Dear Father John, I’ve heard that God forgives all sins. But, I’ve also heard something about an “unforgivable sin”. It seems there’s a contradiction there. What is that all about? Is there really a sin that God won’t forgive? And, what happens if I commit that? What do I do then? This probably is a … Read more
MEANS OF PREPARING FOR DEATH “Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.” Sirach 7:36 All confess that they shall die, and die only once, and that nothing is of greater importance than to die well; because on death depends whether we shall be forever in bliss or forever in despair. All know that … Read more
DEATH OF THE SINNER “When distress cometh upon them, they will seek for peace, and there shall be none. Trouble shall come upon trouble.” Ezekiel 7:25-26 At present sinners banish the remembrance and thought of death; and thus they seek after peace, though they never find it, in the sinful life which they lead. But … Read more
UNCERTAINTY OF THE HOUR OF DEATH “Be you then also ready; for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.” Luke 12:40 It is certain that we shall die; but the time of death is uncertain. “Nothing,” says Idiota, “is more certain than death; but nothing is more uncertain than the … Read more
Using the Catholic Faith As Part of Recovery Being Catholic is a walk with resolutions. Every confession and examination of conscious ends with the resolve to do better. Although real changes don’t come easy, we rely on God’s mercy and begin again after each fall. But add in an addiction and failing becomes habitual and … Read more
Chastity: A Hymn to God’s Providence In a way, Dawn Eden’s newly released Catholic edition of her popular The Thrill of the Chaste is the third installment of the chronicle of her life journey. In 2005, when she wrote the first edition of The Thrill, she was a Jewish convert to Protestantism on her … Read more
Preparing for Lent Part 3 Preparing for Lent Part 3 Segment 1 Our last episode the discussion focused on preparing for Lent and participating in the sacraments during the Lenten season. Began talking about the “Spiritual Self Evaluation” chapter in Navigating the Interior Life. Sacraments are the foundation of our relationship with God, and prayer … Read more
Penance Presence of God – O Jesus, You who are ever seeking the prodigal son, despise not my contrite and humble heart, but purify it in Your precious Blood. MEDITATION Grace, which has been given to us so abundantly in Baptism and Confirmation, has of itself the infallible power to sanctify. It does not force … Read more
Preparing for Lent Part 2 – Divine Intimacy Radio Preparing for Lent Part 2: Here’s what a recent listener said about the show: “I just listened to the first Divine Intimacy Radio show. Great job! You and Melissa are a joy to listen to, such nice voices, and the real rapport comes through. I enjoyed … Read more
The Key to Living a Holy Life The name of my blog sometimes frightens me because I fear I’ve set myself up as someone who knows how to be holy or who knows how to give advice on how to live a holy life. Neither of those are true! The truth is that I don’t believe … Read more
Dear Friends, We are delighted to present the first episode of Divine Intimacy Radio! The show notes are below: Introducing the show and the hosts Dan Burke and Melissa Elson. Most of you know me (my bio is below) so I thought you would like to know a bit more about Melissa: While attending Auburn University, … Read more
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 … Read more
THE CHOICE OF NAZARETH “ And He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled what was said by the Prophet, that He shall be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2:23 1. St. Matthew has chosen almost all his incidents of the Nativity to show the fulfillment of prophecy. We know … Read more
Today is the memorial of St John Nepomucene Neumann, Philadelphia’s fourth bishop and our country’s first male saint. In celebration of his memorial, I’d like to introduce you to the National Shrine of St John Nepomucene Neumann, one of Philadelphia’s five shrines, and one of my favorites (they’re on Facebook, too!). The Life of St John Nepomucene Neumann … Read more
Otherworldly Series Baseball Coach Rich Donnelly Shows You Can Go Home Again Editor’s Note: If you’ve ever doubted the connection between souls in the Church Militant (that’s us) and souls in the next life, read and doubt no more… Baseball coach Rich Donnelly has a World Series story that is out of this world. Rich … Read more
FATIMA AND THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN Today is the 97th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun, which occurred at Fatima in Portugal at the culmination of the Virgin Mary’s apparitions at the Cova da Iria to three little shepherd children–Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto. For those not familiar … Read more
Dear Father John, if an individual has been Totally consecrated to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the St. Louis de Montfort method, done privately, 33 day retreat, confession, Mass and Day of Consecration pledge/vow/prayer, can this individual through the Association of Padre Pio still become a spiritual child of Padre Pio? I … Read more
Is it a Sin to Put Yourself Down? “Oh, I’m so inept! I can’t do anything right!” There are endless variations of the self-deprecating rants. They are dressed up like humility but smack of pride. The person announcing his failings probably does not boast and is instead seeking a humble path, but he unwittingly travels by … Read more
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