An A-Ha Moment

 My newest routine when I'm driving home from work is to listen to an episode of Fr. Mike Schmitz's Bible in a Year podcast either on Google Podcasts or the Hallow App. In Hallow, there is a series of Fr. Mike's homilies.  Today I was listening to the Holy Thursday homily and, as usual, it was eye-opening. He did a great job explaining -in context- exactly what (or who) we are receiving in the Eucharist. 

One of the things Fr. said was that with Adam and Eve chose to feed themselves the forbidden fruit. He said it was like God saying, "I will feed you what is good." However, they chose to "feed" themselves.

Often times I wondered if there was a "better" way for Jesus to bring about our salvation. Why was he so adamant about the teaching:  

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day." (John 6:53-54)

And I often wondered why this? Why would he ensure each consecrated Eucharistic host was His real body, blood, soul, and divinity?

After listening today, I learned that He gave us the total gift of Himself - everything He had to give so that we might live. That alone is the main reason. 

But I also know from familiarizing myself with the Bible and studying it more in-depth that God has a reason and a purpose for everything. His plan is perfect. Even when we mess it up, He finds a way to use that to fit in His plan. So, of course, the Eucharist, the thing that everything in the Bible points to, is a purposeful part of His plan. 

Before Adam and Eve ate the apple, God warned them that eating that fruit will cause death. And it did. Once they ate of the fruit, they brought sin and death into the world. But, God did not leave us in that state. He started working with us and teaching us His ways immediately. He promised early on that He would bring us a savior. 

And so, wouldn't it make sense that since our death was brought about by eating something terrible for us, our restoration of life is brought about by feeding us the holiest of food?

 "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6: 51)

It all does come together. Even the practices of the required sacrifices pointed to the Eucharist. Now that He came here, he became the ultimate sacrifice. Realizing this was a big "a-ha" moment for me. This was the only option for our salvation. And only a God who truly loves us would sacrifice so much to save us. Let us remember every time we receive Him to thank Him and open our hearts even more to Him. 

Avoiding the Pitfalls

 When it comes to our thoughts about God, temptations have a way of creeping up in our minds and hearts - often without us realizing it. It is easy for the way of the world to influence our thoughts on God and how He might judge our actions. Themes of doubt, irrational fear, distrust, and laziness can quickly influence us and our faith --IF we let it. Such temptations come from the evil one who is an accuser, tempter, and most of all - a liar.

My Journey With Jesus has been through many of these situations - as all of us have. This morning out of nowhere a thought entered my head. "God will judge those who spread the Gospel to a higher standard (priests, religious, catechists, etc). If you mess up, you know what will happen."

My first thought was, "Yes, that's true. We hear it in Luke 12:48  'Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.'

However, my immediate thought after that was that, "It's OK. I trust God and His Mercy." Just as quickly as the thought came, it vanished.

It's interesting because the temptation to not trust God is the oldest trick in the book.

Gn 3:1-3
Now the snake was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. 

He asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?”

The woman answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.’”

And so, I carried on and will continue to carry on in my missions to share God's love and the Gospel. I will continue to teach. I will continue my Catholic Magazine. I will continue my Journey With Jesus.

A New Direction

 

The Random Thoughts About God blog, which started several years ago has been on hold for the last few years. Today we are heading in a new direction and updating our name. We are now posting under the name Journey With Jesus.

As I grow in my faith and learn more each day, I want to share that journey with my readers. In addition to this blog, I run a  Catholic children's magazine titled Parables. You can learn more about that here.

Thanks for joining me and stay tuned! 

Beyond this Life

Today, on Good Shepherd Sunday, we have read about the Good Shepherd and how He is the gate to a new and abundant life--a life beyond this one.

During the Homily, our priest Fr Mike, talked to us about the intriguing topic of the afterlife. That was a smart idea, because no matter where you are in your faith, this topic is bound to grab attention. If some one's mind drifted off, I'm sure the topic brought them back.

Father pointed to three examples of miraculous events which point to the proof of Heaven. There were several examples, but the one that spoke to me the most was an example of a young girl, Akiane.  Her entire family was atheist and the little girl was an exceptional artist. She began having visions of Jesus and Heaven at the age of four.

