Category Archives: Forgiveness

THE TWELVE DISCIPLES, WE ARE AN APOSTOLIC CHURCH – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Apologetics, Apostles, Church, Community, Consecration, Conversion, Crucifixion, Death and Dying, Early Church Fathers, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Holiness, Holy Orders, Holy Spirit, Holy Week, Jewish roots, Martyrs, Penance and Reconciliation, Preaching, Priesthood, Relics, Resurrection, Saints, Scripture, Spirituality, Suffering, The Holy Land, Tradition

The Apostles are central to our faith. They are the 12 who accompanied Jesus and who Jesus decided to name Apostles (In Greek it means, one sent on a mission). Even though Jesus had many disciples or followers He personally chose these 12 to make “chief” disciples. These 12 were entrusted with not only spreading the Good News, but also in building the Church. Here is a look at these 12, where they came from, what they are noted for and where their bodies are now. Note that in some instances their bodies were separated and sent in to separate locations.

1 – Saint Peter, originally known as Simon Peter and Simon son of Jonah, and also Cephas, was a native of Bethsaida, near Lake Tiberius. He was a fisherman who Jesus made the leader of the twelve, and thus the Church’s first pope. Even though he was called, “ye of little faith” and denied Jesus three times, he was the man Jesus chose to lead the Church. He was the first that Jesus came to after the Resurrection. Peter spread the good news and ruled over the early Church. He was martyred in the year 64 in Rome. It is said that he died on a cross that was upside down. He is buried directly under the altar at St. Peter’s in Rome. His feast day in June 29th.

2 – Saint James the Greater is the brother of Saint John. He is known as “the greater” to distinguish himself from St. James the Less who was considerably shorter than St. James the Greater.. He is known for his missionary journeys which led him to Spain. After his missionary journeys, he returned to Jerusalem and he was martyred there in the year 44 by Herod by decapitation. He was the first Apostle to be martyred. James’ body was taken to Spain and can now be found in the Cathedral of Santiago in Spain. His feast day is July 25th.

3 – Saint John, was also known as the beloved disciple, John the Evangelist and John of Patmos. He was the longest living disciple, and only one not to die a martyr’s death. He was also the disciple that Jesus chose to take care of His mother, Mary, after His own death. John was the only disciple not to forsake Jesus at the time of His Crucifixion. John stood at the foot of the cross. Sometime after the Assumption of Mary, John was arrested and taken to the Roman Coliseum and thrown in to a vat of boiling oil in front of thousands of people. He was unharmed by the boiling oil and it was said that this converted many in the coliseum that day. The emporer Domition, was angered by this and banished St. John to the island of Patmos. Here John wrote the book of Revelation. He was buried in the Basillica of St John, in Ephesus. His feast day is December 27th.

4 – St. James the Lesser was often called the “brother of the Lord” because his mother was a relative of Mary. He was also known as John the Just. He served as the first Bishop of Jerusalem and was martyred there in 62. His body is found in the Basilica of the Apostles in Rome. His feast day is May 3rd.

5 – St. Andrew was a fisherman and the brother of St.Peter. The Gospel of John tells us that he was a disciple of John the Baptist. He was known for sharing the Good News all around Greece, Turkey, and the Black Sea. He was crucified on an X shaped cross in the mid to late 1st century. His body was originally buried in Patras, Greece but was later moved to the Cathedral in Amalfi. It appears that some of his bones were brought to Scotland and are now in St. Mary’s in Edinburgh. The Scottish flag actually has on it the X cross of St. Andrew. His feast day is November 30th.

6 – St. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, was a native of Cana in Galilee and was introduced to Jesus by Philip. Jesus said that he was a true Israelite in whom there is no guile. After the Ascension of Jesus, Bartholomew was a missionary going as far as India and Armenia. He died around 71 in Armenia after being beaten, skinned and finally having his head cut off. His remains are in the Basilica of Benevento in Italy and in the Basilica of St. Bartholomew in Rome. His feast day is August 24th.

7 – St. Jude Thaddeus, was a relative of Jesus and came from Galilee. He is best known for being the patron of lost causes. He died in 65 in Persia/Syria by being clubbed and/or axed to death. His remains are in St. Peter’s in Rome, The National Cathedral of St. Jude in Chicago, Ill and the Cathedral of Reims in France. His feast day is October 28th.

8 – St, Matthew, also known as Levi, was originally a tax collector, disciple of Jesus and then the author of the gospel of his name. He was from Capernaum. His conversion from being a tax collector to follower of Jesus is quite remarkable. He left a prosperous, albeit hated, profession to join a group of disciples who had a hard time accepting him at first. After the Ascension, Matthew is noted for traveling, and evangelizing, especially to the jews. He was martyred in Ethiopia somewhere in the 60’s by being killed with a sword while saying mass. His murder was ordered by King Hirtacus after Matthew opposed the king’s lusting after a nun. His remains are in Salerno Cathedral in Italy. His feast day is September 21st.

9 – St. Philip was brother to St. Peter and St. Andrew and originally was a fisherman from Bethsaida. Although there is some historical confusion on traditions between St. Philip the Apostle, and St. Philip the deacon (both lived about the same time), it is believed that St. Philip the Apostle was crucified by soldiers in Hieropolis, Turkey in the year 80. His remains are are buried in the Church of the Dodici, Rome, Italy. His feast day is May 3rd

10 – St.Thomas was born in Galilee and is often known as doubting Thomas due to his saying that he wouldn’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus unless he saw Him and placed his finger in to the nail holes and spear hole of Jesus. In actuality, other parts of the bible show him to be quite a courageous follower of Jesus. He spread the Good News as far as India and was martyred there by spear. His remains are buried in St. Thomas Cathedral, Mylapore, India. His feast day is July 3rd.

11 – St. Simon was also known as Simon the Zealot or Simon the Cananean. He spread the Good News in Egypt and Persia, often accompanied by St. Jude. He died in the year 107 in Jordan by being sawed in half. His remains are buried at the altar of the Crucifixion in the Vatican, Rome. His feast day is October 28th.

12 – Judas Iscariot was born July 3rd in Kerioth, Israel. He was the disciple who betrayed Jesus and known to be a person who took money from the disciple’s treasury. After betraying Jesus, he was upset and went back to the Jewish leaders who has given him the 30 coins to betray Jesus. He tried to give them back the silver coins and they would not take them, so he threw them on the floor. The Jewish leaders considered that “blood money” and used it to buy a cemetery for the poor, the Field of Blood. Judas Iscariot was buried in that field. There is no feast day for Judas Iscariot.

13 – St. Matthias was chosen by the disciples to replace Judas Iscariot. His name means “gift of Yahweh”. Although he was not one of the original 12, he was present with them during the ministry of Jesus. It is said that he preached the Good News in Judea and in Ethiopia. It is also said that he was crucified in what is modern day Georgia around the year 80 and his remains are in St. Mathias Abbey, Trier, Germany. His feast day is May 14th.

14 – St. Paul, was not one of the 12 Apostles, but his work as a missionary and early church leader makes me want to add him to this list He was born Saul of Tarsus (in Turkey).. St. Paul may have never met Jesus before the Resurrection but Jesus did appear to him after the Resurrection and made him in to one of the best evangelists the Church has ever seen. Paul started out as a persecutor of Jesus, and His Way but ended up one of the best supporters and spreader of the faith. If any conversion in history can show the power of God, this one can. St. Paul was known for his many travels around the world of the Mediterranean. He settled in Rome and was martyred there in 64. Since he was a Roman Citizen, he was not crucified, but was beheaded. St. Paul is buried in the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. His feast day in June 29th.

I think it is intersting that al of the 12 disciples have their remains inside Catholic Churches. We are truly an Apostolic Church.

Healing the Elephant in the Room – by Steve Pokorny

Books, Church, Communication, Community, Conversion, Ethics, Evangelism, Family, Forgiveness, Healing, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Internet Resources, Marriage, Morality, Penance and Reconciliation, Pornography, Relationships, Sin, Spirituality, Suffering, Uncategorized

Imagine a son, brother, husband, or father sitting alone in the quiet of night, illuminated only by a screen. His heart feels empty, yet his body is drawn into patterns of desire that leave him unsatisfied. In the aftermath comes a heavy wave of shame, self-disgust, and a deep sense that he is unworthy — of love, of God’s mercy, of authentic relationship with others.

This suffering rarely remains isolated. A wife senses his emotional distance, his children feels the subtle fracture in family life, and friends notice a growing withdrawal. And if he’s honest, he knows the isolation is killing him. Pornography and unchaste behaviors do not confine their harm to one soul; they erode trust in marriages, distort perceptions of the opposite sex, and leave children in homes shadowed by unspoken pain and secrecy.

Many who struggle carry invisible burdens — guilt, shame, and inner voices insisting they are beyond repair or unlovable. They long for freedom, yet repeated efforts and failures deepen despair. Dear brother deacons, you have likely encountered this pain: in spiritual direction and in the quiet struggles of parishioners, family members, or friends. Perhaps you have seen joy fade from someone’s eyes when conversations grow guarded. This issue is real and the wounds are legion.

Why This Pain Persists: A Violation of God-Given Dignity

Attachment to pornography and the unchaste behaviors that flow from these behaviors arise from a fundamental distortion of our creation as male and female. We are made in God’s image to love as He loves through self-gift. Our sexuality is integral to this call: not merely an act, but who we are as embodied persons oriented toward communion.

As the Catechism teaches: “Sexuality affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of his body and soul. It especially concerns affectivity, the capacity to love and to procreate, and in a more general way the aptitude for forming bonds of communion with others” (CCC 2332).

When pornography redirects sexuality toward selfish gratification rather than self-donation, it brings not peace or joy, but guilt, shame, and alienation from self and others. Life is relational; anything that hinders authentic communion wounds the person at the core and the damage is inflicted in a myriad of ways.

The Broader Stakes: Protecting the Domestic Church

The family, rooted in sacramental marriage, is society’s fundamental cell — a visible icon of the Holy Trinity’s love. Through our bodies and vocations, we are called to reflect Trinitarian communion. The evil one, hating all that images God, attacks this foundation relentlessly. Pornography serves as a potent weapon, preventing marriages from forming, eroding existing ones, and distorting the next generation’s understanding of love.

Recent data from the Barna Group (2024) indicates that approximately 75% of Christian men and nearly 30% of Christian women report some level of pornography consumption. In a gathering of ten men, roughly seven or eight may carry this struggle; among ten women, three may as well. These numbers reveal a widespread challenge with serious consequences.

