That’s what the evil one wants.
Despair.
He wants you to think where you went wrong.
Blame yourself – what a bad parent you are.
He wants you to think there is nothing else, no way out.
Remember he is the father of lies and the accuser.
Don’t listen to him. … More When You Lose Children to the World
When we do what Father God designed us to do, we experience joy. Joy in the midst of grief happens when we accept the changing of wineskins from old to new. It doesn’t get rid of the grief but it does mean that we are trusting God and His plans for our future. … More Receiving God’s New Wine After Loss
Divorce is one of society’s ills that erodes family ties and creates grief in the heart of the ones being abandoned. While the forsaken spouse must often deal with feelings of betrayal and loneliness, the children may grow up with a sense of insecurity and unworthiness. This is when love and faith become the most important factors amid all the turmoil. … More Navigating Divorce: A Child’s Perspective
I think of Father John’s letter often—the way one act of kindness can become a lineage. Someone once reached out to him. He reached out to Mom. Mom reached back to everyone who loved her with courage that made us braver. The crucifix moved from hand to hand, life to life, because the cross itself has always been a story of passing on: mercy received, mercy given. … More The Crucifix: A Symbol of Strength in Suffering
For the Christian, there is no need to separate the grief from the joy. The same hands can hold both joy and grief simultaneously. That is what it means to be, as John Paul II said, “an Easter people”. But he didn’t say that famous line during Easter. He said it in a papal address in November. Easter is not limited to a day or even a Church season. There is no “this, then that,” or suffering then not suffering. But there is always hope in suffering because the Messiah suffered, too. … More An Easter People: Carrying the Joy and Hope of the Resurrection Through All of Life’s Challenges
Just as a runner prepares for a race with practice, so Lent gives us an opportunity to practice suffering. As a runner subjects his body to the strain of pushing himself beyond what is comfortable in order to build up his endurance, so we practice self-denial even when it is unpleasant so that we may build up our perseverance for the sufferings of this life. … More The Gift of Lent
As so many weeks are these days, it was a week that came with unsettling news – wars and rumors of wars, disturbing headlines, and all the things that can tempt us to lose our peace. … More Finding Peace in a Turbulent World
Several years ago, when we had only been married about two and half years, I was really struggling with idea of a new year – another new year with no living baby, but three little saints. With each gathering, I couldn’t help but think of the little ones who were missing. … More A New Year’s Kiss
The glory is that God used my brokenness and suffering to lead me to freedom. I was desperate for God to save my son, but instead God saved me. … More On the Twelfth Day of Christmas
As we wade through Advent, maybe it is easy to doubt. Maybe you are struggling with the external happiness of a world that is home to death and darkness. It can be easy to forget that the birth of Christ was also the beginning of His death; that Mary and Joseph would soon flee across the desert with an infant who was being hunted. … More What Child is This?