas the new liturgy presupposes them. If you don’t have the right understanding and frame of mind, the Novus Ordo will do very little to give it to you, whereas the EF is either going to give it to you or drive you away. When you attend the EF, you are either subtly attracted by something in it, or you are put off by the demands it makes. Either way, lukewarmness is not an option.


Link

Friday, December 12, 2014

Blessings

People want their things blessed, and they are looking for that sign of the cross, that holy water, those words somewhere in the rite that actually ask God to bless the thing. The old Roman Ritual does this, and does it well. It also has good prayers that go beyond the mere act of blessing and seek to put the object in God’s wider plan of sanctity for us.
In the old ritual, there is a remarkable prayer for a telegraph—yes, a telegraph. It quite elaborately laid out psalms and antiphons, but I will only present here the prayer of gratitude at the end, just before blessing it with Holy Water.
To my mind, it is also perfect as a prayer, expression of gratitude, and blessing when using a computer or for the extended “cloud” of our computers, otherwise known as the Internet. The prayer is both thrilling and fitting. It is a minor masterpiece if you ask me. Though written sometime prior to 1945, and likely after 1830, its basic structure fits well what we do now with the Internet. There is probably one word that needs changing, and perhaps you can help by suggesting another word.
But without further drumrolls, here is the prayer, first in its Latin original, and then translated by Rev. Phillip Weller:
Deus qui ámbulas super pennas ventórum, et facis mirabília solus: concéde, ut per vim huic metállo índitam fulmíneo ictu celérius huc abséntia, et hinc álio praeséntia transmíttis; ita nos invéntis novis edócti, tua grátia opitulánte, prómptius et facílius ad te veníre valeámus. Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen.
O God, who walkest upon the wings of the wind, and thou alone workest wonders! By the power inherent in this metal, thou dost bring hither distant things quicker than lightning, and transferest present things to distant places. Therefore grant that, instructed by new inventions, we may merit, by thy bounteous grace, to come with greater certainty and facility to thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sign of the Cross + and sprinkling with Holy Water.
Magnificent. It almost paints a picture in the mind as the words go forth. Yes, such beauty and a picture of the swiftness of information going hither and yon, like lightning, or as on the wings of the wind! And may indeed this wondrous tool serve to draw us closer to God and not be corrupted by sinful curiosity, hostility, defamation, profanation, or pornographic and prurient temptations.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

God Who Suffers With Us

Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in early November 2013. It was one of the strongest typhoons (cyclones) ever recorded. Tacloban was one of the hardest hit areas. In this video, you hear from Br. James Romero Santos a first hand account of the devastating destruction caused by this storm. The trial this massive typhoon brought to the people of the Philippines is still being dealt with today. For those who lost loved ones, it is the God who suffers with them that brings hope for a better future.
Link




Saturday, December 6, 2014

Coversion

The pope is shaking things up.  He is not attempting to change doctrine. On all the core Catholic teachings, he is a absolutely straight-down-the-line orthodox Catholic. But he is also an evangelizer and a missionary.


What's missing from the picture, he says, is the merciful face of Christ. The church that heals the wounds, that raises people up, that nurtures them, that forgives them. And so what he's trying to do is to say, "Actually, that's the face of the church that needs to be presented."


Now, this isn't a PR exercise. What he's actually saying is people need to experience that before they are ready to accept the rest of it.


So what is conversion? Conversion is when somebody first experiences the love and mercy and forgiveness of God, and then, having assimilated that, then, as it were, chooses the Christian life, chooses the moral life, and so on. But you can't go to the second without the first.


Link

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Becomming Men

The reemergence of true masculinity is the salvation of society, just as Christ is the true male role model. 


If there is one effect of the Crisis in the Church that gets very little play, it is the utter
destruction of boys and young men.

The Church – in being a loving Mother to them – should want them to grow up and be
good MEN.

Instead – in the constant pandering to the culture of the sissified male – many leaders in
the Church have thrown this and the previous generation of Catholic males under the bus.


Video

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Mass and Heaven

The Mass is a celebration of heaven on earth!


Until recently, Churches were designed to remind us that we were entering Heaven. As we walk into older churches we are surrounded by windows and paintings that depict the angels and saints. Christ is at the center in the tabernacle. And all the elements that Scripture speaks of as being in the heavenly liturgy are on display, not only in the building, but in the celebration of the liturgy: candles, incense, an altar, the hymns that are sung, the Holy, Holy, Holy, the scroll that is brought forward in the Book of Gospels, the lamb on the throne-like altar, the prostrations and kneeling of the saints before the Lord. All these things are described in the Book of Revelation’s depictions of the heavenly liturgy. None of these things are in our churches or the liturgy for arbitrary reasons.

Yes! We are in the heavenly realms and the heavenly liturgy and so we see and experience heavenly things. Hearts aloft!


