A prayerful reading of the Gospels readings on Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week will aid to deepen our contemplation of the Passion of Christ.  The Church in her wisdom has provided these Gospel passages to prepare us to celebrate the Paschal Mystery.

A close, contemplative reading of each of the three Gospel passages leading up to the Sacred Triduum will focus us on the Word Incarnate “pierced for our offenses.”  Indeed, in each of these three Gospel passages the people surrounding our Lord are said to have reclined at table with him.  So, let us recline in the spirit of contemplation in order to see what each Gospel brings to light. 

In the Monday Gospel of Holy Week we contemplate Jesus reclining at table with his friend Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead.  There was obvious jubilation at this meal as those who were present were still rejoicing in the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  Yet, in the midst of this joy the Gospel turns our attention to Mary’s solemn act of charity.  Out of love and reverence for Christ, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with “costly perfumed oil” and dries them with her hair.  In this Gospel, then, we are led to contemplate the beautiful feet of Christ.  On Good Friday, the feet of Christ anointed by Mary will be “pierced for our offenses.”

How precious and sacred are the feet of Jesus!  The feet with which he walked to bring the Good News of Salvation; the feet with which he walked on water and calmed the fear of the disciples; the feet with which he ascended Calvary to accomplish our redemption.  It is these feet that Mary lovingly anoints in preparation for his crucifixion; it is these feet that we lovingly contemplate on this Monday of Holy Week.  It is these feet that were pierced for our offenses.

In the Tuesday Gospel of Holy Week we contemplate Jesus reclining at table with his disciples.  It was the night before his death and his heart was “deeply troubled” because one of his disciples was about to betray him.  As Jesus is troubled, Peter motions to the disciple “whom Jesus loved” to find out who was to betray the Lord.  We are then led to one of the most tender encounters in the entire Gospel: the Beloved Disciple rests his head against Jesus’ chest and asks, “Master, who is it?”  How blessed was John, the Beloved Disciple, to recline against the chest of Christ!  How blessed was John to listen to the very heartbeat of Jesus!

In this Gospel, then, we are led to contemplate the sacred heart of Jesus.  How precious is the heart of Jesus Christ!  Never has a heart loved so much.  It was this heart which grieved over Jerusalem; it was this heart which welled up with sorrow at the death of Lazarus; it was this heart which was overwhelmed with grief in the Garden of Gethsemane as he felt the burden of the sins of mankind.  The Beloved Disciple rested his head against Jesus’ chest and listened to his heartbeat; it is this heart that we lovingly contemplate on this Tuesday of Holy Week.  It is this heart that was pierced for our offenses.

In the Wednesday Gospel of Holy Week we contemplate the betrayal of Jesus.  Judas, lured by thirty pieces of silver, sets out to betray his Lord.  The other disciples are about the business of preparing the Passover meal for Jesus to celebrate with them.  And while they are reclining at table, Jesus tells his disciples that one of them is about to betray him.  As the disciples question, “Surely, it is not I, Lord?” Jesus says to them, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me.”

In this Gospel, then, we are led to contemplate the hands of Christ.  We see the hand of Christ dipping into the dish with the hand of Judas.  In our meditation, we are moved to grasp the hands of Christ, the hands that Judas could have grasped instead of betrayed.  The precious hands of Christ!  It was these hands that touched and healed the leper; it was these hands that grasped the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law and healed her; it was these hands that held the hand of Jairus’s daughter and raised her back to life.  And it is these hands that we contemplate on this Wednesday of Holy Week; it was these hands that were “pierced for our offenses.”  The hands of Jesus which brought healing are now instruments of our healing, for “by his wounds we are healed.”

It is important for us during this Holy Week to contemplate the sacred humanity of Jesus, for it was through the offering of the body of Jesus that we have been redeemed (Hebrews 10:10).  As we contemplate the humanity of Jesus we receive immeasurable graces; indeed, we are conformed more intimately to him.  The three Gospel passages leading up to the Sacred Triduum afford us the unique opportunity to meditate on the parts of Christ’s body that were pierced for our offenses: his hands, his heart, and his feet.  In our contemplation, we are invited to remember that it is the sacred humanity of Jesus Christ that is the instrument of our salvation.  God became man to redeem us.  What wondrous love is this!

