The Command Not to Stop

The Command Not to Stop By Fr. John Opara

The man who lost his wife is afraid of loneliness. The woman that just survived a heart attack does not want to look into the future with hope. The young boy that graduated from college is depressed because of momentary inability to secure a job. The 18-year-old girl is afraid of having to make decisions…

Read More

Celebrating Love

Image of Christ, the resurrected as we celebrate the Love of God for us.

Easter is a time to reflect upon the unfathomable love of God for us and for the world. The salvific mystery, comprising of the public ministry, death and resurrection of Christ, is a great evidence of the love of God for us all. God, who is love, created the world out of love in order…

Read More

A Brother to Love

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

A 60-year-old man has died and arriving at heaven‘s gate. St. Peter interviewed him “Have you ever loved a woman?“ He said “No, not even a single one“. “Did you have special friends?“ “No“, the man replied. “How about your parents, brothers and sisters?“ “I lost my parents as a child, and I have no…

Read More

Taking Care of Ourselves

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

The phenomenon of the separation of the public life from private life has been praised by some people as a way of surviving the emotional pressure associated with the public life. This idea is beneficial for some professional workers such as doctors, police men, missionaries, lawyers, soldiers etc. According to this view, doctors for instance,…

Read More

Handing on the Faith

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

Instrumental Art I visited a family on the occasion of the 75th birthday of a church member. On entering the house, I noticed a big piano and asked the woman during the discussion whether she played instruments. She started telling me how she and all her five brothers learned and played different kinds of instrument…

Read More

Be Vigilant and Alert at All Times

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

On New Year’s Eve, most people normally keep vigil to welcome the New Year. In most traditional cultures, people stay awake to usher in the New Year or to celebrate the gift of the New Year. Christians also stay awake on the eve of the New Year, to welcome it with hearts full of gratitude.…

Read More

Remaining in His Love

Freedom: Follow the Lord

Last week, we heard a lecture by Rev. Sr. Malmann, who survived cancer and authored a book about her survival. The title of the book is The Goldthreads Between Heaven and Earth: Living the Faith in Difficult Moments. (Goldfäden zwischen Himmel und Erde: Glauben in dunklen Stunden). The purpose of the lecture was to learn…

Read More

Called to Greatness

Image showing kind gesture, feeding the hungry.

We hear about the discussion of the disciples on the way to Caesarea Philippi arguing who among them is the greatest. We might call this aspiration towards greatness, “ambition.” Ambition is not bad. It can motivate us and energize us to do great things for ourselves and others. Ambition can drive students in school to…

Read More

The Meeting on The Way

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

Most of the time in life, it is not all about speed or how fast we are, but about being properly guided. One would question the rationale behind the stopping of the Israelites to set up tents of meeting in the desert. Could it not have been a moment to acquire more miles in their…

Read More

Faithful Despite Disappointments and Difficulties

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

As people of faith, how do we handle disappointments and difficulties regarding our career paths or pet projects? Do we feel devastated, and lose hope? Do we pick quarrels with God for the failures and for not intervening to save the situation? Many times, many of us are negatively affected when faced with serious disappointments.…

Read More