HOLY SILENCE

Thomas Sunday brings great excitement because we have seen the true light in the Resurrection and are now awaiting the great and holy feasts of Ascension and Pentecost. In fact, today's gospel indicates to us that the apostles, disciples, and believers (even some non-believers) were gathering, waiting, and hoping (just like we do today) for all those things that Jesus promised would unfold ... and they did .... right in front of their eyes, and now, deep in our hearts. This S

James and John asked Jesus an impertinent question: can we sit at your right and left hands? St. Mary of Egypt asked one too: can I enter the kingdom without changing who I am and what I do? This Sunday, we are challenged to ask ourselves the most pertinent questions of all: who am I ... really? Do I love and live for God? Do I know my vocation? Do I live it fully? We all have to learn to be more honest about ourselves and to follow God with our whole mind, our whole heart, a

A short reflection to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Read : "Do not go outside, return within yourself; in the inner man dwells truth," (Bl. Augustine, On True Religion ). Ponder: Augustine's call to turn inward reminds us that the Holy Spirit is the indwelling presence of God. In other words, the third person of the Most Holy Trinity does not remain aloof and closed up in the heavenly kingdom. He also lives within us and permeates our body, mind, and

Even with all of our fragmentation, sin, and disconnectedness, we are called to take up our cross and follow Christ. What does that mean? On a daily basis, we are called to live in faith, hope, and love. Put differently, we are a people who believe and know that God exists, that God is a Trinity, that the second person of the Trinity was incarnate, and that the third person of the Most Holy Trinity is among us in a real way. For us, these are not simply a set of theological a

We are called to recognize when our relationships with God, self, and others grow cold and distant. That is when we need to seek repentance, both through confession and by taking a deeper look into how our origin stories and our ongoing habits create distortion inside and outside of us. By doing these first two things, we are then able to deepen and renew our connection with God, rebuild our inner self, and grow in love, trust and faith with others. If you have a question or

Each week I send a short reflection to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Read : There are varying translations of Exodus 14:14, but two of them, importantly, are rendered like this: (1) "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still ." (2) "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent ." Ponder: The first revelation in this verse may come as a surprise to you. The Lord fights for you . That is a vital reason for the Incarna

Each week I send a short reflection to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Read: On 25 November, we commemorate St. Gregory the Theologian (c. 329–390) who was a dear friend to St. Basil the Great. This is what he writes in paragraph 29 of the Fifth Theological Oration (Oration 31), often called "On the Holy Spirit." " Indeed, I tremble when I think of the abundance of the titles [of the Holy Spirit] ... Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, Mind of Christ, Spi

Each week I send a short reflection to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. If you have a question or a prayer request, please reach out here . Read: (This is a short reflection I created recently) You are the Lord, the Giver of Life—not a distant force, but the living breath of God who dwells within me. How strange and wondrous that the same Spirit who moved over the waters at creation, who spoke through prophets, who descended as fire at Pentecost, now re

It is important to remember that, ultimately, we do not get to follow our own timelines or the timelines of others. Instead, we are called to listen to God, to discern what it is that we are called to do, and to wait for the appointed time for our calling to take root in our lives and in the world. Always remember that God is with you. And He will give you the peace, the place, the strength, and the timing to do what needs to be done. If you have a question or a prayer reques

Whether you are Disappointed Disaffected Damaged Ruined Sad Depressed Hurting or Just plain Sick of it all ... Please know that you are remembered. God has not forgotten you God has not abandoned you and Even though I do not know you by name, I know with every fiber of my being that God sees you. You have a purpose and You are loved ... and loved ... and loved. Ask: If you have a question or a prayer request for yourself or someone you know, please reach out here . Silhouette