There's a story about a woman who had a beautiful ring. It was her prize possession since it had been past down to her from generations of family. As the lady grew older and approached the time for her departing this life, she called her oldest daughter to her to pass on the ring to…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
"Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way! I can't wait to look in the mirror, cause I get better lookin each day." Hilarious, right? But what makes it funny is that we know people who actually feel that way about themselves. They are always saying things like "Listen, it's…
In 1972 America was experiencing the amazing movement among young people called "The Jesus Movement." Jesus was the "hero" of a lot of the youth of the day! And I was right there in the middle of it. At 12 years old and about to step into my teenage years, I was a big participant…
I admit it, I can be a workaholic. One of my greatest, personal, fears is being "ineffective" so I work really hard to "produce;" to "get results;" to achieve. Now, that isn't necessarily bad as long as our definitions are correct!
Ah, and there's the rub! What do I mean when i say "effective" or…
We live in an age where our advances in technology and medicine has gone a long way to remove inconvenience and suffering from we humans. People are living longer than ever before. In fact, it seems soon living to 100 is going to be the norm among us. We are healthier, have better medical treatments,…
Years ago when I was 11 or 12, my brother and I loved to watch Saturday morning cartoons before we went to our bowling league! And one of my most favorite shows wasn't a cartoon at all, but a short history lesson from Walter Cronkite on his show "You Are There." His famous line at…
There's an old saying that is a misquote attributed to Francis of Assisi that goes "Wherever you go, preach the Gospel, and, if necessary, use words." While the sentiment in the quote does have merit, it actually wasn't said by Francis and it isn't really all that correct.
But, it does point out a truth…
"What's the magic word?" My teacher was trying to get us to remember to say the word "please" when we were asking for something. So, it turns out the little book published several years ago was right, "All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten!"
So, what is the power of request over…
"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives." Anybody who has any idea about American soap operas will automatically see the opening of the old "Days of our Lives" TV show. As trite as that may sound, there is a "grain" of truth in the fact that life really is fleeting…
St. John Chrysostom declares "Be ashamed when you sin, not when you repent." I can't tell you how many times I've had people confide in me that they don't go to confession because they are ashamed. What a brilliant trick of the evil one! The very medicine that would cure your heart sickness is the…