There is a Longing

There were some vicious winds that swept through Ohio this past Saturday. They caused power outages for over 350,000 residents & businesses across the state. Gutters, siding, & shingles were ripped from many homes. Trampolines not anchored were blown into neighboring yards & fields. Trash cans were toppled over, spreading garbage all over yards & streets. Tree limbs, & in many cases, whole trees were downed. On a walk around our neighborhood Sunday afternoon, we had to step carefully around twigs & branches strewn across the sidewalks. I kept apologizing to my son because I kept kicking branches into his leg by accident.  Two days later, on my way to work, I passed a yard where two tall, mature trees had fallen, completely uprooted. Both were near the road & had fallen across the yard, thankfully not near the house itself. The root system on both trees had to have been at least four feet in diameter.  The strength of trees has always amazed me. As t...

"We give glory to you, Lord, who raised up Your cross to span the jaws of death like a bridge by which souls might pass from the region of the dead to the land of the living. We give glory to You who put on the body of a single mortalman and made it the source of life for every other mortal man."    (St. Ephrem of Edessa)

John 11:1-45   T he disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?" (vs. 8) So, Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go to die with Him." (vs. 16) Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (vs. 21) When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said to Him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (vs. 32) But some of them said, "Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died." (vs. 37) Martha, the dead man's sister, said to Him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days." (vs. 39) My Goodness! Don't they all sound like a bunch of Negative Nellys? Despite all the miracles Jesus had already performed by this point, they still doubted & questioned His actio...

From a young age, Blessed Jeanne Marie de Maille cherished a tender love for the Blessed Mother. She practiced acts of charity, prayer, and mortification as a means to attain perfection. Her father, a wealthy baron of Maille, died when Jeanne was just fifteen, leaving her under the guardianship of her grandfather. Already advanced in years, her grandfather saw fit to have her married, choosing as her husband the Baron Robert de Silly. Both remained chaste throughout their marriage and ordered their household in Christian fashion.  Later, when war broke out in England, the Baron was captured. Jeanne sold all of their possessions hoping to raise enough for his ransom. However, the Baron died shortly after obtaining freedom. Left with nothing, Jeanne withdrew from the world, embracing complete poverty. Devoting herself to prayer and care for the sick, Jeanne offered her life especially for priests and the universal Church. She moved into a small room near the Fransciscan church of Tou...

This past week, we watched an 8 part series on Formed about St. Teresa of Avila. Today's quote comes from the 6th episode. St. Teresa is speaking to Fr. Jerome Gracian, her spiritual director. During one of their conversations, he brought up the site for the next convent...Seville. She did not want to go there & expressed the desire to found the next convent in Madrid, adding that God called to her the night before. Fr. Gracian questioned whether it truly was God's call or something she had been planning.  The quote I'm sharing is his response to her honest reply that she had been planning a convent in Madrid for a while, but also felt it was a call from God. ********* "We should always mistrust the voice of God  when it fits our desires so suspiciously." (Fr. Jerome Gracian)

For today's Gospel reflection, I am revisiting a reflection I wrote three years ago, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. ************** March 22, 2020 At the beginning of today’s Gospel (John 9:1-41) , Jesus’ disciples ask Him, in regards to the blind man, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus’ reply, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” I was struck while listening to the homily during a televised Mass this morning, that a similar question can be raised in the uncertainty amid the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. We may be tempted to ask why this is happening in the world? Is it a punishment from God & if so, who sinned? I see all the criticisms of our government leaders either not doing enough early on or imposing unnecessary restrictions. I see the empty shelves in grocery stores & extra money being withdrawn from bank accounts, signs of fearful citizens not know...

                Born on August 11, 1888, Blessed Miguel Gomez Loza spent his early years tending to livestock and agricultural duties with his brother. He actively participated in Church activities and fostered a tender love for God and the Blessed Virgin. In 1912, he entered seminary, but finding he did not have a priestly vocation, Miguel decided to study law. In 1916 he began at the Catholic School of Law and later completed his studies at the Guadalajara School of Jurisprudence. In 1922 he married Maria Guadalupe Sanchez Barragan, and the couple conceived three children.  Throughout his life, Miguel partook in Catholic action, which included participating in the founding of multiple organizations, such as the Catholic Association of Mexican Youth and the National Catholic Party. He also joined the National League for the Defense of Religious Freedom. However, when religious conflict grew worse as Plutarco Elias Calles came into power...

