Have you ever found it difficult to forgive someone because they hurt you too bad? Sometimes, once the pain subsides, forgiveness becomes possible. Unfortunately, there are cases where the wounds never heal; often causing us to refuse to forgive the offending party. Jesus knew about this kind of emotional anguish when He instructed us in Mt 18:22 to forgive our brother seventy-seven times (i.e. an infinite number). Note that He didn?t add, ??once you?re no longer angry?. While The Lord?s command is clear, how can we forgive someone if we?re still angry or hurt?

The late Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom was quoted as saying, ?Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.? That profound statement gives us the answer to the dilemma. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a conscious choice that we make. Being angry or hurt doesn?t stop us from choosing to forgive someone.

If there?s someone who you haven?t been able to forgive, why not say the three simple words ?I forgive you? tonight? If you?re not ready to say the words to the person directly, start by saying them in your mind. Even though you may still feel the hurt for awhile, you will be doing what The Lord commands. Eventually, you may see that the pain may diminish or disappear completely.

If you still find this phrase difficult to say, remember the words of Our Lord as He was suffering on the cross for our sins:

?Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. ?(Lk 23:34)

Why is it that we make life so complicated? Sometimes we are so sure of how God will answer our prayers that we ignore what He?s telling us and head in a completely opposite direction. I think that much of this is caused by our inflated egos. For some reason, we fail to heed words of the prophet Isaiah when he said that God doesn?t think like humans (Is 55:8-9). We often get ourselves into trouble when we create a pre-conceived idea of how The Lord should answer our intentions.

One of the best Biblical examples of this can be found in 2 Kings 5:1-15, in which Naaman the Syrian sought a cure for his leprosy. When sent to the prophet Elisha, he didn?t like the answer that he received. He found the prophet?s advice of washing 7 times in the Jordan River to be unacceptable, believing that the rivers of Damascus would prove more effective. After leaving Elisha?s house angrily, Naaman?s servants convinced him to try bathing in the Jordan. Much to his astonishment? he was healed!

While it?s important that we speak to God, we must also listen. A few years ago, I was unhappy with my job so I prayed and prayed for a transfer to a different department. I was sure that The Lord would answer my prayers by allowing me to get the other position. After several months I discovered that I didn?t get the job, but I realized that I now enjoyed my current job. My prayer was answered in a way that I didn?t anticipate. Many of us have suffered through the illness of a relative or friend. Despite our petitions, sometimes the situation has ended with no physical healing or even in death. What we often fail to see is that instead of a physical healing, an emotional healing or conversion takes place.

So the next time that your prayers go unanswered, take a look at the situation and see if maybe they have been answered – in a different way. Then, like Naaman, you can rejoice and proclaim the praises of the one, true God!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending our monthly parish men?s group. The featured speaker was ?Bob?, one of our members who is beginning the discernment process for a vocation to the permanent diaconate. Bob told his story, which was truly inspirational. The thing that touched me the most is how clearly The Lord has called this man. Starting with a vivid dream and supported by some ?out of the blue? encouragement by his wife, God appears to be calling another man to serve His Church.

While it?s always possible that the discernment process will reveal that Bob is actually called to serve The Lord in another way, I find it encouraging that he is answering the call and considering the possibility of becoming a deacon. What?s even more encouraging for me is his love for the magisterial teaching of The Church and desire to serve others.

The Lord calls us all to serve Him in various ways. We all need to follow the example of Bob and try to determine our particular calling. Some are called to spread the love of Christ to their families and co-workers, while others are called to various forms of religious life. The important thing to remember is that we should prayerfully attempt to discern The Lord?s plans for our lives.

Please keep Bob and his family in your prayers as he begins this important journey. I would personally love to see him become a permanent deacon because I know he?ll be a good one, but I realize that the decision is between Bob and God.

By the way, if you ever find yourself thinking that God is no longer calling men to serve Him in the clerical state, don?t worry?

After listening to Bob?s testimony I can assure you that He?s still calling!

