Vince FreseDaily Inspirations – Vince Frese

Make It Right

Vince Frese — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:32:52 +0000

Marriages are supposed to be for life. That’s how God designed them. Divorce is an obvious sign that something went seriously wrong with that plan. Most divorces don’t happen overnight. It is usually the result of a cumulative series of events. If you are totally honest with yourself, you can see what role you played in your marriage’s demise. Even if it was relatively small, what you did–or didn’t do–had some impact.

While it may be too late to save your marriage, it is never to late to take accountability. First, acknowledge what you did wrong before God, preferably in confession. Then, do whatever you can do to make it right. If you were unfaithful, sincerely apologize and acknowledge the pain you caused. If you abused alcohol, drugs, or pornography, seek help. If you were uninvolved with the kids, get involved. If you were irresponsible with money, try to make financial reparations. If there is a chance you can reconcile, explore it in counseling. Whatever it is, now is always a great time to start to make amends.

Ignoring the past and doing nothing is easy. Making things right can be very difficult and often takes a great deal of humility. It’s up to you. Decide now to end the cycle of pain and despair that come with divorce, and start writing a new chapter of your life that is sure to have a happy ending.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. – Matthew 5:23-24

Originally posted 2014-09-19 06:00:49.

Precious and Good

vfrese@divorcedcatholic.org — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:12:32 +0000

I go on a three-day, silent retreat each year. It is a very intense spiritual time, filled with much prayer and reflection. It never fails to refresh and renew my spirit and draw me closer to our amazing God. On one particular retreat, most of my thoughts and inspirations were centered on my children; it seemed to be the “theme” of my retreat. I was filled with deep gratitude for the incredible gifts they are to me, and I realized how much God must love me for entrusting them to me. I felt very blessed, and I wondered what I ever did to be worthy of them.

As I prayed in thanksgiving for my children, I couldn’t shake a recurring thought. I keep hearing, “precious and good, precious and good,” over and over in my mind. It was as if God put words to the feeling I carried in my heart for my children.

We are all God’s children. While I took the inspiration of “precious and good” as God’s reminder to me of my children, it was also His reminder of how He feels about His children—you and me. He does not focus on our sins and shortcomings. In His sight we are all “precious and good.” Remind yourself of that the next time you are feeling particularly shameful for some sin, or unloved by others. To God, you are always precious and good!

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name: you are mine.
When you pass through waters, I will be with you;
through rivers, you shall not be swept away.
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
nor will flames consume you.” – Isaiah 43:1-2

Originally posted 2014-12-01 06:00:18.

Energizer Bunny

Vince Frese — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:01:01 +0000

The first year after my divorce was overwhelming. Along with being a single parent to three young kids, I was working full-time and trying to put my life back together. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. My response was to put my head down and push through the many challenges in my day. I took on this uber-independent attitude; I was going to show the world that I could beat divorce.

Fast forward over thirteen years and I can now see that my struggles were greatly intensified because I checked God at the door each day. I would pray to God in the morning and then go about my day as if He didn’t exist. Thankfully, God does exist, whether I am aware of Him or not. My super-busy life, combined with my pride, blinded me to the reality that God is ever-present and always active, not just when I happen to remember Him. In my blindness, I am the one who clumsily shoves God out of the way and hijacks His plan for me.

Fortunately, our God never stops trying to get us back on track, no matter how many times we hijack Him. Be sure to take time throughout your busy day to lift your head up and become aware of how God is always pursuing you and guiding you back to His plan. Like the Energizer Bunny, He never stops!

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. – Ephesians 2:10

Originally posted 2015-03-23 06:00:44.

Oprah

Vince Frese — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:55:43 +0000

Going through my divorce turned my world upside-down. I suddenly started to question everything in my life. What was true? Who could be trusted? It was like my life was thrust into darkness and I was stumbling around trying to gain my bearings. I would talk to anyone who I thought could help me: friends, family, co-workers–even my hairstylist–trying to get the nuggets of wisdom that would help me make sense of my now senseless life. Heck, I would even tune into Oprah hoping that she would say just the right thing that would end my madness. Sadly, not even Oprah could solve my problems.

One day on my way to work, I drove past a Catholic Church I used to go to as a kid. I had the sudden urge to turn into the parking lot. Not really knowing why I parked the car and went inside. The church was empty and very quiet. I immediately felt a sense of peace like I had not felt in a long time. I walked all the way down to the altar and knelt down. Immediately, I dropped my head and began to sob. All the pain I had been carrying around for months just poured out of me. Finally, after about 30 minutes, I picked up my head, and through my tears, I saw the red light of a candle burning. That’s when it hit me. Christ was here with me in the tabernacle! My search was finally over. I had finally found the Truth and the answers I was looking for. Our Lord is waiting patiently in the tabernacle for each one of us to come to Him. Turn off Oprah and tune into Christ in the tabernacle. He’s waiting for you.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

Originally posted 2014-08-21 06:00:08.