For men, pornography often fosters inward self-focus rather than self-giving protection and love. For women, it can falsely teach that their value lies solely in providing pleasure. When men and women fail to see and love each other in truth, marriages suffer, families weaken, and society bears a heavy cost. A 2003 survey of divorce attorneys found pornography a contributing factor in over half of cases, often due to unrealistic expectations that undermine marital intimacy and foster comparisons incompatible with sacrificial love. And with cell phones found in countless bedrooms, the gulch is widening between spouses who are both seeking genuine intimacy.

The lie persists that private behavior remains private. Yet what we consume shapes how we see and treat others — as objects rather than persons made in God’s image. This especially harms children: recent studies place the average age of first exposure around 8-11 years of age, and today’s content is often aggressive and enslaving. Pornography has become the primary “sexual education” for far too many young people, with lasting effects on formation, behavior, and future leadership.

Human trafficking, a related scourge fueled in part by this distorted view of the human person, generates enormous illicit profits (estimated in the hundreds of billions annually). No one begins life desiring such evil; it is learned, often through the normalization of objectification. This distorted “education” about sexuality and the body comes directly from the pornified culture, and the innocent are directly in danger of being harmed by such programmed behaviors.

The Pastoral Urgency for Deacons and the Church

Pornography ranks among the most frequently confessed sins, yet it is infrequently addressed from the pulpit. Many priests acknowledge the issue in the confessional but hesitate to preach on it — perhaps because estimates suggest a significant portion of clergy struggle as well. This is heartbreaking, as those called to lead must themselves seek healing in order to shepherd with integrity.

In 2019, a pew research survey found that only about 3% of self-reporting U.S. Catholics who attend Sunday Mass regularly affirmed the Church’s teaching on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is a significant problem, yet it makes sense: for how can we recognize Christ truly present in the Eucharist if we are conditioned not to see the dignity of the human body and soul in those around us? The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Faith; yet without clear vision of persons as beloved children of God, we cannot perceive the God-man veiled in this Sacrament. 

Hope and Healing: Freedom Coaching as a Catholic Response

We believe the Gospel is for all of us, and calls us to receive the gift of redemption. I speak from personal experience: after more than a decade of bondage to pornography, God’s grace brought freedom I never imagined possible (see my book Redeemed Vision: Setting the Blind Free from the Pornified Culture for my full testimony, along with tremendous pastoral guidance on this issue). What started as personal healing has become a full-blown mission to liberate others.

In 2011, Freedom Coaching was founded as an authentically Catholic apostolate and nonprofit. We accompany men and women toward permanent freedom from pornography and unchaste behaviors through transformation of mind, heart, and vision. Unlike approaches focused solely on coping mechanisms, we address root wounds, inviting clients to encounter Jesus Christ the Healer, and then provide them the human and spiritual formation to abide in lifelong freedom.

Our process unfolds in four stages:

  1. Reintegration — Processing emotions tied to past brokenness, we introduce clients to Jesus as the Divine psychologist, often with profound graces and messages being imparted.
  2. Neuroscience — Understanding the brain science of attachment, showing why mere willpower is insufficient, and why a different path for lasting healing is necessary.
  3. Identity Formation — Through the lens of Theology of the Body, clients rediscover their identity as a beloved son or daughter, and then empowered to foster authentic intimacy with God, self, and others.
  4. Vision Coaching — Learning to see others through the education in art and beauty; scales fall from client’s eyes and lust gives way to genuine love.

This work bears fruit beyond stopping sin: clients begin truly seeing the homeless, the barista at their local coffeeshop, their spouse, and their children with reverence. It is this redeemed vision that transforms culture and is what helps make Christ’s reign visible.

Testimonies abound. Here are a few:

  • Jim (2014): “Freedom Coaching has completely freed me from a desire to lust. I can now be honest with myself and others.”
  • Fr. Jim (2020): “The process was very supportive in growing in holiness.The power of the evil one was broken. It was one of the best experiences of my life.”
  • John (2021): “Freedom Coaching very well may have saved my soul. It has changed my relationship with my wife and given me a newly found respect for all females.”

Freedom Coaching enjoys endorsements from Catholic leaders, including Christopher West of the Theology of the Body Institute, various bishops, and recognition as an official apostolate of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. (I encourage you to visit freedom-coaching.net for more testimonies.)

A call to Deacons: become allies in this battle

The call to live an integrated sexuality is the battle of our time, for it is the primary wound undergirding many societal wounds and profoundly decimates one’s capacity to receive and give love. The need is urgent: souls seek help, priests desire resources, youth need protection. But there is hope: At Freedom Coaching, we have witnessed shame transform into dignity, marriages strengthen, and priests renewed.

We invite you, dear deacons, to join us as allies:

  • Pray for our coaches, clients, donors, and all involved.
  • Share our resources — ministry cards are available to you, and your priests for the confessional, at no cost.
  • Support financially if God prompts — scholarships ensure no one seeking help is turned away. Your generosity helps save marriages, restore fathers, protect children, and renew vocations (including creating more deacons!).

I started this article with a description of man trapped in shame. Now picture that same man standing in light, hand-in-hand with his child, meeting his wife’s eyes with honesty, & entering his parish with hope. This transformation is possible through Jesus Christ and the work we do at Freedom Coaching.

The hour is late, yet as long as we trust in Jesus and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, healing awaits. Let us work together to unveil the reality of mercy, truth, hope, and a redeemed vision of the human person.

Steve Pokorny is the Founder of Freedom Coaching, a one-to-one mentoring system designed to break the power of pornified images in both men and women. His book, Redeemed Vision: Setting the Blind Free from the Pornified Culture, is available from Amazon.

to Contact FREEDOM COACHING, click here: https://www.freedom-coaching.net/

Also, Steve’s book is available at AMAZONG by clicking here: Redeemed Vision

Open Doors Podcast

Anxiety and Worry, Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Book Review, Books, Charity, Communication, Community, Conversion, Cross to Bear, Death and Dying, Demons, Discernment, Early Church Fathers, Easter, Ethics, Eucharist, Evangelism, Family, Fasting, Forgiveness, Healing, Heresy, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Incarnation, Jewish roots, Lent, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Marriage, Miracles, Morality, Mystics, Peace and Justice, Penance and Reconciliation, Pope Francis, Prayer, Preaching, Priesthood, Pro-Life, Purgatory, Relationships, Relics, Rites of the Church, Rosary, Sacraments, Scripture, Service, Social Media, Soldiers, Spirituality, Suffering, Teaching, Terrorism, Tradition, Trust, Vocation, Women,

The leaders of our local Patchogue Prayer Meeting produce a PODCAST each week. I would like to recommend it to you. They talk about real life issues of living out our Catholic faith by sharing stories and experiences as well as teaching moments. To me, the thing that makes them stand out is the range in ages from teenage to Grown Adults. I asked them to write a short description and to give links to their podcast. Please find that here:

The Open Doors Podcast is a local Long Island–based, Catholic faith-centered podcast rooted in Christian testimony, reflection, and honest conversation. Through real-life stories of trials and triumphs, the podcast creates space for listeners to encounter God’s presence in everyday moments—especially when faith feels messy, uncertain, or difficult to articulate. Its mission is to encourage deeper trust in Christ and remind listeners that they are not alone on their spiritual journey.

The podcast is hosted by four voices from different seasons of life: Marissa (36), Janine (49), her son James (15), and Ivette (25), from Spain. Together, they offer an intergenerational perspective on faith, family, doubt, perseverance, and grace. Their conversations are intentionally relatable and welcoming, with a special heart for those who may feel disconnected, overlooked, or unsure if they truly belong within the Church.

At its core, The Open Doors Podcast exists to support evangelization by welcoming all—especially those searching for meaning, healing, and belonging. Select episodes are also available in Spanish, helping to reach listeners who feel more comfortable engaging in their native language. Wherever someone finds themselves on their faith journey, the podcast seeks to remind them that God meets them exactly where they are—and that the door is always open.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theopendoors.podcast?si=oqPxmoYtER9wyoIT

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ry05GnYAhYbIJ9eweZ60D?si=_lDnii6KQ9KLXsZHoP5ffw

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-open-doors/id1777095076

SUFFERING: A Catholic Perspective by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Charity, Church, Cross to Bear, Crucifixion, Death and Dying, Divine Mercy, Early Church Fathers, Forgiveness, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Relationships, Religious Life, Saints, Scripture, Sin, Suffering

Most of us desire true happiness and true peace and true joy in our lives. It is only right to desire it.. I also think that God desires the same for us; afterall, we are His children. But truthfully, often life is filled with a great deal of suffering. Also, some people have more suffering than others and we can’t help but to wonder why. The Church tells us that suffering is a consequence of Original Sin. I think that the Catholic Church is one of the few, if not only, religious body to have significant answers as to why we suffer, and more importantly, how we deal with suffering.

The Catholic Faith teaches us that there are two main attitudes towards suffering. First of all it says that we must do all that we can to try to prevent and alleviate the suffering of others. We are called by Jesus to reach out to those who suffer by feeding the poor, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger (or those who feel alone), clothing the poor, caring for the sick and visiting those in prison (Matthew 25: 31-46). He also tells us to bring the Good News to those who haven’t heard it. The scriptures are filled with examples of Jesus taking away the suffering of others.

The second attitude toward suffering relates to our own suffering and how we are called to handle it. As much as the scriptures are filled with how Jesus alleviates the suffering of others, it is also filled with how He Himself has suffered. Jesus was often mistreated, humiliated, and given terrible physical suffering. If Jesus endured suffering, why should we think that we won’t? This article is based upon dealing with the sufferings that may befall us.

All of the suffering that we endure must also consider the suffering that Jesus endured. It is in His suffering, that we can make sense of our own suffering. As a matter of fact, the Church invites us to unite our suffering to the suffering of Jesus, and in doing so see how we participate in making a change to this world and to ourselves. The suffering of Jesus on the cross, can show us how to endure our own suffering and turn it towards the redemption of the world. Jesus was the redeemer and source of all redemption, but we can join our suffering to His to continue His redemption for all peoples. St. Paul even goes so far as to say that, “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the Church”. (Corinthians 1:24) It should be noted that St. Paul suffered greatly, He was beaten, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked and came close to dying several times. He also had is own “thorn in the flesh”. We do not know what that was, but we do know that he cried out to God several times to remove it due to the pain it caused him.

St. Paul tells us that God allows us to endure suffering and causes us to benefit from that suffering. He says in Romans 5: 3-1 that suffering produces endurance which builds character which leads us in to HOPE. This combination of enduring suffering while embracing hope helps us realize that our source of strength is God Himself. It helps us to acknowledge our total dependance upon God. Paul goes on to tell us that his suffering has him “boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses” and to see that in his own weaknesses, the strength of God shines forth. In Galations St. Paul says, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… Let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus”. The “marks of Jesus” were probably scars from all his own beatings but some wonder if St. Paul was the first to receive the stigmata.

