Bishop Proclaims a Fast to Maximize Prayers

What did Jesus do to get the maximum out of his ministry? He prepared by first going into the wilderness to fast for forty days. Jesus said in Matthew 6:16: “When you fast...” not “If you fast...” The first Christians fasted (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).  It was nothing new. Moses and Elijah had done the same. Fasting and putting on sackcloth saved the city of Nineveh from destruction. King David said, "I humble myself through fasting” (Psalm 35:13).

An Exorcist and his Deliverance Team Comment on Fifty Shades

-To spell it out for a morally challenged culture, I interviewed Fr. Patrick, an exorcist, along with three members of his deliverance team about the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. 

Heartless Mother or Just Needing Time?

 I recalled knowing several loving parents of Downs babies; 3 originally wanted their baby to die, 1 gave hers away, and another was depressed. 

     What kind of mother threatens her husband to abandon their newborn?  You may have heard about Ruzan Badalyan who threatened divorce if the father, Samuel Forrest refused to abandon their Down Syndrome newborn. Samuel shared his story, claiming that his wife left him in her native Armenia.

Insights From Exorcists

  Face to face encounters with the devil is all in a day’s work for an exorcist; followed by dinner, prayers, and a good night’s sleep.  They walk amid evil on angels' wings with unwavering confidence in the power of God. 

Life & Death vs Atheism

When I kissed my father-in-law’s forehead goodbye recently, it had gone cold.  We had come to say a rosary before his body was taken to be cremated. No one was in there anymore.

Congestive Heart Failure was suspected.  Flu was written on the hospital death certificate. In 1980 after a heart attack, he had been given 1-3 more years to live, but his spirit had stayed in his body for another 35 years.

The Disconnect of Women Priests

Dear Ladies of the Church of England, purple isn’t your best color. Neither is black but that didn’t stop some of you from putting on black shirts and Roman collars when your church ordained the first female priests twenty years ago.  And as of last July, church ladies can order ready-to-wear clergy attire in bishop’s purple since approval was granted for women to become bishops.  Rev. Libby Lane did just that last month, donning purple as the first female bishop in the Church of England. 

Lord, Help Our Families to be Holy!

  When you look to the Holy Family for guidance, DO NOT turn to your own family and think: Boy are we in trouble.  Instead, realize that even with the holy family, sometimes things were messy, chaotic, and totally unplanned.  Then, we can relate and simply pray: “Lord,  please help us overcome all obstacles in the way of the Holy Family.”

"Snaketivity" Display Inspires Christian Response

Evil has reared its ugly head in Lansing, MI where Satanists will display their “Snaketivity” scene on the state capitol lawn on December 21-23.  Even the devil, it seems, has a right to free speech.

Fr. Donald Calloway on the Power of Mary

Twelve years ago, a brief article in the Marian Helper magazine caught my attention.  “My mother never gave up on me,” I read. “Even though I dropped out of high school, she never gave up on me, and now I’m becoming a priest.”

That simple little story spoke volumes.  I was on the lookout for inspirational accounts to include in the Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart book that I was co-authoring.  There had to be some drama if he dropped out of high school and later became a priest, I reasoned.  

The Smallest Stone

In my article, Skip Those Red Buckets, I warned of the Salvation Army’s promotion of abortion for babies expected to have a short lifespan outside the womb. The story below is about the very short life of Aaron Schreiner.  It was originally published in Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart.  Aaron lived for only an hour, but he dramatically changed many lives in that one hour. 

Skip Those Red Buckets

The ring-a-ling of silver bells that herald the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign have relieved many Christmas shoppers  of excess change and perhaps some excess guilt from over-consumption. Unfortunately, pro-lifers should not contribute.