The Temptation to be Normal

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Alone in a Crowd 

 

I have been flooded with emails the past two weeks, and will do my best to respond to them. Of note is that many of you are experiencing an increase in spiritual attacks and trials the likes of never before. This does not surprise me; it is why I felt the Lord urging me to share my trials with you, to confirm and strengthen you and remind you that you are not alone. Furthermore, these intense trials are a very good sign. Remember, towards the end of World War II, that’s when the most fierce fighting took place, when Hitler became the most desperate (and despicable) in his warfare.

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Standing With Christ

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Photo by Al Hayat, AFP-Getty

 

THE past two weeks, I have taken time, as I said I would, to ponder my ministry, its direction, and my personal journey. I’ve received many letters in that time filled with encouragement and prayer, and I am truly grateful for the love and support of many brothers and sisters, most of whom I’ve never met in person.

I’ve asked the Lord a question: am I doing what you want me to do? I felt the question was essential. As I wrote in On My Ministry, the cancellation of a major concert tour has had a big impact on my ability to provide for my family. My music is akin to St. Paul’s “tent-making.” And since my first vocation is my beloved wife and children and the spiritual and physical provision of their needs, I had to stop for a moment and ask Jesus again what His will is. What happened next, I did not expect…

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On My Ministry

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Green

 

THIS past Lent was a blessing for me to journey with tens of thousands of priests and laymen alike all over the world through the daily Mass meditations I wrote. It was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. As such, I need to take some quiet time to reflect upon many things in my ministry and my own personal journey, and the direction God is calling me.

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Come, Follow Me Into the Tomb

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Saturday of Holy Week, April 4th, 2015
Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter

Liturgical texts here

 

SO, you are loved. It is the most beautiful message a fallen world could ever hear. And there is no religion in the world with so remarkable a testimony… that God Himself, out of a passionate love for us, has descended to earth, taken on our flesh, and died to save us.

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Silencing the Prophets

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jesus_tomb270309_01_Fotor

 

In memory of the prophetic witness
of the Christian martyrs of 2015

 

THERE is a strange cloud over the Church, especially in the Western world—one that is sapping the life and fruitfulness of the Body of Christ. And it is this: the inability to hear, recognize, or discern the prophetic voice of the Holy Spirit. As such, many are crucifying and sealing the “word of God” in the tomb all over again.

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You Are Loved

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday of Holy Week, April 3rd, 2015
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Liturgical texts here


 

YOU are loved.

 

Whoever you are, you are loved.

On this day, God declares in one solemn act that you are loved.

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The Stripping

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of Holy Week, April 2nd, 2015
Evening Mass of the Last Supper

Liturgical texts here

 

JESUS was stripped three times during His Passion. The first time was at the Last Supper; the second when they clothed Him in a military cloak; [1]cf. Matt 27:28 and the third time, when they hung Him naked upon the Cross. [2]cf. John 19:23 The difference between the last two and the first is that Jesus “took off his outer garments” Himself.

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Matt 27:28
↑2 cf. John 19:23

Seeing the Good

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday of Holy Week, April 1st, 2015

Liturgical texts here

 

READERS have heard me quote several popes [1]cf. Why Aren’t the Popes Shouting? who, over the decades have been warning, as Benedict did, that “the very future of the world is at stake.” [2]cf. On the Eve That led one reader to question whether I simply thought that the whole world was all bad. Here’s my answer.

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Footnotes