Sliney Central

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.”  St. Francis de Sales

     Anxiety is like a fly in the room.  Sometimes it buzzes close by, it may even land on your nose, or it may fly off into the corner, but it is always potentially there…the key is to focus on the task at hand and not let it consume your time and energy.  Pray to God, trust in God, and don’t focus on the fly!  Problems may or may not occur, but your prayer will give you the necessary wisdom and strength to get through it…whatever it is!

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     As Christians, our words should reflect “the fragrance of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15), and we should not be afraid to challenge those in our circles who lack self control in this area.  Once as a young kid, I said a bad word after missing a shot during a bumper pool game and my mom called me upstairs and had me clean out my mouth with a bar of soap…more importantly, she led by example.

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “He who is fretted with his own failings will not correct them.  All profitable correction comes from a calm, peaceful, mind.”  St. Francis de Sales

     During my daily visit to the Eucharist, I ask Our Lord: “Jesus, is there anything in my thoughts, words or actions that is getting in your way?  How am I slowing you down?  Please tell me!”  We all need to grow and we all need to be challenged…nobody is ever fully converted or fully Christ-like.  Allow Jesus to tell you in his charitable and kind way what needs to be tweaked, knowing that it is always for your personal and eternal good, first and foremost!

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     I have heard “the mind of a woman” being compared to the “inside of an airplane cockpit”, and the “mind of a man” to a simple “on and off switch.”  No analogy is perfect, but men do need to be sensitive to the painful burden that women feel, being emotionally and mentally connected to so many realities at the same time.  Kindness is really needed and deeply appreciated to soften this stress!

God bless,

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

     “I hope, and I will always hope. And I will never cease hoping. When it is clear that there is no longer any reason to hope, then I will hope all the more.” (Saint Claude de la Colombiere)

   Tough marriage?  Tough health issue?  Tough job situation?  Tough in-laws?   Dryness/darkness in prayer?  Don’t let the devil convince you there is no light at the end of the tunnel.  He wants you to think that all is dark and it will only get darker.   Trust in the light of Christ!   Trust that with God’s help, you will have the necessary peace and strength to navigate through the storm and break on through to the other side!

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Friends in Christ,

    “If, then, you seek to know what path to follow, take Christ because he is the way.”  (St. Thomas Aquinas)

     Christ came to serve.   We had a big “Angel for a Day” event every year to serve the inner city Catholic school families in DC and several of the local schools, parents and kids collected toys and dropped them off.  One Senior in High School impressed me in a particular way.  In the midst of college applications and an intense sports schedule, he dedicated several afternoons to personally collect toys from a local toy store near his house.  After getting permission from the owner, he set up a table and waited for hours asking people to either buy an extra toy or give him a few dollars so he could buy some toys.  He came by with several bags of new toys every week-end for a month…this is “real” service.