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Good morning. I hope your week will go well.

I remember growing up as a Catholic, Hell was the place where “bad” people went and used a as means religious leaders used to you to keep others good, or at least, not caught. 

Down through the centuries, the Church, which was as much an earthly ruler as any king, preached about red demons with pointed tails and horns on their heads. It was the job of these creatures to rip people apart, only to have them come back together again to undergo the same torture. This was not for a day, week or year, but for all eternity. Now if that was not enough to make someone stay out of trouble . . . !

The Jesuit, John Gavin, SJ tells it this way. “C.S. Lewis wrote that Hell is ‘every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind’. that is, the rejection of others in favor of self-illusion. ‘I was hungry and you gave me no food . . . ‘ When we refuse to see our neighbor, we close our eyes to the presence of Christ and remain in the darkness of one shuttered hearts. Hell emerges when only the ‘I’ exits, when I am an ego incarcerated in a dying soul.”

And we thought it could not get any worse. 

A very Happy and blessed Rosh Hashanah to all our Jewish sisters and brothers.

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the

Bros and Srs of the 

Franciscan House of Prayer.

Good morning.

Today’s Mass Gospel tells the story of a “crafty” manager who’s master leaves in charge as he goes on a trip. 

In Luke, this story is found between the story of the prodigal son and the story of poor man Lazarus who lay at the door of a rich man who passed by every day on his was to fabulous dinner parties. While this rich man ate and drank more than possible, Lazarus starved at his very doorstep.

The purpose of these stories is to instruct the disciples in the way of God in the Kingdom that Jesus was laying the foundations for. In each of these stories, the one who seems to be the lowest becomes the one on top and the one on time, well you know where they find themselves.

Lola Malcolm explains it this way. “In Luke, the reversals of status are at the heart of what happens when Jesus and the kingdom of God appear. The proud are ‘scattered.’ The powerful are brought down and the lowly lifted; the hungry are filled and the rich are sent away empty. “(Lk 1:51-53)

But God’s Kingdom turns things up-side-down. The low are brought high, the high are brought low. Maybe we are the ones who God is asking to put things in their heads. And maybe, God is asking us to listen more closer to the cry of the poor.

A blessed Sunday to you all.

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the

Bros and Srs of the 

Franciscan House of Prayer.

Hello, I hope you are doing well and have a restful week ahead.

I have often wonder how much time I spend on worrying about what took place yesterday or what must be done tomorrow. In the process I find that today has pasted me by and now it is something that I have to put on my “worry list” for tomorrow.

Etty Hillesum, the Dutch Jewish author picks up this thought today as she says, “We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those mean small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies.”

The only thing we have control over is today. Let us do what God requires of us today, as the Lord reminds us, “tomorrow will take care of itself.” (Matt 6:32) this way we may do what we must do to build up the Kingdom of God today, here and now.

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the

Bros and Srs of the 

Franciscan House of Prayer.

Good day to all.

I’m sure that each of us, at one time in our lives, or another, have thought if what I do makes any difference to anyone else.

Then we hear a sermon that tells us that ALL life has meaning. OK, and what is that meaning in my life?

The Catholic religious writer, Caryll Houselander, reminds us today, “Sometimes it may seem to us that there is no purpose in our lives, that going day after day for years to his office or that school or factory is nothing else but waste and weariness. But it may be that God has sent us there because but for us, Christ would not be there. if our being there means that Christ is there, that alone makes it worthwhile.”

In the early Church, Christians truly did believe that they were “Christ Bearers.” They were the ones who were called to live out the Gospel every day. In this way others would come to know Christ. As it was said of these early women and men, “Behold these Christians, how they love each other.”

That precept is still alive or should be still alive in our Church today. That is up to each one of us. Do others say of us what was said of our sisters and brothers of years gone past, ” Behold how they love one each other. “

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fmc and the 

Bros and Srs of the 

Franciscan House of Prayer.

Good morning, hope you all are well.

Many of those we call saints have written about how we are to live what we say we believe. It is one thing to say what we believe but it is quite another thing to put into action the words we speak.

In the Gospels, Jesus calls out those religious leaders who preach one thing and live something that was very different. He called them a brood of vipers. He also likened them as whiten sepulcher on the outside but filled with “men’s dead bones.”

St. Basil the Great tells us today, “A tree is known by its fruit, a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who shows courtesy, reaps friendship and he who plants kindness, gathers love.” 

It is very easy to speak nice words to the edification of others. It is quite something else to live out those words  in one’s life. St. Anthony of Padua reminds us that words pass quickly away, actions have a lasting effect upon  others. 

We might be able to present ourselves as a “holier than thou” and we might be able to fool others. But we have to know that there is no way of fooling God, who sees into the hearts of all.

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the

Bros and Srs of the 

Franciscan House of Prayer.

Hello, happy Mid-week.

A few days ago, the exterminator came into my apartment as he does every month. I have gotten to know him, and we spend a few minutes talking about what is going on in the neighborhood. 

The last time he was here he told me about the day he was brought to Christ. He said he was living a rather wild lifestyle and one day a friend of his asked him to go to church with him.

At the church they had an “Altar Call”. After several moments he felt the need to walk up to the front of the church to be prayed over, and he felt something take hold of him that he attributes to have been the Spirit. His life changed from that time on.  

Over the years I have come to understand that there is no ONE faith that will lead a person to God. Like the spokes on a wheel, God is the hub, and the spokes are the various religious experiences that lead to the One God.

