Sliney Central

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

Inspirational thoughts

Trust in God

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Everlasting Father, who takes care of you today, will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. He will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations!’ (St. Francis de Sales)

     College tuitions, health concerns, mortgages, the stock market, job security, kids…and the “worry” list can easily go on and become very personal for each one of you.  It might help to remember that your loving Father in heaven is aware of all of them and will help you through whatever storm or battle that lies ahead.  My dad had all of these issues very much on the forefront, but his kindness and warm sense of humor showed that he knew who was in charge.  Although he worked very hard, his confidence was in God, not totally in his human qualities or abilities to get it done.

Treat women with respect

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “Always treat ladies with the greatest respect.  Do this wherever you meet them.  Show them that you regard them not as equals, but as superiors.  Bestow upon them those little attentions at home and abroad which go so far toward making them happy.  Offer to carry their bundles along the street, to give them a seat in the crowded car, to speak to the conductor for them, and the like; they will appreciate your kindness, and vote you a splendid young man.  Do these things in an unselfish spirit, without looking for a reward.  Show the same attentions to young and old, married and single,…But aside from all this, reverence a woman for what she is in herself.”  (From Bill Bennett’s, “The Book of Man”, p. 411)

Praying from the heart

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “And going on a little further he fell on his face and prayed. ‘My Father’, he said, ‘if it is possible, let this cup pass me by.  Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.”

(Mt 26: 39)

    Before ordination, we have the tradition of doing “month long” Spiritual Exercises.   During these long days of prayer, I experienced a batch of dryness and it was really difficult to pray.  I told Christ, “I am really struggling in my prayer right now.  In a year, I will be ordained a priest and I am starting to feel a little anxious…I really need you to be close right now.”  Christ told me in a very simple and direct way, “Br. Michael, I know this is hard for you.  But I need your help…I want to help many souls through your priesthood.  You do not have to continue, but I need your help…” It is hard to explain this moment in a simple email, but it was real and it was intense.  I felt the full force of Christ’s love and this gave me all the strength and motivation I needed to push forward.  When it gets tough, talk to Christ from the heart and listen to him!!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Check engine!

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.”  –St. Thomas Aquinas

     Personally, my internal “check engine” light goes off every week.  This tells me to go into the shop and have my soul inspected by an expert mechanic (the Holy Spirit), acknowledge what has prevented my internal engine from running according to God’s plan (pride, impatience, etc…) and humbly ask the mechanic to put me back up to speed through absolution.  Don’t ignore these check engine or other warning lights for too long, or your venial sins will soon become mortal, (as I recently learned by not changing my brakes in time).   Confession is so helpful…take advantage of this amazing gift!!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “Know yourself, accept yourself, better yourself.”  (St. Augustine)

    During my 10 years of caddying, I had my eyes set on becoming “Caddy of the Year” at Forest Lake Country Club.  One of my older brothers, Jim, had reached this goal and for the first 9 years, I never quite “passed muster.”   This award was based on  your total number of loops (rounds) and double carries, and member recommendations based on your capacity to read putts, clubbing, hustle in finding balls and replacing divots, capacity to carry on conversations, etc…

    It was a good thing for me to attend 9 award ceremonies and not win.  Too many parents are concerned about their kids “self-esteem” and “confidence levels”…but learning how to lose and to come back stronger is a huge life lesson.   I realized that more work was needed and the details mattered….riding my bike early around the course to gather the fresh pin placements, to go the extra round when your buddies would head off to the pool, studying the member’s game so as to know the right club to recommend, getting to know the greens inside and out, etc… The 10th awards ceremony was so much sweeter as a result.

https://sliney.org/1217-2/

Chivalry

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I am always edified by the deferential treatment of so many good men towards their wives here in NY and during my time in DC, in so many details.

1. Holding the door or elevator, insisting that they go first, taking off and putting on their coats…
2. Offering the seat with the best view in the restaurant, and holding their chair back before they sit down, standing up when their wife excuses herself from the table.
3. Patiently and lovingly listening to their wife’s perspective in a conversation without cutting them off.
4. Offering to cook dinner, and standing up during the meal to pick up the plates and bring out the dessert.
5. Making a real effort to arrive home on time so as to have dinner as a family.
6. Publicly expressing gratitude to their wife for a great meal and a clean house, and for all the time and attention that she spends helping the kids.
7. Privately praising their wife with their co-workers (and priests).
8. For those who have stay at home moms, perhaps to say “There isn’t anything more valuable and more important that you do, than to raise our kids”
9. Always having his wife’s back with both kids and friend alike.

God bless,
Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

Just do it?

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends, in Christ,

     “There are some desires that are not desirable.” G.K. Chesterton

    This nike ad has done so much damage.  If it feels good, you probably should really question if you should do it, question the consequences of the action, and ask yourself how Christ would “feel” about it.  True peace and happiness actually comes from practicing a little self control…

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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What is love?

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends, in Christ,

     “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” CS Lewis

    Love is risky and almost always involves being hurt, it means a lot of bending and compromising…but it is much better than locking yourself up in yourself.  Give your neediness to God….then you will find it easier to give your unconditional love to others.

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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