“It had been more than fifteen years since I had been to confession.” Steve reluctantly revealed to the group during a Divorced Catholic session. He went on to tell us how he finally worked up the courage to get in line one day after Mass and go. It was a huge milestone for him. While he was really nervous before going into the confessional, he emerged with an overwhelming feeling of joy and peace. “I walked out of there feeling light as a feather. And you know what, I am looking forward to going again!” Steve added.

Steve’s excitement for having rediscovered the Sacrament of Confession was palpable. Christ himself taught us that Heaven erupts with joy when we humble ourselves to admit our sins and promise to do our best to avoid sinning again. In other words, Heaven has a good ole-fashioned throw-down. I imagine the angels and saints cheering and giving each other high-fives each time one of us exits the confessional. It’s no wonder Steve felt great. His soul, unencumbered by sin and awash in supernatural grace, reverberated with the same holiness shared by the angels and saints. For that moment, he was one with them. You can be too. No matter how long it has been since you have been to confession, all of Heaven waits with joyful anticipation for you to return to the loving, merciful arms of our Savior. Now, go and give them something to celebrate!

“In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” – Luke 15:10

Originally posted 2014-11-12 06:00:04.

Originally posted 2013-09-25 11:00:53.

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.

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

When Christ was born over 2,000 years ago, He came bursting through the thin veil that separates Heaven and Earth. God designed the two realities to be separate, yet out of tremendous love for us, He intervened and sent His Son into our reality to save us from the mess we had created here on Earth. Well, as the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” certainly holds true for God’s feeble creatures. We still seem to find a way to make a mess of our lives and situations.

Since we live in our physical reality, it is hard to imagine what the spiritual reality is like. We are just too human, too anchored into the day-to-day aspects of living. We tend to understand living as “now” and Heaven as “later.” In truth, Earth and Heaven co-exist. God sent His Son long ago to save us because He could no longer bear to watch us wallowing in the misery we had created for ourselves. The great news is that He continues to send His Son—through the Eucharist. At every Mass, Christ once again smashes through the veil between Heaven and Earth to become physically present to us. It is like a mini-nativity each and every time. Whether you receive Him physically, or simply sit in His presence, His power to heal and save is just as potent today as it was that first Christmas. In the Eucharist, Christ continues to fulfill His mission to heal the wounded, love the unloved, and welcome the outcasts. Seek Christ in the Eucharist, and allow His reality to save you from distress and fill you will abundant hope and joy.

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11

Originally posted 2014-12-08 06:00:30.

So often we play the same game with Our Lord. We do things and believe we can hide them from everyone, including Jesus. But the reality is that Jesus can see right through our attempts to hide our sins, our selfishness, or our pride. We often expend so much energy trying to hide them, but, just like my son’s game at McDonald’s, hiding is futile. Jesus taught us the way to handle our struggles with sin: surrender. He is calling you to come out of the shadows of shame and regret and to fall down at his feet and let go. Let go of all the things you have grown attached to that are wrong or sinful. Let go of the anger, let go of the lust, let go of the selfishness, let go of the pride. It is the only way to true lasting peace and joy.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. – Luke 9:24

Originally posted 2014-06-24 06:00:43.

“You’re getting warmer!” my sister yelled from the other side of the yard — my heart beating faster in gleeful anticipation. My siblings and I were engrossed in one of our favorite childhood games. We would hide something, and then the one who was “it” would have to find the object with the help of being told when they were getting closer (“warmer”) or getting further away (“colder”). It was a roller coaster of emotion as you ping-ponged around desperately trying to find the hidden object before time ran out.

I think as adults we tend to play a similar game; however, the hidden object is our peace of mind. Our life circumstances, with all its demands, frustrations, and unplanned realities, hides our peace. We then spend an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to find it again. We seem to be perpetually restless, searching for the peace that we can’t ever quite seem to find.

As with the childhood game, our heart reacts depending on how close we are to living God’s will. The further away, the more restless we become. The closer, the more peace we experience.

The Holy Spirit will guide you to lasting peace. Through prayer and quiet reflection, you can “hear” the Holy Spirit as He continuously gives you guidance. Your heart is sure to grow warmer with peace the closer you come to living God’s will for you.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” – John 16:13

Originally posted 2018-05-24 00:30:50.