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Dear Friends,

I invite you to click here to read my article on the Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction website.  In this article, I reflect on what it must have been like for Pope Benedict to discern God’s will for him to resign.

The post Pope Benedict and the Voice of God appeared first on Live Holiness.

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Anxiety robs us of inner peace.  Nothing good comes of it.  Anxiety causes restless days, sleepless nights, and even affects our health.

So if nothing goods comes from anxiety, why do we allow it to have so much power over us?  I think because it’s such a powerful emotion; it grips us, and we actually feel powerless over it.  We feel that we are held captive by it.

But do we need to be slaves to anxiety?  Not according to St. Paul.  He tells us, “Have no anxiety at all” (Philippians 4:6).  Easier said than done?  Maybe.  But St. Paul advises how to overcome anxiety.  

He writes, “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.  Then the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  He continues, “Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:6-8).

So, St. Paul gives us three steps to overcome anxiety:

1. Pray and GIVE THANKS — Whatever you’re anxious about, St. Paul says to present it to the Lord.  In other words, stop trying to control it or to figure it out on your own.  In quiet prayer, surrender it to Jesus.  But-and this is really important-give thanks to God.  Don’t just petition the Lord; be grateful for all your blessings.  Gratitude focuses you on the positive and lessens your focus on what is making you anxious.
2. Receive God’s peace and let it guard your heart — Once you’ve surrendered your anxiety to the Lord and have given thanks to him, receive the Lord’s peace and claim it as the guardian of your heart.  Let his peace, not your anxiety, rule your heart.
3. Focus your heart and mind on “These things” — God has given you the power to choose your focus.  If you’re anxious, you’re focusing on things that make you anxious.  Instead, ponder truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness, excellence.  Ponder blessings, instead of fear.  By focusing on “these things,” anxiety will decrease and peace will increase.

Anxiety is a powerful emotion, but it robs us of experiencing the peace of God in the present moment.  Choose to follow St. Paul’s advice and you will have more inner peace.

The post How to Overcome Anxiety appeared first on Live Holiness.

I’ve learned many lessons in my short life, but one thing is for sure: we all know what it’s like to experience pain.  Life can be difficult at times, and pain can come to us in different ways: physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological.

You’ve probably experienced pain in your life.  Maybe you’re in pain right now. Maybe you’re in the pain of depression or the pain of feeling that your life lacks meaning; maybe you’re in physical pain; or maybe you’re in pain from what you perceive is a failure to make progress in your life.

Here’s the good news: pain can be a gift to us.  The great Christian author C.S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (The Problem of Pain).

Let me be clear: I’m not saying that God wants us in pain.  But God can speak to us through our pain.  For pain can be a signal that we are unaligned with the Lord and his purpose for our lives.  Pain tells us we need to reevaluate and realign. And if we’re honest, we must admit that sometimes–not always–pain is of our own choosing (a bad diet, lack of exercise, bad moral decisions, etc.).

We can use pain as a turning point in our lives. It can be a great gift to us. Think, for example, of the addict who has hit bottom: at that point the pain becomes too much, and he or she decides to chart a new course in life.  Pain has accomplished its purpose.

If you’re in any pain today, don’t lick your wounds!  Get curious.  Receive this pain as a gift.  God wants to speak to you.  Your heart and soul, your true self, is crying out to be heard.  Open yourself to the Lord in prayer and ask him: what is this pain telling me?  Let this pain lead you to a fuller life of purpose and service, not a more constricted life of introspection and self-pity.

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If you’re interested in C.S. Lewis “The Problem of Pain” or his other works you can click on the Catholic Store or the Aquinas and More affiliate links in the right side bar and check it out.

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“Do not let that hope die! Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son (Pope John Paul II).”

I’ve been there. I know how it feels to be stuck. I know how it feels to be discouraged. I know how it feels to want to give up and throw in the towel. Yes, I’m a priest…but I’m human. Somehow I used to be afraid to admit that. But believe me, I’ve been there.

