“Faith is an encounter with Jesus Christ, with God, from which faith is born, and from there it brings you to witness,” Pope Francis tweeted. That’s what happened to the Virgin Mary. Mary’s encounter with God’s messenger changed her life….
How Mary shared her story
Remember your Galilee moment?
Pope Francis spoke about how Jesus told his disciples after his Resurrection to return to Galilee where they first give their lives to him. “To return to Galilee means above all to turn to that blazing light with which God’s…
Who does Jesus say that I am?
A classic question that Jesus asks his disciples is, “Who do you say that I am?” That soul-searching question is a popular retreat theme that we all need to ponder. From another perspective, what if you asked, “Who does Jesus…
Tonic Soup and Spiritual Warfare
In the classic struggle between good and evil, the Genesis account of Joseph and his brothers shows how God’s power far surpasses Satan’s. Joseph’s jealous brothers sold him into slavery, yet that’s how their tribe was able to survive the…
The Hair Stylist, the Mass and the Martyr
Acts 29:1-8 was the First Reading that morning, recounting the story of Paul traveling from Corinth to Ephesus. There he found disciples who became believers through the baptism of repentance by John and were waiting for Jesus. They said, “We…
God gave me three chances
In Eve’s Apple, Marie Therese Kceif talks about her life as three chances, three careers, three marriages and three apples. “Many times in my life God has had to give me three or more chances in different ways and through…
How significant are you?
Disappointment crept into my heart when I failed to land a plum writing assignment. This came after I visualized my writing glorifying God and my work becoming significant. I thought that would help me become significant. It got me thinking…
Five ways the Holy Spirit transforms our lives
God wants to manifest himself in each one of us. He joins us with the people of God throughout the world who are seeking to follow him with their whole hearts, to serve him and to serve the Church. The…
From Hub to Heart, via Medjugorje
At the Catholic Men’s Conference in Boston in 2010, Andy LaVallee met Jim Caviezel, not knowing he portrayed Jesus in The Passion of Christ. Jim dared Andy to go with him to Medjugorje, an obscure, poor village in Croatia. For…
Joy at the Stoplight
As I drove toward the intersection, the light turned yellow, then red. I stopped, thankful that at least I would be the first driver out of the gate after this, the longest stoplight on our route. A red pickup truck…