What Jesus teaches us is that our actions should reflect our words and our words become alive in our actions. Let our yes be yes and our no be no. To be holy...
My diocese of Houma-Thibodeaux in Louisiana suffered extensive devastation as a result of hurricane Ida. Please pray for the people. At times like this we can lose hope or be grateful to God...
In the midst of all that is happening in the world around us, it is easy for us to lose hope and despair. To do so is to fail to remember the promises...
There is a major difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. We all have different natural talents. These natural talents come from God. We are to use them for our good and the...
Homily: Twenty-second Sunday Year B Reading 1: How do we see the Ten Commandments? Do we see them as a rule of life, helping us to become more the people of God...
Thought of the Day August 25, 2021 Embrace but be not possessed by creation
By spiritaflame 10:11 AMThe world is not evil, though evil is in the world. God created the world good, but not a god. The evil in the world comes from the result of sin. The world...
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary: Gospel Reflections BWhen the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that...
"We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Our primary task in solitude, therefore, is not to pay undue attention to the...
It is the revelation of the Word of God that we are chosen by God to exist. We are chosen by God to be redeemed and thus become disciples. We have been chosen...
"Let us lay aside every encumbrance of sin which clings to us and persevere in running the race which lies ahead; let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects...
Thought of the Day August 19, 2021 Unforgiveness jeopardizes our relationship with God
By spiritaflame 10:08 AMForgiveness of another is not natural to us as human beings. We are able to forgive only by the grace of the Lord and by imitating the example of the Jesus in his...
Homily Twenty-first Sunday Year B Reading 1 Joshua let the people into the Promised Land under the guidance of God. The people were established, having conquered some of their enemies. Joshua reminds...
"Forgiveness is not equivalent to forgetfulness; it is equivalent to holiness. Forgiveness is impossible without God’s grace. I can only forgive my enemies and my brothers by an infusion of God’s love for...
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary: Gospel B Many of Jesus’disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” · “This saying” was the teaching of Jesus in the last two Sundays’ Gospel...
Pope St. John Paul II: " There is no peace without justice and no justice without forgiveness.”When someone wrongs us, we want justice. When we wrong others, we want mercy and forgiveness. Are...
Thought of the Day August 16, 2021 Forgiveness: sign of weakness or strength
By spiritaflame 9:57 AMMost people think that when you forgive another it is a sign of weakness. Is God weak when he freely, out of love, forgives us continually? Or is it a rather a sign...
" We fear the future because we are wasting today....Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more." (St. Therese of Calcutta)This is another advise supporting the...
"Should you fall even fifty times a day, never on any account should that surprise or worry you. Instead, ever so gently set your heart back in the right direction and practice the...
Homily Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary Reading 1: In his vision the author of Revelations sees Mary in heaven, crowned with 12 stars, representing the 12 tribes of Israel and the...
Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. ...
Reflection on Scripture Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary Gospel B Embracing God's mysterious plan
By spiritaflame 11:51 AMSolemnity of the Assumption of Mary Gospel B During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of...
Sometimes we spend most of our life doing, accomplishing things, trying to reach that next level of success, rather than being and living in the present moment. In being in the present moment...
"There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to...
NOVENA FOR THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY August 6-14, 2021 Lord Jesus Christ, you have destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life in body and soul. You granted...
We continue our reflection on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Yesterday, we reflected on the need for assurance of forgiveness. This Sacrament provides us the opportunity of countering the root of sin, which is...
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches the following.1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an...
Homily Nineteenth Sunday Year B Reading 1: Elijah has confronted the infidelity of the nation of Israel. Their king, Ahaz, was wicked and did abominable deeds. His wife, Jezebel, was a foreigner,...
Thought of the Day August 4, 2021 Reconciliation: a second plank of salvation
By spiritaflame 9:26 AMThe Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as 'the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.'"How merciful is our...
Nineteenth Sunday Ordinary Time: Gospel B The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?...
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states the following for our reflection.1441 Only God forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, "The Son of man has authority on...
For the past two weeks we have reflected on the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. This week we will look at the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church...