St. Paul wasn’t the only one who talked about suffering. St. James tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1: 2-4). St, Peter says, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear this name”.(1Peter 4:16). He again adds, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will and continue to do good, entrust their souls to a faithful Creator” (1Peter 4:19). St. Peter also tells us, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, and strengthen you” (1 Peter 5:10). St. Timothy says, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). St. John, in his Gospel has Jesus saying, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”. There is no doubt that suffering is a part of the Christian life in this world.

Many of the early Christians suffered greatly, some to the point of dying for the faith.. Those that did die for the faith, the martys, have always been seen by the Church to be special people to God. Many of the Saints suffered and I thought that it would be good to include some quotes from them.

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity says, “For my heart is always with Him, day and night it thinks unceasingly of its heavenly and divine Friend, to whom it wants to prove its affection. Also within it arises this desire: not to die, but to suffer long, to suffer for God, to give Him its life while praying for poor sinners.”

St, Ignatius of Loyola adds, “If God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint.”

St. John of the Cross tells us, “The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane. In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.”

St. Faustina, who gave us the devotion to the Divine Mercy says, “In order to purify a soul, Jesus uses whatever instruments he likes. My soul underwent a complete abandonment on the part of creatures; often my best intentions were misinterpreted by the sisters, a type of suffering which is most painful; but God allows it, and we must accept it because in this way we become more like Jesus.”

St. Madeline (Sophie Barat) says, “As iron is fashioned by fire and on the anvil, so in the fire of suffering and under the weight of trials, our souls receive that form which our Lord desires them to have.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola again adds, “ If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.”

St, Theresa of Avila tells us, “Suffering is a great favor. Remember that everything soon comes to an end . . . and take courage. Think of how our gain is eternal.”

St. Faustina again says, “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Saviour; in suffering love becomes crystallised; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.”

St. Therese of Lisieux told her novices, “I always want to see you behaving like a brave soldier who does not complain about his own suffering but takes his comrades’ wounds seriously and treats his own as nothing but scratches.”

St. Francis de Sales tells us, “All the science of the Saints is included in these two things: To do, and to suffer. And whoever had done these two things best, has made himself most saintly.”

Even Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, suffered. The prophet Simeon foretold Mary’s Suffering when he said to her, “a sword will pierce through your own soul” (Luke 2:35).

The list of quotes could go on and on.

It is so important for us to see that suffering, as much as we don’t necessarily desire it, can cause many good things to happen.

1 – It joins us to the redemptive suffering of Jesus when offered up to Him.

2 – It is a means for us to grow spiritually.

3 – It can allow us to bring about a greater good.

4 – It can reveal God’s presence to us.

5 – It can help us gain courage and endurance.

6 – It helps us appreciate the suffering that Jesus did for us.

7 – It can help us to have greater love and compassion for others.

Our Catholic faith tells us that Suffering is a Consequence of Original Sin. It isn’t something that God gives us. HOWEVER, God can use it to better us and to bring us closer to Him. All that we have to do is let Him.

The Death, and Impact of a Christian Evangelist, Charlie Kirk – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Charlie Kirk, Church, Communication, Conversion, Converts, Crucifixion, Death and Dying, Evangelism, Family, Forgiveness, Godly Patriotism, How to be Catholic, Marriage, Prayer, Preaching, Pro-Life, Rosary, Spirituality, Women, , , , ,

First of all, this is not a political article, it is simply about the death of a great American Christian evangelist and his impact on so many. His assassination on September 10, 2025 brought widespread sadness to so many people. I watched his memorial service on September 21 and was shocked at two things. First of all, it was a huge service with over 100,000 people attending, including the President and most of his Cabinet. Secondly, it seemed more like an Evangelical praise and worship meeting, than a funeral service. Also, I have never seen so many government officials give testimony to their faith in Jesus. I think that the reason for this was that even though Charlie Kirk was known as a Conservative political activist, I believe that his deepest convictions lay in his Christian faith and his desire to spread the Good News. He himself, when asked what he would like to be remembered for, or what his legacy was, said, “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith”. When asked of his goal of teaching conservatism to people, he said, “You have to try to point them toward ultimate purposes and toward getting back to the church, getting back to faith, getting married, having children. That is the type of conservatism that I represent, and I’m trying to paint a picture of virtue, of lifting people up, not just staying angry.” That is the role of a Christian Evangelist.

The slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk was “a modern-day St. Paul,” New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said in a Sept. 19 appearance on “Fox & Friends.” “He was a missionary, he’s an evangelist, he’s a hero,” he said. “He’s one, I think, who knew what Jesus meant when he said, ‘The truth will set you free.’”

The Cardinal was not familiar with Kirk before his shooting, but when he heard about it, and the tremendous outpouring of grief about it he said, “I thought, ‘I’ve got to learn about this guy,’ and the more I learned about him, I thought, ‘this guy’s a modern-day St. Paul,’” “Now I understand he was pretty blunt and he was pretty direct. He didn’t try to avoid any controversy, he didn’t even try to avoid confrontation,” he said. “The difference is the way, the mode, the style that he did it — always with respect (for his opponents) and not only was that a gracious, kind of virtuous thing to do, it’s effective. … I thought this guy can teach us something.” I agree so much with the good Cardinal. The Cardinal went on saying Kirk “wasn’t afraid to talk about the Lord. He wasn’t even afraid to say the name of Jesus,” Cardinal Dolan said, adding, “I heard Billy Graham once say, ‘I will never publicly speak without saying the name of Jesus because that name has power and it echoes through the universe.’ And apparently, that’s what Charlie did.” Dolan said he had spent the previous evening with about 200 students at the New York University Catholic Center and “this is what they talked about.” He said he is seeing a return to religion among young people, who, he thinks, are feeling there’s “something missing … a void,” despite their jobs and success. There’s a “kind of a revival” of “a sense of value and truth and conviction” among young people, he said, “almost an elevation of the role of faith back into the public square where our founders intended it to be from the beginning.” “This overwhelming sense of appreciation for Charlie and the great solidarity that we’re sensing is itself an answer to prayers and is itself a sign of the Resurrection,” he said. “I would reckon,” the cardinal added, “that some people are saying, ‘Well, you’re saying too many nice things about him (Kirk).’ I don’t know him that well, but I am sure if he was a convinced disciple of Jesus Christ, he knew his sins. Jesus knew them.” He praised Kirk’s debate style — respecting those who disagreed with him and those he disagreed with. The focus of healthy debate, the cardinal said, must be “issues not individuals, principles not just politics, principles not people. The weakest of all arguments, you know, is ad hominem, when you begin to attack the person.”

I agree with our good Cardinal. Whether you agreed with Charlie Kirk on his political beliefs, or not, there is no doubt that he led many young people to Jesus and back to their church. I have now watched several of his video appearances and have been amazed at how much he talked about Jesus and his faith. He has done several interviews and has impressed so many people, both religious and not, with his faith.

R.C. Bishop Robert Barron said, “I first met Charlie Kirk about four years ago when I was in Phoenix for a speaking engagement. He reached out and invited me to breakfast. I was deeply impressed by him that day. He was a man of great intelligence, considerable charm, and real goodness of heart I reconnected with him just last year, after I saw him debate twenty-five young people who were, to put it mildly, hostile to his views. I texted him that I was so struck by how he kept his cool and his charitable attitude in the face of some pretty obnoxious opposition. I then asked him to appear as a guest on my interview program, “Bishop Barron Presents,” and he eagerly accepted my invitation. He was scheduled to come to Rochester, Minnesota in about ten days. The last contact we had was two nights ago. After I appeared on one of the evening news shows to talk about the Religious Liberty Commission, he texted me and told me how much he appreciated what I said and then added, “I’m excited to join you on your show soon. God bless you.” That last sentence shows what was most important to Charlie. He was indeed a great debater and also one of the best advocates in our country for civil discourse, but he was, first and last, a passionate Christian. In fact, when we had that breakfast in Phoenix, we didn’t talk much about politics. We talked about theology, in which he had a deep interest, and about Christ. I know I’m joining millions of people around the world in praying that he rests now in the peace of the Lord. The assassination of Charlie Kirk kept him from going on Bishop Barron’s show. I would have loved to see that.

Another Catholic, Alex Jones who is the co-founder of the Prayer app, HALLOW, said that Kirk had contacted him recently and told him that he used HALLOW as a prayer app. Jones said that Kirk “was so kind to me; a brother in Christ.” Jones said that in the week following Charlie Kirk’s death, the HALLOW app saw a 95 percent increase in new users.

Charlie Kirk worked with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Author and speaker, who said, “I am devastated by the tragic murder of my friend Charlie Kirk. Charlie was not only a fearless voice for America but also a tireless advocate for Israel’s safety and security. We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, as activists committed to strengthening the bond between these two great allies. I’ve been looking back through our many text messages, especially from the days of the first Trump administration, when I strongly encouraged him to ensure that Turning Point USA and young American conservatives fully grasped the threats against Israel. Charlie responded as a devout Christian with passion and conviction, emerging as one of Israel’s leading defenders in the United States. His courage, friendship, and unwavering voice will be deeply missed. America is becoming a sewer of anti-American hatred and anti-Israel violence. Those fomenting that hatred against Jews and their steadfast allies like Charlie Kirk have blood on their hands tonight. May his memory be a blessing.

When Charlie Kirk met with Bill Maher, who was raised in a Catholic/Jewish household and has declared himself an atheist or at least a skeptic, Kirk told Maher, “”The greatest minds of history have been mesmerized by the Scriptures — Isaac Newton, Thomas Aquinas. Isaac Newton wrote more about biblical prophecy than even physics. And so there’s something about the Scriptures that are intellectual, that does push your limits. And that’s what I think is so beautiful about our faith is it can be accessible to everyone, but also infinitely nourishing in exploration.” He went on to say, “In China and, of course, in the Soviet Union, there was an anti-Christian movement. Very hardcore. …What book do you think is best for humanity to live by? I say the Bible. … The entire arc of the Bible is a story of love and a need for humanity’s redemption. …The Bible has wisdom in ways you might not ever imagine. …Humanity will seek to find a book, they’ll seek to find a code to live by.” After Charlie Kirk’s death, Bill Mayer said, “Charlie Kirk and I certainly didn’t agree on much politically, but he sat here, he’s a human being, he’s not a monster,” Maher said. “And I liked him.”

There is no doubt that Charlie, and his evangelical love of God and preaching touched many people. He definitely is responsible for drawing many young people back to Jesus and back to Church. Charlie himself, knew what growth in faith was all about. He was initially brought up by his parents in the Presbyterian Church. They later became Evangelicals and Charlie was definitely an Evangelical Christian. He did, however marry a woman, Erika, who was brought up by Roman Catholic parents and who attended Catholic school. It would appear that she and Charlie shared a deep faith commitment to each other and that a little of each other’s faith rubbed out on each. There are some insiders who say that Erika attends Catholic mass often and there are pictures of Charlie and her and the family at mass. There are pictures of them at mass at St. Bernadette parish in Scottsdale, AZ and at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Charlie told others that the pastor at St. Bernadette’s was a good friend of his.