Link

Friday, November 28, 2014

Temptation

What is temptation? Temptation is the work of Satan to drag you to Hell. And Satan can read you like a book and play you like piano. Do not exaggerate his power, but do not underestimate it either.
Some of his subtlest work is done in the area of religious observance. There, he can cloak himself quite easily in the lamb’s clothing of piety, but, wolf that he really is, distort it, either through excess or defect, thereby destroying you with what is good. Beware what some spiritual writers call the “traps of the pious.” Consider some examples:
  • He can discourage you with prayer by saying, “If only you would pray a little longer, God will give you what you seek.” But the deception is that if we can pray a little longer, then we can never have prayed enough. Thus though we pray, we only feel guilty and inadequate. And since we can never have prayed “enough,” prayer increasingly turns into a burdensome task; God becomes a cruel taskmaster demanding longer and more precise prayers. Or prayer becomes a superstitious endeavor whose outcome we somehow control by the length and type of our prayers. Jesus counsels us that the Father knows what we need and that we should not think that merely multiple words and pious actions are necessary. We may need to persevere in prayer over time, but God is not a cruel tyrant demanding endless incantations.
  • Satan can take the beautiful practice of praying the rosary, or attending daily Mass, or other devotions and slowly incite in us a feeling of smug superiority, elitism, or pride. Gradually, others are thought to be less devout, even in error, because they do not do or observe what is optional or encouraged but not required. What is beautiful and holy is thus employed to incite ever-growing pride and cynicism. A most extreme form of this comes from those who take the beautiful and powerful devotion to our Lady of Fatima and allow Satan to set them against even the Pope and all the world’s bishops by claiming that they failed, either ineptly or willfully, to properly consecrate Russia. And thus one of our most beautiful and informative apparitions can engender in some people distrust of the Church and disunity from her, from multiple popes, and even from Sister Lucia herself. It is an astonishingly crafty work of the evil one to take what is good and religious and corrupt it in the minds of some.
Link

Friday, November 21, 2014

Love

Pope Francis emphasizes "the center" "from which everything must radiate and to which everything must return": love for God and love for brethren. Jesus did not hand down formula or commandments, "but two faces, actually one, the face of God reflected in many faces, because in the face of every brother, especially the smallest, most fragile and helpless, person in need is the very image of God". The beatification of Mother Assunta Marchetti, a Scalabrini, an example of this "love of t two faces, which is in reality just One".


"In the light of the word of Jesus, love is the measure of faith, and faith is the soul of love. We can no longer separate our religious life, our life of piety, from service to brethren , those real brothers and sisters we meet. We can no longer separate meeting God in prayer, in the Sacraments, from listening to the other, from being close to their lives, their wounds. Remember this: love is the measure of faith. How much do you love? We should all answer that question".  This was Pope Francis' reflection speaking to pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus. The pilgrims estimated up to 50-60 thousand, filled the square spilling over onto the large Via della Conciliazione, boulevard.


Link

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Silent Witness

The most important thing we can do with suffering is to be quiet.


Pope Francis said in his homily at Mass on Thursday that the kingdom of God, already present among us, never attracts attention to itself but rather is cultivated though silent holiness in everyday life.

“The Kingdom of God is humble, like the seed: humble, but it becomes great by the power of the Holy Spirit,” the Pope told those at the chapel of the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse for his Nov. 13 Mass.

“It is up to us to let it grow in us, without boasting about it: let the Spirit come, change our soul and carry us forward in silence, in peace, in tranquility, in closeness to God, to others, in worship of God, without spectacle.”

The Roman Pontiff centered his reflections on the day’s Gospel reading from Luke in which the Pharisees ask Christ when the kingdom of God would come. In response, Christ tells them it is already there, and reveals that when the Son of Man returns it will be like lightening in the sky.

Rather than being noisy and trying to be part of the crowd, the kingdom of God is like a seed that grows underground, always going deeper without attracting attention, the Pope explained.

“The Kingdom of God is not a spectacle. The Lord never says that the Kingdom of God is a spectacle. It is a celebration,” which is something different, he observed.


Link

Monday, November 17, 2014

Calm

The Spirit of God is a spirit of peace, and He speaks and acts in peace and gentleness.
Underscore those words: the motions of God are delicate touches; they don't make noise; and they can penetrate our spiritual consciousness only if we have within us a sort of calm "zone," and tranquility.
So says a priest named Jacques Philippe, in a new book of note: In the School of the Holy Spirit.
In other words: don't cause yourself trouble. Don't let agitation inside make it difficult to hear His still, small Voice (I Kings 19:12).
How to reach the calm zone?
It is a gradual process, this priest points out. We have to work at it. We have to desire it. We have to orient toward it. We have to keep at it, in all situations. We have to pray for it.
And we have to achieve the ability to block out troublesome thoughts (which so often come from the enemy -- or should we say: the Agitator).
If we don't seek peace of mind actively,  "in all circumstances," we lose direct contact with the Lord.
In spite of everything, make this effort. (An effort it is!)
But what results.
In short, we have to practice peace of mind, and the heart follows. We have to hold it as a goal. When we don't we react to situations in a human, agitated, hasty way, we maintain inner tranquility.
Fighting fire with fire causes a mess (note the scorching, note the soot), as well as interior consternation.
"It isn't easy," writes the priest, "but by practicing hope in God, abandonment, humility, and the acceptance of our inner poverty through an unshakeable truth in God's Mercy, we will reach peace little by little."
Don't you hate that feeling of losing that? Of disturbance? Of anxiety? Yet, it happens every day all day, even at night. The devil's playground (or battlefield) is the mind. As John of the Cross said, "Take care to preserve your heart in peace; let no happening of this world upset it." When you have peace, you have faith. Watch God answer wondrously!
Stop being a perfectionist.
Perfection does not exist on earth.
Struggle does (and joy in those struggles!).


