by The Face of Grace Project | Oct 30, 2025 | Presence
A decade back, I prayed myself through the Ignatian retreat that the Jesuit father took Mother Teresa through in 1959 (found in appendix B of Come Be my Light). Sometimes the wording he gave in his instructions stood out for me. One such time was his instruction to her that stated, “To spend a day in reparation for the sufferings I have made Jesus bear for me.”
I grew up hearing Jesus suffered for me on the cross. But I’ve never heard I made Jesus suffer for me. Wow, a paradigm shift.
by The Face of Grace Project | Oct 16, 2025 | Presence
In the secular world, people are characterized as outliers in many ways. Not too long ago, a well-funded and orchestrated protest against the one-percenters of the ultra-high wealthy took place as Occupy Wallstreet. In the world of science and education, the outliers are those with the ultra-high IQ. In this Gospel which we recently heard in mass, Jesus is calling us to belong to a different group of outliers: those who truly love Him.
by The Face of Grace Project | Oct 2, 2025 | Presence
Like all faith traditions, the Catholic Church has been losing its children to the secular world for the past 60 years. How would the world be different today if children, and parents, learned simple ways to pray?
by The Face of Grace Project | Sep 26, 2025 | Presence
Recently our mass readings included the passage of Ezra praying for God’s pardon on behalf of his people. It made me think how often I’ve prayed in remorse for my own offenses against God, and those of others, but not ours. It might seem a trivial distinction but those trivial details are usually the most important…
by The Face of Grace Project | Sep 4, 2025 | Across the Ages, Presence
A tattered piece of paper is discovered in a dusty old attic. From this humble beginning, A Meditation Before the Blessed Sacrament grew in use around the world. With permission, it is reproduced here.
by The Face of Grace Project | Aug 7, 2025 | Presence
Throughout our life’s journey, we collect thorns. Yet like St. Paul, we are plagued by certain thorns that our Savior does not take away: why would God leave us with a thorn for all of our lives?
by The Face of Grace Project | Jun 6, 2025 | Presence
To the blind without faith, it may seem like society and the world have gone to ‘hell in a handbasket’. But all power and strength belong to God alone. By becoming people of prayer, our lives and the world around us will be penetrated by the Holy Spirit…
by The Face of Grace Project | May 22, 2025 | Presence
God doesn’t fix our messes, but He does fix our broken heart. Can I accept that?
by The Face of Grace Project | Apr 24, 2025 | Presence
A podcast challenged me to rethink whether I am living as an answer to Jesus’ prayer for me in John 17…
by The Face of Grace Project | Apr 17, 2025 | Across the Ages, Life, Work and the World, Presence
Jesus’ closest friends were The Twelve. Yet one betrayed Him, ten ran away when trouble came knocking on their proverbial door, and the only one who stayed with Him in His passion was His younger cousin John…