Cursed?

Vince Frese — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:36:45 +0000

During a recent all-day workshop, I had repeated often my view that if one had to go through a divorce, it was a blessing to be Catholic. My point was that our Catholic faith offers so much hope and healing, particularly through the Sacraments, that to have to go through a divorce without them makes the experience so much more difficult. To my surprise, at the end of the workshop, a woman raised her hand and commented that her view of being divorced and Catholic had radically changed by hearing my viewpoint. She stated that before the workshop she felt it was a curse to be divorced and Catholic, given her understanding of the Church’s strict stance on divorce. Her relief and excitement now at being Catholic was obvious.

Our Catholic faith has very clear beliefs that have remained unchanged for 2,000 years. While this provides a bedrock of Truth to build our lives on, it is easy to focus on the dogma of our faith and lose sight of its purpose: to impart the boundless love and mercy of Jesus Christ. He created the Catholic Church, and its Sacraments, to be the channel to this love and mercy for all eternity. Sadly, many Catholics, divorced or not, don’t avail themselves of the Church’s precious, life-changing, gifts nearly enough. Jesus never intended you to go through life’s hardships, especially something as difficult as a divorce, alone. He is always there for you in the Catholic Church. Seek Him there and you will surely find His hope and healing.

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18

Originally posted 2014-06-19 06:00:35.

Restless Heart

vfrese@divorcedcatholic.org — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:17:25 +0000

I was recently at an arcade with my children when I encountered Sean, a young 12-year-old boy. He had approached my kids, who had nearly run out of money and tickets. They had been conspiring as to how to combine their ticket-earnings to redeem for a toy which would be pleasing to both when Sean came up and simply gave them all of his tickets, and there were a lot — 300 in total. Shocked and dismayed, I asked the boy to please reconsider. Why would he give all of his tickets to strangers? Sean revealed that the tickets meant nothing to him. He said that he came to this arcade every weekend, to which my children gasped and interrupted,”LUCKY!”. He said that he had played every game, won every toy and that frankly, he was bored with the whole thing. So I asked him why he came back every weekend? He then revealed the sad truth: his father was in an adjoining room playing poker. Every Saturday night his dad handed him a wad of cash, sent him into the arcade and instructed him to have fun. The sadness present in this child’s eyes broke my heart. On the surface, he was at a child’s Mecca with unending games, snacks, prizes and excitement. However, what this boy really wanted was a relationship with his dad. He was incredibly lonely and his heart was aching to be loved.

I think we adults can learn from Sean. We scurry around seeking excitement and fulfillment through material possessions, financial security and empty relationships. The true yearning of our heart and soul, from which all of this fruitless activity originates, is a deep yearning for a relationship with our Father — Our Heavenly Father. Sean’s earthly father sent him away with indifference, but God the Father of Heaven and Earth is yearning for us. He gave us a means to cultivate this relationship — the Catholic Church. He is waiting for us every hour of every day to fill us with His love, comfort, protection, peace and joy.

Almighty God, you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you. – St. Augustine

Originally posted 2014-10-31 06:00:30.

Camera Roll

Vince Frese — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:59:21 +0000

Recently, I was digging through the camera roll on my iPad. I was trying to find a picture of one of my daughters when she was young to post on my Facebook page. For some crazy reason, the camera roll on my iPad has all my pictures going back to 1998 — the dawn of digital photography.

As I was scanning the pictures, I made a startling discovery. Since my iPad shows all the pictures grouped by year, I could see in the thumbnails a distinct difference of expressions on the faces of my kids as I scanned. The years leading up to my divorce were, for the most part, happy and smiling. The year of my divorce, and the year after my divorce, it was very apparent that they were not happy. Their smiles were gone; their eyes held the pain they were experiencing. It was very sad.

Yet, as I continued to scroll, you could begin to see a marked difference in their expressions. The smiles were returning and their eyes were filling with joy. This was not by accident. It was the result of my pouring my love into them, day by day, week after week, and it was the impact of countless prayers for their healing. Like a wilted house plant that receives extra care and attention, my kids began to blossom once again.

What do you want to be on your camera roll ten years from now? Sure, your pictures during your divorce will reflect the pain of that time, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. It is up to you the life you live from this point forward, and the resulting memories that will be captured forever in your photos.

