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Prayer

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Oct 17 2013
Love1

St. Ignatius of Antioch

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Today is the feast day of St Ignatius of Antioch. He was the bishop of Antioch in Syria and was the second successor of St. Peter.  He was a disciple of the apostle St. John, and also met St. Peter, having probably been ordained by him.St. Ignatius of Antioch

During the reign of Emperor Trajan, Ignatius was sentenced to be thrown to the wild beasts. He was transported in chains to his martyrdom in Rome; along the way, he was met by Christians from nearby places.  To these friends, he wrote seven letters, six addressed to some Christian communities and one personal letter to Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna.  All seven are most beautiful pearls of our early Christian literature.

Prior to his death in the year 110, he wrote a letter to the Ephesians where he highlighted the following four points, which are still relevant to this very day: Read More

Sep 26 2013
Love0

Consider Your Ways

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This reflection is based on today’s reading from the Book of the Prophet Haggai (1:1-8)

We live in a materialistic world today.  Enough is never enough.  More than enough is never enough!  But this is nothing new.  This was the state of affairs in Judah 2,500 years ago.  It’s not as if the people of Judah didn’t have what they needed.  But instead of seeking after the Lord’s house, they were only concerned with their own.  Instead of looking to the Lord’s will, they were only concerned with their own.  As a result, they were never really satisfied. Read More

Aug 29 2013
Love0

Blameless in Holiness

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john-the-baptistWith today being the Memorial of The Passion of St. John the Baptist, the line that always comes to mind from him is, “He must increase while I must decrease.” This has got to be my favorite quote because it always reminds me that it’s never about me, but it’s always about God. (And that is also a great way to pray!)

However, St. Paul prays to the Thessalonians (3:7-13), “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all…to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father.” Read More

Aug 01 2013
Love0

Pitching a Tent

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tenderfootI can remember going camping a lot when my boys were young. It was always good family time, except for pitching the tent. When the boys were small, they weren’t much help, so my wife and I were left setting up the tent by ourselves. As the boys got older, everyone was able to pitch in to help. Read More

Jul 28 2013
Love0

It’s All About Showing Up

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I spent the day on Saturday with about 800 teens from across the Midwest as we celebrated World Youth Day Chicago – A Midwest Celebration. It was an amazing day filled with energy, faith, and prayer. I was so blessed to have been able to be the emcee and give a workshop to such wonderful, faith-filled teens. The young church is certainly a powerful force! Read More

May 30 2013
Love0

Cries of Despair to Tears of Joy

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In case you haven’t heard the news, I have found employment again! (Thanks be to God!) Thank you for all of your prayers and support during my job search. It is truly appreciated!

After reflecting on today’s Gospel (Mark 10:46-52) about the blind man, Bartimaeus, I couldn’t help but to think how much I have in common with him. (Honestly, I think we all do!) For me, it was going through the loss of my job. Read More

Feb 27 2013
Love0

One Returns; One Departs

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I have returned from my week of silence and solitude, peace and prayer. There was a great number of things on my mind that I had to clear out, sort out, and clean up. It was a great week where I needed to face my trials, fears, and future – experienced all through tears, prayers, meditation, and incredible silence. Read More

Feb 16 2013
Love0

Prayer, Silence and Solitude

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The past three weeks have been mentally challenging for me, and I find the need to clear my mind and sort things out. Therefore, I will be departing on a personal week-long retreat to spend some time with the Lord. I need to spend some time in prayer, silence and solitude. I will resume my writings here upon my return.

I ask you to keep me in your prayers this week. Please pray that I am able to listen to the what the Spirit needs to tell me; that I have the patience to hear the words spoken to me, the courage to act on those words, and the strength to make those words come to life through my actions. Read More

Feb 14 2013
Love0

Our One Great Big "I"

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Everybody knows what a Cyclops is, right? It’s that strange monster with one big eye in the middle of its forehead. And we think, what a bizarre creature, this Cyclops, with one big eye. But for 325 days of each year, we are all Cyclopes! Let me explain. Read More