Mourning and Sadness Has someone ever stated the obvious to you? Kids are great at this, “You are wearing cowboy boots!”. But there is always something behind what they are saying, like “I have a pair too”. You just have to dig a little deeper for the meaning. Joshua 1:1-2, After the death of Moses  Read more …

Pascal Wager In the seventeenth century, a famous philosopher and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, encouraged people to make a wager when it came to belief in God. If a person chose to believe in God and God did exist, that person would gain everything (eternal life). If a person chose to believe in God and God  Read more …

“Lord, I am not worthy. . .” We say these words at every mass, but what do they mean? This prayer comes after the words of the priest, “Behold the Lamb of God, and behold Him who takes away the sins of the world….” These words are calling each person in the congregation to wake  Read more …

It’s normal to worry from time to time. Given life’s many unknowns and challenges, worry could be considered a natural response to many situations. But chronic and all-consuming worry can be troublesome and interfere with our ability to function freely and calmly in our daily lives. More importantly, problem worry can make faith in God  Read more …

Concern for Others is the Beginning of Miracles Jesus bestows a huge honor on his mother Mary in the Gospel today during the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). He calls her the first woman of the New Covenant. At Calvary, as the first woman of the New Covenant, she becomes Mother of the Church, the  Read more …

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Remember me Death is nothing at all, but the beginning of another life. I have only slipped into the next room I am I and you are you whatever we were to each other that we are still. Call me by my  Read more …

What are Charisms? The word “charismatic” comes from the Greek word for “gift”.  There are many charisms, and God distributes them differently to different people.  The Bible, in 1 Corinthians 7:7, shows us that everyone “has a particular gift (charisma) from God, one of one kind and one of another. “Romans 12:6-8” lists gifts of Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leadership, and  Read more …

Let us consider what that first Christmas was really like. Mary and Joseph knew the pain of rejection. There was no room in the inn. The Son of God was not born into a royal palace but into poverty and isolation. The real Christmas is very far from the snowy depictions on Christmas cards. Perhaps  Read more …

Reflection: A Bleu Christmas We’re very conscious that this time of year is a time of great excitement and joy for some, but for others, it is a time of intense loneliness and pain. There is pressure on us to ‘join the celebrations’ (even though they will be different this year). Sometimes we are just  Read more …

Before we dive into the numerous verses that talk about joy, we have to establish an understanding of biblical joy. It goes far beyond momentary happiness. Like the happiness a child might experience when they unwrap a gift that they’d hoped for on Christmas day. It is an extreme happiness that cannot be deterred by  Read more …