It’s a New Year, which means it’s time for new beginnings. And if you’re stuck, if you’re feeling depressed, if you’re feeling like you want to give up on the Lord or that the Lord has given up on you, I’m exhorting you to make a decision today.

Let me explain.

There’s a tremendous God-given power that exists within each of us. It is, I believe, the very creative power of God in our souls. It is our freedom. And when we use our freedom for good in our lives and the lives of others, we experience tremendous exhilaration and we experience spiritual growth…and we positively impact lives.

Infused with the grace of God, our free will becomes even more powerful and creative. When, through prayer, we tap into the power of God in our souls, when we realize that God’s presence is within us, when we understand that God became man and united our humanity to his, our free will becomes the most powerful force in the world.

Today, make a decision to use your freedom to move forward in your life. This is your moment. God is giving you the grace to do it, but he wants you to take action.

Today, make one simple but powerful decision:

• Lace up your walking shoes and exercise…and feel good about it.
• Choose gratitude as your focus rather than negativity…and feel good about it.
• Write that letter you’ve been putting off…and feel good about it.
• Make the phone call you need to make…and feel good about it.
• Apologize to the person you know you’ve hurt…and feel good about it.
• Clean out your closet and give away those old clothes to charity…and feel good about it.
• Create that blog you’ve been wanting to start…and feel good about it.

Experience the power of God within you today.  Just do one thing that you know will improve your life.  Just one thing! And feel good about it! What will happen is that you’ll start to gain momentum.  Forget about the past.  And don’t worry about the future.  Just make positive decisions today.

And here’s the secret: keep making positive decisions tomorrow…and don’t give up if you fail!  We’re are going to have setbacks; but let’s make a decision: we’re not going to let any failure today stop us from  making more positive decisions tomorrow.

The post The Power of God appeared first on Live Holiness.

It’s the poisonous thought followed by the feeling of self-loathing.  It’s remembering the wrong choice from a month ago, a week ago, or even from yesterday, followed by the sinking feeling in your gut that you’re just no good, that you’re stuck, that as hard as you try you won’t be able to break the cycle and live a positive, spiritual life.  It’s the guilt-shame cycle.  And it’s common to all who are striving to live a holy life, but seem to keep falling.

But there’s hope.  There’s always hope.  Here are three thoughts that you can consciously cultivate to help you break the  guilt-shame cycle in your life.

Deeply ponder and remind yourself: God is outside of time

Scripture tells us that “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8).  Thinking about our negative behaviors inevitably pulls us into the guilt-shame cycle.  However, it’s essential for us to remember God’s perspective: God is outside of time.  We may feel trapped in thoughts about the past, but there is no past for God.  There is only the eternal present.  Through prayer and meditation we insert ourselves into the eternal present moment and simply begin again.  As you meditate, let this thought permeate your prayer:

Yesterday is gone; tomorrow is not here; in this present moment I accept myself as God accepts me.

Deeply ponder and remind yourself: God is love and forgiveness

God loves us, unconditionally, at every moment.  His forgiveness is ever-new.  Regardless of what we’ve done, his love is unceasing.  Nevertheless, we can believe this and still be stuck in guilt and shame.  And so God desires that we love and forgive ourselves.  He doesn’t ask us to love the wrong we’ve done; he invites us to love ourselves because he has created us, and God loathes nothing that he has created.  As you meditate, let this thought permeate your prayer:

Lord, you love and forgive me.  In this moment, I choose to love and forgive myself because it’s what you want me to do.

Deeply ponder and remind yourself: God offers new life…every day

St. Paul tells us that if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).  Jesus doesn’t let us go when we sin; he doesn’t distance himself from us.  He simply waits with open arms ready to embrace us once again.  At every moment, each and every day, he offers new life.  Your new life begins now.  It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past.  He wants to give you new life now.  As you meditate, let this thought permeate your prayer:

Lord, with you each moment is new.  I accept the new life that you give to me in this moment and I begin again.

