Archive of Fr. Paul's Blogs

We live in an age in which we have passed over the old fashioned common sense to get to advice because it does not take as much time as discovering common sense. We prefer to have the quicker, drive in and out advice. This kind of advice is like fast food. It is full of things that are not good for anyone. The advantage of common sense is that it is an innate part of our life.  Read more

Twenty one of the worst reason for leaving the Church and twenty one of the best reasons for staying in is about understanding the Gospel of Grace. We need to practice grace wherever we are. It is not easy to practice grace when we are not abiding the Presence of Christ.  Read more

Rational understanding acts on its feelings about what happens. Spiritual understanding acts on how it feels in what happens.  Read more

Since the release of the movie of the same name, "The Bucket List" has become a familiar phrase. It is a list of things to do before we die. New Years resolutions are more on the level of coffee lists. They cool down in a short time. The center of the bucket list is Hope. We hope we can get these things done before we kick the bucket. The one thing no one has told anyone about is there are two Buckets. One is the "About Bucket". The other is the "In Bucket."  Read more

Rational understanding attempts to love others so God will love us. Spiritual understanding knows Jesus loved us by being in the Fathers Love. We must be in the Love of God before we try to love others. Do you understand the difference between trying to love someone to be loved and being loved in order to love someone?  Read more

The time we live in is commonly called "The Information Age". The current age is characterized by the ability of individuals to have instant access to knowledge that would have been difficult or impossible to find previously. We have been transformed into an information society. Instant news coming to us by computers, twitter, texting, and cell phones. It has made us learning junkies. We have become addicted to seeking more and more information and knowledge.  Read more

Why did the disciples respond immediately when Jesus called them? Rational understanding would say Peter, Andrew, John and James all knew Jesus. It was as if they had grown up together, played in the sand, and worked in the carpenter's shop. Spiritual understanding would say, give me a break! They did not live that close to each other. They may have seen Him afar. But you cannot tell me they immediately left their nets to follow him because they were the "best of friends". Come off of it! There was something else going on there.  Read more

Unfortunately, in many cases, the New Testament has been translated with a legalistic theology rather than one of Grace. A good Greek-to-English translator without any theology might do a better job of translating the New Testament than the theologian, because they are not burdened with rational theological agenda. A good example of this is how the Beatitudes are translated legalistically rather than gracefully in almost every biblical version.  Read more

Sometimes we get deeper insights when we treat the scripture in CIA fashion. We check out the usual suspects, examine the evidence rationally and then look for the clues consciously. Today's scripture calls for such an investigation.  Read more

Our human nature is based on, "our thoughts create our feelings of God's Love about what happens to us." When what happens to us goes well, we feel at Peace. If what happens to us does not go well, we must change the event to feel at Peace. The problem arises because if we cannot change the event, we will feel upset. The good news is, while we cannot change human nature, we can transcend it.   Read more