Edgar Lujano, of Catholic Answers, tells us that a little more than a week before his murder, Kirk attended a pro-life prayer breakfast in Visalia, California, which is in the Diocese of Fresno. The local bishop was among those in attendance and had a brief, private moment with Kirk. It was there that Kirk told the bishop about his Catholic wife and children and how he attended Mass with them. He punctuated this conversation with “I love my Catholic pastor.” As they were parting to attend the more public portion of the prayer breakfast, Kirk mentioned speculation regarding his contemplating entering the Catholic Church, saying: “I’m this close.”

There are some friends who say that Charlie would even pray the rosary on occasion. In one of his video shows he said, “But let me first say, I think we as Protestants and Evangelicals under-venerate Mary. She was very important. She was a vessel for our Lord and Savior.” “I think that we, as Evangelicals and Protestants, we’ve overcorrected. We don’t talk about Mary enough. We don’t venerate her enough. Mary was clearly important to early Christians. There’s something there. In fact, I believe one of the ways that we fix toxic feminism in America is that Mary is the solution.” “Have more young ladies be pious, be reverent, be full of faith, slow to anger, slow to words at times. Mary is a phenomenal example, and I think a counter to so much of the toxicity of feminism in the modern era.”

In an interview with Russell Brand in 2024, Charlie said, “I mean, I’m nothing without Jesus. I’m a sinner. I fall incredibly short of the glory of God. We all do. I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade, and it’s the most important decision I’ve ever made, and everything I do incorporates Jesus Christ.” On September 6, 2025, four days before his murder, Charlie said, “Jesus defeated death so you can live.”

Pastor Rob McCoy, Co-chair of Turning Point Faith said, “Charlie did not die. Instead, he has begun to truly live. His life was secured eternally by His Savior Jesus Christ. This truth allowed Charlie to face every threat with courage because he didn’t fear death.” I do believe that Charlie is in a better place now. But what about those he left behind. He has a beautiful wife, Erika and two children. Erika is a strong woman, and strong in her faith, and has taken up the role of CEO of Turning Point, Charlie’s organization. She brought me to tears when at Charlie’s memorial service she publically said, “My husband Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life.” She then mentioned how Jesus, while on the cross, forgave those who were killing him and said that they don’t know what they do. She then said, “That young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer, we know from the Gospel is LOVE, and always love, love for our enemies, and those who persecute us.”. It seems that Erika is certainly a great choice to continue what Charlie had started. She has shown the world what true forgiveness as a Christian is all about. It is also interesting to know that membership in Turning Point, as well as attendance at the events they have held since the death of Charlie has grown tremendously.

Thank you Charlie for your faith and the way you shared it, especially with young people. “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen”, “May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen”.

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: THE CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF JESUS – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: THE CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF JESUS – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

All four Gospels tell us about the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus. Matthew and Mark have very similar accounts and Luke adds “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do” as well as the story of the repentant thief to whom Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” John adds the story of Jesus giving His mother to John (and all of us) and her being given John (and us) as her children. John also adds the lines, “I thirst” and “It is finished”. These two remarks indicated that the Passover observance (The Last Supper) is finally done. When Jesus is given the sour wine, it marks the fourth cup of the Passover, the final cup. I would highly recommend reading Dr. Scott Hahn’s book, THE FOURTH CUP – Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross.

Jesus’ death on the cross is at the very heart of our Christian beliefs. We Catholics remember it every time we celebrate mass. St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians says, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.” Quite simply, Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrificial offering, which fulfilled scriptural prophecies and was done in atonement for our sins. The Fifth Mystery is truly one that we should meditate on frequently and celebrate often. Remembering the death of Jesus, on the cross is central to our Catholic belief and something that we should often ponder, especially by attending mass.

I once saw a medical presentation of what the human body has to go through when it is being crucified. Suffice it to say that Jesus suffered so much for us. He persevered through it all even offering forgiveness to those who were persecuting Him. He also thought enough to make sure that His mother, Mary was taken care of and that she would be linked to us as our mother too. Jesus was driven by His mission to set all of us free. He knew that His death (and Resurrection) was needed to allow all of us, as God’s children, to be given the gift of immortal life with Him and the Father.

As I once said before, a protestant friend of mine told me that he did not like to see the corpus of Jesus on a cross, because Jesus had resurrected from the dead. I reminded him that the very ACT of Jesus dying on the cross is what gave us our salvation. He suffered and died for us. We can never forget what He did for us. St. Paul tells us that he preaches Christ crucified. We as Catholics, fully knowing that Jesus rose from the dead, also preach the crucifixion of Jesus. We must never forget that Jesus suffered terribly on a cross, for our salvation.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – How often do I think about the suffering of Jesus on the Cross?

2 – Do I have some form of penance that I do on Friday to remember that Jesus died for me?

3 – Have I learned to persevere in those things that I know I should do?

4 – Am I good at forgiving people who hurt me?

5 – Do I see the Blessed Virgin Mary as my mother?

6 – Do I try to strenthen my relationship with Mary and Jesus and the Church?

7 – Do I truly believe that Jesus offers us the gift of eternal life with Him?

8 – Do I proudly display the Crucifix on my person and in my home?

9 – Do I tell others that Jesus died for all of us and offers us eternal life?

10 – Do I attend mass at least every Sunday (or Saturday evening)?

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary – THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Anxiety and Worry, Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Charity, Church, Cross to Bear, Death and Dying, Divine Mercy, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Holy Week, Morality, Penance and Reconciliation, Preaching, Resurrection, Rosary, Service, Sin, Spirituality, Suffering

All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell us about Jesus carrying the cross. The Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Simon of Cyrene was chosen to help Jesus carry the cross. John does not mention Simon. Mark alone tells us that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. This detail would make us think that the early Church knew who Alexander and Rufus were, and indeed later scripture does mention Rufus. Simon was from northern Africa in what is today Libya. You can’t help but to consider that his being selected, out of the blue, made a total change in his life. This experience must have made him become a follower of Jesus. Undoubtedly he brought his children in to the WAY too.

John, in his Gospel, tells us that Jesus carried His own cross, but the witness of the Synoptic writers can’t help us but to consider that Jesus had reached the point of pure exhaustion when carrying His cross and could not do it by himself. The Roman soldiers wanted to do what they were ordered to do; to Crucify Jesus. They knew that He needed help to get to Golgotha and thus they ordered Simon of Cyrene to help Him. One can only imagine what Jesus suffered in this ordeal. Remember that he had been beaten and whipped and thus in great pain. Now He had to carry a heavy large beam that was to be His cross, His instrument of torture. Along with the physical pain, He had to endure the mockery of the crowds. He had to also see His Mother Mary, and his disciples and friends, watching Him suffer so much. It must have been such a long and hard road for Him to travel to Golgotha.

I can’t help but to wonder if His friends and disciples remembered how Jesus had earlier told them how they had to pick up their own cross to follow Him. All of them would be used to seeing the crucifixions that were too often used by the Romans to show their power. They knew that a crucifixion was a very painful sacrifice that led to death. Now they had to watch their own leader, their Jesus, walk to His own crucifixion. Did they think that the same thing might happen to them? Did they know that following Jesus would mean that they had to endure hardship, suffering and perhaps even death? Did they have any idea that this terrible sacrifice and suffering would lead to eternal life?

Jesus himself, in His humanity, must have wondered this too. Did the human side of Jesus know that someday His followers would see the cross as the instrument of their salvation? Did he, and His followers know that they would sign themselves with the cross? Did they know that they would have the cross mounted on their walls of their homes and made in to jewelry to wear around their necks? Soon St. Paul would, be saying, “I PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, a stumbling block to many but THE POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD”. To this day, on Good Friday, when we recognize the day when Jesus was crucified, we kiss the cross and say, Behold the Wood of the Cross, on Which was Hung Our Salvation. Truly, this instrument of torture has become the instrument of our salvation.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Have I really considered how much Jesus suffered for me?

2 – Have I thanked Him for all that He has done for me?

3 – Do I have my own personal cross in my life?

4 – Have I been able to unite my own suffering with the suffering of Jesus?

5 – Do I truly believe that my own cross will lead me to something quite beneficial?

6 – Have I ever been like Simon of Cyrene and helped someone carry their own cross?

7 – Have I ever suffered because of my love of Jesus or for preaching His Good News?

8 – Do I have the cross placed in several prominent places in my home?

9 – Am I ever ashamed to wear a cross?

10 – Do I honor the cross not only on Good Friday, but on every Friday?

.

The Third Sorrowful Mystery – THE CROWNING OF THORNS by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Anxiety and Worry, Death and Dying, Divine Mercy, Forgiveness, Holy Week, Penance and Reconciliation, Relationships, Rosary, Scripture, Sin, Soldiers, Suffering, The Holy Land, , ,

Matthew, Mark and John all tell us of the Crowning of Thorns. They describe how Jesus was put in to a purple cloak (symbolizing Kingship) and had a crown of thorns placed upon His head. They also placed a staff (or reed) in His right hand and knelt before Him saying, “All Hail, King of the Jews” To continue their mockery, the spat upon Him and hit Him upon the head with the staff. They then took off His purple cloak.

None of us want to be mocked, and if we have, we know how difficult it is on us.. Here is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, being mocked by the soldiers. How emotionally difficult that must have been for Jesus. People can be so cruel and the Roman soldiers were known for their cruelty. The mocking must have been so intense. There was also serious physical pain. The pain from the Crown of Thorns pushing in to Jesus, as well as the pain from being hit by the staff must have been terrible.

When I went on a pilgrimage tour of Israel, I vividly remember how our bus driver stopped the bus and the tour guide ran out to bring back a branch of thorn bush that grows there. He said this is what was woven in to a crown and placed upon Jesus head. He passed it around the bus and I was shocked to see how long, hard and sharp the thorns were. He also said that the Roman soldiers did much more than just “place” the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, the forced it down in to the skin to cause a great deal of pain. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for Jesus. The absolute pain that He endured for us!

It is so very important that we take time, as often as we can, to remember all that Jesus suffered for us. Many of our hymns reflect this. One of my favorites is “See the Destined Day Arise “ originally written by Venantius Fortunatus in 569. Here is one verse:

Who but Christ had dared to drain, steeped in gall, the cup of pain,
And with tender body bear thorns, and nails, and piercing spear?
Slain for us, the water flowed, mingled from your side with blood;
Sign to all attesting eyes of the finished sacrifice.

The sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday was indeed a sacrifice of great physical and emotional pain. He did it all for us!