The guilt-shame cycle is vicious indeed: Feeling negatively about ourselves can lead to self-defeating behaviors which lead to deeper self-loathing which leads to feeling negatively about ourselves.  And then the cycle begins again…

But there is tremendous hope.  By intentionally pondering and putting into practice these spiritual thoughts, you can break the guilt-shame cycle and begin to experience the freedom that God desires for you.

The post Breaking the Guilt-Shame Cycle appeared first on Live Holiness.

Note: This is an edited post from a blog I had written in 2009.  I thought it would be fitting to repost it for Christmas.

In 1925, the New York World publication celebrated the birthday of Abraham Lincoln with a cartoon that has become something of a classic.  Two Kentucky farmers are pictured talking over a picket fence.  One asks, “Anything new happen lately?”  The other responds, “Nothing much.  A new baby was born over at Tom Lincoln’s place, but nothing much ever happens around here.”

Can you imagine the same thing happening in Bethlehem on the night that Jesus was born?  Can you picture some people standing just outside the Inn?  “Anything new happen around here?”  “Nothing much, just a baby born down in the stable, but nothing much ever happens around here.”

The point of the cartoon in the New York World was obvious: when Lincoln was born, no one knew how much he would impact history.  But what makes the birth of Jesus Christ different?  This is the ultimate question for us as Christians. 

Why is the birth of Jesus so different from the birth of Lincoln or from the birth of other great figures in history?  Why is his birth so different from the many Christian saints?  Throughout the centuries there have been numerous people who have had a tremendous impact on history and probably in our own lives; but, as great as these people were, they only have the power to influence us.  In other words, these people do not possess within themselves the power to change and transform us.

During the Christmas season, we contemplate the newborn Christ in the manger.  The difference between the birth of Jesus and the birth of other great figures in history is this: the baby that we contemplate in the manger is a divine person!  And because Jesus Christ is a divine person he has within himself not only the power to influence us but the power to change and transform us!

You see, Jesus is God, God who became man, God who took on our human flesh and united our humanity to his divinity.  And divinity has the power to change and transform us.  This is precisely the reason he can change us: because he united our sinful human nature to his perfect divine nature; God became man so that we could share in the divine life of God.

The birth of Christ, then, is not simply an event of the past.  The fact that God became man means that every human being is affected; it’s analogous to a divine electrical shock that has gone out and touched every human person in history.  The divine life of God in Jesus Christ is spread through the entire human race through what we call grace, and grace changes and transforms us.

God loves us so much that he became one of us to change us.  We all need interior change.  Are you struggling with sinful habits?  Do you feel that you are far from God?  Have you made decisions in your life that have led you away from the Lord?  Do you want to be closer to him?  This is what Christmas is all about: Jesus Christ has come to us with the power to change and transform us.  But we have to reach out to touch that power!  We can look to role models, we can look to influential historical figures, we can read self-help books, but none of these have the divine power to change us.  Only Christ does!

How beautiful that he makes himself so approachable.  He’s a baby who wants us to embrace him so that we can experience his transforming love.  Christ wants us to embrace him and he wants to embrace us, not just on Christmas but also at every moment.  We cannot change without God’s grace that comes to us in Christ.

The birth of Christ is different because he has the power to change us.  Don’t let this Christmas pass by with the attitude that we are celebrating the birth of just another great historical figure.  No, let this Christmas moment seize you with the reality that what we celebrate is the living truth that God loves us so much that he became one of us to change us forever!

Merry Christmas!

The post A Christmas Meditation appeared first on Live Holiness.

This is a re-post from Sept. 2009.  I thought it was fitting for this wonderful Solemnity of All Saints.  Enjoy.  And, as always, feel free to comment and to spread the word about liveholiness.com.

Above my desk where my Macbook, printer, and lamp share their home, hangs a large framed print of one of my favorite saints, Ignatius of Loyola. He’s dressed in a red chasuble and stole, the traditional vestments for the celebration of Mass. His eyes gaze heavenward; there is a glow on his face and an aura of light around his head. His right arm is bent upward; his hand, fingers and palm also pointing upward, is open in a gesture of praise. His left hand rests on the top of an open book and on the left page are written the words “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”: For the greater glory of God. It is the image of a saint, an image of holiness.

