Okay…maybe these aren’t from God, but they are things that came to mind during my prayer and prayer is where we go to meet God so take them for what they are and treat them as you would anyone else’s private revelations. If something here is meaningful, terrific.

Always endeavor to never say “always” or “never” for these are infinite statements and only God is timeless – we are not.
The Charismatic Movement has its problems, but so does every movement. Some arguments are:
- Charisms are “strange” and “unusual”
  - Strange? Yes – because they are from the Lord and are supernatural.
  - Unusual? Not at all as Paul talks about Charism’s often.
- Too much emphasis is put on “feelings” and while we should never demand that God “stimulate” us in some fashion or other, our feelings are important and should not be discounted.
  - What about the “pang of conscience feeling” we get to comfort someone, or the “feeling something is missing” that a Non-Catholic may have regarding the Eucharist?
The gift of tongues is laughter that is spoken
Two things build lasting and deep relationships, familiarity and crisis. We build deep relationships with family because they are familiar and are always there, through thick and thin. They are the first we call when there is good news and when here is bad news. Did you ever notice that brothers in arms also form strong relationships? For example, just try to get between two guys who spent time together in war. God is like this. He is familiar, and when crises arise He is there too.
Christ said “forgive them Father for they know not what they do” Who was he talking about? Perhaps it was you! Notice also He said “Father, forgive them” not “I forgive you”. Why? Because forgiveness is between two people; you and….God. Not you and the the other person.
Holding on to anger and unforgiveness is like you drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.
When he said “Do this in memory of me” with regards to celebrating the Eucharist, it was one of the few things that Jesus specifically ask us to do for His own sake.
The power of words: God created the universe with a word; we are images of God; what have we created with our words?
Christians are called to be losers; we must lose ourselves, lose our pride, and lose our arrogance. Yet look at what we gain!
Can you imagine the J – O – Y in heaven when Mary was assumed into heaven? Jesus and His mommy, reunited in the flesh! Meditate on that mystery.
Christianity does not free you to do everything; it frees you to know what is good and doing good brings joy.
Obedience to Christ delivers JOY! We are not sad because we have to live under God’s rules, we are joyful because we KNOW we are living in the right.
God punishes those that he cares for. If you “get away with something” don’t be relieved…be very afraid for God has lifted his hand of protection from you.
Heaven or hell will be a choice when judgment day arrives. It may seem easy to say: “I choose Heaven” when you are in front of the judge, but the time to make that choice will already have passed. We make the choice to be in heaven or hell each and every day we live.
Think about it; the only disciple to defend Jesus at his arrest was Judas. It’s important to note that Judas was not condemned for what he did, but for what he didn’t do – ask for forgiveness.
Don’t fear the devil. Satan can only influence you – not control you. Satan cannot throw your soul into hell; only God can. Fear God, not Satan.
I think that first case of impartation of gifts was in Exodus 18:13-27 wherein Moses appointed others to “render decisions for the people in all ordinary cases. More important cases they should refer to [Moses], but all the lesser cases they can settle themselves“
Are you in your grave? Many of us, though we are alive, are already in our graves. The grave of working too much, the grave of not having enough time for our family etc…
Can we not say that the presentation of Jesus in the temple was not a prefiguration of Mass? For at the mass we have a church, a priest, a liturgy, a gathering, those making the offering and the offering itself. Isn’t this exactly what Mary and Joseph did?
Who would think of the cross as a weapon; yet that is what it is, the most powerful weapon ever created. Christ used it to defeat the evil one and we can wield it to defeat any enemy in our lives
We can’t do it alone. Even Christ allowed Simon of Cyrene to help him carry his cross.
The OT stated that only certain people can be priests (i.e. the Levites). This is a precursor to apostolic succession wherein only Catholic priests are true priests. In short, this is not something that the Church made up.
We cannot sit idly by while out brother sins. We live in a closed system and we all swim in the same pool, so to speak. Saying that “they can do what they want because it doesn’t affect me” is a fallacy. Just like the fallacy of having a “peeing” section of a pool.
Pat Sumrall had a liver transplant and it changed his life because he realized that someone had to die for him to live. The same can be said about all of us with Christ.