Link

Friday, November 14, 2014

Courage During Death

We are called to face suffering with courage, especially during the dying process:


If my mom had made the same decision that Brittany Maynard did to end her life earlier, we would have missed out on so much.
My mother was diagnosed last year with a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor, the same diagnosis that Brittany Maynard, the 29 year old who ended her life Nov. 1 after launching a national campaign to promote laws that allowed people with terminal diseases to choose the time of their deaths, received earlier this year.
Doctors said that my mom would have 15 months to live if she was lucky. It has now been 21 months since her diagnosis and she is still alive.
Has it been tough? Yes, absolutely: In the time since her diagnosis, my mom has undergone two brain surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation.
But we’ve also had incredible experiences. In the past 21 months we went to Paris, walked a 5k for brain cancer awareness, and celebrated birthdays and holidays. My mom was here to see me get accepted into law school.
Brittany had stated that she did not want her family and friends to see her suffer, to see her at her worst. Well, I’ve now seen my mother at her worst–and I will tell you that’s still not comparable to not having her here at all.
Many people have praised Brittany Maynard, calling her brave and courageous. We have even described her death via medication as “dying with dignity.”
But what about people like my mom? How about the individual who chooses to fight knowing all the consequences that he or she could face?


Link

Friday, November 7, 2014

Christian "Pagans"

Suffering is a result of the world.  Redemption (overcoming suffering) comes from heaven.


Be careful not to slide down the road that leads to being a Christian in appearance, but "mediocre" in substance, to being pagan, "enemies of the Cross," because "citizens of this world", in short of being worldly, and not "citizens of Heaven".  This was Pope Francis' warning at Mass Friday morning at Casa Santa Marta based on the First Reading.


Pope Francis was inspired by the words of St. Paul to the Philippians to dwell on two groups of Christians, still present today as they were in the time of the Apostle of the Gentiles. Christians who go forward in faith and Christians who "live like enemies of the Cross of Christ".


"Both groups - he said - were in the Church together, they went to Mass on Sunday, they praised the Lord, they called themselves Christians". So what was the difference? The second group "act like enemies of the Cross of Christ! Christians enemies of the Cross of Christ".


The Pope said these were "worldly Christians, Christians in name, with two or three Christian things, but nothing more. Pagan Christian". "A Christian name, but a pagan life." Or to put it another way: "Pagans with two strokes of Christian paint, so as to appear like Christians, but pagans nonetheless".
"Even today there are many! We must be careful not to slip toward the path of being pagan Christians, Christians in appearance. The temptation to get used to mediocrity, the mediocrity of Christians, these Christians, it is their undoing because their hearts cool, they become lukewarm. And the Lord had strong words for these lukewarm [Christians]: 'because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth'. These are very strong words! They are enemies of the Cross of Christ. They take the name, but do not follow the requirements of Christian life".


Paul, he said, speaks of the "citizenship" of Christians. "Our citizenship," he noted, "is in heaven. Theirs is on earth. They are citizens of the world, not of heaven". "Citizens of the world. And their surname is worldly! Beware of these" warned Pope Francis adding that everyone, himself including, must ask: "Do I have something of these? Do I have some worldliness within me? Some paganism?".


Link

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Christian Men

The world needs Christ-like men, to save it from satan's grasp.


Though many in past decades have sought to describe the Church as “male-dominated,” nothing could be further from the truth. Most parish leadership structures are dominated by women. And women do fine work. But the Church has done a very poor job of engaging men as men and equipping them to be strong husbands, fathers, and priests. Virtues related to bold leadership and the effective use of authority are in short supply whereas other virtues such as collaboration, listening, empathy, and understanding are overemphasized.

This lack of balance, wherein traditionally manly virtues are downplayed—even shamed—has led many men to become disengaged from the Church.

Monday, November 3, 2014

The Church Is Not Sadistic

Christ and His Church never expects anyone to sadistically suffer.  When a person is dying, they are called to be cared for with compassion and comfort.  That means to supply all the care and medications needed.  The pain is to be killed, not the patient.


This being said, the story of this young lady is very sad.  We are called to endure to the end.  Enduring suffering with dignity can bring many graces.  God is the author and taker of our lives.  We don't have the right to kill ourselves.  Please pray for this young lady's family and soul.


Link

Saturday, November 1, 2014

All Saints

The saints overcame suffering and evil in the world through grace and faith and are now enjoying their reward.


We are all in the middle of spiritual warfare.  Praise God!  Christ is giving us the graces to confront this in order to provide comfort to the dear souls He loves so much.  People truly fooling themselves when surrendering to the devil, but let's not fret.  God will overcome.  The more and more I am dealing with the devil, the more I see the forlornness and banality of his evil.  He is desperate and pathetic.  I am convinced that God will eventually reign in the soul.  On our part, we must stay humble, prayerful, arduous, and faithful.  Remember, all power belongs only to God.  He is omnipotent.  The devil actually has no power whatsoever in himself (we don't even have power on our own), only the power that God allows (and the power we ourselves give the devil from our own free will - as Jennifer is doing).  St. Francis of Assisi use to say that the devil actually plays a purpose in our spiritual lives.  God allows the devil to tempt and (distract us) so we can eventually grow closer to Christ.  Saints like Francis and Padre Pio would literally fight with the devil every day, in order to become more holy.





Thursday, October 30, 2014

Rebuild Lives

Five years ago this spring, Greg Thomas sat on the crumbling steps of an abandoned church.

Contemplating how to serve his creator during what he believed were his final days, he came upon the idea of restoring the tiny wooden church outside Montgomery, Minn. He never imagined that in doing so, he would restore his own health as well.

“It’s an amazing story,” said Thomas, 61. “I can’t tell you how many things have transpired because of that church.”



