Prayer – Perpetual Adoration

February 1, 2013

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Sloth – Failure To Do God’s Work

Do you know the first words of Jesus Christ that were recorded in the Bible? His mother asked Him why He had not told her where He had been for three days, and the twelve-year-old Son of God responded, “How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)

January 18, 2013

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The Destructive Triangle – Covetousness, Avarice, and Greed

As you know, two of the Ten Commandments deal with covetousness: “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife,” and “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s goods.” Covetousness is defined as an inordinately strong desire for possessing someone or something. In his book Victory Over Vice, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said:

January 3, 2013

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Gluttony – The Spirit Is Willing, but the Flesh Is Weak

For years we have been hearing about how the obesity epidemic in America is primarily caused by trans fats, fast food, and drinks that contain large amounts of sugar. We are treated as though we are mindless sheep who have no will-power and are under the spell of an evil force that influences us to continually consume what will ultimately fatten us up and kill us.

December 20, 2012

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Envy – The Viral Passion

Hell came into existence because of the pride and envy of Lucifer and his followers. Lucifer envied God’s perfection and authority over him. He also envied the happiness of our first parents and did everything in his power to alienate them from God.

July 28, 2012

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Saying Yes To A New Commitment

Fr. David and I periodically meet to discuss the status of the perpetual adoration program at St. Philomena. At a recent meeting, the topic of my weekly Adoration Letter came up. We talked about the fact that, on occasion, a parishioner complains about the content of an article or that an opinion expressed in one of the articles may be interpreted by others as the opinion of the staff at St. Philomena.

March 31, 2012

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Is Suffering Evil?

Last Monday while I was in the adoration chapel, a former client of mine, Mary Grace Schneider, arrived for one of her weekly holy hours. I noticed that there was something different about her, but it didn’t register in my brain until she asked me to pray for her. That’s when I realized what was different. She had walked into the chapel without a brace or other walking device, something she had not been able to do for several years.

November 5, 2011

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A Wicked Experience

As you may know, the Broadway show, Wicked, played in Peoria from October 12th through October 30th. When tickets went on sale a few months ago, I bought tickets for me, Georgette, and our three youngest daughters, Mary, Christine and Teresa. Tickets ranged in price from $42 to $127. I got by “cheap” by purchasing the $42 (second balcony) tickets for a total cost of $210..

August 13, 2011

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The Killing of an 8 Year Old Boy

In the early summer of 1967 (when I was 10 years old), while holding onto the end of an old rubber garden hose, I climbed up the Weeping Willow Tree in the back yard of my parents’ home. When I got about 20 feet up, I climbed out onto a thick branch and tied the end of the hose to the branch. Since my intention was to use the hose to swing around like Tarzan, I made sure it was securely fastened to the tree limb.

August 6, 2011

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What Is There To Like About Golf?

Every summer several of my brothers and cousins go to Iowa to play golf for 3½ days. On each of the first three days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) they play at least 36 holes of golf. The final day (Sunday) they play 18 holes. Then they go home.