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No Darkness Too Dark

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  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil.” Psalm 23:4a Wednesday of the First Week of Advent For an audio version, click here . As winter approaches, the days get shorter, and the sky turns dark earlier. Sometimes the darkness and coldness of winter may put us in a sad mood or even make us think about some of the things we have been working so hard to avoid, ignore, and hide from. Sometimes some parts of our past we are ashamed of creep into our minds and it makes us question ourselves, our identity, our present, and our worth. It is at those times when the enemy capitalizes on our vulnerabilities and try to make us turn to him and move away from God. The Enemy will try to feed the lie that because of those past moments of weakness and shame that we do not deserve happiness or joy and that God does not love us because of our past and we should be too shameful to go to God. But that is the exact opposite of what God wants and what we should do. God
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Living Amidst Rebellion

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  “Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel 12:2 Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time There have been news of more riots and looting in recent days. One news outlet interviewed a leader of the movement and they justified those actions saying, whatever they took, they deserved it and that it was reparation. He said whatever clothes the people stole they did so because they needed it and now they have clothes, and so it is fine and justified. That’s just downright bizarre. Just because we need something it does not give us the right to do damage and steal. We all have needs, all different and of varying magnitudes, and we all have needs to be met, but it must be met in the right way. People may feel that the only way for them to live and survive is to steal and loot.  But we should ask them “how may we help you?” instead of justifying and helpi
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Conflict Resolution

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“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” Matthew 18:15 Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Oftentimes I find that when people have a problem with another person, they would go and tell everyone about the problem except that person. Yes, it may have some therapeutic effects by venting and unloading with a trusted friend or mentor, but it doesn’t solve the problem. Jesus told His disciples that if we have a problem with another person, we ought to go to that individual in person and not everyone else first. To resolve any conflict, we must face it head on and we must encounter the other. If that doesn’t work then we bring other people in. There is something special about the 1 on 1 encounter. There is a vulnerability there as well as trust and humility. These enable us to reveal ourselves to the other in a way that touches the heart. It is only when the heart is reached will there be forgiveness, reconciliation, and resolution. When
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"Lord, Save Me!"

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“But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” Matthew 14:30 Memorial of St. John Vianney We are in the midst of hurricane season. Rain is pouring, winds are gusting, and property is being damaged. For many, power will be lost. For some, lives might be lost. There will be many storms in our lives. Storms are natural parts of life. Some will be more violent than others. Some will cause more damage than others. But storms are not everlasting. All storms eventually come to an end. Even though there may not be anything we can do to prevent the storms from coming or magically make them go away, we can learn to do the proper precautions and proactively brave the storms. There will be times in our lives that make hope seem distant or joy and peace seem nonexistent. But we must hold on to them – hope, joy, and peace are everlasting!  They come from God. When Jesus asked Peter to go to Him on the waters, Peter did but
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Being Shaped

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“Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:6 Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus There is nothing that God cannot do. He is the Master Artist, the Potter, Our Creator and Maker. We need to want to be clay. We need to want to be shaped. The Potter has a plan for His work.  God has a plan for us. A plan only for good. Do we believe it? Do we believe Him? When life takes us to places we’d rather not go, will we trust that we are in God’s hands?  We will trust that God remains with us? Do we believe that those difficult moments of our lives will somehow make us stronger? God will give meaning to those struggles and challenges, those pains and sufferings. God will turn those struggles and challenges into means by which we may receive great grace. But we must be willing to let Him shape us. We are God’s masterpieces, each perfect and unique, each special and
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