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Do I try to always make Jesus my King, and follow Him?

2 – Do I meditate on, and appreciate all the He did for me?

3 – How did I feel when I was mocked?

4 – When I was mocked, was I able to peaceably receive it without lashing out?

5 – Have I made sacrifices to help others?

6 – When I have been in pain, either physically or emotionally, have I joined it to Jesus’ pain?

7 – When I have been in pain, either physically or emotionally, have I offered it for others?

8 – Have I confessed for any times that I mocked others and caused them pain?

9 – In my own sufferings, do I see God at work in and through me?

10 – Take a moment to meditate on the words of St. Maximillian Kolbe: “For Jesus Christ I am prepared to suffer still more”.

The Second Sorrowful Mystery – THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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All three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) as well as John’s gospel tell of how Jesus was tortured in one way or another before being crucified, Matthew and Mark and John mention that Jesus was scourged, or flogged. Luke says that He was punished. The mention of the pillar is not in scripture, however, it was common Roman practice to strip a man before crucifixion and to tie him to a pillar and then to whip him. Also, Church tradition not only tells us that he was tied to a pillar, but the Church is in possession of the pillar that Jesus was whipped on. The Roman’s were very good at inflicting pain, and there is no doubt that Jesus suffered greatly here, even to pealing off of his back skin. The scourging was done with a flagrum, which is a leather whip with three or more leather tails that had plumbatae (small metal balls or sheep bones) attached to the end of each tail. These not only inflicted great pain, but also would rip open the skin. Jesus suffered greatly from this scourging.

When the Romans tortured Jesus, they did so in front of the public on the very streets that Jesus walked, teached and healed people. Mel Gibson, in his movie about the PASSION of Jesus, delivers the scourging scene that makes even the most hardened of hearts, cringe from the pain that Jesus suffered. There is no doubt that the pain that Jesus felt during this scourging was immense. On top of that immense physical pain, I can just imagine the emotional pain that Jesus felt. Here were the people that Jesus was dying for, now mocking him. Here were His children, whom He loved so much, giving Him terrible pain. He must have seen his own mother, Mary as well as His disciples gathered around watching Him be scourged. How difficult, emotionally, that must have been on Jesus.

Jesus knew that He was on the way to be crucified and how painful that was going to be. Now He had to suffer the agonizing pain of being scourged. We cannot forget that as painful as the actual crucifixion was, there was so much pain leading up to it. When we think about how Jesus was BOTH, human and divine, we have to realize that THE WORD, the second person of the Holy Trinity bore suffering for us. He suffered so that we could be saved and to show us the oceans of Mercy that He has for us. The Church is so right in asking us to do something special, every Friday (the day of the week that Jesus died) to help us remember His great love for us and the suffering that He endured for us. Before Vatican II we were asked to give up meat on Fridays, every Friday all year long. Vatican II took that obligation away, except for during Lent, BUT asked us to do something on our own to remember Friday as the day that Jesus suffered and died.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Do I really appreciate all that Jesus did for me to give me His Salvation?

2 – When I have suffered either physically or emotionally, have I asked to unite it to Jesus’ suffering?

3 – Have I attended Stations of the Cross, during Lent?

4 – Do I thank God for all that He has done for me?

5 – Do I do something special every Friday to remember that Jesus suffered and died for me?

6 – Have I thought about the humanity of Jesus, as well as His Divinity?

7 – Do I do anything to help those who suffer throughout the world?

8 – Is there anything that I do that causes people to suffer?

9 – Do I attend mass regularly so as to be able to re-live what Jesus has done for me?

10 – Do I make use of the many resources the Church has, so as to learn more about Jesus?

The First Sorrowful Mystery – THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Anxiety and Worry, Community, Death and Dying, Forgiveness, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Relationships, Rosary, Scripture, Sin, Spirituality, Trust, , ,

The agony in the garden is found in all three synoptic gospels (Matt 26: 36-46, Mark 14: 32-42 and Luke 22: 39-46 as well as John 18: 1-12). The gospels tell us that Jesus, and His disciples, went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus asked his disciples to sit while He took Peter and James and John with Him to go pray. The gospels also tell us that as He prayed, he became quite distressed and told Peter and James and John to wait and watch as He got up to move and go pray by Himself for a while. We are then told that Jesus fell to the ground and asked the Lord to take this cup away from Him, if possible, but also said that God’s will was to be done. After some prayer, He went back to His disciples, Peter and James and John and found them to be asleep.

Jesus seems to be quite disappointed in their falling asleep and asked Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch, and pray that you may not enter in to temptation; the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, Jesus went off to pray by himself. He came back to find the three sleeping again and He said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come; The Son of man is betrayed in to the hands of sinners. Rise and let us be going, see, my betrayer is at hand.” At that time Judas came, and sealed his deal with a kiss.

How difficult it must have been for Jesus to know what would be happening to Him the next day. He knew of the horrors of crucifixion and knew that He would have to endure those horrors. Also, how difficult it must have been for Him to see that His closest disciples could not even stay awake to watch with Him and to offer Him comfort. He also had to experience one of His own twelve, Judas, betray Him with a kiss. It was such a difficult night for Jesus. It was pure agony for Him.

When we hear Jesus’ words to Peter, (The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak), we can’t help to think of the many times in our lives that we experienced the same thing. How often were we weak and committed sin? To know that Jesus endured the agony that He did, for our own sins, weighs hard upon us. Jesus, who was so filled with LOVE, had to endure so much SUFFERING and BETRAYAL because of US. Also, to know that He asked the Father to remove this cup from Him, if possible, but desiring to do God’s will, gives us a great example of our prayer for facing hard times. There is nothing wrong with asking to avoid a difficulty, but also to trust that God’s plan is so much better than ours. The agony that Jesus suffered in Gethsemane was so intense, that the scriptures tell us that He actually sweat out drops of blood. Jesus endured all this pain and suffering and agony for us.

Questions to ponder:

1 – Do I truly understand how much Jesus suffered for all of us?

2 – Am I sincerely sorrowful for my sins?

3 – Do I attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) regularly?

4 – Am I truly sorry for the ways that I personally have made Jesus disappointed in me?

5 – Do I truly pray for God’s will to be done, no matter what?

6 – Do I do everything I can to make the spirit stronger to deal with my weak flesh?

7 – When I do endure suffering and agony, do I unite it to Jesus’s suffering and agony?

8 – Am I thankful to God for sending me the friends who do “watch” with me?

9 – Am I a good friend who spends time with my friends in their hours of need?

10 – Do I do whatever I can to overcome my “weak flesh” and sin no more?

The 3rd LUMINOUS MYSTERY: The Proclamation of the Gospel – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Baptism, Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Communication, Conversion, Eucharist, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Holiness, How to be Catholic, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Preaching, Relationships, Rosary, Sacraments, Scripture, Spirituality, Teaching

Both Matthew and Mark tell us of the first words of Jesus in His public ministry. They each differ slightly, but since bible scholars tell us that St. Mark wrote His Gospel before St. Matthew, I will start with his. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus starts His ministry by saying, “The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News!” St. Matthew shortens is by saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”. Both indicate the proclamation of the Kingdom. Throughout His ministry, Jesus often proclaims the Kingdom of God and as a matter of fact mentions it about 126 times within the Gospels. Matthew, being a good Jew and writing for Jewish readers uses Kingdom of Heaven instead of the Kingdom of God (Jews did not like to write the word, GOD). The Kingdom is most definitely a central theme of the Gospel message. Jesus lets us know about the riches of the Kingdom but also calls us to repent (conversion), so we can obtain it. This represents a significant shift from the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures), the emphasis is on the covenant that God made with the Jewish people and their call to follow it. In the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament, the Kingdom now includes ALL peoples, not just the Jews. Jesus did place an emphasis on preaching to the Jews, but also indicated that ALL people would be included within the Kingdom. When the Apostles and followers of Jesus went out to proclaim the Kingdom, they were sent by Jesus to ALL the world. Before His Ascension in to Heaven, Jesus said in Matthew 28: 19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” This is known as the great commission from Jesus. Each and every one of us is called to proclaim the Good News.

The interesting thing about what Jesus proclaims to us about the Kingdom is that it is something for us to wait anxiously for, YET, it is here already. The fullness of the Kingdom has yet to come, however, we are receiving many of the fruits of the Kingdom right now. I personally see that in the presence of the Church. The Church is here for us now giving us abundant graces, yet it has not reached it fullness. Another example could be seen in how the night can be so dark, and then when at dawn the sun starts to come up, light is seen. Later on, when the full sun is seen, we have the fullness of light. We are now in the dawn of the Kingdom anxiously awaiting its fullness. Let us know reflect on this:

1 – Do I see myself as part of the Kingdom of God?

2 – Do I see the Church as the current representation of the Kingdom?

3 – Am I anxiously praying for the fullness of the Kingdom?

4 – Do I share with others the way God works in my life so as to proclaim the Kingdom?

5 – How am I doing in repenting of my sins?

6 – Do I regularly go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

7 – Have I consistantly supported those who are looking to have their children baptized?

8 – Have I encouraged non baptized and non confirmed adults to seek out their parish OCIA program?

9 – Do I regularly receive the graces given me by the Church (especially the Eucharist)?

10 – Do I try to preach the Good News to those people around me?

The First LUMINOUS MYSTERY of the ROSARY – The Baptism of Jesus by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Baptism, Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Community, Consecration, Converts, Family, Fatherhood, Forgiveness, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Jewish roots, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Penance and Reconciliation, Relationships, Rosary, Sacraments, Spirituality, Uncategorized, ,

Many people ask, “Why did Jesus undergo Baptism by John?” It is obvious that the Baptism performed by John was one of repentance for SIN. Since Jesus did not sin, why would He consent to this baptism? The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. His baptism even is a connection to his saving death and resurrection and unites us to that. Saint Paul tells us, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his [Rom. 6:3-5]. Jesus is the normative man; that is, we should do as Jesus does. The Catechism goes on to say, “Through Baptism the Christian is sacramentally assimilated to Jesus, who in his own baptism anticipates his death and resurrection. The Christian must enter into this mystery of humble self-abasement and repentance, go down into the water with Jesus in order to rise with him, be reborn of water and the Spirit so as to become the Father’s beloved son in the Son and “walk in newness of life”

Just as the Baptism of Jesus was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, our Baptism is the beginning of our walk with Him. The baptism that we follow in the Catholic Church is at the command of Jesus. Just before ascending in to heaven, Jesus told His disciples, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19). The Catholic Church follows this command, strictly. Let us take a moment to reflect on how this affects us.

1 – Have I been baptized in the Trinitarian formula (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)? If you were baptized in the Catholic Church, you were. If you were baptized in another faith, you many not have been. Check to see and if you were not, sign up for the Adult Christian Initiation classes in your church and be baptized as Jesus tells us to.

