Reflections of a beloved son

The world is in the midst of a battle.  The Coronavirus/COVID-19 Pandemic has taken over the world.  It started in a small part of a country and then it spread.  People who may have contracted it did not know they were infected and then they travel and meet family and friends, and by doing so, those they met may have been infected. This silent agent brought our world to a standstill.  Countries closed their borders.  School are closed.  Stores are closed.  Churches are closed.  Public masses and services are cancelled.  This microscopic agent wreaked havoc on the world.  But it does not have the last word. At the surface, the battle that we are in the midst of is a physical one.  People are getting sick. People are dying.  But we are simultaneously fighting a spiritual battle.  People are turning on each other.  One race discriminates against another.  People turn inward and put their own needs above others....

“The brother is not bored. He is alone with God” (103). This line is from Nicolas Diat’s “A Time to Die - Monks on the Threshold of Eternal Life.” The Father comes to meet us in the silence. Being alone is not being bored or lonely. Solitude and loneliness are different. The former is being aware of the presence of God and allowing yourself to rest in Him, but the latter is ignoring it and trying to find peace outside of its source. As we enter this final week of Advent, let us be aware of God’s presence in our hearts, in others, and in the sacraments, and invite others to do the same. For only in Him will we find peace and rest.  God is there - in the stillness of your hearts.  God knows it is difficult to find peace and to find Him in the noise and busyness of the world, and so He comes to meet us in a “light silent sound” (1 Kg. 19:12b). When you feel empty and restless, and cannot seem to find any joy or peace that lasts, call out to God, for then you will be able to exp...

Sometimes it seems like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.  Oftentimes it seems like no one cares, and no one bothers to listen.  When I have reached rock bottom it seems like there is no way back up.  Have you ever felt this way?  It’s a horrible feeling to have.  To feel that no one cares and understands, and then try to go through the motions, it just takes so much work and so much energy out of me.  I feel alone.  However, we are told “ God is close to the broken-hearted ” ( Ps. 34:19 ).   Even when we feel all alone and that no one cares we must remember and we must try our best to know and believe that the Father is there with us .  He’s there walking with us.  He’s there when things seems to go wrong.  He’s there when it seems like no one is listening and that no one cares or bothers to ask and understand. And, he’s right there with us at rock bottom.  In fact, He’s always been there.  He’s waitin...