There are moments where He runs right alongside me as I pedal. We laugh! I know He has great joy in this; even more than I do. As I get the hang of it, he lets me go on my own a bit. Down to the end of the street. I hear Him cheering me on, but His voice grows more faint as I go along. I know he is there though. I just have to remember to…

Hard times and uncertainty. Difficulty, confusion, and disagreement among the faithful in how to respond and move forward in these times is nothing new in the life of the Church. The book of Acts makes this abundantly clear…

I had come feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders; tired, burned out and stressed. Amidst the joys of the conference, I still found myself thinking about seemingly hopeless situations that had only seemed to become more hopeless. Yet in the stillness and quiet, tucked back in the trees with only the sound of the rain and occasional thunder, an incredible peace came over me…

It seemed to me as if everyone in the church must have had the same morning we did right from the start. I found myself distracted right from the start. Focused on all the wrong things, and critical, I half heartedly participated in the Mass… more as a spectator than anything else…

So… It’s Lent. Maybe you are like me. You know all the things that Lent is supposed to be. Generally, it’s not easy; or at least you know it isn’t supposed to be. You give something up; usually something that is a bit of a sacrifice. You try to add a good thing, or maybe two. Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. All of the things meant to help you detach from those things that hinder your walk with the Lord, or prevent you from following him as closely as you should… But… Then you mess up; or at least if you are anything like me you do.

In this world there is so much hurt, so many wounds. Yet, we are not alone in our suffering. So many share our same experiences. We know that Christ, the Divine Physician, is present wherever two or three are gathered in his name…

Prayer ultimately springs from a desire for relationship with God. We must be humble. We must be persistent. I have found the Rosary to be one of the greatest prayers in helping me in this way.

It was during this time that I really began to pray… and It was then that I believe the Lord began to speak to my heart in that still small way that he does:

"I see a movement. I see a group of believers so..."

Here I really saw how significant Christ, while bleeding out and dying on the Cross, giving us his Mother, truly is. Jesus said to his Mother, “Behold your son;” and to his beloved disciple, “Behold your Mother.” Scripture then affirms that from that day…