2 – Do I understand that my baptism marks me for all eternity as a follower of Jesus?

3 – Do I understand that my baptism means that I have been given a job to do, namely being like Jesus and telling others about HIM.

4 – Do I understand that when I was baptized, I received new birth and received the Holy Spirit (to be later given in fullness at Confirmation).

5 – Do I understand that my baptism has made me a child of God?

6 – Do I fully appreciate the humility that Jesus showed in being baptized?

7 – Do I treat the baptism of friends and relatives with the respect that it deserves?

8 – Do I understand that God has sanctified water and continually uses it to bring about His graces.

9 – Do I see other baptized people as my brother and sisters?

10 – Have I encouraged my friends and relatives to honor baptism,

An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday morning – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Angels, Anxiety and Worry, Church, Creation, Death and Dying, Early Church Fathers, Easter, Forgiveness, Holy Week, Lent, Resurrection, Spirituality

The Church’s Liturgy of the Hours contains an Ancient Homily from an unknown writer. All clergy and religious read this every year. I personally think that it is so beautiful that everyone should have a chance to read it. For that reason, I am including it here:

The Lord’s descent into Hell

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell.

Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

CONVERSION and LENT – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Charity, Church, Communication, Community, Conversion, Discernment, Eucharist, Forgiveness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Lent, Liturgy, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Relationships, Rosary, Sacraments, Scripture, Service, Spirituality

On January 25th I wrote about the conversion of St. Paul and how he went from being a good Jew who persecuted Christians to being a Christian himself. This was a major change and a significant conversion experience. For most of us, our conversion is not as dramatic as St. Paul’s. However, I do believe that we are all in need of continual conversion and Lent is the perfect time to do this. By continual conversion (or ongoing conversion) I mean that we recognize that conversion is an ongoing process where we hear the call of Jesus to be more like him. We don’t do this all at once, it takes time and effort to even try to be more like him. As Christians, we have the responsibility to follow our Lord Jesus and to try, to the best we can, to be Christ-like. I cannot think of any better time than Lent to try to accomplish this.

The last three weeks we have looked at the three pillars (or disciplines) of Lent; Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Keeping in mind that these are essential to our growing close to the Lord, and thus being more like Him, we must keep these as our base. There are many other things that we can do to become more like Jesus. I would suggest that we take a look at these and try to put them in to practice also. Lent is definitely a time for us to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel message of Jesus. The Lenten season is filled with many graces, or gifts from God, to help us accomplish our goal. Here is a partial list of ways to obtain these gifts, or graces, from God. By doing these, we can’t help but to draw closer to God and to become more like Jesus.

1 – Read the scriptures: I would suggest using the Church’s readings of the day. This is easy to do, especially if you have access to a computer or smart phone. There are many smart phone apps to bring you the daily readings, and some that offer a commentary. Even an easy Google search for readings of the day can be done. Try to start with ones from Catholic sources like the USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops); EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) founded by Mother Angelica; Vatican News; Catholic Online and others. Reading the scriptures and reading their Catholic commentaries will give you a familiarity with Jesus, so you can get to know Him and follow Him.

2 – Attend Mass as often as you can. The mass has two parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Word we concentrate on the scriptures and in the Liturgy of the Eucharist we concentrate on the Pascal sacrifice and actually receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. We partake of His very presence and He leads and guides us to grow closer to Him. There was a famous nutritional quote from a nineteenth century Frenchman made popular in the US by author Adele Davis, “You are what you eat”. I personally think that this fits so well to the Eucharist. It helps us to become Jesus present to others.

3 – Attend a retreat. I you have the time and money to go to a retreat house for a week or more, that would be tremendous. However, if you do not, most parishes offer some kind of local 2 or 4 day retreat. If your parish doesn’t, don’t be afraid to attend a nearby parish that does. A retreat gives us the time to get away from distractions and to concentrate on Jesus and what He is asking of us.

4 – Spiritual reading. There are so many good Catholic books out there that can help you to grow more in your faith and to grow closer to Jesus.

5 – Do something Christ-like. Great examples of this are to help out in a Parish Outreach or some other organization that helps the poor. You can also visit people who are in nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, or shut ins within their own home. If you are an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, bring hosts with you to give to them (Catholics).

6 – Spend time alone in prayer. Jesus tells us to go to a place of quiet and to pray. The more we do that, the closer we get to him. Prayer can be anything from complete silent meditation to praying the rosary or chaplet of diving mercy.

7 – Spend time with other people who you know are living out the faith. The role of community, where like minded people of faith gather, is of extreme importance. This could be anything form having coffee with a friend, to attending a large prayer group.

8 – Be fillled with gratitude for all that God has given you. So ofter Jesus started His prayers by thanking the Father. The more we are filled with a sense of Gratitude, the more we will be like Jesus.

9 – Repent. Take a good look at your life and see the things that are not of God and determine to turn away from these things. Jesus started His ministry with the word Repent. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be a big help with this, especially when there is serious sin in your life.

10 – Follow God. Make it a point to try to do what God wants you to do. Hopefully the more you are in prayer and follow the above steps, you will see what God wants from you. When you do find out, do it.

11 – Practice Humility. Jesus makes it pretty clear that He does not like people who think of themselves too highly. He loves people who are humble. His very life is all about humility. Think about how the Almighty, Powerful God humbled himself to become a man. We need to embrace this humility.

12 – Play religious, worship music. Music lifts the soul to new heights. When we play religious music, it lifts us up and helps us to embrace all that God has for us. Try it, you will like it.

Certainly there are many other ways to grow closer to God and to be more Christ-like, but since the scriptures love the number 12, I will stop there. Remember that God wants us to be His presence to others. Our call is to be more like Him. Our conversion needs to be ongoing.

SHARON by Kevin Williams written 11/22/20

Abortion, Anxiety and Worry, Converts, Death and Dying, Drug Use, Family, Forgiveness, Healing, Marriage, Morality, Prayer, Pro-Life, Relationships, Resurrection, Scripture, Service, Spirituality, , , , ,

Fifteen years ago, Today, the Love of my Life died of cancer.

On the evening of Sharon’s death, I was all alone except a friend who came over, probably for suicide watch. We were in my shop when I had my first experience of the odor of Sanctity. The shop completely and instantly filled up with the scent of the most beautiful, Heavenly perfume I’ve ever smelled. I kept asking my friend if he could smell it but he couldn’t. I even went outside and walked all around the shop to see if I could discover it’s source. It was several months later I gave my Life to the Lord and He delivered me from an 18 year meth addiction. I had not yet even heard of the phenomenon of the Odor of Sanctity but I had a conviction I had a Heavenly visitor that night.

About six months later I wept all over a mountain side that was covered with wildflowers. It was like a botanical garden. I was picking wildflowers with the intention of covering Sharon’s grave with them when I came out of the mountains the following day. As I was picking them I kept saying ”These are for You Baby.” I would instantly collapse into a weeping sobbing heap remembering all the lies I told her about my drug use and whereabouts. I was begging Sharon and begging God to forgive me for who and what I had become. I would recover and resume picking flowers again only to say “These are for you Baby” and Thud… I would collapse into a weeping, sobbing mess again… and again… and again. I finally had a feeling come over me that I was supposed to write something to or for Sharon so I gathered up my wildflowers and returned to my camp and started writing this letter to her. When I wrote the first line I looked up and saw what I call an angel. Honestly, I don’t know what it… He… She was but it was glowing and it looked like it had arms outstretched toward me. It just drifted away until it was out of sight. What I do know is that something Supernatural happened to me that day.

On the anniversary of Sharon’s Death I published what I started writing that day as a Tribute to her in local Obituaries.

“Baby, As long as I live, I will never forget your innocence of a child’s glee smile. It was Christmas time, several years ago and you were watching the Santa Clause you had just bought. I was setting behind you watching this five foot Santa articulating and singing thinking to myself: “I wonder how much this stupid contraption cost?” When you suddenly turned around and looked at me with that smile. That smile of enraptured delight just emanating from your expression. In my lifetime I have never seen such innocence and transparent childlike glee before. Not even close! It was like someone had opened up the window of your soul and right then and right there I saw your heart. That your heart was a true heart. A pure and simple and innocent heart and of more value than anything in this world.

I’m sorry I was a fool. I am so very sorry Baby. Seldom. Very seldom does a day go by that I dont break down and cry when I think of you. The way you were/are. I will never forgive myself for the things I did that hurt such a gentle soul. You were always so kind and generous and loving. It was something that just came so natural to you, like water flowing, like the sun shining, like clouds drifting. Even now I feel your love affecting and influencing my life, my health, my everything. I ALWAYS feel your gentle nudge in my heart. I will NEVER forget your kindness to me. Like the way you took your “storage” room and made it into a “Kevin” room. You made every little detail to the way you thought it would bring a “feel at home” and “make Kevin feel welcome here” essence about it and it did. I want you to know this. Like every endeavor you started you finished with a loving and caring touch. Like Jake’s “dog cabin” you built. With a front porch, breezeway, insulated with an electric heater and two double pane windows so Jake could look out. It was complete with a cedar shake roof and a weather vane on top. Not that Jake ever even once slept in it because you would say: “Tobyyyy Kitty, Jakeyyy, time go bed.” And Jake would instantly climb off the couch and head for the waterbed. I will NEVER forget all the love you showered on me, Jake and Kitty Toby. On EVERYONE Who’s life you touched you imparted a gracious essence of “you”. Like all the help you gave your Mom and Dad, Windy, Barb, Izzy, Jean and everyone else. Like the way you had Christmas and Birthday presents bought and made two and three years ahead of time for many of us. If a person or any creature was Sharon McCarthy Sterling’s Friend, they truly had a friend. A friend in deed. A friend in truth. I love you Baby. I know that God took you because one such as you has an intrinsic value and you will apply yourself to good works in God’s Kingdom, for His Eternal Purpose and for His Glory. I Miss you Baby. I will never forget you Sharon and I will never stop loving you. I long for the day I see you again, and I know I will, and when I do, if you don’t have a hammer or a saw or a paintbrush or a gardening trowel in your hand, I KNOW you will have that same smile of innocent childlike delight glowing on your face.

Luv, Me

“Jesus said unto her “I Am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and he who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25 -26

There is a lot more to this that words just get in the way of expressing. How in living and in dying, Sharon has helped turn and continues to turn my life around. “Except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it abides alone. But if it falls into the ground and dies it brings forth much fruit. It’s a debt I cannot repay. It’s about how “the blinding light of God’s Grace can come breaking through with a sweetness that’s only tasted by the forgiven and redeemed.” If you or someone you love is traveling along that same dark and desperate path of drug addiction and sin that I once travelled, perhaps I can point you to Someone Who can and will help you. Someone doesn’t have to die to deliver you from Satan’s hand. Someone already has. I would feel and truly be blessed if I could humbly point you to that Someone. His Name is Jesus.”

On Memorial Day, two years ago I stood by Sharon’s grave and I asked God if it was wrong of me to have my conviction that she gave up her life for mine. Several minutes later a friend in Mississippi texted me a Bible verse “No greater love has anyone than this, to give up their life for their friend.”

On August 2018 While on a Pilgrimage to the Sharon Camp where I encountered God in 2006 I recorded this event:

“At sunset yesterday I picked a bunch of wildflowers and took them to the Sharon tree. I spent some time there praying and talking to Sharon and God.

Earlier, I asked God something I don’t recall ever asking Him before. If I could have some sort of a special visit with Sharon. I wondered if such a request was proper or even admissible, or perhaps what it even meant and why I was asking it? I didn’t know it would play out quite like this.

I told Sharon that largely because of her story I’ve pleaded for the lives of thousands of children. That every time I plead for a child not to be aborted, her child that was aborted did not die in vain. That every time I point post abortive women to God’s mercy, forgiveness and healing that it honors her and that her broken heart was not in vain. I didn’t understand why, but I found myself asking her if she greets these aborted children in heaven and if they are now her friends there? I then had the clearest visual of Sharon, surrounded by beautiful children, full of joy, walking through a beautiful meadow, she was beaming, looking down at them and they were all skipping and dancing looking up at her.

A few minutes later I remembered something that happened a couple years back. It was first thing in the morning and I picked up my Bible to start reading it. Normally I do my prayer time first so I laid my Bible aside. As I did I sensed the Holy Spirit say very clearly. “When you get done with your prayers I have a special Word from the Scriptures for you.” When I finished my prayer time and picked up my Bible the first Verse I laid eyes on was Isaiah 65:10 “Sharon shall be a fold of flocks”

I will never forget the way Sharon was sobbing the day she told me about her abortion. She was crying uncontrollably when she told me that she had always just wanted to be a mother.

I feel that we are somehow “In this Together!”

“Sharon shall be a fold of flocks.” Isaiah 65:10

We have a Strange and Merciful and Magnificent and Beautiful God!!!!

Fridays are Special – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Church, Death and Dying, Divine Mercy, Easter, Forgiveness, Healing, Holiness, How to be Catholic, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Relationships, Resurrection, Sacraments, Scripture, Sin

Since the first century, the Church has always remembered Friday as the day the Lord died and has always practiced Penance on that day.  The forms of penance have varied over the ages but always included prayer, works of piety, almsgiving and denying oneself.  This day of Penance has helped the faithful devote themselves to living the Christian message and remembering what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross.  Many of us living today remember that every Friday we abstained from eating meat.  Presently this requirement is only for the Fridays of Lent.  HOWEVER, we are all still under the obligation of making Friday a day of Penance and remembrance of Jesus dying on the cross for us.

We are all under obligation to make Friday a day different from all the others.  For my wife and I we abstain from meat on Friday, every Friday.  We find this a great way to live out the love of Jesus and remembering what He did for us on Friday.  We also try to remember the hour that He died.  It is said that Jesus died at 3:00pm on a Friday.  My wife and I stop what we are doing every day (when possible) and pray together the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  But, many would ask, why do all this and why remember every Friday and also the 3:00pm hour?  I would like to take a look at this by examining Psalm 51.  To me, this says it all.  The Church puts this Psalm in to every Friday morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.

Psalm 51 is also sometimes known as the Misere.  It is a Psalm written by King David in response to his calling to mind his sins.  Truthfully the prophet Nathan helped him to think about the wrong things he had done (read 2 Samuel 12: 1-13).  When David was king he sinned greatly.  First of all he was a “peeping Tom” watching Bathsheba take a bath and lusted over her.  Secondly he had Bathsheba brought to him and formed an adulterous relationship with her.  Thirdly, when Bathsheba became pregnant with David’s child he had Bathsheba’s husband Uriah (one of David’s loyal soldiers) killed.  He then took Bathsheba as his wife.  To think that God’s beloved David would do all this is hard to believe.  God had given him everything, including being a forefather of the Messiah, Jesus.  He sinned greatly.  The reason that God reinstated David  to his position in salvation history is that David deeply repented of his sins.  David’s Psalm 51 tells us of God’s love and Mercy and our need to seek forgiveness.  Take a look at this Psalm.  This is the translation taken right out of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Psalm 51 – The Miserere

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. *
In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt *
and cleanse me from my sin.

My offenses truly I know them; *
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned; *
what is evil in your sight I have done.

That you may be justified when you give sentence *
and be without reproach when you judge.
O see, in guilt I was born, *
a sinner was I conceived.

Indeed you love truth in the heart; *
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean; *
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me hear rejoicing and gladness, *
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your face *
and blot out all my guilt.

A pure heart create for me, O God, *
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, *
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Give me again the joy of your help; *
with a spirit of fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways *
and sinners may return to you.

O rescue me, God, my helper, *
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips *
and my mouth shall declare your praise.

For in sacrifice you take no delight, *
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit. *
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

In your goodness, show favor to Zion: *
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, *
holocausts offered on your altar.

There are many important things to see in this Psalm.  First of all, we all sin and God abhors sin.  Secondly, God is merciful and when we come to Him with sorrow for our sins, He forgives us.  David acknowledged his sin and God forgave him.  Thirdly, God sees all things and knows of our sins.  We cannot hide them from Him.  We may be able to hide them from others, but not from God.  Fourthly, we need to have a change of heart.  God is able to change our hearts to make them avoid sin.  And lastly, even though our sins bring consequences to us and those around us, God does not hold a forgiven sin against us.  He allows us to be who He has called us to be.

All of this is because of God’s love and mercy.  It is because God loved us so much that He sent His only son Jesus in to the world and allowed Jesus to die for all of our sins.  Just as Jesus rose from the dead, we too, once we ask forgiveness can rise up from our sins.  It is certainly right to remember every Friday as a special day when Jesus died for our sins.  It is certainly right to remember the 3:00pm hour as the hour that Jesus died for us so that we might have life.

I would urge you to make Friday a special day, a day of remembrance, a day of Penance.  Take some extra time to pray.  Take some extra time to help others.  Try giving up something, denying yourself to help join Jesus in His gift of giving up Himself.  Earlier I mentioned the Chaplet of Divine Mercy that my wife and I pray every day at 3:00pm.  If you are not familiar with the devotions of Divine Mercy, I suggest that you make yourself familiar to them and use them.  Here is a link on how to pray the Chaplet and has more information about the Divine Mercy: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/pray-the-chaplet

Our God is a merciful and loving and forgiving God.  We, as His children are far from perfect.   Our sins pull us away from God, but He never gives up on His call to bring us back to him.  All we have to do is acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness.  The Church has given us a real healing Sacrament in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, commonly known as confession.  Make use of it.  God wants you, His child, to be near to Him.  He does not want sin to separate us from Him.  Remembering every Friday helps us to acknowledge our sin and see what God has done so we can be free.

The National Shrine of Divine Mercy – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Divine Mercy, Easter, Eucharist, Forgiveness, Healing, Holiness, Penance and Reconciliation, Relationships, Saints, Spirituality

The Second Sunday of Easter is DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY and normally thousands of people flock to the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge Massachusetts.  Unfortunately, this year that will not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since we cannot go there physically, I thought that I would share some pictures of the Shrine that I took a couple of years ago.

In the year 2000, Pope John Paul IIl canonized Sr. Faustina Kowalska who originally received the Divine Mercy image of Jesus and promulgated Jesus’ message of Divine Mercy.  During her canonization he said, “It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called “Divine Mercy Sunday”.  

Sister Faustina had written in her diary the words of Jesus that came to her, “My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy.

I have written three previous articles on the Divine Mercy that you might want to check.  Here is a link to each of them:

Divine Mercy by Deacon Marty
Divine Mercy Too by Deacon Marty
Divine Mercy and our Youngest Canonized Saint – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Welcome to Eden Hill, the home of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts run by the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.  Enjoy the pictures and hopefully you can visit it someday.  It is a HOLY place.

The Outdoor mass area.
The church used for indoor mass
The Church and attached buildings
Inside the church
Close up of the altar
Statue of John Paul II
Indoor statue of Pope Saint John Paul II
From Pope John Paul II
St. Faustina with Our Lady of Guadalupe looking on
Statue of St. Faustina right outside the church

The Shrine has beautiful, large and realistic Stations of the Cross. Here are a few examples of them:

The Shrine also has beautiful walking paths and shrines along the way

When you go there, take time for Mass and for praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet

The grounds of the National Shrine consist of 375 acres of land nestled in the beautiful Berkshire hills in western Massachusetts. The name of the property is called “Eden Hill” because of its natural beauty. The Shrine church is normally open 365 days a year, including all holidays and holy days. Go and visit. You will love it. The town that it is in is a beautiful old historical town with great restaurants and inns. The Shrine itself has a fantastic book and gift store. Remember God’s Mercy.

Epic Saints: Wild, Wonderful and Weird Stories of God’s Heroes by Shaun McAfee – Review by Steven R. McEvoy

Anxiety and Worry, Apologetics, Book Review, Charity, Church, Communication, Community, Converts, Death and Dying, Demons, Ethics, Eucharist, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Heresy, Holiness, Holy Orders, Holy Spirit, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Marriage, Miracles, Morality, Mystics, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Priesthood, Pro-Life, Purgatory, Relationships, Relics, Resurrection, Rosary, Sacraments, Saints, Scripture, Service, Sin, Soldiers, Spirituality, Teaching, Trust, Vocation, Women,

I enjoy writing book reviews of books that I have read and then posting them on my website.  However, I didn’t feel comfortable writing a book review for this book since I am one of the contributors to it.  I did read the book and really enjoyed it and would recommend it to my readers.  For the review, I turned to my friend, Steven R. McEvoy and obtained his permission to post the review that he had written and originally appeared on his website:  www.bookreviewsandmore.ca  .  Steven does a great job of reviewing books and you should check out his website.  Here is his review of Epic Saints.