Suffering with cancer

Monday, October 27, 2014

Suffering That Saves

The cross is a sign  of contradiction.  It is the best and worst event in history.  To embrace suffering as Jesus did is to overcome suffering and attain redemption.


Link

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Prayer for a Son

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.


Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee—and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.


Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.


Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.


Then I, his father will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain. ”


Link

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Marriage and Suffering

Now that the Extraordinary Synod on the Family is over, do you find yourself saying, “I wish I could have said this to them …”? And with the Ordinary Synod on the Family just a year away, do you find yourself saying, “I hope I can say this to the next synod …”?

Here’s what I would like the Synod Fathers, this year’s and next year’s, to think about. I’d like them to think about my friend, Pete. (I have permission to relate this story.)

Pete’s an old friend, active in his parish, as generous a man as you can ever hope to meet. About four years ago, after 30 years of marriage, his wife walked out on him. He was devastated. “Father, I wouldn’t wish this pain on my worst enemy.”

After the civil divorce was finalized, relatives and friends, many of them self-identified Catholics, told Pete to take off his wedding band and “move on.” Their advice, in various forms, came down to this: “She’s never coming back. Your marriage is over. There are other fish in the sea. God wants you to be happy. There’s no point to your suffering.”

Pete, to his credit, didn’t listen to them. He pointed to his ring, and told them all, “I’m a married man. We knew what we were doing on our wedding day. We knew what we promised to each other and to God; we knew what God had promised to us.” Pete immersed himself in the sacraments. He cannot live without Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary and the Divine Mercy. “I will not stop praying for the restoration of my family until the day I die.” Because I know Pete so well, I believe him.


Read rest

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Who Is Man?

Christian anthropology is the study of humanity as it relates to God.  In this sense, how God interacts with humanity.


God shares in humanity's suffering.  We must share in God's. In this sense, men specifically are called to be like Christ, to be true men.


Who is Man? Ultimately He is Jesus Christ, the Perfect Man who shows us who we are meant to be. In becoming more like Christ we are ipso facto becoming more fully human.


Who is Man? The answer was given unwittingly by Pontius Pilate as he showed the scourged Christ to the people. Ecce Homo. Behold, Man!


Link

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Blessings Defeat Curses

A blessing means to "speak well of" another.  We encourage others when we bless them.  A curse is the opposite. 


The church liturgically gives blessings through the priest.  


Blessings themselves are not sacraments; they are not of Divine institution; they do not confer sanctifying grace; and they do not produce their effects in virtue of the rite itself. They are sacramentals and, as such, they are held to produce the following specific effects:
  • Excitation of pious emotions and affections of the heart and, by means of these, remission of venial sin and of the temporal punishment due to it
  • Freedom from power of evil spirits
  • Preservation and restoration of bodily health
  • Various other benefits, temporal or spiritual
All these effects are not necessarily inherent in any one blessing; some are caused by one formula, and others by another, nor are they infallibly produced. It depends altogether on the Church's suffrages that persons using the things blessed derive supernatural advantages. There is no reason to limit the miraculous interference of God to the early ages of the Church's history, and the Church never accepts these wonderful occurrences unless the evidence in support of their authenticity is absolutely unimpeachable.


A curse is an action that is done to harm another with the help of demons. There are specific curses to kill, to cause one to be possessed, to make things go bad in business, and to make someone sick, etc. …Curses are effective only if God allows them to have effect. The more one prays the more one will be protected against these things.


The following highly effective weapons if one believes he is the victim of a curse. One cannot go wrong with these!
  1. Pray the Rosary
  2. Read the Bible
  3. Speak with God every day
  4. Attend Mass frequently, even daily
  5. Place a blessed crucifix and an image of the Blessed Mother in one’s house.
  6. Make the sign of the cross with holy water daily.
Link

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Righteous Anger

Anger is o.k. (righteous) if it is directed toward justice (righting a wrong).  Jesus shows us this in the temple.  Anger is dangerous when it becomes revenge (wrath).  This type of anger causes suffering and depression when turned inward.  Meditation and contemplation can help diminish wrath by helping us not to react to it.  Do not respond to the devil.


The devil is full of impotent and irrational rage. His fury against God and all that is good is impotent because he has no power against God. It is irrational because Satan is the Father of Lies, and where there is no truth there is no reason or rationality. When this impotent and irrational rage surges up in our own lives it shows the face of the deadly sin of wrath.


In one of the wisest observations in sacred Scripture we read, “Be angry, but sin not.” In other words, anger is permitted. Psychologists say that depression is often caused by repressed and unacknowledged anger. Righteous anger is the desire for justice being expressed. It is permissible, therefore to be angry but we are to express anger in a rational and powerful way. Anger should be expressed with an aim to resolve the injustice and move toward forgiveness, reconciliation and a positive solution to a problem.


Wrath, on the other hand, has no desire to bring about justice. St Thomas Aquinas said wrath was the desire for justice distorted into a longing for revenge. Wrath therefore surges forth from impotence and irrationality. Wrath is pointless and destructive anger. It lashes out intemperately without reason and without any desire for a positive, pure and powerful solution. When this kind of volcanic rage explodes from us the borderlands of hell—where irrational and impotent rage rules all—is glimpsed.


What can be even worse than this explosive rate is when the wrath is repressed within. Then we mull over our anger. We plan revenge. We think what we “should have said.” We rehearse our anger, lick our wounds and pick at the scabs of our injuries. Sullen, introspective and dark brooding is wrath turned inward and the poet Dante observes that suicide is the ultimate expression of wrath turned inward. In an act of suppressed irrational rage the human person takes the final act of desperate wrath and destroys himself.

