Should I pay my spiritual director? A lay spiritual director responds.
Dear Friends, after I posted “Should I pay my spiritual director?” a reader sent me a note that I though would provide some important perspective on this matter. This came in response to negative...
View ArticleHow can I forgive someone when they do not repent? – Part II of II
Q: Dear Father John, I have had this question regarding forgiveness ever since my husband filed for divorce and treated me terribly during the process. He never acknowledged his treatment of me nor...
View ArticleComing from a past of suffering, how can I better understand God’s love for me?
Q: Dear Caroline, I grew up in a tough situation. Both of my parents were raised in tumultuous circumstances and as a result, neither of them had any concept of what it meant to provide a healthy home,...
View ArticleI cannot feel God’s presence, am I a bad person?
Q: I am a Catholic or try to be one, and I am having problems feeling the Power of my religion. I have been so hurt throughout my life and I’ve tried to forgive the people, but it does no good. I feel...
View ArticleHow can our actions and sufferings make God loved even across the seas?
Q: Dear Father John, In St. Therese’s poem to Venerable Theophane Venard (stanza 6) she expresses her desire to save souls as a missionary . . . I love it, that unbelieving shore That was the object...
View ArticleA mother’s plea… Why does God delay in answering my prayers? – Part I of II
Q: Dear Father John, Two of my college educated sons have been out of work for several years, fortunately both wives work. What happens typically is that our hopes get raised when they get called in...
View ArticleSexual thoughts – how can I understand them in light of my faith? Part I of II
Q: I am struggling with sexual thoughts and am wondering about the teachings of the Church. Are all sexual sins mortal and does thinking of sex without arousal a mortal sin? When does the thought...
View ArticleA mother’s plea… Why does God delay in answering my prayers? – Part II of II
Q: Dear Father John, Two of my college educated sons have been out of work for several years, fortunately both wives work. What happens typically is that our hopes get raised when they get called in...
View ArticleSexual thoughts – how can I understand them in light of my faith? Part II of II
Q: I am struggling with sexual thoughts and am wondering about the teachings of the Church. Are all sexual sins mortal and does thinking of sex without arousal a mortal sin? When does the thought...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mary vs. Martha – Part I of II
Q: Dear Father John, It has always been my nature to do, do do. I volunteer and serve whenever, wherever I can and have always found I felt closer to the Lord when doing this. As I grow older, there...
View ArticleHow does a person learn to love God? – Part II of II
Q: Dear Father John, If contemplative prayer is seeking Him whom my soul loves, what does one do to learn how to love God? I see this as a huge gap in the development of Catholic life and Catholic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
At Mass, what does it mean to exchange “the peace of Christ”?
Q: Dear Father John: After the Our Father, we pass the peace of Christ, and I ponder that moment and its purpose in worship. Is it not for greeting one another in Christ–’May the peace of Christ be...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How do I Share my Faith when I am Naturally Shy? (Part I of II)
Q: Dear Father John, With the social media we have today (Facebook, etc.), why do I feel hesitant to share God’s messages such as scripture, prayers, testimonies, etc. due to a concern of “negative...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How do I Share my Faith when I am Naturally Shy? (Part II of II)
…a reader asks: Q: Dear Father John, With the social media we have today (Facebook, etc.), why do I feel hesitant to share God’s messages such as scripture, prayers, testimonies, etc. due to a concern...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Discerning Private Revelations (Part I of II)
Q. My question is about claims of locutions and messages on various websites. It seems to me they’re threatening readers that, unless Pope Francis proclaims “the 5th Marian Dogma” very soon, the world...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Discerning Private Revelations (Part II of II)
…a reader asks: Q. My question is about claims of locutions and messages on various websites. It seems to me they’re threatening readers that, unless Pope Francis proclaims “the 5th Marian Dogma” very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What is a Living Sacrifice?
Q: Dear Father John, what exactly is a living sacrifice? I’ve been asking some of my Protestant Christian friends and no one can give me an answer that I am satisfied with. My dissatisfaction stems...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is God’s Love Unconditional? (Part I of II)
Q: Dear Father John, since I have been very exposed to the modern self-help movement that tells us God’s love or Christ’s love is unconditional, how do we explain judgment of others? If he loves us...
View ArticleHow can I forgive someone when they do not repent? – Part II of II
Q: Dear Father John, I have had this question regarding forgiveness ever since my husband filed for divorce and treated me terribly during the process. He never acknowledged his treatment of me nor...
View ArticleI cannot feel God’s presence, am I a bad person?
Q: I am a Catholic or try to be one, and I am having problems feeling the Power of my religion. I have been so hurt throughout my life and I’ve tried to forgive the people, but it does no good. I feel...
View Article
