protect, announce and guide

God uses...
the archangel michael to protect us
the archangel gabriel to announce that Jesus reigns
the archangel raphael to guide us

let's be attentive to the ministry of these angels today and always and in all ways

lorenzo ruiz

today's the feast of st lorenzo ruiz-- the ONLY (officially recognized) filipino saint!! he was a father of three and is now praying for ALL fathers

Lk 9:51-56

Lk 9:51-56 jesus rejected the responses of revenge and violence.  do we?

luke 9: 46ff

comparing ourselves to others will always be a trap-- especially in trying to be the greatest.  we will never be satistifed or accpeting of who God has made us.  and our own spirits are damaged in the process

welcoming children as the least among us will make us the greatest.

indeed, the first shall be last and the last first

romans 14: 17

as i prepare for a retreat talk for later today, my main thought is God's Will for our lives.  one word comes to mind: JOY!!!  see romans 14: 17.  the Spirit is the anchor for this JOY

padre pio saying

"The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain" 


Padre Pio

first things first

the first reading from haggai has some sharp words from the Lord to examine the fruits of our actions.  the message is that it always starts with keeping God first in our worship-- lest we begin worshiping other things in the process

have ears?

after teaching the parable of the sower and the seed, jesus says in today's gospel , "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."


how do i actively listen to the Lord in my life?  with all the contrary voices that can guide us, be attentive today to the subtle urgings of the Spirit


may we bear fruit from the seed that God has planted in each of us

divine pursuits

1 tim 6:11

But you, child of God, avoid all this.
Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion,
faith, love, patience, and gentleness.


life is being reminded that the ideals of our faith, to which we strive, are indeed a pursuit and to take it day by day moment by moment

no contempt for youth

as we begin the new youth ministry year, it is providential that the first reading for mass is from paul's letter to timothy:

Let no one have contempt for your youth,
but set an example for those who believe,
in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.


pray for our youth-- especially here at sacred heart-- that they grow in these areas this year

lift high the cross

from phil 2: 6ff

jesus was exalted because he humbled himself even to death on a cross.  we share in that gift of resurrection.  how heavy is my cross today?  how can i help others carry their crosses?

st john chrystostom

"Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward & learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude."   


— St. John Chrysostom

that's it...

mary's yes

the feast of the most holy name of the blessed virgin mary is today; we heard the "annunciation" (luke 1: 26-38) as the gospel.

it is always inspiring to know that mary's response to God's will was a resounding YES.  "let it be done to me according to your word" is a very inspiring scripture verse to me.  i want to be that open to God's will in my life and to share the joy that she as the mother of jesus had

GOD's mercy

it is simple to follow: if God forgives us, we must forgive one another; it is difficult to live out

if we practice forgiveness during the seemingly less serious offenses like leaving the dishes unwashed in the sink and someone denting my car then, we cultivate the "attitude of forgiveness" within ourselves.

it is then possible to then forgive in the more serious areas that enter our lives such as  an unfaithful spouse, the betrayal from a close friend

and today-- the tenth anniversary of 9/11 -- can we, as a nation, even forgive,  those who perpetrated these crimes against thousands of innocent people?

we have a long way to go in this lofty ideal of forgiveness.  it will be only through the Spirit that we can have the strength for this level of healing to occur.

fruit trees and houses

i have always liked this image of a tree. : a good tree does not bear bad fruit; a bad tree does not bear good fruit.  simple yet profound

what kind of fruit do i bear right now in my life?  which branches need pruning?

the second image is a house. what kind of foundation is beneath the house?  on solid rock?  on shifting sand?

mary's birth

as a son of the heart of mary (claretian missionary), i cannot imagine life without her loving presence so: happy birthday mary!

without mary, as we know her, we do not have jesus as we know him.  eventhough she was the mother, she is defined by her son jesus.  in God's perfect plan, mary is an integral part

disturbing teachings of jesus

how counter cultural is jesus' primary teaching in his sermon on the plain from luke's gospel (lk 6:20ff)?

But woe to you who are rich,for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way."


we SHOULD be disturbed...

living life

jesus goes up the mountain to pray and then chooses his apostles. THEN they go down to the plain and heal the sick

this is a template for us too. we seek union with God in prayer, we make the best decisions that we can according to God's will and then resolve to jump into the messiness of life and be instruments of healing

lofty goal

but there by the grace of God i go...

confront one another as you would want to be confronted

"love one another as yourself", love does no evil against another; love is the fulfillment of the law.  this is seen in how we correct one another as in the Gospel today: if you are wronged, go to the person in private.  how often do we not do this?  it is easier to talk to others about how the person wronged/hurt us.  we may go to everyone BUT the person him/herself.

that is not how we would want the other to treat us.

but it is not easy to confront others with charity.  it is awkward at best.  few of us do this well.  but this is the ideal of the christian way and we must attend to these types of situations because we are our brother and sister's keeper.  if they are going astray, we must help them see how the consequences harm our relationship

the Holy Spirit will continue to lead and guide us toward this healing way

a shifting faith

st paul says in colossians 1:23 that our call is to "...persevere in the faith, (be) firmly grounded, stable and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel..."


is instability and "shifting" part of our human nature?  how do we stay grounded and persevere in faith?


what can i do today to receive the grace to move closer to this ideal of our faith?

new ways to grace

jesus gives us the image of "new wineskins" in the gospel.   the old ways of responding to God have a newness in the person of jesus as the Christ

often times, we try to do things the same old way and can get stagnant;  it is the same with our relationship with jesus.  we often do not choose to try new and different spiritual practices that will open us up to grace and blessing

let's ask the Spirit to lead us to try something out of the ordinary in our walk with Christ

prayer for one another

sometimes we need help in how to pray for one another.  


a great way is col 1: 9-11--


be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding^e10to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God,11strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy"