It takes bravery to lead a family into virtue and away from the vices the world erroneously values. It takes a man to shake off his sin a sloth and join a bible study, prayer group, attend morning Mass during the week, pray with his wife and children daily. It takes a real man to become vulnerable and to share his Faith with those who need to hear it.

The biggest lesson that I have learned as a priest is the importance of humility. Those times when I have made decisions without prayer, things don't tend to go well, the seasons of my life where prayer has taken a back seat, I have lost my peace, the periods I have lived my life based on my own desires, I am left wanting more. Yet the times I have placed my relationship with God first, I have seen him operate in, through, and for me, I have been filled with His peace, I have been able to finally rest, I have found joy.

I have frequently preached on Mortal Sin and the Sacrament of Confessions. Recently, it has been pointed out to me that I have not directly defined Mortal Sin, Venial Sin, or how to know which you have been guilty of. Mortal Sin is exactly what it sounds like, it is sin that causes death.

For us who consider ourselves followers of Christ, these are the days which hold the most significance to our Faith. One of the most important ways to bring people in the Kingdom of God is to live your life in the Kingdom with strength and firmness. If this Faith is indeed important, then I ought to live my life in a way that respects and shows that reality. Very few people will want to join something that member treat with lax efforts. When people see people living with intention and passion, it becomes at least attractive enough to investigate. When we live our lives with Passion, we will turn people off and draw others in. When we live our lives haphazardly, no one will care.

Meditation seems to be helping so many people. How can it help me? Should I learn to meditate? Is there such a thing as Christian Meditation?

When we harbor un-forgiveness, what he tend to hold onto inside is not the anger itself, or the spirit of justice; rather we hold onto the hurt and pain. We tend to not want to forget too quickly the damage that another person has caused us. So we cling to the pain. Clinging to the pain becomes an almost insurmountable block to hear God's voice. As we grasp with might to the pain, we loose our ability to love. We can become obsessed with holding tight to the our sense of being wronged and needing to make it right. What we need is the freedom to love; to love God, other people, and even ourselves.

Almsgiving is necessary to let go of the lust of the eyes, the desire for possessions. Lent is the time of year where the Church calls us back to what we should already be busy about doing, the three principles of Lent are the three principles of progessing in the Spiritual Life. They all three have purpose and function. The fruit of Almsgiving is that we can let go more perfectly of the worldly pleasure to which we have become addicted. If I cannot control my lust for stuff, I should be charitable.

It is sometimes recommended that we should fast (especially for Lent) from sinful behaviors instead of food or other good pleasures. However, this is a misses the mark of understanding of human nature. If I cannot deny myself the pleasure of candy, dessert, alcohol, etc, how could I possibly have enough will power to overcome gossip, obscenity, sexual sin, or other addictive sins.

This is the purpose of all Christians, that we cultivate our own personal holiness. Holiness is not reserved for clergy and religious, but is the purpose for which we were each created. Jesus is calling His followers to a higher standard of life, calls them to take the minimal requirement of the Law and dig deeper, pursuing perfection. Throughout the Scriptures, it is evident that each person is called to holiness, that is to say, an intimate life with God. Prayer, and deep … See more

Why do we use ashes on Ash Wednesday?

In my experience, people tend to get nervous about going to Confession because they are afraid of not knowing what to do. Below are a few tips from my own experience and the experience of a few other priests.

Jesus continues, "Neither do I."  Her universe crashes.   A sense of relief only to be mixed and confused with a sense of unworthiness.  "Go and sin no more."  With these simple words, Jesus dismisses her.  What could have been the worst day of her life has turned into the day of her salvation.  Not only has she been saved by this encounter with Jesus, she has been changed for greatness.  She has been called by Christ to move out of her sinfulness, told she is worthy of being shown mercy.  Jesus, with eyes filled with eternal self sacrificing love, looks deeply into her soul, He sees her sin, her woundedness, her scars, her pain, her turmoil, her self loathing, her guilt, her shame.  He sees it all, and He loves her.  He sees it all, there she stands naked before her God, and He sees it all.  And yet, He loves her, forgives her, and calls her to follow Him all the more.

The floats in the Mardi Gras Parades would traditionally be built to represent the pagan gods, yet they would be 'boarded' by the Christians who would throw their treasures to the Christians in the streets below. This would symbolize the newly visible God was the Lord of lords and God of gods.  That the Christian God was indeed to the Master of all the cosmos.

In your life, work as if the wolrd depends on you, but pray like it dfepends on God. Begin your day, every day in Scripture and in prayer. Read the Gospel for the day, let God speak to you about that Gospel, tell God what you have that day and ask for His guidance. Allow the Lord Jesus to be your savior, do not attempt to take that job onto yourself.

God is not a mere concept or abstract reality, He is a person we are to encounter.  By use of the elements He created, wine, bread, water, oil, chalk, and incense, He enters into the created world.  At the birth of Jesus on Christmas the invisible God enter the visible world.  And through the Sacraments and Sacramentals, He remains in His world. 

This Sacrament of Baptism then should be held with great reverence. It is not merely a rite of initiation, or some custom. Rather it is the rite of welcoming a child into the community of the Church. It is the moment when that person is added to the Kingdom of God and welcomed into our Family of Communion. I cannot wait to Baptize Oliver later today, it will be a great joy for me in my priesthood, for his family, and for our community of St John the Baptist Parish.