AS I face my own weakness head on tonight, as all sense of God fades away, as darkness collapses onto my mind, and peace evades my heart…. there is only one thing left to do: cry out, like the beggar,

Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me! (Luke 18:38)

Was it not in the desert that the Israelites were tested? Was not Abraham’s faith purified when he raised the dagger over his son, Isaac? And did not Christ himself experience the crucifixion of obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane?

Lord Jesus… I need you. Have mercy on me.

HEAVEN hangs in suspense, awaiting earth’s decision:

I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you... (Deut 30:19-20)

THE world cannot continue on this path of destroying human embryos for stem cell research.

As a pencil falling from a table obeys the law of gravity, so too, there is a spiritual law: "what you sow, you will reap." Through prayer, fasting, and the intervention of the Mother of God, this terrible harvest has been delayed.

But oh, how many governments and scientific bodies seem intent on hastening the day. They feel the sacrifice of life now, will possess health and wellbeing for themselves in the future. It is madness. They are taking from another–in blood–so as to give to themselves.

In Scripture, King Ahab and his wife killed Naboth so as to take possession of his vineyard. But when the Lord saw this he said,

After murdering, do you also take possession? For this, the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs shall lick up your blood, too. (1 Kgs 21)

Pope Benedict XVI, in his homily to open the Synod of Bishops in Rome last year said,

…the threat of judgment also concerns us, the Church in Europe, Europe and the West in general …the Lord is also crying out to our ears the words that in the Book of Revelation he addresses to the Church of Ephesus: “If you do not repent I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (2: 5). Light can also be taken away from us and we do well to let this warning ring out with its full seriousness in our hearts…

But God does not want to treat us according to our sins. He who loved us unto death wishes, rather, that we would respond to this warning as did King Ahab:

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh... Then the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his time..."

FORGIVENESS is the glue that holds a family together. But humility determines how good the glue is.

BE radical. Not fanatical.

Fanatics are stuck on themselves. The radical Christian is stuck on giving to others, forgiving those who are fanatical toward him, even to the point of shedding blood.

LISTEN carefully,

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Pt 1:13)

Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. (Col 3:2)

These sacred words of Holy Scripture underscore a burning word in my heart these days:

YOU MUST BE RADICAL!

Peter tells us to set our hopes “completely” on the grace to be brought us. Completely! The whole direction of our every thought, word, and action should be toward Christ, each moment–not just for 58 minutes every Sunday. Oh, how deceived many are who think that their presence in the pew and a buck in the basket are a ticket to Heaven! How deceived we in the affluent West have become! Continue reading →

JESUS goes out of His way to stress the need to “watch and pray” throughout the Gospels. It was usually in the context of His return. To watch and pray is to “live by the Spirit,” says the apostle Paul.


I say then: live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh... (Gal 6:16-17)

The moment most of us begin to live “by the flesh” is first thing in the morning. Why? Because we get up, go through the motions of the day, and think nothing of God. And so, we begin in the flesh, and usually quite grumpily. We allow ourselves to be led by the nose into the “little” sins.

But Peter says,

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Pt 1:13)

When you rise in the morning, acknowledge God, implore His help, and hang tight to his hand–which is to say, continue to speak with Him throughout the day. We must actively, and willingly set our minds on the things of God, and what He asks of you in the present moment. As Paul says,

Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. (Col 3:2)

I have more to say on this tomorrow, a word which has been welling up in heart my for weeks now. But if we could just focus on this one thing–living by the Spirit by willingly focusing our mind on God’s presence and His command to love–we may not need tomorrow.

It will not guarantee that you will not face temptations, troubles, or even stumble. But if you’re near Christ, you will rise that much more quickly, for He Himself will pick you up.

...take every thought captive in obedience to Christ... (2 Cor 10:5)

THERE has always been rowdy youth. But there is something behind the spirit of youth culture today which is beyond mischievous fun.

I believe it was Johann Strauss who said, if you want to know the spiritual climate of a culture, look at its music.

Today’s music has evolved into a world of rebellion, with rap music taking center stage. With lyrics that openly embrace suicide, murder, promiscuity, drugs, sexual abuse, rebellion, materialism, self-pleasure, and you-name-it, rap songs have become what I call “anti-psalms”.

I’m reminded of a documentary I did for CTV-Edmonton in 1998. Among youth, disturbing trends include a rapid increase in brutal teen violence, suicide, drug-use, and escalating STD’s. But there is a new statistic: for the first time ever, peers–no longer parents–are the main influence in teenage lives.

Many people talk about Matthew 24 and the bizarre trends in weather etc. when they speak of the “end times”. But few comment on 2 Timothy 3:1-5. It is a chilling description of this generation:

But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power.