The virtue that counters wrath is patience. Patience is not simply putting up with an offense with a kind of determined forbearance. Instead patience is a fruit of the spirit growing in the human heart. Patience is evidence of true charity in the human soul. Do you remember that old saying, “Be kind. Everyone you meet is carrying a heavy burden.”? That is an example of true, grace filled patience. The patient person does not respond in irrational rage and impotent wrath. Instead they live a daily life infused with rational patience and powerful love.


This kind of patience can only be experienced through the alchemy of forgiveness. Through the transaction of first receiving forgiveness than extending that forgiveness to others we experience and extend patience in the world. Patience is a virtue that the dark forces of hell cannot even comprehend, and its existence in a believer’s life is one of the sure signs that God is doing that work of inner transformation that finally brings the soul to the beautiful shores of heaven.


Link


Thursday, October 9, 2014

Be A Man

Much suffering comes to women when "men" fail to be men.  Christ is the model for men. 


Spiritual growth is a process of transformation, and the ideal goal of that process is the formation of the character of Jesus Christ within each one of us. To accomplish this heady goal, men need to "imitate Christ".  Unfortunately, men are doing the opposite, and women suffer as a result.   


Our culture needs men to "man-up".  Prayer, Mass, the Sacraments and living the Catechism are good places to start.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

A Man of Suffering

Fr. Benedict was a priest who lived the passion of Christ.  He dedicated his priesthood and surrendered his will to his Father in heaven.  His earthly ministry taught us much about suffering and how to endure through God's grace.  His talks are timeless and inspirational.  May he receive his reward and rest in peace.  It's only fitting he go to the Lord on the Feast of St. Francis.


Pray for us

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Guardian Angels

On the Feast of the Guardian Angels it does well to remember that God gives us angels to assist and protect us in time of need.  Call on your guardian angel in your struggle.


Psalm 91:9-13
Because you have the LORD for your refuge
and have made the Most High your stronghold,
No evil shall befall you,
no affliction come near your tent.
For he commands his angels with regard to you,
to guard you wherever you go.
With their hands they shall support you,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You can tread upon the asp and the viper,
trample the lion and the dragon.

Exodus 23:20-26
My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out. Therefore, you shall not bow down to their gods and serve them, nor shall you act as they do; rather, you must demolish them and smash their sacred stones. You shall serve the LORD, your God; then he will bless your food and drink, and I will remove sickness from your midst; no woman in your land will be barren or miscarry; and I will give you a full span of life.


Link

Monday, September 29, 2014

Satan Seduces

On Monday’s feast of the archangels Pope Francis spoke of the ongoing battle between the devil and mankind, encouraging attendees to pray to the angels, who have been charged to defend us.

“He presents things as if they were good, but his intention is destruction. And the angels defend us.”



Noting how these are strong images portraying “the great dragon, the ancient serpent” who “seduces all of inhabited earth,” the Pope also drew attention to Jesus’ words to the prophet Nathanael in the day’s Gospel from John when he tells him “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

All of these readings, he said, speak of “the struggle between God and the devil” which “takes place after Satan tries to destroy the woman who is about to give birth to a son.”

“Satan always tries to destroy man: the man that Daniel saw there, in glory, and whom Jesus told Nathaniel would come in glory,” the pontiff observed, explaining that “From the beginning the Bible speaks to us of this: Satan's (use of) seduction to destroy.”



Link


Archangels

Saturday, September 27, 2014

A Truly Interior Man

If you do not know how to meditate on heavenly things, direct your thoughts to Christ's passion and willingly behold His sacred wounds. If you turn devoutly to the wounds and precious stigmata of Christ, you will find great comfort in suffering, you will mind but little the scorn of men, and you will easily bear their slanderous talk.


When Christ was in the world, He was despised by men; in the hour of need He was forsaken by acquaintances and left by friends to the depths of scorn. He was willing to suffer and to be despised; do you dare to complain of anything? He had enemies and defamers; do you want everyone to be your friend, your benefactor? How can your patience be rewarded if no adversity test it? How can you be a friend of Christ if you are not willing to suffer any hardship? Suffer with Christ and for Christ if you wish to reign with Him.


Had you but once entered into perfect communion with Jesus or tasted a little of His ardent love, you would care nothing at all for your own comfort or discomfort but would rejoice in the reproach you suffer; for love of Him makes a man despise himself.


A man who is a lover of Jesus and of truth, a truly interior man who is free from uncontrolled affections, can turn to God at will and rise above himself to enjoy spiritual peace.

He who tastes life as it really is, not as men say or think it is, is indeed wise with the wisdom of God rather than of men.



Link

Friday, September 26, 2014

Don't Lose Faith

Faith is essential when enduring suffering.  Christian martyrs are a testament to this.


One must not lose faith.  The following is a list of warnings.  One can lose faith:


1. By going to schools forbidden by the Church;
2. by the neglect of their religious duties;
3. by the reading of bad books; 
4. by worldliness and a wicked life;
5. by intercourse with scoffers at religion; 
6. by mixed marriages; 
7. by becoming members of secret societies;
8. by pride and subtle reasoning on the mysteries of religion.


Link

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Crusades

Spiritual battle is simply a part of the Christian life.  One must engage in it to overcome sin, self and the devil.  A "crusading" spirit has always been a part of Christianity.


The Crusades of the past need to be put in perspective.  They have often been historically misinterpreted. 