Christianity is not just a law; it’s a good idea and it is the proper way to live. In short there are many, many things about Christianity that are simply good practice yet many avoid these good practices simply because it is Christian.
We are all part of the same body of Christ (St. Athanasius) but what part are you? A fingernail; which is useful for a time then clipped and discarded or a kidney or heart, which are supremely necessary?
All can find God. Regardless of age, IQ or social status, all can find God. The child takes “God is love” at face value while the theologian ponders “what is love”.
We have enough Catholics in the Church. We don’t need more Catholics, we need better Catholics
While it is true that God is love; love demands justice (this is not necessarily good news!)
To me, even the greatest homily is only fluff…something that just gets in the way of me and the Eucharist
I was reflecting on how the devout spend their time. They go to church when they are happy and they go when they are sad. They go when they want to be with others (mass) or alone (private adoration) and whether they are lonely or befriended. I don’t know why but I began to relate this to addiction. An alcoholic will turn to drink when they are happy and when they are sad; they drink when they are with others or when they are alone and whether they are befriended or not. The parallels struck me as somehow significant. Amazing how we try to fill that “God-shaped-hole” with different things yet in exactly the same manor. It’s obviously not “how” we fill that hole but the “what” we put into it. How we fill the need for God is ontogenetic (in our very being). The blueprint on precisely how and when to worship is clearly built into mankind’s psyche; but God, not desirous of automatons, stops there to allow us to freely choose to follow the example of Christ the rest of the way. This point is precisely where our nature meets our free will.
Coming to Jesus is like taming a wild animal. At first the animal wants nothing to do with the human. It knows not what it doesn’t know and likes it that way. The concept of a master is both foreign and repulsive to the animal and the master must gently coax the animal into submission.
The difference between saying prayers and praying. In praying our hearts are moved, purposefully and deeply while in saying prayers the only thing moving is our lips.
Anti-Semitism is fascinating to me! Never has a race been more abused, beaten and berated than the Jews. By all accounts there should be no Israel – yet there is. There is no explanation for this other than that the hand of God is upon these people. This to me, is as clear a miracle as the burning bush was to Moses and in fact it is clear to me that Israel is that bush. Surrounded by fire, it should be consumed, yet is persists.
The Catholic priest stands in persona Christi; yet we often forget that Jesus stood in persona Deos
Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to perfect it. We see this in baptism where Jews practiced ceremonial washing up until the time of John the Baptist; who expanded the concept into Baptism. Jesus then sanctified (perfected) this action by becoming baptized. We also see this in reconciliation. Ancient Jews gave sin offerings as a penance so that their sins would be forgiven by the Rabbi. Jesus perfected this by anointing the Apostles and giving them the power to forgive sin. Remember that confession is not a catholic invention, it is a Jewish tradition.
We don’t self-baptize, self-consecrate or self-marry; why would we think we can self-forgive?
The last thing God wants is to jump out and surprise you. Rather he wants us to find ourselves and when we do, we find that God was waiting within us all the time.
I firmly believe that God does not publicly reveal Himself to all people because to do so would be a distraction. Imagine being an auto mechanic, a farmer, a husband or a mother and having God reveal Himself to that person in all His glory. Who could go on doing what they used to do after really, truly knowing God? We would be a nation of priests and prophets with no one to do the work of mechanics, farmers, husbands or mothers.
The “bread of life” – that is, the Eucharist – is necessary for salvation but in and of itself is not salvific. The Apostle Judas himself ate the Body and drank the Blood of Christ at the original mass; yet he was damned. Do not believe that the Eucharist alone will save you, rather, have great fear in that if you receive it unworthily (as Judas did) you too can still be damned. (Cor 11:26)
There is no shame in being a lay person or a lay minister. Consider that Jesus Himself was a lay person. While it is true that He was of David’s line and the teacher par-excellence He was not an “ordained” Rabbi.
When reading the Old Testament, whether in public or private, read it with enthusiasm! Remember that Jesus often read in the temple and He never read the New Testament.
We are living in a world of distraction; TV, movies, instant messenger, cell phones, e-mails, Facebook…anything but God.
God always brings good out of evil and it can be argued that the first great evil occurred in the Garden of Eden where all of mankind was condemned. We are the body of Christ. John 17:21 says “that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me“. When we consume the Eucharist Jesus physically becomes part of us and we Him. In the Garden of Eden, Satan said Eat the apple and you will be like Gods. In a strange way this became true; for who can doubt that if we are in God and God is us, and we are stewards of all His creation and the angels serve and protect us…..are we not as Satin promised…like Gods (Ps 8)?
Stop blaming God for your bad choices! God has no interest in seeing you suffer!
Consider that there is only one person in the Bible that God willingly abandoned and allowed Satan to have dominion over (Job). Stop blaming God for abandoning you! Why would you EVER think he would abandon you? Especially when times are tough. Contrary to abandoning the weak, He will rush to their aid because he loves them.
(on suffering) Jesus was NOT punished against His will. He accepted His cross. In fact He ran to it and He embraced it.
We care for our pets because they are completely dependent upon us. Some pets we can play and interact with….dogs and cats for example. Some only occasionally, rabbits and hamsters. And some aren’t much fun but we look at them and admire their beauty, fish for example. God is our master in the sense that we are completely dependent on Him; but what kind of pet are you in His eyes? A fish? That God only gets to look at? A rabbit who only tolerates you when you feed it? Or a dog or a cat who wants to play with you and hangs on your every word and action?
(on the importance of suffering) If the Jews were assimilated into Egyptian or Babylonian culture, there would be no Jerusalem today. But because they were enslaved it was their suffering that kept them together.
Is grace real? Absolutely! It’s as real as any thought, feeling, idea or emotion. Who would deny they have thoughts? Yet can we prove them in a physical way?
Eve condemned mankind by taking the fruit from a tree. Mary restores mankind by placing the fruit of her womb on a tree.
Praying to your guardian angel is like going to the contractor desk (where you get help and advice) vs. the self check out line (where you don’t) at home depot.
I think that The Baptism in the Jordan is the only instance where the trinity is not just referenced, but revealed to man. The only time where men witnesses (see/hear) first-hand the Father, the Son AND the Holy Spirit in the same physical place at the same physical time. This happens at the transfiguration too, but it is not public.
Judgment occurs after purgatory. God knows that we CAN be saved so purgatory is there to give us the chance to shed our baggage. Purgatory is heavens doormat.
Regarding Acts 3:2 -7 Peter’s first miracle: Jesus pulls Peter up out of the water – and Peter’s first miracle is to pick pull this person up out of his infirmity
I was restless at the retreat and about 2:00 am decided to go into the chapel. I started a rosary and, to be honest, don’t know if I nodded off or it was a vision, but I suddenly found myself in the clouds with Jesus. We were sitting at the edge of the clouds and in front of us were myriads of saints and angels playing harps. It was beautiful. Jesus, with one arm around my shoulder, swept his other across the vista and said “John…” then, pausing to look straight at me said “is the stupidest thing you people have come up with yet!” “Lord?” I said, stunned. He continued “These are not contented souls, sitting here hoping that the battle will go well, these are warriors, waiting for you to call them down INTO the battle.” And ever since then I have ended my prayers with “All saints in heaven; come to our aid!”
Just as the priest breathes on the bread and wine during the words of institution to change them into the body and blood of Jesus in his hands, so too does he use his breath during the homily to create the same body and blood in the very heart of the listener.
Among the last words from the Father to the first Adam are “where are you”? The first words of the second Adam in the Bible are an answer when, at 12 years old He says “here I am….. I’m in my Father’s house”. God: “Marco” Jesus: “Polo”
Before they were cast out of Eden God made (leather) clothes for them (Gen 3:21) to cover their sin while Jesus, who is sinless, is stripped naked.
Gen 3:21 also shows that from the very beginning, something had to die to cover our sins.
If we operate in God’s gifts, we could have the chance to operate perfectly within the confines of that gift – but it does not mean we will be perfect in everything. It all comes down to humility in the end (Ph 2:6)
While in church one time I was praying once in the presence of some relics and thought “It sure would be nice to have a relic of Mary” (knowing that there aren’t any because she was assumed into heaven). I “heard” (whom I assumed was Mary say) “My relic is there, in the tabernacle”.

Okay…maybe these aren’t from God, but they are things that came to mind during my prayer time and prayer is where we go to meet God so take them for what they are and treat them as you would anyone else’s private revelations.

Always endeavor to never say “always” or “never” for these are infinite statements and only God is timeless – we are not.
The Charismatic Movement has its problems, but so does every movement. Some arguments are:
- Charisms are “strange” and “unusual”
  - Strange? Yes – because they are from the Lord and are supernatural.
  - Unusual? Not at all as Paul talks about Charism’s often.
- Too much emphasis is put on “feelings” and while we should never demand that God “stimulate” us in some fashion or other, our feelings are important and should not be discounted.
  - What about the “pang of conscience feeling” we get to comfort someone, or the “feeling something is missing” that a Non-Catholic may have regarding the Eucharist?
The gift of tongues is laughter that is spoken
Two things build lasting and deep relationships, familiarity and crisis. We build deep relationships with family because they are familiar and are always there, through thick and thin. They are the first we call when there is good news and when here is bad news. Did you ever notice that brothers in arms also form strong relationships? For example, just try to get between two guys who spent time together in war. God is like this. He is familiar, and when crises arise He is there too.
Christ said “forgive them Father for they know not what they do” Who was he talking about? Perhaps it was you! Notice also He said “Father, forgive them” not “I forgive you”. Why? Because forgiveness is between two people; you and….God. Not you and the the other person.
Holding on to anger and unforgiveness is like you drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.
When he said “Do this in memory of me” with regards to celebrating the Eucharist, it was one of the few things that Jesus specifically ask us to do for His own sake.
The power of words: God created the universe with a word; we are images of God; what have we created with our words?
Christians are called to be losers; we must lose ourselves, lose our pride, and lose our arrogance. Yet look at what we gain!
Can you imagine the J – O – Y in heaven when Mary was assumed into heaven? Jesus and His mommy, reunited in the flesh! Meditate on that mystery.
Christianity does not free you to do everything; it frees you to know what is good and doing good brings joy.
Obedience to Christ delivers JOY! We are not sad because we have to live under God’s rules, we are joyful because we KNOW we are living in the right.
God punishes those that he cares for. If you “get away with something” don’t be relieved…be very afraid for God has lifted his hand of protection from you.
Heaven or hell will be a choice when judgment day arrives. It may seem easy to say: “I choose Heaven” when you are in front of the judge, but the time to make that choice will already have passed. We make the choice to be in heaven or hell each and every day we live.
Think about it; the only disciple to defend Jesus at his arrest was Judas. It’s important to note that Judas was not condemned for what he did, but for what he didn’t do – ask for forgiveness.
Don’t fear the devil. Satan can only influence you – not control you. Satan cannot throw your soul into hell; only God can. Fear God, not Satan.
I think that first case of impartation of gifts was in Exodus 18:13-27 wherein Moses appointed others to “render decisions for the people in all ordinary cases. More important cases they should refer to [Moses], but all the lesser cases they can settle themselves“
Are you in your grave? Many of us, though we are alive, are already in our graves. The grave of working too much, the grave of not having enough time for our family etc…
Can we not say that the presentation of Jesus in the temple was not a prefiguration of Mass? For at the mass we have a church, a priest, a liturgy, a gathering, those making the offering and the offering itself. Isn’t this exactly what Mary and Joseph did?
Who would think of the cross as a weapon; yet that is what it is, the most powerful weapon ever created. Christ used it to defeat the evil one and we can wield it to defeat any enemy in our lives
We can’t do it alone. Even Christ allowed Simon of Cyrene to help him carry his cross.
The OT stated that only certain people can be priests (i.e. the Levites). This is a precursor to apostolic succession wherein only Catholic priests are true priests. In short, this is not something that the Church made up.
We cannot sit idly by while out brother sins. We live in a closed system and we all swim in the same pool, so to speak. Saying that “they can do what they want because it doesn’t affect me” is a fallacy. Just like the fallacy of having a “peeing” section of a pool.
Pat Sumrall had a liver transplant and it changed his life because he realized that someone had to die for him to live. The same can be said about all of us with Christ.
Christianity is not just a law; it’s a good idea and it is the proper way to live. In short there are many, many things about Christianity that are simply good practice yet many avoid these good practices simply because it is Christian.
We are all part of the same body of Christ (St. Athanasius) but what part are you? A fingernail; which is useful for a time then clipped and discarded or a kidney or heart, which are supremely necessary?
All can find God. Regardless of age, IQ or social status, all can find God. The child takes “God is love” at face value while the theologian ponders “what is love”.
We have enough Catholics in the Church. We don’t need more Catholics, we need better Catholics
While it is true that God is love; love demands justice (this is not necessarily good news!)
To me, even the greatest homily is only fluff…something that just gets in the way of me and the Eucharist
I was reflecting on how the devout spend their time. They go to church when they are happy and they go when they are sad. They go when they want to be with others (mass) or alone (private adoration) and whether they are lonely or befriended. I don’t know why but I began to relate this to addiction. An alcoholic will turn to drink when they are happy and when they are sad; they drink when they are with others or when they are alone and whether they are befriended or not. The parallels struck me as somehow significant. Amazing how we try to fill that “God-shaped-hole” with different things yet in exactly the same manor. It’s obviously not “how” we fill that hole but the “what” we put into it. How we fill the need for God is ontogenetic (in our very being). The blueprint on precisely how and when to worship is clearly built into mankind’s psyche; but God, not desirous of automatons, stops there to allow us to freely choose to follow the example of Christ the rest of the way. This point is precisely where our nature meets our free will.
Coming to Jesus is like taming a wild animal. At first the animal wants nothing to do with the human. It knows not what it doesn’t know and likes it that way. The concept of a master is both foreign and repulsive to the animal and the master must gently coax the animal into submission.
The difference between saying prayers and praying. In praying our hearts are moved, purposefully and deeply while in saying prayers the only thing moving is our lips.
Anti-Semitism is fascinating to me! Never has a race been more abused, beaten and berated than the Jews. By all accounts there should be no Israel – yet there is. There is no explanation for this other than that the hand of God is upon these people. This to me, is as clear a miracle as the burning bush was to Moses and in fact it is clear to me that Israel is that bush. Surrounded by fire, it should be consumed, yet is persists.
The Catholic priest stands in persona Christi; yet we often forget that Jesus stood in persona Deos
Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to perfect it. We see this in baptism where Jews practiced ceremonial washing up until the time of John the Baptist; who expanded the concept into Baptism. Jesus then sanctified (perfected) this action by becoming baptized. We also see this in reconciliation. Ancient Jews gave sin offerings as a penance so that their sins would be forgiven by the Rabbi. Jesus perfected this by anointing the Apostles and giving them the power to forgive sin. Remember that confession is not a catholic invention, it is a Jewish tradition.
We don’t self-baptize, self-consecrate or self-marry; why would we think we can self-forgive?
The last thing God wants is to jump out and surprise you. Rather he wants us to find ourselves and when we do, we find that God was waiting within us all the time.
I firmly believe that God does not publicly reveal Himself to all people because to do so would be a distraction. Imagine being an auto mechanic, a farmer, a husband or a mother and having God reveal Himself to that person in all His glory. Who could go on doing what they used to do after really, truly knowing God? We would be a nation of priests and prophets with no one to do the work of mechanics, farmers, husbands or mothers.
The “bread of life” – that is, the Eucharist – is necessary for salvation but in and of itself is not salvific. The Apostle Judas himself ate the Body and drank the Blood of Christ at the original mass; yet he was damned. Do not believe that the Eucharist alone will save you, rather, have great fear in that if you receive it unworthily (as Judas did) you too can still be damned. (Cor 11:26)
There is no shame in being a lay person or a lay minister. Consider that Jesus Himself was a lay person. While it is true that He was of David’s line and the teacher par-excellence He was not an “ordained” Rabbi.
When reading the Old Testament, whether in public or private, read it with enthusiasm! Remember that Jesus often read in the temple and He never read the New Testament.
We are living in a world of distraction; TV, movies, instant messenger, cell phones, e-mails, Facebook…anything but God.
God always brings good out of evil and it can be argued that the first great evil occurred in the Garden of Eden where all of mankind was condemned. We are the body of Christ. John 17:21 says “that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me“. When we consume the Eucharist Jesus physically becomes part of us and we Him. In the Garden of Eden, Satan said Eat the apple and you will be like Gods. In a strange way this became true; for who can doubt that if we are in God and God is us, and we are stewards of all His creation and the angels serve and protect us…..are we not as Satin promised…like Gods (Ps 8)?
