As we continue our reflection on the Beatitude of meekness we realize that meek people learn to be quiet and still before the Lord waiting patiently for him to act. They recall the...
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." How do we begin to grow in the virtue of meekness? Meek people begin by trusting God. They truly believe that God will...
Father Raniero Cantalamessa in one of his reflections on the Beatitude on meekness said the following. “The maximum proof of Christ's meekness is in his passion. There is no wrath, there are no...
Thought of the Day February 26, 2018 To be meek is to be strong
By spiritaflame 10:21 AM Thought of the DayAs we continue our reflections on the Beatitudes, we turn our attention to the words of Jesus: “Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the earth.” What does meekness mean? The Greek word...
Thought of the Day February 23, 2018 Our true possession
By spiritaflame 10:12 AM Thought of the DayIt is not by accident that Jesus begins his teaching concerning the road to lasting happiness with poverty of Spirit. There is a false assumption in our consumeristic society that material possessions will...
Thought of the Day February 22, 2018 See myself as God sees me
By spiritaflame 9:26 AM Thought of the DayBlessed are poor in spirit. Where does one begin? I must recognize and accept that on my own I am totally dependent on God for everything. I would not exist if God did...
Homily Second Sunday of Lent Year B Reading 1: Last Sunday we focused on the covenant God made with Noah after the flood and the sign of the covenant was the rainbow. In...
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” There is a difference between spiritual poverty and poverty of Spirit. There are many who are spiritually impoverished and either...
Second Sunday of Lent: Gospel B After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. · It is important to know that prior...
Here is the conclusion of Pope's Francis' Homily for Ash Wednesday. I shared earlier on Pause and See. Now the final word is Return. "Pause, see and return. Return to the house of...
I would like to continue sharing Pope Francis' thoughts for Lent. He spoke about Pause, See, Return. Here are his reflections on See. "See the gestures that prevent the extinguishing of charity, that...
Thought for the Day February 16, 2018 Lent, a time of pause (2)
By spiritaflame 9:38 AM Thought of the DayHere is the continuation of Pope Francis' thought on the need to pause during Lent to mine the graces God has for us. "Pause for a little while, refrain from the deafening noise...
Thought of the Day February 15, 2018 Lent, a time of pause
By spiritaflame 9:31 AM Thought of the DayPope Francis in his homily for Ash Wednesday shared some insights about Lent that I think is worth sharing. He talks about the need for pause, for seeing and for returning. In the...
Homily First Sunday of Lent Year B Reading 1: A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and man. Unlike a contract, a covenant is unbroken. God, in his loving mercy desires us...
Jesus chose to be born to a young woman who was blessed by God but was insignificant in the eyes of the world. She and Joseph were among the “anawim”. They were too...
Jesus lived what he taught. In the next few weeks we are going to reflect on the Beatitudes both in Jesus’ life and in ours. When Jesus said “Blessed are the poor in...
"There are two sides to forgiveness: giving and receiving. Although at first sight giving seems to be harder, it often appears that we are not able to offer forgiveness to others because we...
Jesus reveals the ever ready, unconditional mercy of God in the scene of the adulterous woman about to be stoned. "Jesus' attitude is striking: we do not hear the words of scorn, we...
Our relationship to God is rooted in experiencing his mercy for we have sinned in so many ways. "It is not easy to entrust oneself to God's mercy, because it is an abyss...
(Continuing) To "live in Christ" as a new creation involves not only loving God with our whole heart, mind, strength and will, but loving others with the love of Jesus. This is not...
Homily Sixth Sunday Year B Reading 1: Both the first reading and the Gospel talk about leprosy. In those days leprosy was a highly contagious disease. Because of lack of medical knowledge, they...
Sixth Sunday of Year: Gospel Reflections B A leper came to him (and kneeling down) begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." In the Old Testament we find...
(Continuing) Paul does not say to live only with Jesus, but to live in Christ Jesus. To "live in" is explained by Jesus in the parable of the vine and the branches. It...
Thought of the Day February 5, 2018 Living as a new creature
By spiritaflame 10:19 AM Thought of the Day(Continuing) Since becoming a new creation involved a radical change in us by the grace of God, what is needed is a radical response likewise by God's grace. How radical? "Do not conform...
What does it mean to be a new creation? To be a new creation is to be reborn in water and the spirit. In our initial creation we were given human life through...
St Paul tells us that we are to be ambassadors of reconciliation. "Only when we fully trust that we belong to God and can find in our relationship with God all that we...