When she was eight years old, she painted this amazing picture of Jesus. Father also mentioned this painting matches Jesus' burial shroud - The Shroud of Turin by 90%.

                                        

The story reminded me of an experience I had once. A wonderful Christian friend of mine wanted to show me a music video inspired by the film The Passion of the Christ. I always have a hard time with the Passion because it's painful to see Jesus in such a way. The one who gave up everything for us is being treated so poorly and violently. My friend convinced me to watch the video and I watched as much as I could stomach. That night I had an amazing dream. It was set in Jerusalem around the time of Jesus. The colors everywhere were so pure: pure white stones on which we sat, pure bright sunshine, perfect temperature. I remember having a discussion with Jesus without words.

 It was like He was reading my heart and responded to my anxieties.  It was a calm and reassuring "conversation" that I will never forget. Ever since that night, I've handled the Passion much better. I still might not be able to bring myself to watch graphic shows depicting it, but it no longer tears me to shreds when I think about it. It's because the "conversation" with Him showed me that the Passion was only part of the story. And that is true. We can't leave out the best part: the part where He defeats death and opens the gates of Heaven for us.

The wonderful thing about God, though, is that whether we experience Him through super miracles like Akiane's visions or not, He speaks to us all the time. Sometimes in big ways such as my experience above, on in smaller ways: maybe a song or reading at church touched your heart, maybe it is in something you've seen or read, or maybe it's an inspirational thought in your heart.No matter what, though, when we pay attention and speak with our God, wonderful things happen. And that is proof enough for me that there is more Beyond this Life.

Presenting the Mass

Since today is the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, our parish priest celebrated Mass with a small addition. He gave us a Presentation of the Mass. What does that mean exactly? It is very simple, hopefully not controversial, and highly educational. He explained the "whats" and the "whys" of Mass. I know, I know. I can hear the statements now: "But I'm a cradle Catholic. I KNOW what the Mass is." However, even though I've gone to church every week for many, many years, am a Catholic author and teacher and Editor-in-Chief of an online Catholic magazine, I still learned something new this morning. I think everyone there did.

At the beginning, he told us instead of a long homily, he was going to explain why he is doing something or why our responses are important. It may have been a little unorthodox, but the gift he gave us was monumental and certainly served Christ. He gave us a better understanding of what is happening at Mass. When we get the meaning - the true meaning- of something, it means more to us. We're not just going to say a few prayers and mumble some responses. No!

We are clearing our souls of venial sins,

 praying in unison with the saints and angels,

 and participating in the miracle that joins heaven and earth.

People of all different levels in their faith journey were there. We will never know the lengths of this great service caused today. There could have been a person who usually misses Mass, but made it today. Imagine the good it did if anything Father said today touched this person's heart. That goes for everyone there. We all learned something new, all grew a little more and hopefully deepened our faith a bit more. Two thousand years ago Mary and Joseph gave gifts in celebration of Jesus' Presentation. Today, our priest did the same.

The Thread

Sometimes people hurt us. It may be people close to us or acquaintances. No matter who it comes from, if the attack is a personal one, it hurts just the same. As humans, we often run through a range of emotions when this happens: Anger, discontent, hurt and frustration. These are all normal, human reactions especially if the offender's actions are chronic.

However, as Christians we are called to a higher behavior. Jesus calls on us repeatedly to "forgive" each other.In Matthew18:21 He tells us we should forgive not 7 times, but seventy times seven. In the Lord's Prayer it even states, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." These are meaningful words-we are asking God to forgive us the way we forgive others. So if we expect God to be merciful to us, we must be merciful to others.

But, not only are we called to forgive those who hurt us, but we are called to pray for them.Praying for those who hurt us seems like a daunting task. Pray for the person who called you those degrading names? Pray for that person who bullies you? Yes! Hurtful people probably need many prayers.

However, this really is as much for us as it is for them. Prayer pulls us closer to God and brings us in His presence. Often times, an offense may be so hurtful that we may be "hanging on by a thread" before giving into the temptations of anger, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. But, I have noticed the times I've been at that point that prayer is the one thing that keeps the "thread" intact. If we pray enough, our hearts will soften, and we let go of the desire for revenge. Instead of a racing mind on "what to say the next time I see them," our hearts and minds will be at peace. Sometimes it may take a few "Hail Marys", other times it could take much more.  But once we have prayed, we can rest peacefully knowing we did right by God and our offender. The peacefulness in our hearts is a much better feeling than the snapping of the "thread" we've been hanging on to.