Christians in the eleventh century were not paranoid fanatics. Muslims really were gunning for them. While Muslims can be peaceful, Islam was born in war and grew the same way. From the time of Mohammed, the means of Muslim expansion was always the sword. Muslim thought divides the world into two spheres, the Abode of Islam and the Abode of War. Christianity—and for that matter any other non-Muslim religion—has no abode. Christians and Jews can be tolerated within a Muslim state under Muslim rule. But, in traditional Islam, Christian and Jewish states must be destroyed and their lands conquered. When Mohammed was waging war against Mecca in the seventh century, Christianity was the dominant religion of power and wealth. As the faith of the Roman Empire, it spanned the entire Mediterranean, including the Middle East, where it was born. The Christian world, therefore, was a prime target for the earliest caliphs, and it would remain so for Muslim leaders for the next thousand years.


Link

Friday, September 19, 2014

Suffering As A Nation

The following is a list of 50 reasons we suffer as a country.  The solution is faith in Christ.


#1 According to a survey that was just conducted, only 36 percent of all Americans can name the three branches of government.
#2 Only 25 percent of all Americans know how long U.S. Senators are elected for (6 years), and only 20 percent of all Americans know how many U.S. senators there are.
#3 Even if you include same-sex couples in the numbers, the marriage rate in the United States is at a 93 year low.
#4 For the first time ever, single Americans make up more than half the U.S. population.
#5 31.1 percent of American young adults in the 18 to 34-year-old age bracket are currently living with their parents.
#6 One out of every ten teen girls in America engages in “self-harm”.  Cutting and burning are the most common forms that this “self-harm” takes.
#7 One survey found that 85 percent of all young men in America and almost half of all young women in America watch porn at least once a month.
#8 A different survey discovered that 64 percent of American men of all ages view pornography at least once per month.
#9 The Internet can be used for great good, but it can also be used for great evil.  It is being reported that 83 percent of U.S. boys and 57 percent of U.S. girls have been exposed to group sex while on the Internet.
#10 One survey discovered that 25 percent of all employees that have Internet access in the United States visit sex websites while they are at work.
#11 There is an epidemic of porn watching among federal employees.  For example, one Treasury Department worker said that he viewed 13,000 pornographic images within the span of six weeks because he did “not have enough work to do“.
#12 An astounding 30 percent of all Internet traffic now goes to adult websites.
#13 Right now, 30 million Americans are on antidepressants.
#14 Americans account for about five percent of the global population, but we buy more than 50 percent of the pharmaceutical drugs.
#15 Americans consume a whopping 80 percent of all prescription painkillers.
#16 According to a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, nearly 70 percent of all Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and 20 percent of all Americans are on at least five prescription drugs.
#17 Approximately 60 million Americans have a problem with alcohol addiction.
#18 Heroin traffic in New York City is at a 20 year high.
#19 Of all the major industrialized nations, America is the most obese.  Mexico is #2.
#20 Back in 1962, only 13 percent of all Americans were obese, but it is being projected that 42 percent of all Americans could be obese by the year 2030.


Read rest

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

No Escape

We cannot deny who we are.  When we do we suffer.  We must follow God to the end, there will be a reckoning.


When a man leaves behind the company of other men, and walks toward the seat of divine judgment, there to gaze upon the face of the living God, all pretense and falsehood are stripped away. There is no room for maneuver, no way to disguise the weight of what one has done or become. Then the true worth of a man’s deeds, whether empty straw or sold metal, will be shown in an absolutely piercing light, which is God himself.


Life, the poet Keats tells us, is a vale of soul making. A lovely image, it reminds us of the impossibility of escape. That we are here to make our souls pleasing to God. And death, of course, is the final scene we are all destined to play. Whether to say to God, “Thy will be done,” and thus to fall blissfully into his arms. Or God to say to us, “Thy will be done,” and thus to sink into an everlasting misery.


A wise and holy priest once told me that the essence of hell is when we tell God: “I don’t want to love. I don’t want to be loved. I want to be left alone.” And on the strength of that Great Refusal, we take ourselves to hell, where all the doors are locked on the inside. The souls of the damned do not wish to leave the prison of their own solitude, that infernal self-inflicted isolation they have chosen forever.


Link

Friday, September 12, 2014

Becomming Christian

To be a Christian is to become a child of God.  Christians call God "daddy" (Abba).  We go to daddy with our problems.  Our dad will take care of us.


Islam on the other hand refer to God as a Master (and we are slaves).  The following is a testimony from a convert from Islam.  (Islam is a Gnostic derivation of Christianity that spread throughout the Arab world in the 7th century).


Link

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Battle for Souls

Our life is very short and the stakes are very high: salvation or condemnation! It is for eternity—forever and ever and ever!  We will either be with God the angels and saints and Mary the Queen of the angels and saints in heaven forever! Or we will be lost forever in hell with the devil and his minions in the fire that is never extinguished,  and the worm never dies.


These are eternal truths that we should meditate upon day and night so as to attain the crown of eternal life in heaven.
Our Lady of Fatima made the sad but all too true comment that most souls are lost for all eternity in the fire of hell due to the sins of the flesh or the sins against the virtue of purity.  Our Lady appeared to the three shepherd children—Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia in 1917.
Since then the world has descended into an almost endless swamp of immorality and impurity.  Young people cohabiting, the legalization and promotion of homosexuality, adultery spreading like the wildfires of California, movies almost always portraying indecent scenes, immodest dress that provokes to no limits, addictions to pornography and masturbation, the sins against the sixth and ninth Commandments go on and on almost like an endless abyss. St. Teresa of Avila, woman Doctor of the Church made this wry comment: “Those who live in sin, we should not be surprised what they do but surprised what they do not do.”  In other words this saint asserts that the ability to sin and its malicious creativity has no limits—like the infinite abyss!
However, in the midst of the world inundated by materialism, sensuality, hedonism and worse yet—moral relativism, which really means nothing is really wrong, but all is permissible—we should always have hope. Why?   By nature we are the epitome of fragility and weakness. However, God is a strong, immovable Rock!  The Archangel Gabriel said to Mary in the account of the Annunciation—“All is possible for God!”

