We have all heard the familiar Gospel passage exhorting us to persist in prayer: “Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and the door shall be opened.” Yet many of our prayers are not answered in the way we expect. Rather, through prayer we come to…
Read MoreA few years ago, as a family, we had attended a healing retreat. The focus of the retreat was unforgiveness. We heard testimonies of people who had gone through immense hurts in their lives. The repeating thread line of their testimonies began in some form of hurt or abuse, followed…
Read MoreThe readings of today direct our minds to rendering service of discipleship. A service of discipleship entails listening to the voice of God, seeking direction from the Holy Spirit, and doing the mission of God. This also means finding the one or the few important things that are crucial to…
Read MoreI am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ. (Gal 1:6-7) Paul begins his letter…
Read MoreGod is orderly and teleological in his works. His act of creation was well planned out and purposefully ordered. Part of this order is the marriage institution, which he established with the creation of man and woman, two contrary genders that would purposefully form a whole. According to this divine…
Read MoreIn Spanish, we have a saying that goes: “Después de la tempestad, viene la calma.” Translated, this saying states that, “After a storm comes a calm.” We use this saying to console or to encourage a person who is going through a rough moment in life, inviting them to see…
Read MoreToday’s readings are an interesting challenge and opportunity to go to Our Lord and say, “what are you trying to teach me here?” I am a big fan of adoration where I go daily to sit with my best friend and have all kinds of conversations. I bring to Him…
Read MoreTurn to God. Today’s Gospel invites us to practice confidence in the power of grace. In the first reading, we encounter the suffering of Job. We catch him at a moment when he seems to be at a loss. “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the hand…
Read MoreAngels, divine messengers of God, captivate our hearts. Is that too broad a statement? Perhaps. But it is fair to say that most of us long for divine intervention, especially when life takes an unexpected turn. What we often call coincidences may actually be ‘God-incidents’—moments where God orchestrates or intervenes…
Read MoreAs I approach a very special birthday, I decided to revisit some of the books that helped me better understand God’s love. Besides the Bible, the first book on my list is The Story of a Soul by Saint Theresa of Lisieux. There are other books: The Dialogue of Saint…
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