Why is the Mass so Important

Even the most devout families hear it from the kids:

 "But Moooommmm, do we have to go? Again?"

"We just went last week."

"We go every week!"

And so went our discussion at breakfast this morning. I discussed how attending Mass is something God asks of us, how it is part of the ten commandments, and how it is the only time during the week in which we participate in the Miracle of the Eucharist. After all, we are responsible for our choices. God will not force us to go to church,. He will not force us to choose Him. However, when we make a choice, we also choose the consequences of that choice.

Some were not impressed, and once again it turned into  a "Well, we're going to Church, deal with it," situation.

We make our way to church, with some grumbling along the way. We pick our seats and kneel down in prayer before Mass starts. Part of my prayer was that my children see the benefit of the Mass and why it is so important. I finish my prayer and sit in the pew. I lean over and whisper to the kids, "I want you to be sure to pay attention to what Father says during the Homily." My hope was that in paying attention, the may see some spiritual benefit in going to church in  addition to Holy Communion. I hoped they would hear something that made them "get it".

The time for the Homily came and I was flabbergasted. Did God just answer my prayer? Already? The Homily was mostly about the importance of a funeral mass (tying into today's Gospel) but the priest also stressed why the Mass is important. He stressed Mass and general prayer (for example a prayer service) are not equal. Mass is The Great Prayer. THE prayer. Why? Because we are joining our living and spiritual brothers and sisters in witnessing the miracle of the Eucharist. Mass is the highest form of prayer.

Our priest gave several examples illustrating all his points.During this homily, I watched my children's hearts soften as they began to understand that the Mass is more than an obligation in which people talk and sing for an hour. As Mass continued, I was in awe. Once again (it happens often) being at Mass addressed an issue I have been struggling with. How wonderful that what I had just been teaching my children at breakfast, had been reiterated by a respected priest.

Thank you God for hearing my prayers once again. And thank you for the gift of a devout and holy priest!

Praying for our priests

This is the second week in a row that my local parish priest emphasised how the Gospels of these 2 weeks and Pope Francis' inaugural wish tie together. What was that wish? That we, the members of the Church, take care of each other. We should take care of each other the way the Good Samaritan took care of the injured man on the road. We should take care of each other by showing hospitality the way Martha and her sister Mary did in this week's Gospel. He is right. We should do these things. Many times neighbors do not treat each other well. One might make life difficult instead of easier for the other. But that is not what we are called to do. In contrast I've seen another neighbor help a family just by bringing their trash to the curb when the family was with their child in the hospital battling a serious illness. That IS what we are called to do.

However, I want to take this a step further. I feel we should extend this care and hospitality to our priests. Our priests sacrifice everyday to bring us God's Word, the Eucharist, His Mercy and forgiveness, and many other things we don't "see". Several times in confession a priest will ask at the end, "And please pray for me,"
Wow. Our priests need our prayers and support. They not only face the battles, prejudices and injustices in daily life, but they face a spiritual battle. Remember, they bring us the life-saving Eucharist. They are on the front lines of the battle! They need our prayers.

Now, having heard that call from the pulpit to take care of each other, I felt a deeper call. A call to take care of our priests. How can I do that? Prayer. I plan to incorporate all priests in every prayer I utter and every prayer in my heart.

We are all called to live in Heaven with God and to become saints. If I ever reach that, God willing, I will continue to pray for our priests. They need us. And even more so, we need them

Christmas is Hope

Christmas is a time of hope. It may be hard to remember that this year in the aftermath of the shooting in the Connecticut school. Too many young, innocent and heroic lives were taken just days before Christmas. We see devastation, sorrow and pain all over the nation. We feel for the families who lost their children, sisters, brothers, and cousins. How will any of them ever get through this?

But...just as in Jesus' ultimate suffering - this is not the end of the story. First, these children are probably spending their Christmas with our Lord Himself. Are they huddled by the manger? Are they telling Him all about their families on Earth? Are they celebrating at the ultimate feast where there are no kiddie tables - just one big table?