Someone once wrote “It’s OK for you to believe what you believe. It is not OK however, for you to insist that everyone else believes the same as you.” (Unknown) 

Why a person experiences God through this particular faith experience and another through some other expression is really not our business. As long as we live out our faith that makes us better people, more loving people we are giving glory to God.

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the

Bros and Srs of the

Franciscan House of Prayer.

Good day to all. I hope all goes well.

During the last few months, we as a country, have witnessed a number of tragedies. 

With the shooting of the Minnesota rep and her husband, the school shooting in Minneapolis,the wounding of others, and most recently the killing of Charlie Kirk, we may very well get the feeling our country in on a slippery slope downhill.  

Our country is being polarized and we seem to be forming ourselves into tribes which we feel we must protect at any coast. So the hurting others in the name of our tribe is acceptable. 

The question that runs through my mind is where the teachings of our faiths are. Both the Old and New Testaments teach us not to repay evil with evil. In our Christian tradition, we are reminded that we are to be the “light” so that others may see.      

The poet John Mark Green, “This world may bring deep darkness, but we are bearers of light. We’ll join our flames together and shine in the blackness of night.”

God gave us the ability to know right from wrong. He gave us free will to make a choice. It is up to us, because there is no one else. We can continue to “protect” our tribe, or we can extend a hand of friendship and a willingness to make our country a better and safer place to live.

May God give us the wisdom to make the right choice.

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the 

Bros and Srs of the 

Franciscan House of Prayer. 

Good day. I hope your week went well and that the coming week will be better. 

Today the Church celebrated the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It is kind of ironic that we should celebrate an instrument of pain and death. Yet we have them on our walls, the spires of our churches, and we even make the sign of the cross on ourselves. But this Cross has been transcended from an object of pain and death to a means of one’s life and salvation. 

The Cross has for us been defined in so many ways. For some it was the ransom that needed to be paid to the Father for our sins. To others it might be something that which we are to “carry” in this life so as to be able to get into heaven. However, when we look at the Cross, we recognize it as an event that took place over two thousand years ago. An innocent intenerate rabbi was put to death because he could cause a problem with the Romans who ruled Isarel. 

Over these years, many have put pen to paper to record their thoughts about the cross. All seem to understand that the Cross was one of the many ways the Father used to prove that He loved us.

St. Teresa of Calcutta tells us today, “Remember that when your heart feels restless, when your heart feels hurt, when your heart feels like breaking . . . ‘I am precious to Him. He has called me by name. I am His. He loves me.’ And to prove that He died on the cross.”     

Maybe rather than looking at the Cross as payment for sin, we might want to respond to the Father by our love as we would in response to what His Son endured to show what love He has for us.

Over the years, I have found it interesting that we as Christians spend so much time on Calvary Hill crying how our sins caused the Son of God to undergo such a painful and horrible death. In no way do I underestimate the power of the Cross in the life of the Christian. But God transformed this instrument of pain and death into a means of salvation. The point is that the Cross is a means to an end and not an end in itself. We need to turn around, look down the hill to the tomb. It was from this place of the dead that Jesus broke free and brought death to its knees. Now death no longer had or has the last word.

The Lord said we are to carry our cross and follow Him. That cross might be a health problem, a financial difficulty, a problem in the family. Whatever it might be. We need to carry that cross knowing that it is a means to an end and that end is eternal life in the Father’s Kingdom. Remembering the words of St. Teresa, we “are precious to Him.”  

The well-known evangelist, Billy Grham said, “God proved His love on the Cross when Christ hung, and bled, and died it was God saying to the world ‘I love you’.”

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the 

Bros and Srs of the

Franciscan House of Prayer.

Good day to you all.

Have you ever encountered a person who felt themselves “entitled”? These are those people who feel that they should get what  they want when they want it. 

I have encountered a few such persons in my life. It take a great deal of patience to have to deal with them and not tell them exactly what you would love to say to them.

The words “Thank You” seem never to pass their lips. The world “Please” is not in their vocabulary. Yet they will let you know just how good and faithful they are.

Today we remember St. John Chrysostom (the word Chrysostom means “golden mouth”). This title was given to him because of his eloquent preaching.

St. John says to us today “Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires the of transformation greed into gratitude”, 

Though we may not be like the people described above, we all can use some introspection now and then. Are we as grateful as we can be? Do we ever think of giving God a word of thanks for the gifts He gives us everyday?

May you all have a blessed weekend. 

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the

Bros and Srs of the

Franciscan House of Prayer.

Good morning, I hope all goes well with you and yours.

How many people do you pass during your day it may be at a store or at work? And how many times have we acknowledged them? Now we know that we cannot smile, say hello to each person we see during a day. But how many time have we been able to say “thank you”, or hold a door open for another, or help someone with a heavy package?   

The motivational speaker, writer and professor Leo Buscaglia tells us, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential of turning a life around.”

Way back when, there was a TV program “The Christophers” whose motto was “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” That little light enables you to see better in that dark room. A change has taken place. You are able to go on with life. As Leo says as does Mother Teresa of Calcutta, “A smile, a friendly word, a gentle touch can enable another to feel their lives have meaning to another who would take the time to say ‘thank you’.” 

Just something to ponder during your day, and maybe even put into practice. Who knows, we just might be the recipient of such a kindness.

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the

Bros and Srs of the

Franciscan House of Prayer.