Hope is often looked upon as a kind of luck. The “grease”, if you will, that helps you slide through difficult situations. We tell ourselves: “I hope I don’t run out of gas.”, or, “I hope I win the lottery.”, or, “I hope I am not alone the rest of my life.” Unfortunately, this is not hope, it’s wishful thinking. It is a frame-of-mind that is trying to brace for the potential of failure. It is a coping mechanism–a kind of mental psych-up. None of this is the hope that we are promised in Scripture.

Originally posted 2013-08-31 11:00:46.

About a year after my divorce was final, I was invited to go on a spiritual retreat. During the retreat I heard a talk about the need to forgive those who have hurt you. Well, I could definitely relate to the being hurt part, but, frankly, the thought of forgiving my ex just made me angry. I had been hurt too badly.

Since this was a spiritual retreat, and I was trying to be a good retreatant, I begrudgingly decided to give forgiveness a shot. I went into the chapel, and before the Blessed Sacrament, I began writing my forgiveness letter. Well, it started out harmless enough with my describing the forgiveness talk that had inspired me to write the letter. However, the more I wrote, the angrier I became. Suddenly, my “forgiveness” letter was anything but, filled with accusations and laments of “How could you do this to the kids and me?”, etc., etc. Finally, I gave up and just sat and stared at the Eucharist feeling angry and defeated. I couldn’t forgive her, and, frankly, I really didn’t want to.

Fast forward two years… I had not really thought too much about forgiving my ex since my botched attempt on my retreat. It did nag at me from time-to-time, especially when I focus on the words in the Our Father, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In my mind, I was still content to let my ex squirm under the weight of her guilt. Then one day I found out she had lost her job and was in danger of losing her apartment. I honestly felt bad for her. I spontaneously prayed a quick prayer to the Blessed Mother asking her to pray for my ex to find another job.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, it hit me. I actually prayed for my ex.  That seemed weird to me. Yet, I could not deny that it was an authentic prayer. I just couldn’t believe that I actually did it. That’s when I realized that I had forgiven my ex. I could not have prayed for her unless I had let go of my animosity and anger. I guess all my Our Fathers, receiving the Eucharist, and experiencing forgiveness myself in Reconciliation, had a cumulative effect. It was the Lord’s way of softening my heart, and giving me the graces I needed, to forgive the one person that had hurt me the most–something I could not imagine ever being able to do. You see, my past effort was a solo attempt and it failed. To really forgive requires the help of supernatural graces.

Forgiveness is absolutely essential for you to be able to recover from divorce. By not forgiving, you may get a sense of satisfaction or power by holding your ex hostage to their past mistakes, yet, in reality, you are holding yourself hostage to the past. The only way to heal and move forward is to forgive your ex. Doing so frees you of all the pain, anger, and self-righteousness that does nothing but anchor you down to your past. Don’t force it. Pray for the graces you need to forgive your ex, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you down this path. While it will take time, it will ultimately lead you to freedom, peace, and joy.

If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. – Matthew 6:14-15   

Originally posted 2014-12-09 06:00:05.

I want you to stop what you are doing and clear your mind for a few seconds. Good. Now, think back to the greatest gift you ever received in your life. What was it? It could have been a special toy that you really wanted for Christmas, but thought it was impossible for you to receive. It could have been the brand-new car you received for graduation. Maybe it was your father returning home from war–safe and sound. Or, maybe, you were cured of cancer. Whatever it is, let your mind drift back to the day you received that incredible gift. Let those feelings well up inside you once again. Feel it all over again as if it was the first time. Allow yourself to be overwhelmed with joy just like you were on the day you received the greatest gift of your life.

Jesus feels that same way about you.

“Father, they are your gift to me.” – John 17:24

Originally posted 2014-06-12 06:00:02.

If you could sum up my life as a math equation, here is what it would have looked like:

Hopelessness + Pain = Suffering

That was math I could definitely understand. I was living it everyday. Fortunately, Jesus taught me some new math. It looks like this:

Hopelessness + Pain + Jesus = New Life

You see, Jesus created a whole new equation for life. It was through His suffering and death on the cross that allowed for the resurrection. Without the cross, there is no resurrection, only suffering and death. With the cross, there is the resurrection and new life. A new life filled with hope, peace, and joy. His suffering meant my suffering could end. And so can yours. Give Jesus all of your suffering from the death of your marriage. Nail it to His cross. When you do, you will share in the new life of His resurrection; a life that frees you from pain and fills you with hope, peace, and joy.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. – 1 Peter 1:3

Originally posted 2014-10-10 06:00:56.