Dear Father John, Would you please explain the “gift of tears”? I know some people who say they have the “gift of tears” because they cry at the drop of a hat. But, I have a feeling this is not what the saints and mystics are talking about when they write about this gift. What
Dear Father John, I want to love God with all my heart, but I don’t know where to start. How do I do this? LOVING GOD WITH all your heart means desiring him above all things and making your intimate, personal relationship with him into the highest priority of your life, the center around which
WHO YOU ARE: A RETREAT GUIDE ON THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM The newest Retreat Guide from RC Spirituality, Who You Are: A Retreat Guide on the Sacrament of Baptism is now available at www.RCSpirituality.org A deep crisis in our post-Christian culture is the loss of a sense of our identity, a kind of cultural and
Dear Father John, I recently attended Mass at another parish. The priest broke the bread as he said the words of consecration. I know this is not according to the rubrics. What’s up with that? Was the celebration valid? Was it legal? Was it the Body and Blood of Christ? We received from previously consecrated
In part I of this series, we talked about God being first in our lives and making Him the driving force in our lives so that we are “running as if to win.” Today, we will discuss love’s purifying fire and St. Ignatius of Loyola’s concept of “Tanto Cuanto.” This question is the focus of
Dear Father John, You’ve written about focusing on the heart and what the Bible says in the Psalms “May He grant you your heart’s desire.” I can think of a lot of things I would like to have. But, what is really my heart’s desire? What is my deepest desire? LOVING GOD WITH all one’s
Dear Father John, when I hear the readings at Mass, I hear Jesus talk about the heart all the time. But, what exactly does He mean? Editor’s Note: In the first part of this series, we explored what Jesus means by “the heart” and we talked about where our treasure is. Today, we will discuss
Dear Father John, when I hear the readings at Mass, I hear Jesus talk about the heart all the time. But, what exactly does He mean? THE FIRST ARENA of love that Jesus points out is the “heart.” In all three New Testament versions of this greatest commandment [cf Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27],
…Father John Bartunek answers the following question: Dear Father John, I try to love God above everything and everyone else, but I’m not sure how. I’m not even sure that I am doing that. Can you help? Editor’s Note: In part I, we looked at why someone would even think about this question and the
Dear Father John, I try to love God above everything and everyone else, but I’m not sure how. I’m not even sure that I am doing that. Can you help? THE MERE FACT that you are [thinking about this] shows that you already desire the most important thing: to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ
