"He that loves, flies, runs and rejoices; he is free and not bound....Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength pleads no excuse of impossibility...for it thinks...
What is your point of gravity, the center of your attention, your ultimate priority? What is the "one necessary thing" that will give meaning to everything else in your life? Jesus identified it for...
How often we hear in the scriptures God saying, "Do not be afraid"? There seems to be a constant attitude within each of us, an attitude of fear, a fear of the unknown, a fear of the "what ifs". How can we overcome these persistent fears and anxieties? Our answer comes from God. "Do not be afraid. It is I". When we focus on ourselves and realize that we are not sure we can do something, then self-doubt and fear rise to the surface of our consciousness. God tells us look to him in whom we can do all things. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and heard, "Fear not, it is I", Peter asked to come to Jesus on the water. As long as Peter kept his eyes on the Lord, he moved across the water towards Jesus. But when he took his eyes off Jesus, his fears took over. When fear comes upon us, telling us that I can't do this, we need to look to Jesus. In him we can do all things. For when our love of God grows, the hold of fear is lessen.
Homily Fourth Sunday Year C Reading 1: God reveals to Jeremiah that he had been called to the prophetic ministry. God called Jeremiah to speak a message to a people who had...
"God exists, and the meaning of all that I am depends totally on that knowledge. I wonder constantly if I am genuinely allowing my life to be determined by that truth. Maybe part...
Fourth Sunday of the Year Gospel CJesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the...
From the time we were baptized until our last breath, we are on a journey to God. We were adopted by God and given a share of his Divine Life. The end of...
Thought of the Day January 24, 2022 To be in the world but not of the world
By spiritaflame 10:25 AMJesus spoke about being in the world without being of the world. What does he mean? What would that look like? To begin with, not to be of the world is to be...
It seems easier for us to look at our pains and sufferings--real or perceived--rather than at the blessings and joys in our daily life. It seems easier for us to say "poor me"...
Many times we may think that our relationship with God is one-sided. We are seeking to connect with God, who seems from our point of view too distant. We fail to realize that...
Homily: Third Sunday Year C Reading 1: Background to the reading. The Chosen People have returned to Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon. They began to rebuild the city and the Temple which...
Life is busy. The longer we live it seems to get busier. We are running from one thing to the next. At the end of the day we are exhausted and wonder what...
Reflection on Scripture Third Sunday Gospel C Jesus fulfills the prophesies
By spiritaflame 10:41 AMThird Sunday of Ordinary Time Gospel CSince many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and...
"It is very difficult for each of us to believe in Christ’s words, “I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners. . . .” Perhaps no psychologist has stressed the need...
"Who am I?" This is a basic question of life. Do I receive my identity from myself, how I perceive myself, how I feel in a given moment? Is my identity determine by...
"God is a compassionate God. This means, first of all, that God is a God who has chosen to be God-with-us. . . . As soon as we call God “God-with-us,” we enter...
Are we determined by the "ifs" of our lives? Or are we determined by the certainties of our relationship with God in faith? The "ifs" that the world presents us leaves us in...
In fact, we belong to the Lord. But in reality, do we? This is our daily struggle. The world, the flesh and the Devil try to convince us otherwise, not directly, but subtly. It...
From the beginning of our existence, God has given us our identity. We are the beloved sons and daughters of God. One of the temptations of the Evil One is to sow the...
A third aspect of the Baptism of the Lord that is very revealing is the coming of the Spirit on Jesus. In his humanity, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit from the...
We continue our reflection on the Baptism of the Lord. Yesterday, we looked at Jesus' obedience to the Father. Today, we reflect on the central identity of Jesus, that of the Beloved Son...
Homily Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Year C Reading 1 This is one the three Servant Songs in Isaiah that identifies the future Messiah as a Servant of God. The...
This coming Sunday we are going to celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan. There are many levels of revelations contain in this event in the life of...
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Gospel CThe people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John was proclaiming a baptism of...
"Strong emotions, self-rejection, and even self-hatred justifiably toss you about, but you are free to respond as you will. You are not what others, or even you, think about yourself. You are not...
"Consult not your fears, but your hopes and your dreamsThink not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern not yourself with what you tried and failed in, but what it is...