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Walk Cheerfully

"Walk cheerfully!" Practical advice from St. Padre Pio.

Almost everyone knows that "pray, hope, and don't worry" is attributed to St. Pio, but some of his other spiritual gems are not so well known: 

Duty before everything else, even something holy.

Whenever necessary you must look without seeing, and see without thinking about it.

If Jesus reveals Himself, thank Him; if He hides Himself thank Him also.  All is a pleasantry of His love.

Always do a little work.  Work, therefore, and though you keep on advancing slowly, you will nevertheless go a long way.

When there is not time for both, meditation is to be preferred to vocal prayer, because it is more fruitful.

Despise your temptations and do not dwell on them.

Ahead! Courage!  In the spiritual life he who does not advance goes backward. 

Don't draw back, and worse still, don't stop going up the Calvary of life.  Jesus will extend His hand to steady you.

Walk in the way of the Lord with simplicity and do not torment your spirit.

Only one thing is necessary: to lift up your spirit and love God.

The time best spent is that which is spent for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Often kiss Jesus with affection and you will recompense Him for the sacrilegious kiss of the unfaithful Apostle, Judas.

The devil is like a rabid dog tied to a chain; beyond the length of the chain he cannot seize anyone.  And you, keep at a distance. 


Read Rest

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Salvation Within

Prisoners can (if open to God's forgiving grace) experience salvation within their cells.


Prisoners are test cases of how Christians deal with sinners in extremis. I don’t just mean that compassion for the imprisoned can serve as a corroboration of Christian charity, although that is surely true. I mean that the whole experience of imprisonment is absolutely central to the coherence and credibility of the Gospel message. How can captivity, a great biblical theme, have any meaning today if we treat incarceration as nothing more than “serving time”? How can salvation be proclaimed as the ultimate joy even in this life if we live in a society that continues punishing prisoners long after they have been released?

Friday, August 29, 2014

Fatherhood

For Fathers:


1. Our vocation is to get our families to heaven.
2. Our children are always watching us. They will likely model later in life what they learn at home.
3. We are made for heaven, not this world. Let’s act accordingly.
4. Our children are God’s gift to us. The love and care we show our children is our gift back to Him.



Dads, I encourage all of us to take the four points listed above to prayer. Let’s not allow our pride to keep us from asking for help. Seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. Let’s pray for each other, challenge each other, and encourage each other. Let’s live out our vocation to fatherhood with courage and honor, for as Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles said, “It’s a promise to be faithful to the vocation of being a father. Even after a long day of work, even if he’d rather be doing something else—instead he will smile and laugh and take delight in spending time and playing games with his kids. Because that’s what fathers do. They keep their promise to love.”


Link

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Healing the Soul

We are called not to admire the love of Jesus, we are called to imitate His love.  Jesus sacrificed Himself and died for our sins.  this is real love.  We are called not to let this go to waste and allow Him to forgive us - so we can be free!
Video



Sunday, August 24, 2014

Conscience

Conscience...is an act of a person’s intelligence, the function of which is to apply the universal knowledge of the good in a specific situation. . .[32-3] This according to our former pastor, Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Veritatis SplendorLink to article


Conscience therefore is not creating our own personal, subjective truth and following it.  Man, through his pride, has had an urge to "play God" from the beginning - see Adam in the book of Genesis.  This only leads to misery and suffering (as Adam and Eve found out in the garden).


Therefore, we must ultimately and humbly submit to the laws of God objectively (Church teaching) not our own (i.e. my intellect might be telling me that artificial birth control is morally acceptable, but this is wrong  - the law of God as given through the Church says otherwise).  We must submit to the objective, universal knowledge of the good first (not our own, subjective knowledge), then act on it.  If we do this, we will find peace.


St. Paul referred to this as the transformation and "renewing of our mind", Romans 12:2, and putting on "the mind of Christ", 1 Corinthians 2:16.


Dying to self is a very difficult thing to do, but Christ will help us do it, if we are willing.



Friday, August 22, 2014

Illness

An inspiring story about a faithful priest who endured suffering:




A Memorial Mass is scheduled August 30, 10:00 a.m. at Holy Angels in Arcadia for Fr. Stuart Long, 50, who died June 9 in Helena, Montana after a long illness.  Fr. Stu joined Holy Angels through the RCIA and was a longtime parishioner there before becoming a priest.


Fr. Stu felt a call to the priesthood as he was baptized in 1994 at Holy Angels by Monsignor Norm Priebe, and decided to teach Religion at Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills for three years before entering the seminary.  Fr. Stu also coached wrestling.


Fr. Stu graduated from Carroll College in Helena, Montana, playing Saints football for two years and developing a passion for boxing, in which he excelled.  He won the 1985 Golden Gloves heavyweight title for Montana and was runner-up in 1986, the year he graduated from Carroll, having earned a degree in English literature and writing.  


