Sliney Central

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

Inspirational thoughts

Mercy

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “For surely the confidence of a notorious sinner honors God most of all, for he is so convinced of God’s infinite mercy that all his sins seem no more than an atom in its presence.”  (St. Claude

de la Colombiere)

    Wright Patterson Air Force Base.   Having served in the Army Air Corps in WWII, my dad was so excited to accompany me on this week-end trip with the Cub Scouts.  As our school bus passed the sign above, our Scout Master pointed to a fallen B-52 bomber off to the right and said, “Gentlemen, if any of you tries to check out that plane, there will be severe consequences.  Don’t even think about it.”  My friends and I smiled at each other, and within 6 hours we were climbing through the greasy cock-pit and checking out the controls and empty bomb shells…cool stuff!  Our Scout Master wondered why it had taken so long for us to collect “firewood” and within a few minutes he had us marching single file line, hands in the air, back to camp.  I marched past my dad, and although I sensed a little disappointment, I also sensed a lot of love and understanding.  My sin seemed “no more than an atom in his presence.”

Let him chisel!

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “Do not, my child, approach Jesus Christ with the hope of bending his will to yours: what I desire is that you yield yourself to him and that he receive you, so that he, your Savior, may do with you and in you whatever he pleases.”  St. Cajetan

       The Holy Spirit is like a master sculptor.  At times he strikes hard and with aggression, other times, it is more refined and slower, but the goal is to bring out the image of Christ buried within.  The key is to be true to who you are.  If you are married, be faithful to your spouse, focus on your kids and don’t dream about other options.  If you have a career, be ethical, fair and hard working.   He will always push you to be, like Christ, selfless and magnanimous.  Don’t look for easy and immoral escape routes from your duties and obligations…let the master sculptor strike when and where he prefers: he knows what is best for us!!

To Jesus through Mary

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.'”  (Jn 2: 2,3)

    Personally, I am not capable of saying “no” to my mom.   When she asks me for anything from the heart, and looks me in the eyes, I simply cannot say “no”.   I do not have a wife or kids, but I do have a mom, and she is the only one who has unique access to my heart.  Christ, too, is a priest.  The Blessed Mother will always be his mom and she will always have special access to  his heart.  To Jesus through Mary!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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God rewards our sacrifices

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “Do not be afraid of Christ!  He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything.  When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return.  Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ- and you will find true life.”  (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)

    Christ cannot be outdone in generosity.   During the World Youth Day in Germany, our group of 40 High School and college kids helped promote Confessions well into the night.  These kids kept the Confession lines full all night and as a result, they were exhausted the next day.   As we joined the nearly 1 million pilgrims leaving after the Mass, we soon realized that we would be waiting for a really long time.  The buses were all stuck in large back up and the police were struggling with crowd control.  I saw a narrow dirt road in the distance and signaled to our kids to go there and within seconds an empty bus came through the brush and opened the doors for our group, and the bus was actually going where we needed to go…a small miracle and a clear sign that God noticed our efforts from the night before.

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Chivalry

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “General Robert E. Lee was on his way to Richmond, and was seated in the extreme end of a railroad car, every seat of which was occupied.  At one end of the stations, an aged old woman of humble appearance entered the car, carrying a large basket.  She walked the length of the aisle and not a man offered her a seat.  When she was opposite General Lee’s seat, he arose promptly and said, ‘Madam, take this seat.’  Instantly a score of men were on their feet, and a chorus of voices said, ‘General, have my seat.’  ‘No, gentlemen,’ he replied, ‘if there was no seat for this old lady, there is no seat for me.’   It was not long before the car was almost empty.  It was too warm to be comfortable.”  (From Bill Bennett’s, “The Book of Man”).

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Christian, be aware of your dignity

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “O Christian, be aware of your nobility- it is God’s own nature that you share; do not then, by an ignoble life, fall back into your former baseness.”  (Pope St. Leo the Great)

     Several years ago, a Georgetown University football player, who went through our LTP program, told me, “Fr. Michael, whenever I go into the chapel, I imagine myself as a knight before my King.  This helps keep me focused on who I am and where I am going.”   We are all knights serving Christ the King, and wherever we go people should notice that we are authentic Christians, truly “living it” and reflecting the nobility and dignity of Christ, our King! “Be aware of your nobility- it is God’s own nature that you share!”

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Strong marriages

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “The love of husband and wife is the force that welds society together.”   St. John Chrysostom

     Your kids can tell…your friends can tell.  They can tell when a couple is at peace.  They can tell when a couple has learned to compromise and sacrifice for each other.  They can tell when Christ is at the center of a marriage.  They can tell when “good times and bad, sickness and health” has been tested and they have survived the test.  A special thank you to all those couples fighting to make it work…you are truly the most effective evangelizers out there!!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Loving difficult people

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

Tips for loving difficult people

  1. Spirit of Faith- to believe that God has providentially placed you together and is asking you to be an instrument of his love.
  2. Opportunity to grow- bending oneself to serve this person will force you to purify your intentions and grow in charity.
  3. Look hard for the good and try not to focus on what most bothers you in that person.
  4. Difficult people generally come from difficult backgrounds…they may actually be crying out for attention and love.
  5. Do not merely “endure” or “put up with” this person, but overcoming your natural animosity, make a conscious decision from the heart to love this person.   Offer this one up for a good intention!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

Forgiveness

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

     Several years ago, after a talk on marriage, a woman commented that her husband had the habit of leaving cabinet doors open.  She felt that he was intentionally doing this and he was not respecting her or even trying to correct this bad habit.  This is certainly a bad habit, but I have to admit that sometimes I am in such a hurry with so many things on my mind that I too am guilty of this fault.  I am not intentionally trying to bother other members of my community, I am simply distracted and although I try to remember, sometimes I forget to shut the cabinet doors.

    The devil wants to destroy marriages.  He knows how much damage this will do to you and your children.  He tries to make these small things seem bigger than they need to be and make you read into intentions that are simply not there.  I encourage you to let some of the smaller things go, blow up the grudge box and see these moments as great opportunities to love Christ and offer it up for a good intention!