I arrived to do my morning prayers at the chapel of the Missionaries of Charity. As usual the chapel is empty, with the Crucifix in the middle with words "I Thirst" beside it on the front wall. This time the altar was covered with a green cloth with the following words: "You did it to Me." At first the words didn't say anything to me, but the more I stared at them the more meaning they took on. I realized that the "Me" was capitalized. It clicked: You did it to Me! Wow whatever I did, good or bad, smiling or not, nice thoughts or bad, whatever I said or did not say, if I helped or not, if I prayed or not….."Whatever...you did it to Me."...I did it to Christ! That hit me hard.

When we look it that that way -- wow! How I need to start working because I don't think Christ deserves my bad mood, or my tiredness, or my headache, or my laziness. Christ deserves the best of me: my smile, my self-giving, my patience, my service, my generosity, my love, my all. As someone once said: Christ is not worth something, Christ is worth ALL! Christ is worth my life.

Once again here at the Missionaries of Charity chapel, where for the past three years I have received so many graces, I renew the yes I gave to Christ almost 18 years ago!

I want to live my days with that in mind: "You did it to Me".

All boys and girls love snacks! Now what if snack could be served in a way that creatively reinforces the theme of redemption and service? Then it’s not just about feeding kids so they don’t run on empty stomachs, but also about teaching them a valuable lesson. The other day I tried something new, and it worked… here it is; it’s called Push Ups for Donuts!

Before the teens got to snack, I made sure that a whole variety of snacks were laid out in an elegant fashion on top of a table. I setup chairs in an auditorium style and asked the teens to sit down as they came in, without grabbing any food.  Read the rest of this entry »

"What a weakness it is to love Jesus Christ only when He Caresses us, and to be cold immediately once He afflicts us. This is not true love. Those who love thus, love themselves too much to love God with all their heart." --  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

We need to be careful to not believe the "Gospel of Prosperity." If we are truly following Christ, we should not be surprised that he would allow adversity and trials…so necessary for spiritual and moral growth and this is when Christ discovers who are his true friends. When is gets really tough, try to see Christ asking you, "Do you love me? Do you really love me?"

Many great guides are available to tell you the important sites, sumptuous restaurants and comfortable hotels of Rome. But only here will you learn the top 10 key nuggets of traveling wisdom that might make the difference between a pleasant trip and something worth forgetting. (This compendium is designed for Americans, but should apply equally well to other non-Italians.)

1. If you fly on Alitalia, get there early and expect to leave late. If you wonder why you need to get there early if you’ll leave late, it is because they might shock the world and leave on time once. In any event, the folks at Alitalia are really nice, but everything is slow and rather complicated. From the time you arrive at the terminal until you get on the plane, you will have your ticket and passport examined a minimum of four times, each time the agents appearing to do what every other agent did. Like I said, get there early. Read the rest of this entry »

After the stunning opportunity to sit near the Holy Father at yesterday’s vigil, I was back in my normal position today: standing on the outskirts. However, it allowed me to experience the miracle of communion distribution, which I have observed each time I’ve attended Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

The miracle goes like this. There is crowd filling the square. It is at least a couple hundred thousand people. People are standing, sitting, comforting babies, taking pictures, wandering around trying to find misplaced kids and everything gets quiet for the consecration.

When is it time for communion, an army of religious folks march forth from St. Peter’s and into the crowd. Everyone becomes orderly, waiting for their turn, and after a few minutes, everyone has been to communion.

I’m thinking if they can pull this off at St. Peter’s, there can’t be any doubt about that miracle Jesus did with the loaves and fishes.

I sent the club a wire stating: PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER. – Groucho Marx

I’ve been blessed to attend several large events in St. Peter’s Square. In each case, the Pope was there, but a long way away.

I always wondered who those people are who get to sit right up on the stage on either side of the alter canopy. Seems to me someone who gets to sit that close to the Holy Father must be really holy or really important (maybe both).

But tonight, I was there. And it was because a priest friend asked a priest friend and he had a place and I got invited.

So there I was, feeling like Groucho in reverse: I really want to join the fancy seat club even though I know I’m not qualified.

I’ll have to read much of what the Holy Father said during the service when it is translated tomorrow. Despite the valiant efforts of a couple translating priests, I had a hard time following the presentations.

But I can tell you that this is a Pope who speaks with passion, expresses joy and is, indeed, Catholic. We have a powerhouse dressed in white.

Q: Dear Father John, I have recently returned to St. Theresa of Avila’s autobiography, having only gotten through a third of it last year. It is easier to read now. I have an idea of where I am spiritually according to her book and will discuss this with my Redemptorist spiritual director. But I have a question. What I am seeking is: What is written for married women that is of the value of St. Teresa’s book about spiritual growth? I can’t see how a married woman can progress to the third (and further) stages when her vocation is to her husband. It’s not that God is taking me further, at this point, but I also do not want to stall myself.

The question above was posed to Fr. John Bartunek LC on the wonderful website RCSpiritualdirection.org. Father solicited some input from his readers on this, so here is mine. No offense to St. Theresa of Avila, but I don’t think she provides the best advice to answer this author’s question. This great Doctor of the Church offers wonderful insights into the heights a soul can reach in prayer, if God so permits. But on such a question as this one, I would recommend the wisdom from Blessed John Paul II. I cannot claim to have a saint’s level of holiness by any means, but I can say I certainly have progressed in my journey after discovering his catechesis Theology of the Body, as well as his other writings. Following the lead of our great late pope, I suggest she meditate in prayer on Ephesians 5, specifically the verses 21 to 33. Read the rest of this entry »

I might be falling in love again.

It has happened many times with my wife of nearly four decades. With work, children, church, social obligations and problems of busyness and money, we’ve sometimes fallen into times when the love remains, but the passion wanes. Then something happens. I hear a song we listened two as college students. My wife shakes her head that particular way she does, or says a word of special meaning.

Flash: In my eyes she is 22 years old again, walking down the aisle in that beautiful white dress to become my wife. I remember every wonderful thing about her and my heart aches for her. She is my best friend and the love of my life. Read the rest of this entry »

I stepped off the greyhound bus and into the chilly New York City night air. I looked around with my fellow missionaries and wondered how we could possibly feed and clothe all the homeless people that seemed to be pouring out of ever crack and cranny in Penn Station. With sandwiches and socks in hand, I walked up to the first person I could see. As I came close enough to speak, I was involuntarily repulsed by the sight and smell of the woman standing in front of me. She was middle aged, dressed in pajama pants, a top hat, and a scanty underskirt. As she smiled to take the sandwich I saw that most of her front teeth were missing. With her quick “thank you” I took in a strong whiff of alcohol. Each eye was looking in a different direction; she was definitely high on more than one drug. She was a woman and almost not a woman. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, I write from an international congress in Rome: Springtime in the Church and the action of the Spirit, The Mission of ecclesial movements and new communities in formation and spreading the faith. Location: Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum.

If this were Twitter, I’d already be well beyond my character limit. In Rome, there is a certain elegance to the naming of people, places, buildings and events. You won’t attend an event here called: Meeting about sharing faith.

This congress has a beautiful, albeit complicated, “logo” that appears on all the materials. Included in the image are blended pictures of St Peter’s, a statue of Peter, a crowd of the faithful, a flying dove and a skyline comprising iconic buildings from around the world. In Rome, you couldn’t have a logo that is a simple cross with a couple simple words. This isn’t Chicago, Detroit or Kansas City. Read the rest of this entry »