Sliney Central

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

Inspirational thoughts

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!

Christ is the missing piece

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “My heart is restless, it can only rest in you, my God.”  (St. Augustine)

      There is only one piece that fits in this puzzle and nothing of this world can be a substitute…it simply does not fit.  So many restless hearts, so many anxious hearts, so many broken hearts,…because Christ is not in the mix.  Christ needs to be a major part of your life and your daily grind; without him you will never discover true peace and happiness.  Rip off the doors of your heart and allow Christ to lodge in that missing hole!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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Honesty

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There, truly, is an Israelite in whom there is no deception.'”  Jn 1: 47

     Several years ago, I asked a few classrooms of Catholic School kids why they did not always tell the truth to the their parents.  The overwhelming response was, “Because we do not want to deal our parents reaction.  They get really mad when they find out the bad things we did, even if we do tell the truth.”  Before asking a tough question, both my mom and dad would say, “Now Michael, look me in the eyes and tell me the truth.  My biggest concern is that you tell me the truth.”  My mom and dad knew that I was not perfect, and I was disciplined accordingly, but I learned the value of being upfront and honest regardless of the cost.

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

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