By Fr. Ken Hezel, SJ, for the North Star Bishop Robert Barron, of Word on Fire website, is now filming a video about St Ignatius of Loyola for his series on “Catholicism Pivotal Players” . Daily he posts excerpts on line from Ignatian sites: the church of the Gesu in Rome, the former offices of
Biba San Jude! Before my reflection, I want to thank all my parishioners, benefactors, and friends of St. Jude Parish for all their support, generosity, and charitable contributions towards of fiesta celebration. Parish fiestas are always an opportunity for a faith community to gather for prayer and thanksgiving. They showcase the generosity and faith of
Here at St. Jude Parish, we are currently preparing for our parish fiesta to honor our patron. In these upcoming reflections, I would like to share some aspects of St. Jude’s life and how we can learn from him to follow Jesus more faithfully. I want to begin by sharing some of St. Jude’s background.
Perhaps you have been asked by a friend or loved one, “Why is it important for me to go to church? If God is everywhere, then what is so special about the church? Why do some go to church but their actions seem so far from being Christian? I admit these are difficult questions and
“God loves you as you are, but He loves you too much that He refuses to leave you that way” I love this expression. We can picture God as a loving, generous, and patient parent. As a loving parent, He forgives and has mercy on his children’s shortcomings and failures. But He likewise invites them
Today’s gospel message is easy to understand, but very difficult to practice. Jesus preaches on forgiveness. Many times we may feel like Peter asking God, “Lord, just how many times must I forgive? Lord you know I’m hurt, I’m emotionally in pain! This person really offended me or my family, and you expect me to
I recently spoke with a friend who gave a retreat at a Catholic high school. He spoke about selfish pride as an obstacle in the Christian life and how Jesus shows us the complete opposite by His humility on the cross. My friend closed his talk by giving them a list of prideful habitsor tendencies.
This past Tuesday we celebrated the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. I have always been a huge fan of John the Baptist for many different reasons. In this reflection, I want to point out two aspects of his life that can also follow as Jesus’ disciples. The first point is that
This is one of my favorite gospel stories. The part I wish to reflect on though is Jesus’ question to the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”. Peter speaks up and replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. He confesses that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Jesus
Last June Pope Francis shared that it is dangerous to think that one can only have a personal relationship with Jesus “without communion with and the medication of the church”. We need to unpack and understand what the Pope is really saying here in this context. Obviously, we do encounter Jesus in personal prayer and