Although Fr. Stu studied at a Catholic college, at the time he wasn’t a believer.  His indignant attitude toward faith often caused disruption on campus, antagonizing priests and fellow students.  Fr. Stu later described it as carrying a “huge grudge” as he wasn’t concerned about taking his frustration out on others.  


After graduation, Fr. Stu channeled his aggression to plan a career as a prizefighter, but that was nipped in the bud by reconstructive jaw surgery after a fight, so at his mom’s suggestion he moved to Los Angeles intent on breaking into the movies.  As Fr. Stu once said in retrospect (quoting from St. Augustine’s Confessions), “God was working behind the scenes.  He was with me but I was outside”. 


Though he made some commercials and had a few bit parts, Fr. Stu became disillusioned with the seedy industry and eventually took a position with the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, where he rose to become manager.


Riding his motorcycle home from the museum one evening, he was struck by a car at freeway speed, then run over by another.  The emergency room doctors left little hope for survival.  His father and girlfriend were summoned to pay their last respects.  


It was at this fragile point of his life, as it was hanging by a thread, when God finally got Fr. Stu’s attention.  He later described “mysterious encounters” which would inextricably change his life forever.  This close brush with death was the turning point that prompted an exploration of a religious faith he once deplored, ultimately leading to his baptism as a Roman Catholic.  He miraculously left the hospital one week later and approached the nearest Catholic Church.  There Stu met a holy priest who took him under his wing and guided him through RCIA. 


During his conversion Fr. Stu was influenced and deeply moved by the lives of the saints especially St. Francis, St, Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Padre Pio.  He developed a deep love for the Tradition of the Church and appreciated the spirit of the martyrs.  He joined his parish Legion of Mary, acquiring a Marian spirituality while participating in door to door, pro-life, hospital and homeless ministries.  He also helped spearhead a community effort that effectively stopped the construction of a proposed Planned Parenthood clinic in the City of Monrovia, CA.


Fr. Stu flourished, absorbed with the love of Christ and graced with a desire to share it; he brought the faith to others.  He accredited effective evangelization to sound Church teaching often quipping, “People are ultimately drawn to the Truth”.           


His mentor, Fr. Benedict Groeschel C.F.R., fostered his devotion to St. Francis, but Stu was too old at that time in his life to join the Franciscan community.  So at his spiritual director’s suggestion (and insistence for an “orthodox” formation) he enrolled at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.


There Fr. Stu earned a Master’s degree in philosophy and then received his priestly formation for the Diocese of Helena at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas on Dec. 14, 2007, at the Cathedral of St. Helena.


While a seminarian at Mount Angel, Fr. Stu underwent surgery to remove a tumor discovered on his hip. He was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, an extremely rare autoimmune disease that mimics the symptoms of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and for which there is no cure. By the time of his ordination, Father Stu was walking with the aid of crutches.  Father Stu found his great love serving as a priest, administering the sacraments and counseling his flock.


As his illness weakened him the diocese of Helena brought him home in 2010, where Father Stu took up a new life and ministry at Big Sky Care Center. Now using a power chair, and with the tireless assistance of his dad, Bill Long, Father Stu spread the faith throughout Helena’s parishes. He celebrated Mass regularly at St. Mary’s and Big Sky Care Center, as well as traveling wherever asked to perform the duties of his calling.  His Masses were known to be very devout and his homilies very faithful to Christ and His Church.  


Father Stu brought a servant’s heart to each and every minute of his ministry, his love increasing in power as physical strength declined. Father Stu became a beloved priest, confessor and friend to countless people. He taught by example, willingly accepting the pain and weakness each day brought; Stu said it was the best thing that ever happened to him, because it allowed him to shed the pride he had felt for most of his life.


Fr. Stu’s physical suffering sanctified him.  He endured his pain without complaint, giving thanks to God always.  Fr. Stu’s witness brought dozens (if not hundreds) of Montanans into the Church as was evident by the overflow crowd and personal testimony of those who attended his funeral.  


Father Stu will be missed, but his legacy of love and selflessness lives on in the hearts and minds of all he served.  Many on the Diocese of Helena feel he will someday be a canonized saint, a true priest. 


He is survived by his parents, Bill and Kathleen Long; siblings Jennifer, Scott (Kathy) and Amy (Tom) from Corona; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.




Link

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Confession

3 REASONS TO GO TO CONFESSION

Many men are embarrassed or afraid to go to confession. They avoid it as long as possible, and make excuses for not going. If that’s you, here are three reasons you should go to confession as soon as possible.
1. A new beginning – No matter what you’ve done (think of the worst thing you could possibly do), you can find mercy and healing in the sacrament of penance. When you walk out of the confessional, you are as sin free as you will ever be. Why would you notwant that gift?
Even if you haven’t committed any serious sins, going to confession is like  taking a bath. While they don’t kill us spiritually, venial sins wound our soul and make it dirty, so to speak. Don’t let your soul become smelly and dusty with venial sins. Go to confession.
2. Concrete forgiveness - Our Lord does not keep us guessing about whether or not we are forgiven. When the priest utters the words of absolution, your soul is instantly and completely healed. Sacramentally, Jesus is present in the confessional in the person of the priest. If he were here on earth, wouldn’t you ask him for forgiveness? If you want to experience the Divine Mercy in a real way, confession is the way to do it.
3. You receive graces - There is a mistaken notion that confession is just getting rid of our sins. But that’s not true. We not only have our sins taken away and cast into the bottom of the sea, we also receive graces from Christ that we desperately need to live a holy life. The more you go to
confession, the more graces you receive.