Learning to be Quick to Listen

Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Many of you will remember that this is the opening lines from the prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola called Soul of Christ. It is a very intimate prayer that indicates a close, loving relationship with Jesus Christ. So how did Ignatius move from his life of materialism and debauchery to a life dedicated so fully to God? His life before his conversion could best be described as lukewarm or perhaps even cold towards his spiritual development. St. Ignatius even had a police record for some of his antics. But by reading about the lives of the saints and the Bible itself, Ignatius became one of the Lord's most fervent supporters. As an American Catholic, I know how hard it is to adhere to the life that Christ requires. We are so ingrained with thoughts of becoming rich and famous. Television makes "stars" out of folks who have no discernible talent other t...

The Family Research Council shared a horrific story about abortion marking the grisly anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Here is part of the story. A three-story slaughterhouse on the corner of a busy Philadelphia street is where a man and his wife spent almost 40 years building an empire on the backs of dead infants. An empire that, despite pleas from dozens of patients, went virtually untouched by state officials. In the end, Kermit Gosnell's grisly practice of massacring babies and tormenting women may stand as one of the most horrific discoveries in Pennsylvania state history--if not because of what went on, then because of who may have funded it. The city's District Attorney recently released 261 pages of documentation about the human butcher and his "Family Medical Society," which, deep inside its padlocked doors, hid the bodies of hundreds of aborted children. One of the more shocking pieces of information is that Gosnell, using the Society's name, "purported...

Did you hear about the Doritos' ad that was planned to run during the Super Bowl that got pulled for being offensive to Catholics? It seems the premise of the ad was a pastor (priest?) needed money to pay his parish's bills. He uses Doritos' as a substitute for the Eucharist and Pepsi as a replacement for the blood of Christ to supposedly increase the crowds in his church. The ad agency that created the commercial claims that it was not meant to mock Catholics but what else would it mean? Thankfully it will never see the light of day although I am sure it is going viral on the web as you read this. There was an interesting article in a national newspaper that described a more recent phenomena about prayer. It seems that many protestant churches have begun to use the web to promote an increase in prayer. More than four in 10 Protestant churches with websites now invite people to post pleas to the Lord on the main church site so volunteers and staff can chime in on the soulfu...

According to the USA Today, a Philadelphia abortion doctor has been charged with eight murders, including seven babies killed with scissors, the Associated Press reports. Prosecutors say the infants were born alive and then killed. Dr. Kermit Gosnell is also charged with murder in the death of a woman patient. The charges have been filed following a long grand jury investigation. District Attorney Seth Williams says women at Gosnell's Women's Medical Society were subjected to squalid and barbaric conditions. The clinic was shut down last year. Gosnell also has been named in at least 10 malpractice suits, including one over the death of a woman who died of sepsis and a perforated uterus, the AP says. Simply horrific news but not unexpected in a society that legislates and condones killing. I am comforted knowing that these tiny babies were taken straight to Heaven and are now living with God our Father. Please pray that Dr. Gosnell accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and...

When the annual year-end lists of best selling books came out, I was thrilled to see that The Shack was still on there. I have written about the transforming power of this book in the past. I have given this book to many of my family members and urged them to read it. Most of them agreed that Willie Young's writing is powerful and each of them had a story to tell. I think that is what marks good fiction or writing of any kind. Once you have finished reading the book, it makes you continue to think. It makes you react. Hopefully The Shack is bringing more people to the Holy Trinity. With over 10 million books in print, it is apparent that Willie is bringing the Lord to a lot of people. I was also excited to see that the beatification of Pope John Paul II will take place on May 1. As you probably know, this is the last step before possibly having John Paul II declared a saint. What was really interesting was how excited Pope Benedict XVI was when he made the announcement. As someon...

Can you believe that it has been an entire year since the earthquake hit Haiti? I know that many of us have forgotten about this tragedy, but we have talked about it on this blog a number of times during the past year. I have also heard several stories recently from folks who have made a trip to Haiti to offer assistance. Most of them have noted how the experience has altered their life forever. They truly feel like they can never go back to the life they were living after seeing the amazing things that God is doing in this tiny country. They often talk of the hope in Christ that the Haitians are exhibiting even in light of continuing hardships. We must continue to be the hands and feet of the Lord in places like Haiti. Chris Tomlin has a beautiful song called I Will Follow You that talks about this very thing. He sings, "Where you go, I'll go. Where you stay, I'll stay. When you move, I'll move. I will follow you. Who you love, I'll love. How you serve I'll s...

Father David Edwards says we should "focus on what we want to see grow." What a simple message. Yet is gives you all you need to have to get through each day. If you focus your mind on positive things, they will become the purpose for your life. So focus on God. Let Jesus Christ be your moral guide. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart each and every day. Pope Benedict XVI recently delivered a powerful message about one of our most beautiful saints. St. Catherine of Siena, who entered the Third Order of the Dominicans at the age of 16, was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Benedict says that Catherine played an eminent role in the history of the Church. He also relates an extraordinary story about Catherine. "In a vision that was ever present in Catherine's heart and mind Our Lady presented her to Jesus who gave her a splendid ring, saying to her: 'I, your Creator and Savior, espouse you in the faith, that you will keep ever pure unt...

Happy New Year to you and yours. I am praying that 2011 be a great year and that millions of people are drawn to the love and grace of God our Father. I was blessed by some powerful preaching yesterday. As I sat listening to the message, I felt God's patient support and overwhelming love. Resolution number one became to pray for the Holy Spirit to rise up in all of our pastors so that the pure message of God can be heard by everyone who goes to church. After Mass, I began to think about my belief in God. What drew me to Jesus Christ? How has the Holy Spirit continued to work in my life? I realized that as a cradle Catholic, I was provided with a solid foundation that allowed me to stumble through life with the comfort that only God can provide. I was confident that God would always be there for me. It doesn't mean that my life was perfect and trouble free. Actually, I have had my share of agony and sin, but I knew that God was (and is) always there for me. So how was my faith f...