02 Aug 2010, 10:09 am

In Genesis 2:16-17, the Lord gave a command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Eve began to listen to another voice and did not hold firmly to her Creator's words. All that Satan had to do was plant a single seed of doubt about God's integrity and offer Eve one appealing advantage of doing things her own way—and she fell for it. He mentioned wisdom, but by using her own reasoning, Eve added two more benefits to the temptation: the fruit is good for food and a delight to the eyes.

17 Jul 2010, 8:53 am

God loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Let us ask God to give us His love for everyone around us.

09 Jul 2010, 9:12 am

There is a way to bring spirituality back into the forefront of your everyday life. Spirituality is all around you. Spirituality is in everyone you meet and everywhere you go. You are a spiritual being deep down under the trappings of this material world. Now you can rediscover that spirituality in your everyday life.
• Be aware of your surroundings, see past the physical, and see the spirit in all things. Think of the things that make you happy.
• Look at your loved ones, experience the love you feel for them. That love is pure joy and that's spirituality.
• What makes you smile? That's new age spirituality. The simple sight and sound of a child's laughter, the quiet peaceful sight of a cat napping in the sun, that's spirituality.
• A quiet walk on a spring day, the gentle breeze, the sound of birds chirping, the smell of flowers and freshly cut grass, it's all the definition of spirituality.

19 Jun 2010, 7:47 am

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity. In the book of Samuel we read about two very depressed men who faced endless struggles. One was named Saul and the other David. When Saul faced a problem, his first instinct was to look to himself as the answer. As a result, his depression deepened into paranoia and fits of violence. Eventually, he slid into full-fledged rebellion against God and even sank so low as to consult a medium (who gave him the bad news that there was no escaping God by that route). David, in contrast, always tended to turn to God in his many times of trial. That doesn't mean he was sinless. Far from it. He was an adulterer and a murderer. But when he sinned he always went back to God and took whatever God wanted to give him (including, on several occasions, judgment). As a result, though he fell many times, he always rose again, whereas Saul was overthrown by his pride and rebellion and never came back. In all this, we see a sort of mystical foreshadow of the Christian life: The point is not so much that we sin (everybody does that), but our stick-to-itiveness in returning to God no matter what. God has forgiven billions of sins. The only thing that could possibly prevent Him from forgiving yours would be the refusal to accept His forgiveness. So go ahead: ask forgiveness and rise again. If David did it, so can you!
Here is the Bible reading: Proverbs 24:16

22 May 2010, 9:10 pm

2. Prayer to the Holy Spirit for a Favor
O Holy Spirit, You are the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. You are the Spirit of truth, love and holiness, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and equal to Them in all things. I adore You and love You with all my heart. Teach me to know and to seek God, by whom and for whom I was created. Fill my heart with a holy fear and a great love for Him. Give me compunction and patience, and do not let me fall into sin.
Increase faith, hope, and charity in me and bring forth in me all the virtues proper to my state of life. Help me to grow in the four cardinal virtues, Your seven gifts, and Your twelve fruits.
Make me a faithful follower of Jesus, an obedient child of the Church, and a help to my neighbor. Give me the grace to keep the commandments and to receive the sacraments worthily. Raise me to holiness in the state of life to which You have called me, and lead me through a happy death to everlasting life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Grant me also, O Holy Spirit, Giver of all good gifts, the special favor for which I ask [name the favor here], if it be for Your honor and glory and for my well being. Amen.
Glory Be, etc.