doulos

A prayer for this 1st week of Advent: Heavenly Father as we seek Christ the King, your Son, our Savior, we ask you, to help us to be ready for His coming. Forgive us our failings. Our world is deeply wounded and struggling and this is seen in many wounded and struggling souls. Holy Love, help us to cherish all life, to nurture our life choices by sharing your compassion. Help us comfort the wounded and anxious. May our words bring hope, our deeds, healing. May we live and share faith, in your... Read Full Story

It is the day before Thanksgiving. Here in Northern California, as I look out the window of my candle shop I see the heavy grey clouds thickening from the west as a storm approaches. As the rain comes I realize how much for which I have to be thankful. The work of Dolorosa slowly grows. Family, loved ones are well, even as some are now gone and missed. Our Lord, in His love, brings the rain to both nourish and cleanse. Yet as I observe the news I sense little thanksgiving in our world. The... Read Full Story

I am , without apology, an advocate for Respect Life, for Whole Life. This includes fighting for the unborn child, my opposition to euthanasia, assisted suicide and the tragic disregard of life for the infirm, mentally afflicted or disabled. It includes the rights of mothers (and fathers) to know the destructive affects of abortion on their own health, physical, mental, spiritual. But it also includes the people of Dafur, Somalia, and other areas where life and our environment is destroyed... Read Full Story

Mass Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter: 1st Reading: Ac. 2: 14, 36-41: Psalm: 23; 2nd Reading: I Pet. 2:20-25; Gospel: Jn. 10:1-10 [The Web version of my homily.] Who is in charge? Who is in charge of your life? Our western culture takes immense pride in the concept that it is all about us, that I (capital I of course) am entitled to the choices of life. That I am entitled and best qualified to chose the course of my life. While God has blessed us each with our free will it is a myth... Read Full Story

' Contemporary rendition of Carraviggio's "Doubting Thomas" painted by: John Granville Gregory The door is locked. Fear has them bound, hidden away in a room. This Second Sunday of Easter, also recognized as Divine Mercy Sunday, we return to the followers of Christ. On Easter Sunday our joyful songs express our faith in our Risen Savior and Lord. Today we find the disciples where we too may be at times in our life, locked away in our fears. Of what are you afraid? Yes we profess our faith in... Read Full Story

The Cyber-version of my homily for Easter Sunday Readings for Easter Sunday Mass: I: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Ps: 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23; II: Col. 3:1-4; Gospel: John 20:1-9 "They did not yet understand the Scriptures that He had to rise from the dead..." The closing words of John's Gospel account of the resurrection told how the disciples who came that Easter morning did not yet get that Jesus was indeed risen from the dead. Would those words apply to us today? Over 2000 years later..do we still... Read Full Story

The cyber-version of my homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent Scripture Readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent: Reading I: Ezek. 37:12-14; Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 130:1-2,33-4,5-6,7-8; Reading II: Eph. Rom. 8:8-11; Gospel: John 11:1-45 What would you do, if in these last days of Lent, Jesus came to you and said..."we need to talk"? He would find a comfortable place for you both to sit. He would look you in the eye and say..."don't be afraid." He would then explain that He understood how hard it was... Read Full Story

[The cyber-version of my homily for this 2nd Sunday of Lent] Scripture Readings: Gn.12:1-4; Ps. 33:4-5,18-19,20,22; II Tim. 1:8-10; Mt. 17:1-9 Sometimes when we travel we find it helpful or perhaps necessary to stop and figure out where we are and where we are intending to go. This may well cause us to change our direction and re-focus on our goal. It is in this journey of faith, in our lives as Christians, that we would do well to stop, take stock of where we are and where it is Christ seeks... Read Full Story

Cyber-version of my homily for the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time Seek His Kingdom Seek His Kingdom, clear the clutter and the clamor with all this world makes us stagger. Seek His hands, pierced by love, to help remove , this world’s sludge. Earthly riches, this and that, things we seek, that from Him, distract. Walk with Him. Let Him show, in field and flower, His treasure troves. Let God be. And before us bring, His Kingdom’s riches, of which angels sing. Seek His Kingdom, clear the clutter... Read Full Story

Homily (cyber-version) for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time; Valentines Day is right around the corner. Setting the hyper-commercialism of the holiday aside we are reminded that this is the Feast Day of St. Valentine. He was a priest and martyr in the early church. He is the Patron St. of holy love. While imprisoned he was well known for his care and love of the imprisoned but also of his guards of which several he converted to follow the Christ. In his life he chose to follow with courage the... Read Full Story