 Meanwhile, back here, in the aftermath of the shooting, people are bringing a part of Heaven back to Earth. In Heaven there is love. Lots of love. As I read the news, peruse Facebook, and talk with friends and family, I hear stories of people banding together to "do something" to ease the people's suffering in CT.

                                                        ©2012 Jacqueline Gladen



I know a preschool family gathering hearts with messages of love to send to CT. I learned of a project being done to create glittery snowflakes to decorate the CT kids' new school. There are prayers and Masses, being said. There are laws being looked at. There are children creating art and writing poems for these families. There are groups protecting the funerals.  Everyone is pulling together and showing love.

This, my friends, is Hope. This is what Jesus brought into the world 2,000 years ago. This is real compassion to help those who need it most. When these families feel so alone, the country is showing them they are not. Jesus feels our pain. He knows what the suffering of the innocent is like. He shared His sacrificial cup with them, but now they are sharing in His glorifying feast.

Jesus came here to bring hope to us all. And after seeing the country coming together to ease the pain in CT, I still see Christmas Hope amidst all the suffering going on.  God bless the families in CT. God bless His helpers easing the suffering. And  "God bless us, everyone!"

A Little Perspective

Before this week, this tragic event that happened in CT would have depressed me more and make me wonder how our society can be so crazy. "What is the world coming to," would be my question. 

However, last week, after being stressed about insurance issues for my ill children, someone (you know who you are) offered to help us in everyway possible. For the first time in a month and a half I felt hope. 

I think God allows everything for a reason. If it were not for my own stresses about my children and then experiencing people's love and eagerness to relieve our stress, I might be tempted to lose hope in humanity again after hearing about the shooting in Connecticut. It is so easy to slip into thoughts such as "People today are crazy." Or "The world is gone insane." But don't despair, because there are good people in the world. In fact, despite what we see, there is still much more good than evil in the world. Remember - God created the world and called it "Good". 

So - a little bit of Thanks goes out to all the good people in the world. And thank you to that person who put things in perspective with out even knowing it! God Bless you all and have a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS SEASON.

PS - Looking for something to do for the victims and help relieve your anxiety about the situation? Offer a Rosary or a Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the victims. Offer the prayer that they all may be celebrating Christmas with our Savior in person this year.

Catholic Book Review: My First Prayers for Christmas

My First Prayers for Christmas by Maite Roche is a beautiful board book fillled with heartwarming Christmas prayers for children. The illustrations are colorful and inspiring. The book was originally publishd in French and was translated by Carie Akoun

There are seven simple prayers in this book which  all children can enjoy. They are short enough to hold the attention of infants and toddlers for a combination of bedtime prayers and a bedtime story, yet hold the attention of older readers who are reading and internalizing the sweet prayers. The language in the prayers offer concrete words, which allow the reader to visualize the concepts in the prayers. 

I love how each prayer begins with "In the name of the Father, and of the Son..." and ends with "Amen", just as all our prayers do in the Catholic faith. This consistancy reinforces what the children are learning about prayer in their religious classes and at church.

"Soon it will be Christmas Day." The prayer book starts out from the perspective of anxious children awaiting the birth of our Savior. "With the angels I sing your wonders." The next prayer joins the angels on this most holy night.  Each prayer through the book follows along in succession the events of the Christmas Miracle. As we follow along the journey of Christmas, we pray along with prayers of joy, wonder, praise  and thanksgiving.

This book was a fun book to read with the lively illustrations jumping off the page. With each turn of the page, there was colorful words and pictuers which shared the joy of the prayers. As I read this to young children, they, too were enticed by the language and colors used in the book. They reached out and wanted to touch the angels or the baby Jesus. This book is sure to be a great start to a lifetime of prayer.

I highly recommend this book for a child's first collection of Christmas prayers. 

I wrote this review of My First Prayers for Christmas for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Jesus King of Peace

"Let God deal with the things they do. Because hate in your heart will consume you too." ~~Will Smith

This quote from Will Smith has been on my mind lately. You see, ever since my husband and I got married and moved into our home, our next door neighbor has caused a ton of pain and heartache for our family. For thirteen years every run in with them consists of a negative comment, complaint, anger or threat. We only got a little relief when new neighbors on our other side moved in. At least now we had someone to be bullied with. As the years went on, and our family began and grew, we learned to avoid our grumpy neighbor. It was the easiest way to keep the peace. Though it didn't help really. Because when you bottle things up, an explosion occurs eventually. 