Epic Saints 
Wild, Wonderful, and Weird Stories of God’s Heroes

by
Shaun McAfee 


TAN Books
ISBN 9781505115123
ASIN B083Y67LD7

I love books like this one. I love reading about saints and am currently reading books from 4 different series about saints. But what a book like this does is introduce me to a few new saints, it gives me some more information and examples from saints that I am more familiar with. This was an EPIC READ that I could hardly put down. It is mostly eBook about specific saints and But there is also a lot of great information about the process of saint making, and the canon and calendar of saints. But the volume is not just the work of Shaun McAfee there are several contributors. Those contributors are:

Alex R. Hey
Sarah Spittler
Jessica Mcafee
Theresa Zoe Williams
Brooke Gregory
Deacon Marty Mcindoe
Shaun Mcafee
Laura Hensley
Mike Panlilio
Maggie Van Sciver

The essays interspersed through the biographies are:

Have Saints Always Been Canonized The Same Way?
What Is The General Roman Calendar?
Can These Stories Be Allegorical?
Are We Really Expected To Believe These Stories?
Why Are Some Saints Not On The Calendar?
What Is The Process For Canonization?
What Should We Do With Saint Narratives That Contain Errors Or Inconsistencies?
Why Are Some Canonized Quickly While Others Have Been In The Process For Centuries?
Can I Become A Saint?

And on top of that are profiles of 74 saints. Shaun and the other contributors do an amazing job or highlighting so many saints in such a short space. There are almost a dozen saints I need to go find further readings on. And my son is already looking forward to my rereading this book with him. 

In this volume there are a few tales about dragons. Saints pulling practical jokes and pranks. A bilocating death and many, many more stories of saints, of Martyrs and holy men and women. 

Though I will be honest with you, the pieces in this volume are so well written you might have a hard time picking a favorite. And you will definitely want to read more on at least some of the saints. An excellent read that I highly recommend. 

Love Is All About Giving – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Church, Eucharist, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Healing, Holiness, Holy Orders, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Jewish roots, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Marriage, Penance and Reconciliation, Priesthood, Pro-Life, Relationships, Sacraments, Scripture, Sin, Spirituality, Teaching, Vocation

Love Is All About Giving – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

During this time around Valentine’s Day most of us are concentrating on finding just the right gift for the one that we love.  I certainly realize that giving to the one we love is something that should be done constantly in our relationship with them.  But Valentine’s Day sets aside a special day for us to do that.   If we truly love someone, we want to give to them at Valentine’s Day and throughout the year.  It seems naturally built in to us as humans to want to give.  I think that is because we are made in the image of God, who is the great giver.

We all know John 3:16 which says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  This is the gift above all gifts.  It is also the gift that keeps on giving, as the commercials say.  I would like to take a look at this precious gift.  To begin with, our very life is a gift given to us by God.  It is a precious gift that should be held sacred.  Secondly, the scriptures tell us that God formed us in His own image.  This too is a precious gift.  We, like God, are made to live throughout all eternity.  We, like God, are also given the gift of free will.  This is also a very precious gift, but one that has gotten us in to trouble.  Unlike God we sometimes choose to be selfish and not loving and not giving.  In order to remedy this, God decided that He would come to us and bring us the gift of salvation.   The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.  He did this for a specific purpose, for our salvation and for our formation.

I have always been interested in Social Anthropology, where we study the behavior of cultures, both ancient and sometimes contemporary.  I have found it extremely interesting that almost every culture recognizes that there is a God (or several gods) and finds it necessary to offer sacrifices to this God.  This too seems to be built in to our human DNA.  We have a need to worship God and to offer sacrifice to God.  Jesus came to the Jewish people who were accustomed to sacrifices and offerings to their God.  Jesus became for us the fullest sacrifice for our sins.  Jesus died a horrific death so that our sins could be expiated and we could obtain eternal life.  His was the perfect sacrificial offering.  However, that is not the only reason he came.  If it was, he could have been slaughtered by Herod as an infant, or one of the many times in the Gospels where the people tried to kill him.  Each time He escaped because His time had not yet come.  He had more to do.

I believe that one of the primary things that He wanted to do was to start His Church.  He wanted to find and train the right men to do the job.  When He chose the twelve apostles He was making new the Jewish Kingdom of the twelve tribes and starting the new Kingdom, the Church.  He chose Peter as the “Rock” upon which He would build this Church.  All twelve disciples were important, even the one who betrayed Him, but Peter was to be the Head of them all and the Head of the Church.  The scriptures are very clear about that.  Jesus spent three years in ministry with them to train them and show them what would be called the seven sacraments.  When the time of their training was completed, Jesus turned towards the means of His death.  He wanted His death to be a renewal of the Jewish Passover so He went to Jerusalem at the time of Passover.  He walked right in to the hands of those who wanted to kill him.  He would become the new Passover.

The death of Jesus on the cross is so much a part of the Jewish Passover Feast that we cannot separate the two.  Dr. Scott Hahn’s book, The Fourth Cup is one of the best references for us to study this.  In this book he shows us how our redemption followed a plan established by God from the very beginning of time.  When Jesus celebrated the final Passover (which we call the last supper) with His disciples it really wasn’t completed until His death on the cross.  During that Last Supper Jesus gave us an extraordinary gift, the gift of His own Body and Blood and Jesus instructed the disciples to continue to give this gift.  The Church that Jesus formed was to continue to celebrate His sacrifice and continue to give out His body and His blood to His people.  It has been doing that for 2,000 years.

After Jesus died and ascended back to heaven, He gave another gift to us all.  He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit.   This gift of the Holy Spirit was given to strengthen us and to continue to help us in all that God calls us to do.  The gift of the Spirit has been lavished upon us.  Though the Sacrament of Baptism, the gift of the Spirit is placed within us.  In the Sacrament of Confirmation the fullness of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are made manifest.  Through the gift of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist we are given the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus.  We are empowered by Him and called to be formed in His image.  In the gift of the Sacrament of Marriage and the Sacrament of Holy Orders we are again empowered in to the Vocation that God calls us to.  When we are sick, the gift of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick brings us healing.  And when we turn away from God and turn to sin, the Sacrament of Reconciliation forgives us and brings us back to Him

All of the gifts that God gives us continue through the precious gift of the Church.  The Church gave us the gift of the Bible and helps us to understand it.  The Church gives us the gift of Tradition which was (and still is) so venerated in Jewish life.  Tradition helps fill in what the Bible hasn’t given us.  It helps us to understand where we have come from and helps us to see that we are still the same Church founded by the Apostles with Peter as the head.  The Church gives us the gift of its hierarchy, which continues (literally) what Jesus has taught us.  The present day Pope is the 266th man who has sat on the chair of St. Peter.  All of our bishops are spiritual descendents of the twelve disciples.  We can trace the lineage of ordination right back to the early Church.  As.000

  great as the Church is, we are all still human with human weaknesses.  We have had some “bad” Popes and Bishops, yet the Church continues on.  No other institution on earth has remained for 2000 years.  Jesus was right when He said that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

In summary, God is the great giver of gifts that keep on giving.  Our salvation is a precious gift that we celebrate every time we celebrate mass.  Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity is always present to us in the Eucharist.  The Church is always present to us as Jesus’ own body here on earth.  The Church is always giving us the gifts of the Sacraments and of God’s grace.  The Church is always proclaiming the scriptures and teaching us how to live them out.  There is no doubt that God has given us every good gift, and they keep on giving.

I’M CATHOLIC. NOW WHAT? By Shaun McAfee – a book review by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Abortion, Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Book Review, Church, Community, Converts, Creation, Death and Dying, Demons, Diaconate, Divine Mercy, Early Church Fathers, Easter, Ethics, Eucharist, Evangelism, Family, Fatherhood, Forgiveness, Gnosticism, Healing, Heresy, Holiness, Holy Orders, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Lent, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Marriage, Miracles, Morality, Mystagogy, New Age, Penance and Reconciliation, Pope Francis, Prayer, Priesthood, Pro-Life, Purgatory, Relationships, Relics, Resurrection, Rosary, Sacraments, Saints, Scripture, Service, Sin, Social Media, Spirituality, Teaching, Trust, Vocation, Women, , ,

I’M CATHOLIC.  NOW WHAT?   By Shaun McAfee – a book review by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Shaun McAfee, founder of EpicPew.com, blogger at National Catholic Register, contributor to Catholic Answers Magazine and many other Catholic resources has written a new book published by Our Sunday Visitor.  Personally I think that this is the best book he has written; and I really enjoyed his other books.  When I first saw the pre-publication announcement for this book, I immediately put in an order for it.  The title and description led me to believe that this book would be a great resource for my parish RCIA program.  I have been involved in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program for many years and know that those who have gone through it need a really good resource book to continue their journey after the time in the program has finished.  After reading this book I not only realized that the book is perfect for that, but that the book is perfect for all Catholics on their journey of living out the beauty of the Catholic faith.

The author of this book is a convert and has gone through the RCIA process to become a Catholic.  How I wish that all of the people who go through RCIA become as good a Catholic as Shaun and his wife have become.  Shaun’s overall knowledge of the Catholic faith and Catholic Theology (he has a graduate degree from Holy Apostles College) is amazing.  The way he lives out that faith with his wife and family is even more amazing.  Faith is made to be put in to action and Shaun certainly does that.  I have followed Shaun and his family on Facebook for almost six years and although I have never met him in person, I see the faith filled life that he leads.  That faith filled life pours over in to this book.  Shaun tells us all the things we need to know to be a good Catholic and he gives us personal examples of how to be a good Catholic.

This 335 page book consists of 100 chapters that give us a lot of information on the Catholic Church and why we do the things that we do.  I find it very refreshing that he takes the times to not only tell us the things that we should be doing to be a good Catholic, but also tells us why we do those things.  He often refers to the Holy Scriptures as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  He also uses stories from the early church Fathers and the Saints to explain.   Besides that, he gives us plenty of personal examples from his own life.  He covers just about everything that you can think of that speaks of Catholicism.  He not only covers different topics but also gives us things to do.  For example, not only do we learn about Baptism, but he also gives us ideas on how to celebrate our Baptism day.  He talks to us about the priesthood and then encourages us to invite a priest over for dinner.

Shaun’s section on BEING A MODERN CATHOLIC has so much richness to it when discussing evil, relativism (a must read), marriage, sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, immigration, gossiping, giving, and consumerism.  His discussion of the current sex abuse scandal and cover up is enlightening.  He deals with all of the current issues in the Church today.  His way of facing these issues clearly shows the HOPE that we as Catholics are called to have.  Shaun ends his book with a section on EVANGELIZATION: IT’S FOR EVERYONE.  The chapters in this section remind us of our calling as Catholics to share the Good News that we have received.  He explains the “New Evangelization” and encourages us to reach out to those around us, especially to our children.

I highly recommend that ALL Catholics read this book.  The book covers serious subjects but is very easy to read.  It is informative as well as interesting.  It is a wealth of information on the Catholic faith.  This book is not only for those who have just recently come in to the Church, although it is great for them, but it is for all of us on our journey towards Jesus in His Church.  We can all benefit from the explanations and the suggestions that Shaun makes in this book.  As I write this, we are approaching the LENTEN season.  I highly suggest that every Catholic get this book and read it and study it and live it out for Lent.  It might be the best thing that you ever did for Lent.