Stop blaming God for your bad choices! God has no interest in seeing you suffer!
Consider that there is only one person in the Bible that God willingly abandoned and allowed Satan to have dominion over (Job). Stop blaming God for abandoning you! Why would you EVER think he would abandon you? Especially when times are tough. Contrary to abandoning the weak, He will rush to their aid because he loves them.
(on suffering) Jesus was NOT punished against His will. He accepted His cross. In fact He ran to it and He embraced it.
We care for our pets because they are completely dependent upon us. Some pets we can play and interact with….dogs and cats for example. Some only occasionally, rabbits and hamsters. And some aren’t much fun but we look at them and admire their beauty, fish for example. God is our master in the sense that we are completely dependent on Him; but what kind of pet are you in His eyes? A fish? That God only gets to look at? A rabbit who only tolerates you when you feed it? Or a dog or a cat who wants to play with you and hangs on your every word and action?
(on the importance of suffering) If the Jews were assimilated into Egyptian or Babylonian culture, there would be no Jerusalem today. But because they were enslaved it was their suffering that kept them together.
Is grace real? Absolutely! It’s as real as any thought, feeling, idea or emotion. Who would deny they have thoughts? Yet can we prove them in a physical way?
Eve condemned mankind by taking the fruit from a tree. Mary restores mankind by placing the fruit of her womb on a tree.
Praying to your guardian angel is like going to the contractor desk (where you get help and advice) vs. the self check out line (where you don’t) at home depot.
I think that The Baptism in the Jordan is the only instance where the trinity is not just referenced, but revealed to man. The only time where men witnesses (see/hear) first-hand the Father, the Son AND the Holy Spirit in the same physical place at the same physical time. This happens at the transfiguration too, but it is not public.
Judgment occurs after purgatory. God knows that we CAN be saved so purgatory is there to give us the chance to shed our baggage. Purgatory is heavens doormat.
Regarding Acts 3:2 -7 Peter’s first miracle: Jesus pulls Peter up out of the water – and Peter’s first miracle is to pick pull this person up out of his infirmity
I was restless at the retreat and about 2:00 am decided to go into the chapel. I started a rosary and, to be honest, don’t know if I nodded off or it was a vision, but I suddenly found myself in the clouds with Jesus. We were sitting at the edge of the clouds and in front of us were myriads of saints and angels playing harps. It was beautiful. Jesus, with one arm around my shoulder, swept his other across the vista and said “John…” then, pausing to look straight at me said “is the stupidest thing you people have come up with yet!” “Lord?” I said, stunned. He continued “These are not contented souls, sitting here hoping that the battle will go well, these are warriors, waiting for you to call them down INTO the battle.” And ever since then I have ended my prayers with “All saints in heaven; come to our aid!”
Just as the priest breathes on the bread and wine during the words of institution to change them into the body and blood of Jesus in his hands, so too does he use his breath during the homily to create the same body and blood in the very heart of the listener.
Among the last words from the Father to the first Adam are “where are you”? The first words of the second Adam in the Bible are an answer when, at 12 years old He says “here I am….. I’m in my Father’s house”. God: “Marco” Jesus: “Polo”
Before they were cast out of Eden God made (leather) clothes for them (Gen 3:21) to cover their sin while Jesus, who is sinless, is stripped naked.
Gen 3:21 also shows that from the very beginning, something had to die to cover our sins.
If we operate in God’s gifts, we could have the chance to operate perfectly within the confines of that gift – but it does not mean we will be perfect in everything. It all comes down to humility in the end (Ph 2:6)
While in church one time I was praying once in the presence of some relics and thought “It sure would be nice to have a relic of Mary” (knowing that there aren’t any because she was assumed into heaven). I “heard” (whom I assumed was Mary say) “My relic is there, in the tabernacle”.

Things God Told Me (aka my prayer journal)…

Okay…maybe these aren’t from God, but they are things that came to mind during my prayer time and prayer is where we go to meet God so take them for what they are and treat them as you would anyone else’s private revelations.