The Importance and Power of Prayer

prayer

What do you mean by ‘Prayer’ to start with? If you thought it was asking God for stuff you’re not completely wrong. We’re supposed to ask God for our needs, and I think it’s just fine to ask God for the particular things like, “Dear God, please heal my son.” or “Please  God we need [...]

Jigsaw Puzzle Spirituality

jigsaw-puzzle

I remember as a young priest I was visiting an older woman we’ll call Veronica whose life was in chaos. She was grieving over a broken marriage. Her children were a disappointment. She had health problems and money worries. She had emotional and relational difficulties. In addition to this she talked too much. The poor [...]

Trust and Obey

When I was a child I was taught the Sunday School song, “Trust and Obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to Trust and Obey.” So this morning at Mass this song comes back to me in the reading of the gospel. It is the story of the healing of [...]

Healing through the Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy

I know what your problem is. In fact, I know what everyone’s problem is. Furthermore, I not only know the problem, I have the solution. Maybe your problem is that your are greedy or selfish or lustful. Maybe you are insecure or you are arrogant (which is another way to be insecure). Maybe you are [...]

Radical Religion

Leo Tolstoy as a Pilgrim

My brother lives at the beach, and he was out walking the dog late one afternoon when he spotted an unusual fellow walking along the beach. He was wearing a kind of Franciscan habit, sandals and was carrying a walking stick and a big Bible. My brother engaged him in conversation. It seems the man [...]

Be Not Afraid

As a Bible Christian I memorized a verse from the New Testament: “God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” The older I get and the longer I work with people the more I have come to understand how fear is at the [...]