Inspirational thoughts

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends, in Christ,

     “Gossip can also kill, because it kills the reputation of the person! It is so terrible to gossip! At first it may seem like a nice thing, even amusing, like enjoying a candy. But in the end, it fills the heart with bitterness, and even poisons us.” (Pope Francis, Angelus, Feb. 16, 2014).

    Before you say, spread or post a “lie”, try to separate yourself from the angry or jealous feelings that you may feel towards that particular person, and reflect on the damage that will be done.  Even “stretching” the truth in a negative light can have extremely hurtful consequences…humility and magnanimity are a big part of being Christian. In the end, you are also hurting yourself as well…

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends, in Christ,

     “If you do not understand a man you cannot crush him. And if you do understand him, very probably you will not.” G.K. Chesterton

    As I listen and spend more time with people, my appreciation of them typically tends to grow.  You begin to realize their personal struggles, their vulnerabilities and hurts, their anxieties and fears…and empathy becomes so much easier.  When a homeless man in NYC asked me if I had ever spent two weeks on the street in the freezing cold, without a shower and rarely without a hot meal, and that even with 4 pairs of socks on, he could no longer feel his toes…it certainly changed my perspective!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends, in Christ,

     “When I am incapable of praying or practicing virtue, then is the moment to look for small occasions, nothings, to give You pleasure. For example, a smile, a friendly word, when I should much prefer to say nothing at all or look bored…. When I find no occasions, at least I want to keep telling You that I love You; it is not difficult and it keeps the fire of love going.” (St. Thèrése of the Child Jesus,  Letters, 122)

     When your emotional and mental batteries are running low, when you are having a rough day and it seems like everything and everyone is against you, when you simply want to just shut down and go to bed…this is the golden time of deep virtue!  Try to smile, say a friendly word and try your best to show Jesus that you really do love him.

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends, in Christ,

     “The culture of selfishness and individualism that often prevails in our society is not, I repeat, not what builds up and leads to a more habitable world: rather, it is the culture of solidarity that does so; the culture of solidarity means seeing others not as rivals or statistics, but brothers and sisters.”  Pope Francis

    We live in a culture when everyone is trying to “one-up” their team-mate, sibling, co-worker, or friend…whatever the cost and by whatever means necessary.  You can be successful and driven while still caring about those around you and trying to help them to shine in the process…this is the Christian way!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends, in Christ,

     “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” G.K. Chesterton

     During one of our mission trips to Mexico, our bus load of boys and dads stopped by a roadside house to use their two outhouses in the field.  They used newspaper for toilet paper, their “house” was a shack with a dirt floor and flimsy cots as beds, and corn tortillas seemed to be the staple dish.  But the three Mexican girls and their mom and dad had bright smiles on their faces and a deep peace in their hearts.  They told me that they went to Mass every Sunday, prayed and truly valued their time together as a family.  Faith and family are such huge gifts and I encourage all of the parents out there to make this the priority as well.

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     ‘Be gentle in your actions; speak with a peaceful mind and in a calm tone, and you will succeed better.’   St. Paul of the Cross

     Being the youngest of four, my parents learned the “art of parenting” with my older siblings and I reaped the benefits.  Their calm tone and balanced emotional disposition when admonishing, correcting or punishing made it a whole lot easier to stomach the punishment and truly listen to their words.   Nagging, ranting and raving, and “making sure they understand” is never effective with kids.  They seem to take it better when the parents are calm, concise and to the point.  I have no doubt that regular Confession and daily Mass (for my mom) had a lot to do with my mom and dad’s self-control.

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance.”  (Mt 5: 4)

     Three years ago, we made a stop in New Zealand before going to World Youth Day in Australia.  During one of our outings, I entered a sheep corral with a group of kids and suddenly one of the larger sheep rushed toward us with his head down.  My first reaction was to run, but then I remembered that it was a sheep!   Sure enough, as it approached, it slowed down and gently walked towards us looking for a little affection.

     Christ himself was referred to as the “Lamb of God”, and he was truly meek and humble of heart.  We need to ask Christ for this grace of gentleness and meekness, because for some of us, it can certainly be a struggle!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “He must grow greater, I must grow less.” (Jn 3: 30)

    After making my first Profession of Religious Vows, a very holy priest reminded me, “Remember, Br. Michael, that you are a donkey.  You are carrying Christ in your heart and Christ will always be the protagonist.”  This is so true!  The inspiration to do good comes from Christ, the grace and strength to actually do it comes from Christ, and the positive results come from Christ blessing the effort.  He does ask for our collaboration, and although this is important, we need to always remember who is the protagonist!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “If you judge people you have no time to love them.”  St. Mother Teresa

   Are we here to judge or are we here to love?  If you could read the soul and history of a really prickly and difficult person, you would feel a lot more compassion than resentment.

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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TKC!

InspireYouVideo: Running late?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a8ROSuSSXlg

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC