Inspirational thoughts

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship, as experience shows that the callosity formed around a broken bone makes it stronger than before.”

St. Francis de Sales

    Nothing beats a sincere apology from the heart.  No “but’s”, no “justifications”, or added comments tacked on at the end of your statement.   Just say, “I am really sorry. I was wrong and I should not have done that/said that…please forgive me.”  Then the healing begins…

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “In confession you not only receive absolution from the venial sins you confess but also great strength to avoid them in the future, light to see them more clearly, and abundant graces to repair whatever damage you have incurred.”  St. Francis de Sales

     I personally look forward to my weekly confession precisely because of the points listed above.  A “sin” for me is preferring my plan over God’s plan.  If you truly love Christ, the small things do matter, and we should all be concerned about keeping this friendship at a high level of intimacy.  Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!!

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speeches and railings. For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour our brothers and sisters?” St. John Chrysostom

     When was the last time you heard a conversation in which everyone was praising the virtues of a person? My mom would help me to see the good in others, and I overheard so many conversations on the phone in the kitchen in which her words would be edifying and positive.  As Christians, we should distinguish ourselves in this area!!

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

“Just as the sun shines at the same time on trees and flowers, like each was the only one on earth, so does our Lord care for all souls in a special manner, as if they were each unique.”

 – St. Therese of Lisieux

     Christ is always looking after us, protecting us, walking with us, trying to guide us and inspire us to be holy.  We are not just a “number” to Jesus, we are his intimate friend and he will not let us down!!

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.”  St. Charles Borromeo

     I always played a little better football or baseball in grade school, or soccer in high school if I noticed my brothers or parents in the stands.  I performed a little better in my plays in grade school and high school if I noticed my parents in the audience.  I live my priesthood much better when I remember that Christ is always close by.  Never doubt that Christ is in the stands…he watches, he cares, and he is always ready to help!

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “The words printed here are concepts. You must go through the experiences.”  St. Augustine

    The first time I jumped into the deep end of a swimming pool, my dad was in the water at a distance, but I had to swim out to him.  I had real fears of sinking to the bottom, of taking in water…but it all worked out.  This is the spiritual life…you need to jump in and commit, and little by little, you will experience the joy and freedom of flying across the water of life, being gently propelled by the grace of God. Trust in Christ, and take the plunge!!

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love–every man works his oar voluntarily! ”  St. Francis de Sales

   One of the disadvantages of being the youngest is getting the household chores when your older siblings go off to college.  I was given the task of cutting the grass in 7th grade and continued straight through High School.  In the beginning, I tried to avoid this chore and kept myself intentionally “busy” caddying, golfing or playing with my friends to postpone this task as long as possible.  Then my mom pulled me aside and said, “Michael, you know how important it is to your dad to have the grass cut every week, and you know when it needs to be cut.  Is it too much to ask that you do this on your own, without being constantly told?  It would make your dad very happy!”  I soon began to “oar voluntarily”, and even offered it up for souls, and it really wasn’t so bad!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

TKC!

A special thanks to Bob Infanger, who contributed to my latest LifeZette article: http://www.lifezette.com/faithzette/no-time-ashamed-gospel/

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

We are Pilgrims

By Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

 

 

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting a woman at Mount Sinai hospital. Her 19-year-old daughter had spent her life battling a series of life-threatening illnesses. She had never been able to speak and in just a few hours, she was about to be taken off life support. In addition to this tangibly heavy burden, this woman had also lost her husband during the terrorist attack on 9/11.

 

Trying to offer a little comfort, I said, “Thank God you are a woman of faith. Your daughter has never really been capable of sin, given her debilitating condition since birth, and from what I understand; your husband was a very good man. I will pray they may be re-united in heaven.” She radiated a deep peace, but with sorrow in her voice, she gently said, “Fr. Michael, thank you for coming. My Catholic faith is everything to me. I simply cannot understand how anyone can get through even one day without faith. My daughter was never able to speak and she was in constant physical pain, but I know God had a plan for her. She helped so many people along the way…My hope and prayers are that she will soon join my husband in heaven.” A soft smile broke from her face and she looked like a little angel…that’s what Faith can do!

 

During one of my many conversations with my dad in our kitchen, he stopped cutting up the onions for his “Saturday afternoon chili”, looked me in the eyes and said, “Michael, don’t get too caught up in this world. We are blessed to live in a nice neighborhood, all of our material needs are more than being met, you are safe and comfortable. But we were not made for this world. We are pilgrims, and God made us to be with him for all eternity in heaven.” Ten years later, It gave me tremendous consolation to hear from my mom that his last words on earth were, “Germaine, let’s have a moment of silence, I feel like I am in heaven.” Shortly afterwards, he died of a blood clot.

 

Lent is almost over, and the focus now shifts to Easter, the Resurrection and eternal life in heaven. In heaven, our aching and tired bodies will appear in their vigorous and glorified form, there will be no head-aches, no colds, no mosquito bites or poison ivy…and everyone there will be super kind, charitable and pleasant. Most importantly, we will continue the friendship we began with Christ here on earth in the warm company of his Blessed Mother. Christ will totally fill our hearts with his peace and joy, and it will never get boring or stagnant. In the words of St. Augustine, “Our hearts are restless and they can only rest in you.” Now is the time to start building our heavenly bank account and purifying our soul from anything that is not Christ. He is waiting, he has your room reserved and he ardently hopes to see you prepared for this eternal encounter.