Yes, you read that title correctly — The Trap of Lent. I can already hear people gasping in reverence: “How can you say such a thing?” Well, because during the first Lenten journey into the desert — when Jesus spent His 40 days fasting and praying — there was a series of traps being set for Him along the way …
I was very grateful for the pleasure of having coffee this week with my buddy Bob Votruba, founder of One Million Acts of Kindness. Bob has been a very good friend of mine for many years and it is amazing to watch him put his convictions into action. A few years ago, Bob decided to give up his comfortable lifestyle …
Recently, I read the book “Choosing to See” by Mary Beth Chapman. For those of you that do not know, she is the wife of recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. On May 21, 2008 their 5 year old daughter was accidentally hit and killed by the car of their 17 year old son while he was pulling in their driveway; …
I am fortunate enough this week to be preparing the liturgy for the ‘Baptism of the Lord’ and it refreshes me for so many reasons… the fact that I said “refreshes” was a pun I had not intended and cracks me up. But when you get down to it, it’s really all about being human… In praying on the readings, …
2010 is closing out and we have made the conscious decision for a better 2011…so “now what??”. Ask yourself a few simple questions like: What are you going to do with all that the past year gave you? What did it bring you to be thankful for? What did it send your way to learn from? What did it remind …
I recently asked a good friend of mine, who is a priest, how he deals with people around him that do not always respect his vocation. His answer was simple, “I have just learned to lower my expectations”. Wouldn’t this sort of acceptance save us a lot of grief from time to time? Now understand, there is a difference between …
Episode Overview In this thoughtful episode, Greg Wasinski welcomes Fr. Jacob Bearer for a deep dive into the often-misunderstood topic of penance. Rather than presenting penance as mere obligation or self-punishment, the conversation reveals it as a pathway to healing, conversion, and deeper communion with Christ and His Church. Listeners are invited to rethink penance in light of Scripture, …
Holidays are so good at bringing out the worst in people… that’s right I said it. It is a strange twist that a time that should be most centered on family, community, faith and hope, suddenly becomes a period of stress and aggravation in our lives. We are so consumed with what we have to do or what others are …
Not only is Advent a time of preparation to the people we long to become, but it is also a time to search and find the person inside that we have lost along the way. Throughout our journey, no matter how young or old, each one of us changes from someone that we once enjoyed being into a “seasoned human” …
Places we used to live or spend time at are still a home, our home, in a way. It’s always a beautiful place. No matter where it is or how it looks now we find peace knowing that we spent time there, knowing that our memories still reside somewhere in and around that place we spent so much time. For …