Know - Grow - Go

While the Sacrament of Reconciliation (a.k.a., Confession) is one of Fr. Bill's favorites, that's not the case for most people. Fr. Bill walks through some of the questions and fears surrounding this healing sacrament to explain its importance and show how we can experience a Transfiguration through it.

Lent is a time to retune the ears of our heart. That’s really the point of our fasting, prayer, and sacrifice: they’re invitations to weaken the ego with its incessant demands, to refocus our gaze back to God, and to hear Him say once more to us, “You are my beloved child. I know your heart. I know what’s best for you. I have plans for you. Come back to Me." You don’t have to have your act togethe...

Lent gives us a special time to be keenly aware of our sins and our own selfishness. Jesus' challenge in the Gospel is not to stop doing righteous deeds or prayer altogether, but to do them for the good of others and the glory of God regardless if they will be seen or not by others. As you begin your Lenten journey and practice, measure it against the standard of how it will be good for others, no...

Living the commandment to love our enemies is probably the hardest thing we can do. Simply put, we cannot do this without the supernatural grace of God. Remember that "love" is not the same as “like.” Loving someone is willing good for the other, while liking someone is a much more subjective thing. You don’t have to like everyone, but you must love them. This commandment is not a suggestion. It’s...

The vocation to marriage calls an individual to imitate God’s love by dedicating oneself to service for their spouse and to be open to the children conceived from their love. In this covenant of love, husbands and wives strive to live out the promise to love as God loves in a particular way, by giving of each other without condition. Through the highs and lows, the ecstasies and crucibles of marri...

Humility is knowing who we are as God has created us; knowing our true place in life, not more and not less. We are meant to recognize our God-given talents and tend those gifts to the best of our ability, not for the sake of ourselves but for God and others. To be ultimately motivated for our own sake is arrogance, empty, and vain. Our struggle is that we are prone to slip into the two extremes:...

In the end, the Beatitudes are really about God’s love for us, hidden in the cross; God waiting for us in the difficult places. It’s not easy to trust that, to surrender to that. If you haven't yet, pray the Surrender Novena; there's strength and courage in that prayer, a peace that the world cannot give. All of us have those hard places in our life, places that are out of control, ugly, sad, hurt...

Borrowing heavily from the book Managing from the Heart , Fr. Bill offers these five principles when engaging with others, as we commit to and work towards greater unity: 1. Hear and understand me 2. Even if you disagree, don’t steamroll me 3. Acknowledge the greatness within me 4. Remember to look for my loving intention 5. Tell me the truth with compassion

During this Ordinary Time, when you leave church after Mass, share your faith. Bring God into your conversations. Be an agent of Christ and his Church in the world in the small moments, even those perceived as insignificant. It is in these seemingly small, ordinary encounters in which Grace abounds.   Videos referenced in homily  —  "Newhart" final scene   |   Bob Newhart on "Newhart" finale

Darkness is everywhere. Sometimes it comes from evil actors or outside forces; sometimes it comes from us. But, as baptized Catholic Christians, do not lose sight of the good things born of God’s amazing grace which abound everywhere. His light has been entrusted to you by virtue of your baptism, and you are called to be a light unto the nations. When you watch the news, pray for every news item,...

When you became part of the Body of Christ, you became a child of God, and He loves you with the very same love with which He loves Jesus, His only-begotten Son. There’s power in knowing that, and even more power in making that the pole – the stillpoint – around which your life revolves. A parent's love is only a shadow of the love that the Father has for each of us – and we can trust in His love...

If you are feeling down, left out, lonely; if you are struggling with selfishness, greed, envy; if you struggle with self-worth or are being too critical of yourself: give yourself over to God. Surrender to Him. Then, God can give you a profound gift, one that will set you free to love as He loves and to to be rescued from whatever binds you. Christmas is a time to celebrate what God did when He l...

A litmus test of our faith can be, in part, how thankful we are. The Church even proclaims how giving thanks to God is ultimately the best response in the Preface at Mass (“Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.” “It is right and just.”). God is the author of all we give thanks for, so it is right and just to give that thanks back to Him after it passes through us. May we put our gratitude into a...

Do you find yourself captured or afraid? Does the weight of sin or its consequences feel like it will crush you? Know that Jesus sees you. He wants to rescue you from whatever pit you have found yourself in and carry your yoke together. He knows what you are going through - He too was mocked, lied to, felt abandoned, a failure, and wished that his suffering would pass him by. But while he experien...

When you're struggling with something - including church teachings and dogma, like that of the Immaculate Conception - remember: nothing will be impossible for God.

Why is the world so broken? The short answer is because we've believed the lie that we are not okay as we are; that the life God has given us is not enough. Doubting God, doubting His care and His plan for us, we place our hopes elsewhere and set up new lords in our hearts. And just when those lords have their hooks in us, they turn on us, robbing us of our peace and freedom and leaving us unhappy...

Our Advent homily series will focus on the kerygma — the basics of Salvation History. Salvation History is the story of God’s work in his creation, specifically how he interacted and saved us. It's the story of what God has done, is doing, and why. God created us in his image and likeness, to have an eternal soul. Every person is called to live in harmony with God in heaven. As we gaze into the st...

What are you thankful for? That’s the question Fr. Bill asks of our Thanksgiving Day Mass attendees. Consider what you are thankful for as you listen to their responses!

God knows our sufferings. He knows our failures. And he wants to rescue us from these things, to heal us from our sins and transform our minds to know that we part of his plan regardless of where we fall short. What we need to do is reorient ourselves to let Jesus take over, abandoning everything else in favor of God's will. Thus, when failures come our way, we will not be shaken - for our hope is...

It's important to be "audit ready" now, for the end may come at any time. But let's not lose sight that there is life after death. We will experience trials, illness, and even death, but in the final analysis, God will completely restore his faithful to a state of perfection in heaven. This week, make a point of thanking God out loud for accompanying you through the disturbances, catastrophes, and...

Pope Francis has said many times that at this time in history, there’s no more important job we have than to seek out the lost, remember the forgotten, and accompany the lonely. If we look, it wouldn’t be too hard for any of us to find a person in our lives that fits that description. Your challenge is to seek out that anonymous individual, to call them by name, and to be the hand of God stretched...

We all have times when we are lost and distant in our faith. Think about someone (a friend, sibling, child, or parent) whom you know to be living in a way that is not of the faith. Seek them out. Invite them to a dinner or lunch. Rekindle your friendship regardless of the other person’s situation. Have no agenda other than love. Perhaps, if you yourself feel lost, both of you may be found.

Our lives aren’t meant to be a soliloquy; they’re meant to be a dialogue, with a Father who loves us. This week, take a look at your prayer; are you talking at God, or are you talking with Him?

If you struggle to find time to pray, start small: this week, strive to find just 5-10 minutes each day to be alone with God, pour your heart out to Him, and listen for His reply. Try the bathroom (seriously!) if you struggle to find a space alone. It doesn’t have to be rigid; you can open simply with, “Hey! God! It’s me. Here I am. Open my heart to your presence. This time is your time.” Then all...

Every day this week, make a concerted effort to recognize someone and thank them - and then, thank the one who sent them (God, from whom all good things come). Watch what happens. Gratitude is contagious!