From the heart of Deacon Doug.
Today is the feast day of St. John Paul II. One of my fondest memories is being on Mass with the pope at the Los Angeles Coliseum during his visit to the United States. All the priests and deacons were seated to the right of the altar and when he processed in Read more
When I was in a management position in my job, other than firing or laying off people, the hardest thing to do was finding and hiring the right people. In order to hire the right people, you need to have a clear idea of what you want. Jesus has a simple job Read more
How many of us find it difficult to acknowledge Jesus before others? This includes speaking about him to our family at family gatherings. How many times do we listen to attacks on Jesus and his Catholic Church without objecting? We might even kind of nod or smile as if we agree with Read more
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells a parable about greed. A man was blessed to have a bountiful harvest so large that he couldn’t store it all in his barns. He didn’t share his blessings with others, he built bigger barns to keep it all selfishly for himself. But even all Read more
Today’s gospel stated that there were so many people crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. My first thought was they were not practicing “social distancing“. I guess I have been in this pandemic so long I have weird thoughts ! Jesus is today speaking about the hypocrisy of the Read more
The question I pose to you today is : “What would change in my life if I followed Christ’s words more faithfully ?” The answer of course is, Everything ! Every aspect of my life would be filled with both the struggle and the grace to grow into the person God Read more
I just returned from another funeral in Indiana. Unfortunately this took precedence over getting out my daily reflection. ————————— In today’s gospel Jesus has some harsh words for the Scribes and Pharisees. These men devoted themselves to the study of the Law of Moses and considered themselves as experts in it. They divided Read more
When you are in need, who do you turn to for help ? Your spouse, your family, your groupies ? Jesus tells us that God is always ready to answer those who seek him and call upon him with trust in his mercy and kindness. Jesus states clearly and simply what we must Read more
Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. St. Louis De Montfort said; “Mary is the safest, easiest, shortest, and most perfect way of approaching Jesus.” In the early church the saying of 150 Our Father’s replaced repeating the 150 Psalms. In other areas 150 Hail Mary Prayers were Read more
Can you imagine how Martha felt when she asked for help and was told her sister Mary had chosen the better part ? Can you imagine the dialogue between the two sisters once everybody including Jesus had left ? While hosting is very important, Jesus wanted both of them to hear Read more