IT’S becoming a tradition: the first day of every concert tour is usually a dramatic one.

Today’s was spectacular.

Last summer, we had sudden electrical problems the night we were leaving. This winter, the sound and lighting equipment trailer detached from the tour bus. We found out the next day–in another city. And yesterday, two hours from home, we discovered that the bus’s water heater was kaput.

I should have expected it. In fact I did. But I was still ticked off. Grumbling, I turned the bus around, and headed to the repair shop, an hour away. We parked at a truck stop up the road.

This morning, after a short sleep, I awoke to the alarm clock… and a clear voice speaking in my heart:

You are here for a purpose.

Continue reading →

KEEPING Christ’s commandments is how we remain in His love (John 15:10), and if we remain in Him, we “will bear good fruit” (15:5).

But Jesus also said,

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
–John 6:56

How can we fail to take advantage of this precious gift given us in the Holy Eucharist? It is Jesus Himself!

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. –6:55

If we find ourselves hungering for happiness, thirsting for peace, starving for virtues, and lacking in love, why do we not come to The Table where the “source and summit” of our needs is daily provided?

My brothers and sisters, how often have I been filled with the Holy Spirit, pacified in soul, and stirred to a burning love after receiving Jesus in the Eucharist–at a Mass, which only a handful of people attended!

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
–6:35

If the wider Church only knew what graces they would find to overcome faults, resist temptation, grow in virtue, and come to know Love itself through Holy Communion!

Were we to disregard the Eucharist, how could we overcome our own deficiency?” –Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, (60)

WHEN we traveled to some of the worst areas of hurricane-damaged Louisiana recently, we saw two kinds of houses: the ones made of wood, and those of brick.

Some wooden houses had been razed to the ground. There was nothing left but a few splinters of lumber. On the other hand, the brick houses in Katrina’s path were gutted, with broken windows and damaged roofs. But the houses stood. Or rather, withstood.

How can a person possibly withstand the forces he meets in this life–the forces of death, of illness, of unemployment, of uncertainty, of hatred, of temptation?

Listen carefully,

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? ...faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. –James 2:14

Good works are like bricks. Faith is the mortar (what is one without the other?)

The one who builds his life with these, will testify how one can not only survive the painful forces of this life, but even bear them in peace and joy.

Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing... If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love... I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. –Jn 15:5, 10-11

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse.... –Mt 7:24-25

ARE not some of the best things in life hidden?

The coolest, cleanest water is usually found deep within the ground. Gold, silver, and precious jewels are disguised by rough stone and minerals. Nebulae, birthing stars, and colorful galaxies can only be seen with telescopes. Then there is the pearl within the oyster; the milk within the coconut; the nectar within the flower.

But do we recognize the great gift that lies hidden within suffering?

When we are ill-treated by a co-worker or a store clerk, do we recognize the opportunity to die to self? When small irritations befall us, do we see this as the occasion to grow in virtue? When we feel dry and desolate, do we recognize this as the moment to exercise faith?

The spiritual life is reflected in nature. For beneath the bland, rough, and unremarkable surface of the present moment, lies the Pearl of Grace to transform us.

...although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. –Matt 11:25

ANOTHER word which has been lingering beneath the surface of thought these past few weeks is “TOTALITARIANISM”.

Totalitarianism occurs when the state demands complete subservience of its subjects, which includes the realm of morality.

Pope Benedict has warned of this growing “dictatorship of relativism.” But so has a lesser known prophet, Michael D. O’Brien, in his series of “novels”: the Children of the Last Days. (If you are looking for powerful Catholic novels with an authentic and tested prophetic message, start here.)

This totalitarianism–though as yet unorganized in terms of formal governance–is beginning to openly express itself in localized policies, such as companies and school boards penalizing staff members who oppose homosexuality. Like a cancer, this dictatorial mentality is now moving into law as governments pass nebulous “hate crime” statutes. The next steps will be to strip the Church of official (and tax) status; then to silence the pulpit; then finally, open persecution–which may in fact be the Persecution. Continue reading →

THIS week, as nature in our part of Canada unfolds in extraordinary beauty, I continue to hear the words:

VIGIL.

I woke up with this single word, sitting there before my spiritual eyes. It comes from the Latin vigilia, which means “awake”.

Then a strange definition appeared clearly before me:

THE world is inundated with “Christian words.” But what it thirsts for is “authentic” Christian witness.

Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses. —POPE PAUL VI, Evangelization in the Modern World

What should the modern Christian look like?

The world calls for and expects from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility, detachment and self-sacrifice. Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. It risks being vain and sterile. —Ibid.