Today's post for Wisdom Wednesday is a prayer! St. Patrick's Day falls on a Lenten Friday this year. O ur bishop has given a dispensation from the obligation to abstain from meat to Catholics in our diocese & any visitors. In lieu of not eating meat, it is suggested that Catholics perform another work of faith. One of those suggestions is to pray the Breastplate of St. Patrick, a old Irish prayer of protection.  I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, His eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to hearken to my need; the wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward; the word of God to give me speech, his heav'nly host to be my guard. Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort me and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in the hearts of all that love me, Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger. I bind unto myself the Name, the ...

John 4:5-42 Today's readings share the common idea of thirst. In the 1st reading, the Israelites grumbled to Moses in their thirst for water after being in the desert for so long. At God's directive, Moses struck a rock & water began to flow. In the Gospel, Jesus sat at a well in Samaria, fully aware of the woman about to arrive to fill her bucket with water. When she questions Him, a Jew requesting a drink from a Samaritan woman, Jesus tells her about the Living Water He offers. Two years ago this month, my 2nd oldest son was diagnosed with a central nervous system germinoma -- a brain tumor near the hypothalamus & pituitary gland. Due to its location & the damage it caused to his pituitary gland, his endocrine system does not function properly & he will need at least five medications for life. One of those is for a condition called Diabetes Insipidus* (no relation to the common Diabetes Mellitus which requires insulin, although some symptoms are similar). DI i...

Jan Adalbert Balicki was born on January 25, 1869, in what is now known as the district of Rzeszow, Poland. During his childhood he attended the schools of Rzeszow and was given a sound education. In 1888, he entered seminary and was ordained four years later on July 20, 1892. Soon after his first assignment as an assistant pastor in Polna, Jan was sent to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome to continue his formation. Being a man of prayer, Jan spent his four years there by deeply applying himself to his studies and approaching everything with a spiritual perspective, which would serve to furnish his priestly office and prepare him to live out his vocation. Jan especially appreciated the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, and would often take what he had learned to prayer. After completing his studies, Jan was sent to the diocesan Seminary of Przemysl, where he was assigned as professor of dogmatic theology. As professor, Jan taught through meditations on the mysteries of God and hel...

"All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us. Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a person's sins were as dark as night, God's mercy is stronger than our misery. One thing alone is necessary; that the sinner set a jar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of God's merciful grace, and then God will do the rest."   (St. Faustina)

  Matthew 17:1-9 "This is my beloved Son... listen to Him." God's words are not meant just for Peter, James, & John. They are a directive to each one of us as well. While we haven't experienced that glimpse of Jesus revealed in all His Glory, most of us have had our own moments of inspiration & faith deepening. The hard part is how we can keep those moments fresh in the mundane routines & activities of our daily lives.  The simplest way to carry those experiences at all times is to keep Jesus at the forefront of our minds, listening to Him & trying our best to imitate Him. Jesus wants us to remain close to Him in all moments of our lives. Through prayer, we can draw closer to Him. The closer we are to Him, the more transfigured moments we'll have. As a musician, I often have faith-filled music running through my head. This is one way I manage to pray throughout my day. "To sing is to pray twice,"  is a quote attributed to St. Augustine.  ...

St. Colette was born on January 13, 1381. After her parents death, she was left to the care of a Benedictine abbot. Although the abbot wished her to marry, Colette felt drawn to religious life, although was unsuccessful in her first attempts with the Beguines and the Benedictines. In 1402, she became a Third Order Franciscan and a hermit, living this ascetic way of life for four years. Breaking the silence of her solitude, she received visions of St. Francis of Assisi. The Saint ordered Colette to restore the Rule of St. Clare, which had relaxed from its original severity. When Colette hesitated, she was struck mute and blind for a time. Taking this as a sign, Colette took action. Lacking the authority to explain her mission, Colette ventured to Nice, where she sought the approval of the schismatic Benedict XIII, who was recognized as the pope by the French. Once he had professed her a Poor Clare, Colette was able to begin her reform with his word behind her, which allowed her to accom...