If you really live your faith and invite Our Lord into your life, He will heal you. If you pour your love into your kids, you will help heal them. Should you do this, your camera roll will capture the miracle of healing that comes from a life — despite the divorce, despite the pain, and despite the fear — that has been lived in full trust of a God that will never abandon you, a God who so desperately wants to heal you and those you love, and a God who died to give you a life full of abundant peace and joy. So, what’s going to be on your camera roll?

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. – Psalm 34:6-7

Originally posted 2016-04-29 16:04:32.

Too Cool

vfrese@divorcedcatholic.org — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:52:11 +0000

Recently, I was on a flight to New York. I was sitting in an aisle seat. The middle seat was empty, and a young woman was sitting in the window seat. She caught my attention because she was what I would call “edgy”. She was dressed very flashy, had a purple streak dyed into her hair, and was wearing sunglasses during the flight. She put off this “Don’t mess with me because I am way too cool.” vibe. As we were getting ready to land, the flight got very bumpy. Suddenly, the woman leaned forwarded and vomited all over her feet and the floor. I found an airsick bag and handed it to her, which she gladly accepted. By the time we finally landed, the sunglasses were off, her chic hairdo was a mess, and she was looking sick and embarrassed. Her “too cool” vibe was gone. She was human after all.

We are all like this young woman in some ways. We put on an exterior shell to protect our interior vulnerability. We don’t want people to get too close, or see who we really are. But in the end, we are all human. We all struggle with the same challenges of life. God is not fooled by our act for one second. There is nothing we can hide from Him. We are all vulnerable. We all need help. That is why Christ came to save us, because we could not save ourselves. Remember that when you are feeling vulnerable, scared, or uncertain. We all need help, we can’t do it all on our own. We need Jesus. Let Him save you everyday.

Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. – Hebrews 7:25

Originally posted 2014-09-08 06:00:29.

Can God Get to You?

Vince Frese — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:51:53 +0000

In our Voices of Hope DVD, one of the participants, Marty, says, “If you are afraid, God can’t get to you.” It is a very emotionally charged moment as Marty is recalling his struggles dealing with the pain and suffering during his divorce. Marty is no softy. In fact, he is a big, burly guy. A “man’s man”, if you will. Yet, he is choking back tears as he describes his experience. Fear is that powerful.

Marty makes a very vivid point: fear prevents Christ from working in your life. Fear is one of those emotions that can paralyze you and keep you frozen with despair. It robs you of the trust that is the foundation of faith–the very thing that Christ needs to work miracles. The tiniest whisper of faith can overcome the greatest fear. Christ said in the Gospels over and over, “Do not be afraid.”, for good reason. He knows how fear can build walls around hearts and keep Him at bay. Pray for the grace to trust more. Trust is the key to experiencing Christ’s endless love and mercy.

“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” – Matthew 14:27

Originally posted 2014-12-22 06:00:14.

Peace Like A River

Vince Frese — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:32:15 +0000

I am talking to you–yes, you. You know who you are. You are scared and anxious. Your heart is heavy. It is a struggle to get through each day carrying around your worries and fears. Or, maybe you have convinced yourself that everything is fine, yet there is a nagging sense that it’s really not. You are trying to come to grips with the possibility that the rest of your life might be like this. You have always considered yourself a fairly optimistic person, but now you may be starting to lose hope. You wonder if this is what despair is like.

Want to know why you are feeling this way? Want it to stop? If you are nodding your head yes, keep reading. The reason you are feeling this way is because you are putting all your faith and trust in yourself. Oh, sure, in your head you may be telling yourself that you are trusting God, but deep down you really are still putting all your faith in you. You reach out to God like you play the lottery, hoping you will hit it big and all your problems will disappear, all the while mentally preparing yourself to do it all on your own. Unfortunately, you can’t have it both ways.

Putting all your trust in yourself is the source of anxiety and fear. While your conscious mind might be psyching you up to believe that you can handle everything on your own, deep down you know you can’t. The anxiety and fear you experience are the symptoms of this internal conflict. To find peace, acknowledge (even say out loud) that you can’t do it on your own, that you don’t know what to do, and that you really need help. Then, (here’s the important part) surrender control of your life over to Christ. Give Him every single bit and piece of your life–every worry, every fear, every pain, and every dream. Throw yourself at His feet and grab hold and never let go. He GUARANTEES (that’s a pretty strong word) that He will never let you down. Once you really trust in Him and not yourself, peace will begin to flow through your life like a river. I am not saying that suddenly everything will become a piece of cake. No, what I am saying is that when you put all your trust in Christ, you are aligning your life with the reality that you are not God and that you need the One who made you to fully live. Living that Truth creates a relationship, and in that relationship is peace.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

Originally posted 2014-06-04 06:00:30.