Most of us have ideas about how we can best serve The Lord. For some, it results in a vocation to the priesthood, diaconate or religious life. For others, it involves being a member of the laity. Within those groups there are numerous ministries or charisms that can be pursued, thus allowing one to serve God in different ways.

From time to time, we all run into situations where we feel we should be doing something with our life, but it just ?doesn?t work out?. Even though we pray and attempt to discern God?s will, certain obstacles prevent us from pursuing the path that we have chosen to become closer to God. In following our own chosen road, we sometimes reject the circumstances or opportunities that are attainable.

As an example, many times I have been unable to attend daily Mass, attend Church functions or even pray as much as I?d like, because of work or family obligations. I often get irritated and wish that the circumstances in my life we different. Eventually, I come to the realization that God wants me to find Him in the daily responsibilities and duties that I have been given. It is then that I realize how selfish I can be. I want to choose how I will serve The Lord, instead of letting Him tell me where He needs me to be.

When I struggle with this (as I often do), I remember the words of St. Teresa of Avila when she said, ?It would be a terrible thing if God were to be telling us plainly to go about His business in a certain way and we would not do it, but instead stood gazing at Him because that gave us greater pleasure.?

We all experience periods of dryness in our prayer lives. What is important, according to many of the Saints such as John of the Cross and St. Francis De Sales, is that we continue to pray. Often God will give us great joy as we first begin our conversion process, but then gradually allow that feeling to disappear. It is during those dry times that we must persevere in our devotion, remembering that we are not praying in order to feel good, but rather to worship The Lord.

When we go through these periods in our lives, everything looks bleak. We often lose our sense of hope and peace, feeling that God isn?t listening to our prayers. In general, we just don?t ?feel anything? and may even be tempted to stop praying. While there is no doubt that this lack of feeling may be part of The Lord?s plan for spiritual growth, sometimes the answer is much simpler?we?re tired!

In my own life, I have encountered this problem many times. I?ll start to lose my motivation for praying and doing spiritual reading. Daily chores and responsibilities start to weigh me down. My previous hope in God?s providence is replaced by anxiety. Finally, I?ll realize that I need to get more sleep and instantly I start to think more clearly. I can?t recall how many times a good night?s sleep has restored my hopefulness and put me back on track.

The next time you start to lose your desire for prayer and begin to slip into despair, try getting some rest and see what happens. If it doesn?t go away, God may be putting you to the test and you should continue praying. If the dryness subsides, your body was simply telling you that it needed a rest. Remembering this simple exercise will save you a lot of grief and keep you focused on what?s really important?your relationship with The Lord.

When reading the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16:19-31), with whom do you identify? While the answers may differ, most people will choose one or the other. However, did you ever consider that the answer could vary depending on what is happening in your life?

Some days we may feel like Lazarus ? Struggling to make a living and deal with the problems of everyday life. We may be suffering through an illness or unemployment. A loved one may be going through depression or anxiety, our children may have stopped going to Church. If we are single, we may long to be in a relationship. If we are in a troubled marriage, we may yearn for relief. There are a multitude of circumstances that, like Lazarus, could make each day a painful ordeal.

Other days we are the ?rich man?. Our family life is peaceful, finances aren?t a problem, and things are just ?going our way??. Life is good! During these times, we may feel so grateful for our blessings that we may want to help others who are not having an easy time.

Today?s gospel parable reminds us of two things. On those days that we feel like Lazarus, there is hope. By persevering and carrying the cross that has been given to us, we can one day enjoy eternal happiness in Heaven. All suffering in this life is temporary. On the days that we?re the ?rich man?, we must remember that we have an obligation to help the poor. We?d do well to consider that ?poor? can mean more than a lack of monetary wealth. Individuals can also be ?poor? in many other ways (loneliness, lack of knowledge about Jesus and His Church, lack of self-esteem, etc) We can assist them by a smile or a kind word, teaching them about the truths of the Catholic Faith, helping them with chores, listening when they just ?need to talk?.

Whether we feel like Lazarus or the rich man, our actions should always mirror those of Our Lord. By doing that, we will be on our way to someday resting in paradise with Abraham, Lazarus, Our Blessed Mother and of course?Jesus!

