Will Only a Few People be Saved?

Someone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” What we all really want to know is how hard is it to be saved? Will my family and friends be saved? Will I will saved? Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord tells us that He comes to “gather nations of every language.” …

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How Do You Look at Things?

This will be my fourth article inspired by Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). (For the previous articles see “Are You for Real?”, “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”, and “We Need to Stand for Something”). I hope these articles are helpful in your spiritual journey. I am enjoying writing …

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Hope, Death, and Suffering

I recently finished reading After Suicide: There’s Hope for Them and For You by Fr. Chris Alar, MIC and Br. Jason Lewis, MIC (Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press. 2019). As indicated by the title, the book is specifically written for those dealing with the suicide of someone they know. However, as the authors say, much of …

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Suffering and Serving

Today’s first reading comes from the fourth of four passages in the Book of Isaiah that speak of a “suffering servant.” People see suffering as something terrible and to be avoided. However, in the first reading, regarding the suffering servant, we hear how “The LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.” It is the …

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It is Not Easy to be Faithful

In today’s first reading we hear, “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.” This is not the only time in the Old Testament that we hear of the “just …

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Some Thoughts on Dealing with Difficult People

Difficult people…we probably have all dealt with difficult people in our lives. It isn’t easy or we won’t call them “difficult” people. There is no one single way to deal with all difficult people. It takes patience. It takes understanding. It also means understanding ourselves. Ourselves? It’s the other person who is the difficult one, …

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Jesus, Human and Divine

Last week I posted an article, “Do People Understand What Jesus Does for Us?” In that article, I discussed Jesus’ action to save us from our sins. My inspiration for that article came from Clear and Simple: How to Have Conversations That Lead to Conversion by Andre Regnier (Ottawa, Canada: Catholic Christian Outreach. 2018). Now, I …

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What Was the Worst Part of Jesus’ Suffering?

Jesus underwent great suffering for us during his Passion. The gospel readings on both Palm (Passion) Sunday and Good Friday tell the story of Jesus’ suffering from his entry into Jerusalem at the start of his final days through his Crucifixion. Knowing of Jesus’ suffering is key to us understanding his love for us and …

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