At times we remained prisoners in our home. It would be time to take out the trash. I peek outside and see the neighbor sitting on the step. The trash bag waits by the door until the neighbor goes in. 

Then the unthinkable happens. My two youngest children are diagnosed with serious, possibly life threatening illnesses. Of course our top priorities are keeping the children alive, healthy and safe. And yet, you could always count on that neighbor to catch you on the way to the hospital, complaining that the grass is 2 1/2 inches long. Only "slobs" let the grass get that "bad". What she didn't know or chose to ignore was the fact that my 3 year old was in the hospital every month for at least 10 days. By the time life got back to normal, we were back in the hospital. 

As more years went on, the children's health stabilized. The children grew older and loved to play outside. However, every time they are out there, the grumpy neighbor is yelling about something. Even though the children are following my strict rules of staying in my driveway. There just seems to be no win. 

Finally, just recently, I couldn't take it anymore and yelled back. My children just wanted to play. That was it. The neighbor called us all nasty names and ran inside. Many many times I play the scene back in my head. "I should have said this. That would get back at her." "Next time I'll say..." As I played the scenes in my head I hoped I'd feel better. But I didn't. It made me feel worse. As I laid in bed that night I realized the only way I could "let go" of the situation was to do what Jesus told us to do so long ago. Give it to Him.

My heart wanted to hang on to the anger and despair. By sheer will,I turned it over to God. I was too upset to say too much. So I just prayed:

Jesus, King of Peace, fill my heart.
Jesus, King of Peace, fill my heart.
Jesus, King of Peace, fill my heart.

And guess what happened. Suddenly, I was able to let go of the situation. Of course the situation makes me sad at times, but it doesn't have a hold on me. I was able to fall asleep peacefully that night.

And so, just as the song goes, "Let God deal with the things they do. Because hate in your heart will consume you too."

Blessed by Holy Priests

A few years ago when our parish said good bye to a great priest, (he was called to help another parish ), I wondered if God would bless us again with another great priest (after all, we already have a great pastor.) Would our parish even get a second priest due to the shortage of priests?

Not long after Father left, our parish was blessed once again with a holy, enthusiastic priest. From the first Mass he said for our parish, I knew God blessed us once again. He has been with us for a little over a year now and I've seen how much he loves our God and our Lady. We still have a winning team of priests at our parish. With the world as tough and depressing as it is, every time I go to Mass, my hope is renewed. God is reminding me that He is with us and He has many faithful shepherds ready to guide us to Him. Isn't God amazing?  

Our "new" priest said many Masses and homilies over the year and, just like with our pastor, I've learned something from each one. Sometimes he reinforces the teachings we grew up with. In this world that tells you    the church is wrong and unfair, it's nice to come "home" and be reassured. Other times we hear some tough teachings, just as Jesus gave to His disciples. Another time I've seen him completely humbled and literally on his knees in reparation for the priest scandals. Finally, there are the times I've seen him be brave and talk about things that might make him unpopular in this secular world.

I've also learned so much from the priests we've had in our parish. One thing I'm learning here is that when God takes something precious from us, he doesn't leave us stranded. He bestows greater blessings on us which often fulfills a need we never even knew we had. I've learned our priests have the toughest job in the world. They will often be unpopular, ridiculed, and called discriminatory. Not only is there a potential for them to be attacked by the secular world, but if they do their job well, there is potential for them to be attacked by the devil and his temptations. Yet they still do their job. I've learned that more than anything, our priests need our prayers. After all they give us with Mass and of course bringing us Jesus every week (and even every day), offering prayers for them is the least we can do for them.

So here is my personal prayer for not just my parish priests, but for priests worldwide:

Dear Jesus, the Good Shephard
Thank you for giving us our holy priests.
May your Spirit of Truth and Wisdom inspire their hearts
And their words be Your words, King of Peace.
Guide them with your Providence
and Protect them from harm.
May they always be faithful to You
in doing your Will.
Bless them with courage for their tough job ahead
Shield them from the temptations of the evil one
and Surround them with your holy angels. 

