"When we pray we speak to God; but when we read, God speaks to us...Make knowledge of the Scripture your love ... Live with them, meditate on them, make them the sole object of...
"When Jesus appears for the last time to his disciples, he sends them out into the world saying: 'Go, ... make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father...
MAKING A TOUGH DECISION The economics of putting family first can be scary by William Gonzalez It was time to make another dreaded phone call telling my wife that problems had come up and...
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Novena Prayer (September 29-October 7) Blessed Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer before you. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your...
Lord, in different ways and through different teachings you show us that a true disciple ultimately makes you the Lord of his/her life. The first step is repentance/conversion. I recognize that sin hampers...
Reflections on Scripture Twenty-Seventh Sunday Gospel C
By spiritaflame 10:44 AM Reading ReflectionsThe apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." Have you ever felt like asking Jesus this same thing? Is it the faith to accept the mysteries revealed by God in the Scriptures?...
"Spiritual desolation is something that happens to all of us: it can be stronger or weaker...but that feeling of spiritual darkness, of hopelessness, mistrust, lacking the desire to live, without seeing the end...
Pride, ambition and jealousy can be positive or negative elements in our lives. Does that sound strange. Let's see. I can take pride in the works you, Lord, allow me to accomplish, giving...
Men of God Monthly Mass
By spiritaflame 2:08 PM Men of GodCorrections for the Men’s Monthly Masses for October, November, and December! Due to the fact that I have schedule conflicts for the next three months on the First Saturday of the month, the...
"The words of Jesus can keep us erect and confident in the midst of the turmoil of the end-time. They can support us, encourage us, and give us life even when everything around...
The Father as a nurturer. It is a well-known fact that any man can father a child, but not every man with a child is truly a father. All we have to do...
Lord, how often your ministry of gaze made a difference in another's life. You first physically and intentionally gazed at Matthew as he was collecting taxes. It was the gaze of encounter, offering...
Jesus said to the Pharisees:" There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named...
"Many people live with the unconscious or conscious expectation that eventually things will get better; wars, hunger, poverty, oppression, and exploitation will vanish; and all people will live in harmony. Their lives and...
How often in my human weakness and introverted nature, I don't encounter the other, but meet them. To meet another is to keep any interaction on the surface level. To encounter another touches...
“You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother.... God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith,...
Prayers: Litany of the Seven Sorrows
By spiritaflame 11:02 AM PrayersLitany of the Seven Sorrows For private use only. Lord, have mercy on us. R/ Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. R/ Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us....
Are you seeking holiness? Part four In our previous reflections, we have looked at your role as a spiritual leader both personally and in regards your wife. Today’s reflection will focus on your...
Of all the sorrows Mary, your Mother, endured, the greatest was probably seeing you suffering innocently on the cross and eventually dying for my sins. Her sorrow was magnified in intensity because her...
Prayers: Litany of the Holy Cross
By spiritaflame 10:10 AM PrayersLITANY OF THE HOLY CROSS Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us. R/ Christ,...
Your cross, Lord, crushed our sins, so that our crosses may lift us up to the grace of salvation. You embraced your cross in love for the Father and in love of us....
“Helping a person in need is good in itself. But the degree of goodness is hugely affected by the attitude with which it is done. If you show resentment because you are helping...
Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare...
"When we have been deeply hurt by another person, it is nearly impossible not to have hostile thoughts, feelings of anger or hatred, and even a desire to take revenge. All of this...
"Man's salvation and perfection consists of doing the will of God which he must have in view in all things, and at every moment of his life....To do the will of God, man...
Are You Seeking Holiness Part Three As the spiritual leader in your family, you are called to exemplify holiness of life to your wife and to your children, to walk, as a shepherd,...
What do we learn from the celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary's birth? Her significance is not in herself, but in you, Lord Jesus, her Son. Just as her immaculate conception was in...
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Have you had people...
On the Cross you, Lord, cried out from the depth of your being, "I thirst"! It was a cry of infinite love for me, a sinner. How can I begin to fathom the...
Many people suffer from isolation and loneliness with their negative effects. To be lonely is not to have significant companionship at the moment. There is something missing in one's life. Loneliness can make...
"In the spiritual life we have to make a distinction between two kinds of loneliness. In the first loneliness, we are out of touch with God and experience ourselves as anxiously looking for...
What is it you want of me, Lord? Everything I have comes from you. You need nothing that I have. What you want is me, the surrender of my total self to you...
