TKC!
InspireYouVideo: Always Higher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zWh33zORlM
God bless,
Fr. Michael Sliney, LC
Father Michael Blog
Silent suffering
Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Friends, in Christ,
“Suffering born in the will quietly and patiently is a continual, very powerful prayer before God.” St. Jane Frances de Chantal
One of the gentlemen in Corinto, El Salvador, told me that he was blinded a few years ago by a machine that blew up in his face. He learned to pick the coffee beans in the fields with the help of his friends and this is how he spends his typical 10-14 hour work day. His face was a little deformed but his smile was sincere and beautiful…a man of faith, trying his best to deal with a very difficult and painful reality.
God bless,
Fr. Michael Sliney, LC
Trust in God
Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Friends in Christ,
“In tribulation immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.” St. John of the Cross
I had been swimming for thirty minutes with a group of seminarians in the Mediterranean near Sorrento when suddenly a massive hail storm came out of nowhere. The wind and waves picked up, the hail began pelting the water and I was a little afraid. I held my breath for a moment, went under water and in the midst of the calm, peaceful waters below the surface, God told me, “Mike, don’t worry. This storm will pass…just keep swimming and I will be with you.” This experience has repeated itself so many time in my life!
Lent
3 Ways to Prepare for Lent
By Fr. Michael Sliney, LC
Our High School soccer coach, “Senor”, wanted to make absolutely sure that we were ready for the regular season. For the first week of practice, we never saw a soccer ball…we ran, sprinted, stretched and ran some more. The second week was focused on fundamentals; dribbling, passing, penalty kicks and some attack strategies. Finally, in the 3rd week, he allowed us to scrimmage and have a little fun. “Senor” played professional soccer with Pele in Brazil, he knew the game extremely well, and he knew how to bring out the best in each one of us. Needless to say, our team was more than ready for the regular season and we had a solid year.
Lent is the Catholic Church’s version of Spring Training for the soul. Forty days to get our soul back into shape through intense prayer, purification and charity, hopefully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the best spiritual coach in the world.
Prayer. Jesus himself lived the first Lent during his 40 days in the desert. He chose the desert to get away from the noise and distraction of the world, he chose the desert for the solitude and silence of the sand and the lack of humanity, he chose the desert so he could whole-heartedly focus on intimate prayer and conversation with his Heavenly Father. He wanted to fully unite himself to his Father, before beginning his “regular season”, his 3 years of intense apostolic ministry and total self-giving. Every serious Lenten resolution should have a component of increased prayer and devotion. Daily Mass, Eucharistic visit, rosary, more spiritual communions, Scriptural meditation…there are so many ways to connect with Jesus, find one or two that work for you! You can’t give what you don’t have…and your family and friends most need JESUS from you.
Purification. Lent should not simply be a weight loss clinic or a time to detox your body from an unhealthy lifestyle. Ask yourself, what am I overly attached to? What unhealthydependency am I developing that is preventing me from knowing and loving Christ more? What is getting in the way? Many people have told me that they absolutely need two or three glasses of wine to calm down before going to bed, others are not willing to give up their weekly tv show that may be enjoyable but promotes infidelity to marriage, others might need to “fast” the amount of time they dedicate to checking their Facebook or Instagram page, others may need to take the “salt” out of their daily communication and make an effort to be more kind in speech, others may try to harness their impatience or anger management, etc. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with this one! My greatest fear in soccer was to pull a hamstring or twist an ankle…what is putting your soul most at risk?
Charity. We recently started a youth program in Connecticut with a focus on doing “Mercy in your back yard” once a month. These kids are actually enjoying it, even though it may mean getting up at 6 am to help out a soup kitchen in Port Chester, or spending their Saturday afternoon at a local nursing home. There is so much joy in giving! Every community has so many needy people and needy organizations that could use a hand. Get your hands dirty! Soup kitchens, hospitals, homeless shelters, orphanages, special needs facilities,….look around and try to give back. You will soon discover the face and beauty of Christ in these poor and marginalized souls, and be more than compensated for your outreach. Christ loves these souls in a special way, but he doesn’t have enough hands and feet that are willing to give up their time and energy to serve them.
CS Lewis reminds us, “Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have his way, come to share in the life of Christ….He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has–by what I call a “good infection.” Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of Christianity is simply nothing else.” The Holy Spirit is the master sculptor deep within each of your souls and he is trying to bring out this image of Christ that, over time, has been covered by our selfishness, our passions and our imperfections. Ask him where you need to be chiseled! Try to collaborate with him during this Lenten period so that by dying to self, you can truly rise with Christ, into that new man and woman that he so desires and needs to see come out!
Use of Time
Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Friends in Christ,
“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say, whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.” Blessed Pope Paul VI
When I think of this quote above, a young professional man in DC immediately pops in my mind. He graduated from Notre Dame, worked with a specialized group at Deloitte and recently started two businesses that are both thriving. He tries to attend daily Mass a few times a week, prays his rosary on the way to work and is currently spear heading a young professionals group that meets for Mass every two weeks and volunteers to help the homeless and other needy organizations on a regular basis. There is truly a sense of urgency and purpose in this young man and he is certainly not “waiting for tomorrow.”
God bless,
Fr. Michael Sliney, LC
Judging others
Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Friends in Christ,
“Abstain from all thinking about other people’s faults, unless our duties as a teacher or parent make it necessary to think about them. Whenever the thoughts come unnecessarily into one’s mind, why not simply shove them away? And think of one’s own faults instead? For there, with God’s help, one can do something.” (CS Lewis)
We typically notice and get irritated by the same faults that we often struggle with ourselves. Shove these critical thoughts away! Try to see the good points in those around you. Inspire others with your example of holiness and leave the judging to God.
Drinking too much?
Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Friends in Christ,
“Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable.”
― G.K. Chesterton, Heretics: The Annotated
How much is too much? How often is too often? It seems that too many people “need” to have 2 glasses of wine or a few beers after a long day at the office or with the kids. Certain dinner parties can resemble more of a college fraternity party than a mature adult gathering. Kids do notice and many assimilate this behavior. Although this escape can provide a short term “fix”, it does not address the deeper needs of the soul. Moderation and self control are critical habits for so many other aspects of our lives. Pray more, do physical exercise to burn off the stress, and try to “offer up” the excess drinks for those you love; this will bring peace.
Christ Connectedness
Growing grudges?…garnering gratitude!
Antagonist?…”accepting” attitude!
Legalistic?…little more latitude!
Solution?….seeking silent solitude!
Christ connectedness?…calming certitude!
Trust in God’s plan
Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Friends, in Christ,
“But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust entirely in him.” -St Margaret Mary Alacoque
Allow Christ to guide you up the mountain. He knows what you can handle, but he wants you to reach the heights and lead many others there by your example!
God bless,
Fr. Michael Sliney, LC
Pray the rosary
Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Friends, in Christ,
“The Rosary is a prayer both so humble and simple and theologically rich in Biblical content. I beg you to pray it.” St. John Paul II
Coming from a Saint, with Doctoral degrees in both Philosophy and Theology, this says a lot! To Jesus through Mary!
God bless,
Fr. Michael Sliney, LC