Shawn The Baptist

We tend to keep going in our current direction. It takes an outside force to reverse course. In the spiritual life we call this grace.

Mary's heart was open and docile to the will of God. We should pray that our hearts and those of the whole world would be like hers.

As I was climbing the Appalachian Trail through the Smoky Mountains, one chant kept me going. Not Aquinas or Palestrina... Dory.

This week I am backpacking 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mountains are my happy place!

Like Jesus, I'm headed to the wilderness for Lent. 70 miles backpacking the Appalachian Trail. There are lessons to learn in the wilderness.

We sometimes believe that we need to change, to eliminate sin, for Jesus to love us. The call of Matthew shows us the truth is exactly the opposite.

Along with the happy moments in life, there are also really difficult times. Jesus reminds us that it's ok to be sad sometimes and we shouldn't be afraid to ask for help.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and today's liturgy reminds us that it is also the start of a great spiritual military campaign.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and today's liturgy reminds us that it is also the start of a great spiritual military campaign.

Today we sing Alleluia for the last time until Easter. But just as Alleluia will return, we know the sad times of life will give way to joy.

Many of our sins are similar to the fruit of a tree. If you want to change the fruit, you've got to heal the root.

We all want to be happy, but how much is enough? How much pain can we tolerate for the sake of something higher?

Our Catholic faith is "apostolic." St. Polycarp received the faith from St. John and then handed it on to St. Irenaeus. And on and on for 2000 years.

On the feast of the Chair of St. Peter we recall how Jesus used a really big rock as the backdrop to give Simon a new name, "Rock."

If you've been hurt, the natural instinct is to want to get even. Mercy is the supernatural practice that breaks the cycle of hurt.

Everyone seems to have something to say these days. But sometimes our words cause hurt and not blessings.

St. James says that faith without works is dead. But why is there such a debate about this topic?

It's a snow day in Kansas City so Fr. Shawn hosted a live show to talk about getting ready for Lent and other questions from viewers.

It's not enough to know some things about Jesus. You have to know him personally. Who do you say that he is?

In today's gospel, Jesus has to try two times to cure a blind man. Sometimes miracles require patience and time.

The role of temptation is often misunderstood. Being tested is a good way to measure where we're at and to grow.

St. Valentine's Day is all about love. But what is love all about? True love is found not in movies, but in patient commitment.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain. But he has been raised! We are now destined for eternal life, and that should make a difference in how we live each day.

God loves us so much that at times he has sent his mother in person to remind us. At Lourdes, this also included miraculous healings.

When it seems like we're at the end of what we can endure, Jesus asks us to lower the nets one more time. Trying just once more with God's help results in a miracle.