Did you ever keep track of how much time you spend serving others as opposed to serving yourself? The concept of service is so important to the Christian life that Jesus instructs us, ??whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.? (Mt 20:26-27) If it?s that critical, surely we must be aware of how much time we spend fulfilling Our Lord?s command?correct?

In reality, most of us don?t think about this concept very often. When we do think about it, however, we are often disappointed with what we discover. Unfortunately, a lot of our time is spent doing things that we want to do instead of serving others. As an example, when I come home from work, I?d like to lie down and fall asleep watching TV, leisurely read the newspaper or surf the Internet. Why?because I?m human and it feels good. However, while it may feel good to serve myself in this way, it?s not really fair to my wife and kids. They have needs too and my vocation as a husband and father should supersede my own personal needs. That?s not to say that we can?t take time for ourselves, but we should be aware of our responsibility to others. Being a servant is about making life easier for others and doesn’t always have to be difficult. It can involve listening to your children tell you about their day or letting your spouse have the “last word” even though “you know you’re right”. It might be a smile that you share with a difficult co-worker or allowing a fellow driver to merge in front of you on a busy street.

As a Lenten exercise, try to analyze your activities at the end of this day. How much time did you spend being the servant that Jesus recommends? Are there a few more things that you could have done to make life easier for those people who God has placed in your life? Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and see what happens. If you think of a few small things that you could improve upon, try them out tomorrow. By getting into the habit of analyzing your actions, you?ll find it easier to stay on the path which will lead you closer to The Lord!

How would you react if you were told that this was your last Lent before facing God?s judgment? Would you take a closer look at your life and search more thoroughly for areas needing improvement? Would you spend some extra time in prayer each day? Would you examine your conscience every evening, making sure all of your actions were Christ-like? Would you make it a point to receive the sacrament of Confession? If this was your final opportunity to repent before facing death, would you do anything differently?

The Church gives us this great season of repentance to look at our lives and make changes. There is no guarantee that we?ll ever have another chance. In 33 days, we?ll celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord. Why not use the remainder of Lent to make sure you?re ready for that celebration?or your judgment before Almighty God.

According to a 2008 survey conducted by Trinity College (http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org), 15% of Americans are reporting ?no religion? in their lives. This number represents an increase from 8.2 % in 1990 and 14.2% in 2001, the 2 other years in which this survey was conducted. While it was originally thought that the 2001 results were an anomaly, this number has now been validated. It is also important to point out that 54,461 adults were surveyed, which is hardly a small number.

These statistics should not come as a surprise to anyone. In order to avoid conflict with the hedonistic lifestyle glorified by the media, many people choose to define their own religious beliefs. By doing so, one can justify almost any behavior. In a sense, they become their own gods…determining for themselves what is good and evil.

While some people claim to be atheists, other individuals profess belief in a vague, wishy-washy supreme being who doesn?t require belief in rules or regulations. Similar to the atheists who don?t believe in God, these folks only adhere to their own moral standards. If you?re making up the moral guidelines for your life, it?s usually very easy to follow them! I?ve heard many people say that they are spiritual, but don?t follow any particular religion. That translates to, ?I do what I want!?

So what can we do about this situation? First of all, we can pray. There are millions of people in the world who are spiritually lost. They sleep-walk through the week and live for the weekends. For consolation they turn to television, alcohol, food, sports, pornography and any number of indulgences which bring pleasure. They live empty lives totally devoid of any meaning except self-gratification. These people desperately need our prayers so that they may discover God.

Secondly, we can set a good example by living moral lives. We can also be cheerful and positive even when it?s difficult. By doing this we may open the door to the third option, evangelization. As Catholic Christians, we have the fullness of God?s truth and are expected to share it with others. Just as Jesus commanded His Apostles to ?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.? (Mt 28:19-20) , we must also spread the message to everyone we meet. If we have any fear or doubt, we can console ourselves with The Lord?s promise after this ?Great Commission?:

“…And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.?