Amen

Copyright Jennifer Gladen 2012

A Few Good Priests

I firmly believe we are in a time where great saints will be made. And not just a few known around the world, but possibly in your own parish right now. We are at a time when we either stick with the church or turn from it. It takes courage to stand with the Church now.

But we can't do it without our priests. Yes, a few have given the church and the priesthood a bad name. And as our priest said in today's homily - those priests deserve justice. Without a doubt.

 But there are so many unsung heroes in the Church - much more than the few who hurt the Church and its members. Our parish has been blessed with great priest after great priest. For me just their dedication, humility and faithfulness speaks the truth about what our Church is and what it stands for.

When you go to Church today - or any Sunday, listen to what your priest is saying to you. What message is he delivering to you in the Homily? What is Jesus saying to you in the Eucharist?  Yes, there are some "bad priests" out there and they will be held liable - to society and worse - to God.

However, there are many more here serving God justly and faithfully. Yes, there are more than just a "Few Good Priests" out there. They will lead us through the tough times which are imminent. They will help carve the great saints of our time.

A Mother's Prayer

 

Thank you God for giving me the gift of motherhood.

That I may do the best job possible, I ask:

God please grant me....

The heart of the saints.

The forgiveness of  Jesus 

The kindness of the Father

The wisdom of the Holy Spirit

And the patience of Mother Mary.

Book Review: Walking with Jesus

Walking With Jesus

By Father Daniel Sullivan

http://www.monsignordanielsullivan.com

Publisher: Paulist Press
http://www.paulistpress.com/

ISBN-10: 0809141310

ISBN-13: 978-0809141319

Walking with Jesus, written by Father Daniel Sullivan,  is an inspiring book which takes us on a spiritual journey of the crucifixion and death of Jesus through the points-of-view of those who knew Him. These fictional first person reflections make you think about what these other biblical people may have been thinking. We meet people such as the soldiers, guards, the thieves crucified with Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the Lepers, The Virgin Mary, John the beloved disciple, and even some other people less known friends of Jesus.

As we read along and “walk with Jesus”, we easily see these good and not so good traits in us. However, the passages often leave us with a sense of hope. No matter who was at the foot of the Cross, Jesus was continually seeking the people out. Not just as a group – but as individual people. Just as God knows each of us down to the hairs on our heads and has called us each by name, so Jesus sought each person, individually, from the cross. As we read, we see these events are just as it is today. Jesus loves and has died for each of us – individually. What a great lesson of hope!

As a reader, I found myself breezing through the chapters without pause. I laughed, I cried, and I smiled. Each chapter I found myself asking, “In what great way will meeting Jesus change this person’s life?” Often in the book, the change is a result from something simple Jesus said or did – great, but simple.

This book is great for everyone, no matter where you are in your spiritual life. I fully recommend Walking with Jesus to anyone seeking growth in their journey with Jesus.



Where to get Walking with Jesus:

http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Jesus-Reflections-Those-Knew/dp/0809141310  

http://www.monsignordanielsullivan.com/CDS-and-Books-Available.html



About Monsignor Daniel Sullivan:

Monsignor Daniel Sullivan has been a pries of the diocese of Trenton since 1975. Learn more about him at: http://www.monsignordanielsullivan.com/My-Philosophy.html

Daniel Sullivan, Monsignor

I chose a special topic today to blog about in the A to Z blogging challenge.  Daniel Sullivan. More specifically, Monsignor Daniel Sullivan. He is an engaging speaker, motivating priest and a servant of God on a mission.

Father Dan, as he is often called, began his ministry as a parish priest. After several years, and many inspiring experiences later, he began doing parish retreats. His words and stories move your heart and soul. They point out our humanity, and thus, our dependence on God. The experiences Father Dan shares with you will make you laugh, and some will make you cry. But it's just these emotions in which our own healing begins - and thus a miracle. His preaching is powerful and thought provoking.

But there is more to what Father Dan is about. He felt called to follow a visiting Archbishop to Sierra Leone, Africa where he learned the true horrors of war on all humans - but especially children. Father was so moved by the nightmares he saw, that he got involved. As he said at a recent retreat, "These are my kids."  Father Dan runs several projects to help his kids, which can be found on his website.