As much as I love this painting of St. Ignatius and how it can inspire me to stay focused on the Lord, looking at it can also make me forget that he was imperfect. Of course, that may be what the artist’s intention was: images of saints are supposed to reveal their holiness, not their imperfections. However, does being holy mean that we are perfect, that we never sin?

Listen to the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned. Holiness increases the capacity for conversion, for repentance, for willingness to start again and, especially, for reconciliation and forgiveness… Consequently, it is not the fact that we have never erred but our capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness which makes us saints. And we can all learn this way of holiness” (See Pope Benedict’s catechesis on the Apostles p. 157).

I don’t know about you, but these are some of the most encouraging words that I have ever read about what it means to be holy. Holiness doesn’t mean that we’re perfect. Holiness doesn’t mean that we don’t sin. Holiness means possessing the habit of beginning again and again in our walk with the Lord, the habit of daily conversion. And what happens is that this habit of beginning again, this habit of asking for and receiving God’s forgiveness every day, eventually becomes stronger than our sinful habits. As we begin again and again, the capacity of our hearts to receive God’s forgiveness and to live in friendship with Him expands. We begin to desire God more than we desire sin.

Yes, this is very encouraging indeed. For, as the Pope says, we can all learn this way of holiness. We can all learn to persevere and walk in an intimate friendship with God.

As much as the saints ought to inspire us to be fully alive, I think that we can sometimes be intimidated by their lives. We think: I could never be like that. When we read the lives of the saints, it seems impossible to achieve that level of virtue. Part of the reason is that some hagiographers paint quite a rosy picture of the saint’s life; they focus on the most heroic and miraculous stories of their lives. When we look at paintings or statues of saints we focus on their halos but tend to forget that they were imperfect. We think that they spent all day on their knees in prayer, that they never had fun, and that they constantly embraced suffering—always joyfully!

But saints have the same weaknesses that we have. The difference is that they have an intimate friendship with God and a capacity to begin again that becomes the defining characteristic of their lives. Saints sin; saints make mistakes. But saints continues to grow in their love for the Lord, and this love eventually becomes the driving force in their lives; this love eventually becomes stronger than their sinful inclinations. The saint simply knows God’s love and God’s desire to forgive in a very deep way. Yes, the saint has an intimate friendship with the Lord.

In the fourth step of the examen prayer, we are invited to ask forgiveness for the sins of the day, the times that we’ve failed to respond to God’s grace; but this time of asking God’s mercy is not meant to be a time of self-loathing for the sins we’ve committed. This step is actually intended to be a time of renewal and rejoicing. During this step, we should be reminded that the Lord loves us so much that He desires to forgive and renew us so that we can continue to walk in holiness each and every day. The point is not to focus on our sins but on the Lord’s love.

We can all learn to be holy, but first we must have a proper understanding of holiness. Holiness is not perfection; holiness is an expanding capacity for conversion and a daily deepening of our friendship with God. Yes, we can all learn this way of holiness. How encouraging!

So how can we put this into practice? Today, in your prayer, when you see some areas that need improvement, don’t give in to feeling bad about yourself, self-loathing, or negativity; rather, rejoice that the Lord loves you so much that He is ready to forgive. Rejoice that the Lord does not love you because you’re perfect; He loves you because you’re His child, because you’re His friend.

The post All Saints Day Reflection: What is Holiness? appeared first on Live Holiness.

Recently I read Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire by Fr. Joseph Langford and I rate it as one of the best spiritual books I’ve ever read.  It touched me deeply.  At some point I hope to write a review; but for now, here’s a beautiful quote from the book to start your week.

“If we were to take all the love in every heart of everyone on earth, and add to it all the love of all those who ever existed throughout history, then add the love of all the saints in heaven, and all the angels, cherubim and seraphim, and pour all that love into one heart, and direct all that love on ourselves, it would still fall infinitely short of the love God is pouring out on each one of us, right now.”

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