PETERSBOAT

The conclusion of a 6-part Lenten conversation about the self-phone culture that makes it hard for us to live according to our nature, particularly by separating us from our relationship with our body.

A conversation about the self-phone culture that makes it hard for us to live according to our nature, particularly by stealing us away from the otherwise wonderful experience of time. 

A conversation about the self-phone culture that makes it hard for us to live according to our nature, with its call to live in communion with one another as man and woman.

A conversation about the self-phone culture that makes it hard for us to live according to our nature, attentive to what is happening in the all-important meantime.

 A conversation about the self-phone culture, which disintegrates my life, making it difficult for me even to know where my heart is, let alone how to meet God there.

A conversation about the self-phone culture, which tends to reduce our desire for more, that is, for eternal life.

The Spirit breathes us into the Church, and then breathes us out into the world. This is the eternal life that God wants for us.

Young people are being sold a lie about where they come from, who they are, and where they're going. But some are being restored to the truth by the Sacred Scriptures.

The replacement of Judas by Matthias is a sign that Christ never abandons His Church. And it's also an invitation to love God, not only in word, but in deed and in truth.

The mother who consecrates herself to God permits a flood of graces into the life of her children and grandchildren.

What's the difference between the Baptism of John and the Baptism of the Spirit?

Will we, the members, follow where He, our Head, has gone before? Come, Holy Spirit, to make it possible, please.

Is it okay to look for signs? In some sense, it is the only way to look for God.

We see signs all the time. But do we ask what God is saying to us through them? Come, Holy Spirit to make that possible for us!

Satan mocks what it means to belong to Jesus and Mary. Possession by him means misery in our circumstances. But to be the possession of Jesus and Mary is to be free wherever we are.

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night (usually 3AM, the Hour of Mercy, when Christ died on the cross) to a flood of doubts that scare the life out of me, until I cry out to God through Our Lady to restore my adherence to Him through my life as a priest.

I asked the children to describe the experience of hunger. You might have thought I had asked them to describe the state of the world today.

It's true that we could all do more for Our Lord. But there are also times when we should do less.

He argued for the divinity of Christ in the 4th century, and in doing so preserved the substance of Christianity for us. And because he argued that Christ truly is the Word of God dwelling in human form, it's no wonder that he loved the Saints, as all Saints before him and since.

Saint Joseph wasn't perfect. But he was good. Here are 3 ways to help us imagine how he gave himself to his work.

Although suffering can cause us to think ourselves abandoned or rejected, we are reminded today that it is necessary for us to endure many hardships so as to enter into the Kingdom of God.

For most of the 14th century, the popes lived in Avignon, France. They had their reasons for moving there. But saintly Christians, like Saint Catherine of Siena, convinced them to return to Rome for the sake of unity, which is the will of the Father.

What is this life that flows into us from Christ, the Vine, that sets us free? (*The name of the docuseries I reference in this podcast is Unlocked, and it's on Netflix, if you're interested.)

I just finished watching a series about a Sheriff who gave freedom to some inmates, calling it an experiment. But he was so full of hope for them that I think it was more than merely an experiment. I think it was love.

What will it take for the boy to become a man? 

Just a little encouragement, in the spirit of Saint Barnabas. 

The image of the Field Hospital may be a good way to imagine the Good Shepherd, with us on the fields of battle.

i don't ask couples to explain how they love one another. But it is interesting to invite them to reflect on why they do.

We're called to imitate Christ, of course. But we're also called to imitate the first disciples and Apostles in their willingness to help people to understand the Scriptures. 

"I AM the Bread of Life." He is given to the world to be consumed by all those whom the Father sends to Him. Isn't this what He asks of us as well, to be consumed by those whom He sends to us?

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who pray for us, just as Saint Paul has Saint Steven to thank for his conversion.

My parents sent me a photo of an ordination they recently attended in Florida, and I was struck by the ethnic diversity of the men whom the Lord has chosen for the Church. Anyway, this homily is seen through the lens of what happened in me when I saw that picture.

This Sunday's readings point us to remember that even Christ's Resurrection is an invitation to experience the forgiveness of sins. Both the cross and the Resurrection are signs of God's ongoing invitation the repentance that leads to joy.

Does it really matter that some people teach erroneously about the person of Christ? And popes like Saint Martin, who died defending the truth, were their deaths really necessary?

Is there hope for religious people who reject Christ? There is, of course. But is their hope that we will persevere in our trying to reach them?

The Eternal Life that Christ comes to bring to us - the life of the Resurrection - begins even now, as we are given the grace to live even beyond the grave of disappointment, failure, and loss.

No one has ever gone up to heaven, except the one who has come down from heaven. 

The heart of Our Lady and the heart of Our Lord are one in their yes, in their self offering, and in how they prepare a way before us.

When all the work and activity comes crashing to an end, who am I now?

The encounter with the Risen Christ can be verified when our experience of some person brings forth from within us something that would have otherwise remained dormant.

One of the ways in which Judas goes wrong is that he stops believing that God can redeem evil. 

Yesterday was special for two reasons. And every day from now on can be special because of them, even should we go astray.

This is the conclusion of a series of Reflections by Father Rob Ketcham on Cry of the Heart, by Lorenzo Albacete. This last reflection is based on the last two sections of the final chapter, Saying Yes to the Cross and The Example of Padre Pio, pages 64 through 70.Purchase the book at: https://slantbooks.org/books/cry-of-t...Cry of the Heart, on the Meaning of Suffering, is published by Slant Books, Seattle, WA. ©2023 The Albacete Forum

We should try as hard as we can, but only as hard as we can. We should allow God's grace to accomplish what only grace can.

We do our hair before going to the hairdresser. We brush our teeth before going to the dentist. And we try to perfect ourselves before going to Jesus. All are really quite silly.

We stand with the Blessed Mother as this Holy Week approaches, because her motherly love enables us to stay with Jesus as He carries His cross.

This is the continuation of a series of Reflections by Father Rob Ketcham on Cry of the Heart, by Lorenzo Albacete. This reflection is based on the first three sections of the final chapter, Chapter 6, To Complete What Is Lacking, pages 60 through 64.Purchase the book at: https://slantbooks.org/books/cry-of-t...Cry of the Heart, on the Meaning of Suffering, is published by Slant Books, Seattle, WA. ©2023 The Albacete Forum

I forget sometimes that we all need healing. I know we pray for the healing of others - all the time. But I forget that we ourselves suffer the wounds of loving them.

I met a man at a funeral and asked, "How do I know you?" He told me where he was from, and it has altogether changed my experience of that place.

This is the continuation of a series of Reflections by Father Rob Ketcham on Cry of the Heart, by Lorenzo Albacete. This reflection is based on the last two sections of Chapter 5, beginning with The Trinitarian Mystery, pages 56 through 59.Purchase the book at: https://slantbooks.org/books/cry-of-t...Cry of the Heart, on the Meaning of Suffering, is published by Slant Books, Seattle, WA. ©2023 The Albacete Forum