Paul VI also mentions “poverty and detachment”. It is this word poverty which speaks to me this morning…

SO long as you breathe, Mercy is yours.

Christ is a divine judge with a human heart, a judge who wants to give life. Only unrepentant attachment to evil can prevent him from offering this gift, for which he did not hesitate to face death. –Pope John Paul II, General Audience, Wednesday, 22 April 1998

SEEK nothing for yourself.

WHEN Pope John Paul II revived the Rosary in 2003, it was not out of a sense of nostalgia.

He was calling the Church to arms, to take up the spiritual and material battle raging within and from without the Church. He was urging us to call upon the greatest of intercessors–Jesus’ Mother–to come to our assistance. As one priest said, “Mary is a lady… but she wears combat boots.” Indeed, in Genesis, it is her heel which will crush the serpent’s head.

The grave challenges confronting the world at the start of this new Millennium lead us to think that only an intervention from on high… can give reason to hope for a brighter future…. The Church has always attributed particular efficacy to this prayer, entrusting to the Rosary… the most difficult problems. At times when Christianity itself seemed under threat, its deliverance was attributed to the power of this prayer, and Our Lady of the Rosary was acclaimed as the one whose intercession brought salvation. –John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae; 40, 39

Confidently take up the Rosary once again… May this appeal of mine not go unheard! –John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae

AFTER Evening Prayer, Fr. Kyle and I were discussing the necessity of the prophetic gift for the building up of the Church. As we were talking, a storm passed overhead and a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Immediately, it carried a message for us:

“Prophecy is like lightning. God sends his word into the darkness, and at once it illuminates the heart and mind. Horizons and perspectives which had faded are recovered, paths which were hidden are found, and dangers which lay ahead are exposed.”

one who prophesies [speaks] to human beings, for their building up, encouragement, and solace. — 1 Cor 14:3

THE EUCHARIST is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” (Catechism, 1324)

Then it could be said that everything in between–the steps leading up this Blessed Mountain–are the charisms of the Holy Spirit, with “prophecy” being the handrails.

Prophecy “means the foreknowledge of future events, though it may sometimes apply to past events of which there is no memory, and to present hidden things which cannot be known by the natural light of reason.” (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Pursue love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, above all that you may prophesy.(1 Cor 14:1)

For a deeper understanding of the gift of prophecy, click here.

WE PRAY “Come Holy Spirit!” So when the Spirit comes, what does it look like?

The icon of this coming is the Upper Room: an infusion of grace, power, authority, wisdom, prudence, counsel, knowledge, understanding, fortitude and fear of the Lord.

But we see something else as well… something the Church has often failed to recognize: the release of charisms in the Body. The Greek word Paul used for charism means “favor” or “benefit.” These include the gifts of healing, speaking in tongues, prophecy, discernment of spirits, administration, mighty deeds, and interpretation of tongues among others.

Let us be clear: these are charismatic gifts–not “the Charismatic’s gifts”. They do not belong to a single group or movement within the Church, but belong in proper to the whole Christian community. Too often, we have sent the gifts into the church basement where they are safely hidden in the confines of the prayer meeting of a few.

What great loss this is to the community! What paralysis this has brought about in the Church! These charisms, Paul tells us, are for the building up of the Body (cf. 1 Cor 12, 14:12). If that is so, tell me, what happens when the human body stops moving on a hospital bed? The person’s muscles become atrophied–limp, weak, and powerless.

So too, our failure to appropriate the charisms of the Holy Spirit has led to a Church which has fallen asleep on its side, unable to turn over and show the face of Christ to a hurting world. Our parishes have atrophied; our youth have lost interest; and those gifts intended to build us up remain hidden beneath the dust of our Baptism.

Indeed, Come Holy Spirit–come and re-enkindle in us your seven-fold gifts and bountiful charisms, for the glory of God, the renewal of the Church, and the conversion of the world.

Whatever their character–sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues–charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2003

MANY people say they have a personal relationship with Jesus. Others speak about their relationship with the Father. This is wonderful.

But how many of us have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit?

The Third Person of the Holy Trinity is just that–a divine person. A person whom Jesus has sent to be our Helper, our Advocate. A person who loves us with a burning love–like a tongue of fire. We can even “grieve the Holy Spirit” (Eph 4:30) because of this ineffable love.

But as we enter into the great feast of Pentecost, let us bring great joy to this intimate Friend. Let us begin to speak with the Holy Spirit, heart to Heart, lover to Lover, opening our spirit to Spirit, knowing that because of the Father’s love, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we now live, move, and have our being in this most Holy, Divine, and wonderful person: the Paraclete–who is Love itself.

the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
–Romans, 5:5