One project he's working on is collecting children's books. As a children's author this appealed to me. I am currently contemplating the most effective way I can help these children.  If you have a moment, I recommend you check out the link - http://www.monsignordanielsullivan.com/ and learn more about this inspirational priest and his mission. Be sure to look into his book Walking with Jesus as well, which can be purchased  here.

Review of Father Donald Calloway's No Turning Back

No Turning Back is a book worth reading for everyone. No matter where you are in your spiritual life, you will benefit from Father Calloway's experiences. I found this book to be one of the most captivating books I've read in a long time. Father story of his journey of faith was inspiring. From the minute I picked up the book, I was hooked. This book can easily be read in a few short days with the way it captivates the reader.






The introduction was a general explanation of the journey toward God that Father Donald traveled. It warns of his "animal-like" behavior in his teen years and asks forgiveness in advance to what we are about to read. This introduction was no exaggeration. The next nine chapters detailed all of the negative events that plagued Father Calloway's early life. His stories will make you want to pray for others who may be in those situations now.






At one point in the book, he refers to a scene being like a scene in a movie. In fact the whole book seems like events from a movie. He vividly details his wrong doings from disrespecting his parents, to drug and alcohol abuse, to stealing, and even nights in prison.






Just when you think the story couldn't be any more captivating, you follow Father through his miraculous conversion. This too was like a scene from a movie. I found myself cheering Father along as he rushed in urgency to visit a priest. Background music could have easily been playing as Father literally turned his life upside down in order to make room for God.






We see many sides of Father throughout the book, however all his past experiences have given him the skills of perseverance and determination to pursue the priesthood.






The book was well written and I had a hard time putting it down. I've managed to read it in just a few short days.


Father tells his story in such a personal way that you feel like you are there with him. This book also offers a bright beacon of hope for those who have family members in similar situations.






I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in Catholic spiritual reading. You won't be sorry.






You can purchase this book here.


I wrote this review of No Turning Back for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Oplatki and Advent Calendars. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.






Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.






I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Review of Divine Mercy Video

Orthodoxy: Mostly adheres to Church teachings.



Reading Level: N/A


By Jennifer Gladen (PA) - See all my reviews




Synopsis


An engaging cartoon about the Divine Mercy and how to pray it.


Evaluator Comments


Saint Faustina, together with her friends, talk about what the Divine Mercy Devotion is. Saint Faustina tells the children the story of when Jesus appeared to her and asked her to spread the message of his divine mercy to all.


They then go to church and pray the chaplet together. For each decade they do, they focus on the mysteries of Jesus’ Passion. While Saint Faustina and the children are praying, an image of that mystery is displayed on the screen. The artwork is colorful and eye catching, but doesn't distract you from praying.

In decade one, they focused on the Agony in the Garden and they show Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. The second decade was the Scourging at the Pillar and briefly showed the scourging. I found children with a strong love of Jesus had a tough time with the second mystery. However, this can be a great conversation starter and teachable moment for children. In the third decade they meditated on the Crowing of Thorns, showing the image of soldiers placing the crown of thorns on Jesus' head. The fourth mystery showed the Carrying of the Cross. With this image we see the cruelty the soldiers show Jesus as He carries His cross. Finally, with the fifth decade the characters focus on the Crucifixion.


After the prayers, Saint Faustina explains the importance and necessity of the sacrament of Confession and how this is a wonderful way to receive God’s mercy.


For children who are sensitive to Jesus' sufferings, you may want to prepare them ahead of time. The depictions are not graphic, but His passion and why He suffered can be a hard concept for children to grasp.


I showed this to my children and immediately it grabbed their attention. Instinctually, they all joined in the prayers. This movie definitely engages the children, while teaching them about Jesus and how to pray.


I fully recommend this video.

You can purchase the Divine Mercy Chaplet for Kids here





I wrote this review for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, the largest Catholic Store online. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.



Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.


I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Our Lord So Near

Our Lord So Near


By: Jennifer Gladen






Can you hear Him among the noise?


Can His voice penetrate your life?


Can you hear the whisper in your ear?


That is the sound of our Lord so near.






Hear the sound, though so soft


Welcome His words, as they come


Breath of the Spirit touches your ear,


That is the Voice of our Lord so near.






Feel the calmness embrace your heart,


Feel the gentleness in His words,


Feel the warmth of the Spirit in your ear,


That is the Presence of our Lord so near.