The Lord bless you and keep you

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”   — Numbers 6:24-26

St Anthony of Padua: greater than for finding lost objects

St Anthony is famous for being the saint that helps us find lost objects. "Dear St. Anthony please come around [name what is lost] is lost and it cannot be found” or “St. Anthony, perfect imitator of Jesus, who received from God the special power of restoring lost things,

Reflection on solitude by Thomas Merton

Solitude. Silence. Peacefulness. Ever Friday I go to the Adoration chapel and spend an hour praying with Jesus. Many times I bring my Bible or a book on the Eucharist. Recently I had to give a presentation on the reason why God became man and died on the cross. So

Study Scripture

Gospel Reflection: The Magi bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh

In he Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12) we learn of wise men or Magi that come from the East, guided by the star of Bethlehem, to pay homage to the newly born king of the Jews. When they find the home, guided by the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.

Study Scripture

Gospel Reflection: Mary's Magnificat

The Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, most commonly known as “The Magnificat”, is my most favorite of the “evangelical canticles”. It is called Magnificat because that is the first word of the canticle in the Vulgate Bible’s Latin text: “Magnificat anima mea, Dominum”, etc. (My soul doth magnify

Thought-provoking Christmas quote by Saint Oscar Romero

Thought-provoking quote from Saint Oscar Romero delivered as part of his las Christmas eve homily before been martyred. "Tonight we do not look for God among the opulence of the world, or among the idolatries of wealth or among those eager for power or among the intrigues of the

Holy Water: A powerful aid in living a sacramental life

I always use Holy Water as I enter church as a way to purify myself from “the world” and mentally enter a sacred space. We also always keep a bottle of Holy Water at home for certain occasions such as blessing a new car or blessing our grandson before he

Invocation to the Holy Spirit from the Pentecost Sunday Sequence

Pentecost Sunday Sequence Come, Holy Spirit, come. And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine. Come, Father of the poor. Come, source of all our store. Come, within our bosoms shine. You, of comforters the best; You, the soul’s most welcome guest; Sweet refreshment here below;

5 actions to help us live a life of holiness

I was asked to speak to my church’s Youth Group last night on how to live a life a holiness, how to live like saints in this life. I’m sharing my thoughts with you and hope that you find them fruitful. We know that hell is a horrible

Prayer for the Faithful Departed

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

The Holy Spirit working through the life of St. Pope John XXIII

Last week out of the blue I had he urge to learn about Saint Pope John XXIII, who was pope between 1958-1963. So, I downloaded the movie “Pope XXIII: the Pope of Peace” and I watched it on the way to CA. It’s not a documentary, but a movie

I am not afraid, for God is with me. I was born for this!

Jesus did not simply ask us to pray, be good, follow the commandments, and serve others. He asked us to make disciples of all nations. To evangelize and help the world repent and embrace the good news that Jesus is Lord and has defeated sin and death through his death