Originally posted 2014-07-18 06:00:33.

I must have looked like a total zombie as I shuffled through the doors of the church. The night before was a complete nightmare and I got absolutely zero sleep. My wife had revealed to me that she did not want to be married anymore. This came as a complete surprise, given that I thought we had a pretty good marriage and life raising our three young kids. Not really sure what to do the next morning, I instinctively drove to my parish hoping to get some desperately needed advice from my pastor.

As I walked into the church, I noticed several people filing into the day chapel. It was a weekday and I correctly assumed that morning Mass was about to begin. Devastated and physically exhausted, I just numbly followed in behind the stragglers. I remember sensing a powerful, yet fleeting, emotion the moment I slipped into the back pew. It was momentary, but unmistakable:  peace. In the midst of the emotional tsunami I was experiencing, I had a flash of peace. That was the last thing I had expected, but I could not deny it.

Why was that? Why in the midst of my world crumbling around me did I experience this momentary “pause” in my unbearable pain? Because my soul recognized Pure Love. You see, we are made out of pure love by God, the source of Pure Love. When we come into the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, our soul instantly recognizes its creator. When a lost child finds their parent, their heart leaps for joy — the search is over and peace floods in. That is what I experienced that morning; Jesus cradled my shattered heart and I found relief.

And so can you. Our creator, the one that is Pure Love, is always available to you in the Eucharist to console, comfort, and strengthen you. Just as John the Baptist’s soul recognized Our Lord while still in Elizabeth’s womb and leapt for joy, your soul will leap for joy when you come into His presence, too. Find your peace in the Eucharist.

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. – Luke 1:44

Originally posted 2018-01-01 06:00:10.

We too have a Father–a Heavenly Father–whom we can trust to never leave us and who loves us more than He loves himself.  He gave his only son for our redemption, after all. May we exude the same joy in all of our rocky circumstances, cultivated in an unwavering trust in the one we call Abba Father–Daddy.

“Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the 
kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4

Originally posted 2014-08-15 06:00:57.

I have a Facebook Friend who went through a divorce several years ago. I finally had to block her posts because every comment was tinged with anger and bitterness. Sadly, she is a prisoner to pain of the past she has bundled up and drags around with her everyday. It has become a heavy burden that weighs her down and robs her (and everyone around her) of peace and joy. The lines on her face speak to the lines of hate etched on her heart.

In her mind she is justified because of the injustice done to her by her former spouse. The reality is she will be trapped in the past, and all its pain, until she lets go of it. The only way to do that is to forgive. Forgiveness, at its core, is the letting go of the claim you have on your right to be angry and bitter toward the person who hurt you. It is not about what they do or don’t deserve; it’s about you. It is the only way you will ever heal from the wounds of your past. Write it down, underscore it, and highlight it. Begin today to pray for the grace you need to forgive those who hurt you and reap the peace and joy tomorrow of a prisoner who has been set free.

The song, Forgiveness, by Matthew West captures this truth quite well. If you are struggling with forgiveness, its worth reading these lyrics closely:

Forgiveness
It’s the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those who don’t deserve

It’s the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just too real
Takes everything you have to say the word

Forgiveness
It’s always angers own worst enemy
Even when the jury and the judge
Say you’ve got a right to hold a grudge
It’s the whisper in your ear saying, “set it free”

Forgiveness
Lord, show me how to love the unlovable
Teach me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible

Forgiveness
It can clear the bitterness away
It can even set a prisoner free
There is no end to what its power can do

So, let it go and be amazed
By what you see through eyes of Grace
The prisoner that it really frees is you
Forgiveness

(c) Matthew West
See more at: http://matthewwest.com/the-stories/the-story-forgiveness/

Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” – Matthew 18:21-22

Originally posted 2014-10-02 06:00:55.

I vividly remember getting the call from my divorce attorney telling me that my spouse was seeking full custody of our children. That shook me to my core and threw me into full-on crisis mode. I did not want to lose my children! Like any good Catholic, I began to storm heaven with my many prayers begging God to help me. And pray I did. I prayed rosaries, novenas, devotionals, everything I could think of. In my mind the more I prayed the better. Surely, I thought, praying all four mysteries of the rosary was better than just the daily mystery. A Divine Mercy chaplet morning, noon, and night was better than just one. And so this went on for several weeks. Then, one day, my attorney called. He asked me if I had put together the affidavits from my witnesses testifying to my ability to parent my children. I was now even more panicked. While I had been praying like crazy, I had failed to do much else.

Originally posted 2014-06-11 06:00:53.

Then, a very faint voice started to grow louder and louder in my head. It was as if I sat on the remote control to my TV and happened to land on the volume button. This almost imperceptible voice steadily grew into a roar that I could not ignore. I was searching for the “mute” button to silence my mind, but couldn’t find it. I kept hearing, “It’s not all about you.” I was so caught up in my own self-righteousness, I failed to even consider my ex’s own circumstances: the long hours on the job, the grind of the daily commute, the struggles to make ends meet, and the trying to spend time with the kids. Nope, it was all about me. I suddenly felt very small and petty.

It is so easy to get caught up in our own perspective and lose sight of the true meaning of life. Why are we even here? Is it just about meeting a schedule, making enough money, or finding our own personal satisfaction and happiness? Is that the sum total of life? No. It’s about love. That is the only yardstick God will use when we stand before Him. He will judge our lives simply by how well we loved—everyone—including our former spouse. In the end, it is all that really matters.

I came to learn that love doesn’t necessarily mean like. While I found my former spouse difficult to like, I was still called to love by being patient, understanding, and flexible. While sometimes very difficult to do, love is the pathway to peace here on Earth, and the key to eternal life with love personified: Jesus Christ.

“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” – Luke 6:27-28

Originally posted 2014-10-27 06:00:29.

When my divorce hit, it was as if I was run over by a freight train. I hardly knew what hit me. I was confused, disoriented, and could barely think long enough to decide what color socks to wear. It was that bad.

My instinctual reaction was to turn to God. That was good. However, most of time I was so emotionally and physical exhausted, I could not put the words together to actually pray. It was just too hard. When I was able to muster the strength, I tended to be more consumed with saying the right words, than just letting God’s presence comfort me.

If you can relate, here’s a suggestion: pray the most simple, powerful, and perfect prayer there is by saying “Jesus.” That’s it. Say it fast, say it slow. Say it loud, say it soft. Say it once, say it over and over. It doesn’t matter. Just saying the name of Jesus ushers in the full power of the Creator and all the angels and saints in Heaven to your aid. Try it the next time life overwhelms you and you find yourself at a loss for words.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11

Originally posted 2014-12-12 06:00:13.

Originally posted 2014-07-31 06:00:19.