Fr. Christian Mathis | January 12, 2012
Do the most difficult and painful things first. Maxim #27 When I was a newly ordained priest, my friend Fr. Mike Creson made this suggestion. He said, “When you are having a bad day, go ahead and do the things you least like doing but know are necessary.” Some similar advice is found in this [...]
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Tags: 55 Maxims, anxiety, crosses, difficulties, Fr. Mike Creson, Fr. Thomas Hopko, pain, prayer
Fr. Christian Mathis | December 16, 2011
Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Savior. (Isaiah 45:8) Entrance Antiphon for the 4th Sunday of Advent It has been raining quite a bit here in East Tennessee this past week. Perhaps God is trying to [...]
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Tags: Advent, Eucharist, Eucharistic Prayers, grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Liturgy, New Roman Missal, prayer, rain
Fr. Christian Mathis | December 10, 2011
What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity. One of the privileges that comes with ordination is having the responsibility to speak the words of the liturgy for the people of God. [...]
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Tags: change, communion, Eucharist, healing, Liturgy, New Roman Missal, prayer, quiet prayer
Fr. Christian Mathis | December 7, 2011
Be Faithful in Little Things Maxim #25 One of the current gods of our culture, is the desire to achieve success. We are taught to wish for fame, fortune and power. And while our faith is not necessarily in opposition to any of those things, it does place a higher value on faithfulness than upon [...]
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Tags: 55 Maxims, almsgiving, faithfulness, fame, fasting, fortune, Fr. Thomas Hopko, love, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, power, prayer, self denial, St. Therese of Lisieux, success, The Little Way
Fr. Christian Mathis | December 4, 2011
“There is a secret place. A radiant sanctuary. As real as your own kitchen. More real than that. Constructed of the purest elements. Overflowing with the ten thousand beautiful things. Worlds within worlds. Forests, rivers. Velvet coverlets thrown over featherbeds, fountains bubbling beneath a canopy of stars. Bountiful forests, universal libraries. A wine cellar offering [...]
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Tags: contemplation, inner stillness, Mirabai Starr, prayer, sanctuary, St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle
Fr. Christian Mathis | November 29, 2011
On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall [...]
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Tags: Advent, bi-polar extremism, Catholic Church, conservative, division, Fr. Bob Barron, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Isaiah, liberal, New Roman Missal, politics, prayer, renewal, roots, unity
Fr. Christian Mathis | November 28, 2011
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and [...]
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Tags: faith, healing, Jesus Christ, love, mercy, miracles, New Roman Missal, prayer, soldiers, unworthiness