Learning to be Quick to Listen

Trusting in God is all we need to do to have a fulfilling life. Then why is it so hard for us as humans to place our trust in the God who created us? It is the same mistake that Adam and Eve made when they decided to try to take God's place. They allowed their egos to take them down the path of sin and the world was never the same. It is the same mistake that the Jews made over and over again in the Original Testament. Although God gave them numerous chances, they were led astray time after time. Finally, God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. Finally, someone showed us what trust in God can mean. Jesus trusted God even to the death. Jesus did suffer and He had doubts but He always trusted God. After He was crucified for our sins, God raised Him from the dead. Jesus shows us the way. He also provides his body in Mass each week so that we can eat of this bread and attain everlasting life. The promise of life everlasting with God is pure delight. It is perfection. It really is...

In the 10 months since Haiti's devastating earthquake buried nearly 300,000 people beneath rubble, the response from American Catholics for relief and rebuilding has been like none before, reported Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. But ongoing needs are massive and redevelopment of Haiti is proceeding slowly and with many obstacles, according to several bishops whose committees are involved in the U.S. church's ongoing assistance. Several bishops provided pieces of a comprehensive oral report about aspects of the church's efforts for Haiti. For example, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who has long worked among the Haitian community in the United States and is chairman of the Haiti Advisory Group of the bishops' Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America, said the massive devastation in Haiti included the destruction of 70 parishes, dozens of schools, and several convents and centers of priestly formation. He a...

Isiah 26:1-7 says, "On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor. The way of the just is smooth; the path of the just you make level." How glorious would that be if we were shouting this from the top of the highest buildings in the land or, even better, from every pulpit in the land? On this day we choose to honor our veterans, it is fitting to think about the protection that the Lord has offered to us. Why are we not rushing to accept it? In fact, many of us Catholics are embracing this offer. We are li...

People are angry. When they become angry, they usually look for someone or something to blame. All too often lately, the media outlets have become the target. Do I think that some of the media outlets have an anti-Christian slant? That is a fact. Can we blame everything that is wrong in the world only on that fact? Absolutely not because we have become, like the Jews in the book of Kings, a house divided. We have lost our way and we have become two tribes. 1 Kings 12:26 says, "Jeroboam thought to himself: The kingdom will return to David's house." That was a prophesy about the coming of Jesus Christ. If we know one thing from reading the Bible, God stands by His word. The house of David, in the person of Jesus, did return to power. Jesus came to lead the Jews back to the Temple and to God. But something else happened along the way. The Gentiles were offered a place at the table and thankfully, they accepted. The Catholic Church was formed and has continued for over 2010 y...

Bishops must guide their faithful to use their vote to oppose efforts to legalize abortion and euthanasia, Pope Benedict XVI told bishops from Brazil. "Dear brother bishops, to defend life we must not fear hostility or unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity which might conform us to the world's way of thinking," the pope said October 28 during a meeting with bishops from northeast Brazil. The bishops were making their "ad limina" visits to report on the status of their dioceses. Pope Benedict did not mention the fact that Brazilians were to vote October 31 in a presidential election, but said he wanted to discuss with the bishops their obligation to give their faithful the information and moral guidance they need to ensure their political decisions contribute to the true good of humanity. Both of Brazil's presidential candidates, Dilma Rousseff and Jose Serra, have said they oppose lifting restrictions on abortion, but Brazil's anti...

A 31-year-old Michigan nursing student is experiencing her own personal housing crisis after she posted an ad on a church bulletin board looking for a "Christian roommate." After seeing the notice, someone in the community filed an official complaint with the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, alleging that the ad "expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths." Rather than dismiss the complaint as ridiculous on its face, the agency flew into action. "It's a violation to make, print, or publish a discriminatory statement," Fair Housing's executive director said. Representatives from the National Fair Housing Institute say it is illegal to advertise for a Christian roommate or indicate any type of religious preference. But, as the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) points out, there's nothing discriminatory about it. This woman "is not a landlord. She does not own a management company. She does ...

Pope Benedict XVI in his brilliant book Jesus of Nazareth tells us that God is on the way to you. In this day of false gods and lack of faith, many people have decided that they do not need God or do not believe that God exists. Pope Benedict tells us, "...we have developed a concept of reality that excludes reality's translucence to God. The only thing that counts as real is what can be experimentally proven. God cannot be constrained into experimentation." This set off the brightest light bulb moment for me. I have been struggling with reading the Old Testament. It was my reason self that had taken over as I read. But we understand that there is faith and reason and they are separate. Trying to constrain God in a petri dish would be like trying to grab an alligator by his mouth. You will get a nub back. The same is true about God. You will blind yourself to the reality that God is bigger than that and is incomprehensible to us. His mystery lies in His majesty. So you h...