Change the World with the Beatitudes!

Live radically!

We are a day before the great Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Candlemas Day, and for me, it is the time I put Christmas to rest until November 2026 (however, when life gets “blue”, I sing hymns like O Holy Night, to lift my spirits). This Feast reminds us that Jesus came to change the world; to bring Heaven on Earth. This happens one family at a time.

Looking at world history, I can get discouraged, but I realize that humans can be very stubborn. I know that humans fight against Jesus even after two thousand years. That is why each believer must fight against the lie. Jesus gives us the truth, and when we apply it to our lives, we bring a little Heaven to Earth.

Today, our Gospel Portion I call “Attitudes for Heaven on Earth.” We study Jesus’ Beatitudes anew. We study, St. Matthew 5:1-12, and we will meditate on,

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so people persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:12

We can live in Heaven now; we do not have to wait for heavenly peace.

Jesus is clear about how we are to be and how to treat others. He is also clear that we will often be pushed back and treated badly by some people who find the teachings of the Lord intolerable. He says verse 11,

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
Matthew 5:11

Jesus is a realist! He knows that true followers will have difficulty because not everyone wants to change.

Then, the question is, why bother? And my answer is, for me and my household, Heaven is worth the trouble and pain.

Live radical Christianity, my Sisters and Brothers, and let “Heaven come on Earth through us!

Have a blessed Candlemas Day!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/0d743c5fb

Jesus Our Light!

There will be dark times, there will be storms, but Jesus, our Light, will see us through them all.

Sunday blessings!

Here in the northeast of the U. S., we are experiencing a winter storm of a magnitude that we are not used to. Hence, for our reflection today and the Gospel Portion we have (St. Matthew 4:12-23), it is good to address the storms in our lives that we must all go through.

We will concentrate on,

“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”
Matthew 4:16

There is fear that comes with extreme times in our lives. There is always the possibility of danger. How do we find peace in all of these circumstances? The answer is Jesus.

Jesus will give us the strength to get through whatever we are going through, be it physical, emotional, or mental storms. He will give us peace so that we can think and pray our way through these times. I testify to this fact in my life. When I felt like giving up, I turned toward Jesus, and His Spirit got me up again, and I moved forward in faith.

Jesus will do the same for you! Jesus will get you through, and peace will reign over you!

Whatever the storm, it will not last forever, but Jesus is forever; place your trust in Him!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Make Every Moment a Jesus Moment!

Allow Jesus in and through us to the world!

Jesus came for us. We are still in the light of Christmas, and we are in the in-between time from the great Season of Christmas to the solemn fast days of Lent. Today, we look at the Lamb of God! To help us delve into this mystery, we have the Gospel Portion in St. John 1:29-34. We will meditate on,

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

St. John is our guide again. He is in full knowledge of who he is and what his purpose is. He reveals to us what a truly whole person is. He is also a challenge to you and me. He is essential in our Christmas, our Easter, and in every ordinary day of our lives.

In this new year, 2026, are we ready to be more like John the Baptist? Can we say that Jesus must increase and that I (we)must decrease?

I hope the answer is yes! Jesus must increase in our world so that love will reign. The life and the teaching of Jesus are the answer to our problems in the world, and we are called as His followers to point Him out by the way we live.

Be the change that you want to see in the world! May we reflect the light of Jesus in who we are and how we present ourselves to others.

Pax. The Hermit of Peace

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May the Spirit of Christmas Remain in Our Hearts

May the Spirit of the World Always Decrease in Us.

Happy Feast of the Baptism of the Lord!

Today, we conclude the official time of Christmas (I celebrate Christmas until the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple on 2 February 2026). But Christmas truly never ends. Jesus should be born in our hearts every day and many times a day! God wants to be our Immanuel always. St. John the Baptist made that clear in his life and ministry.

Today, we have the Gospel Portion St. Matthew 3:13-17, and we will delve into

“And behold, a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:17

This Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the part of Christmas called the Epiphany. The Lord is made manifest. The Magi find Him, Jesus turns water into wine at the Wedding at Cana, and Jesus is baptized at the River Jordan. Each event mentioned here shows that Jesus is the Lord. We have God with us; we will always have hope.

Hope comes from allowing Jesus to arise in us. St. John says later, after the Baptism of Jesus,

“He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.”
St. John 3:30

True humility allows Jesus to increase in our lives, and the false self, the self created by the world, diminishes.

Two beautiful examples of humble human beings allowed the Savior to be with us. Mary told God that she was the handmaid of the Lord, and Joseph allowed the messages he received from God to guide his actions.

May we add our names to this list? Pray over it and keep working on it. God will use us to make Jesus present wherever we are!

Please bring Jesus to each other and make the world Christmas Time!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Manifest the Lord!

Reveal the Lord Jesus in how we treat ourselves and others!

Happy Epiphany Sunday!

We are still in Christmastide, and it is a beautiful time of the year. There are so many aspects to Christmas, even with many days we celebrate, especially the 12 Days of Christmas, we do not exhaust the power of the fact that God is with us in Jesus. Our Gospel Portion for today helps us enter further into the mystery of Christmastide. The Gospel Portion is St. Matthew 2:2-12, and we will meditate on

“And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11

One of the mysteries of the Epiphany is the visit of the Magi. The others are the Wedding at Cana and the Baptism of the Lord. Today, we will join the Magi in their visit with the Holy Family.

The Magi were seeking hope in a world of darkness. They received the message of the Star that would bring them to that hope. They followed it, but near King Herod’s place, they lost the Star. Where Herod was, there was darkness. But when they passed through the darkness, the Star, the Light of God, was visible again, and it led them to the Light of the World, Jesus, with His parents.

Can we feel the tremendous joy they must have felt?

The Magi brought their gifts, and they left fulfilled.

Are we not like the Magi?

Do we not bring our best to Jesus and have Him use them for His honor and glory?

Do we not feel the peace that results from our encounter with the Lord?

May the witness of the Magi encourage us to bring our very best to Jesus and allow Him to have His way with our lives.

May we reveal Jesus in how we treat ourselves and each other.

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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It Let Us Make Our Lives Holy!

The Holy Family is an excellent model for the family we belong to, whatever family that is.

Merry Christmas Sunday! On this Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Our Gospel Portion is St. Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23, and we will meditate on

And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,
Matthew 2:14

Life was dangerous for the Baby Jesus. He needed a family that could protect Him. King Herod wanted to eliminate love. He sought to kill the threat to his control, but Jesus was born to the Holy Family, and there are many aspects of this family that model for us what holy families are all about. I will name a few and give you the homework to think about more

The first is that Joseph listened to God. That means he was in a relationship with the Lord.

Second, Joseph took God seriously and did what Father God told him to do.

Lastly, Mary and Joseph were a team, and God was the center of their lives. Together, they heard the Father, were guided by the Spirit, and protected the Son! How awesome is that?

The faithfulness of the Holy Family made the salvation of the world possible through their faithfulness!

Each family, whatever it is, can make a difference in the world if we make our families holy.

Merry Christmas! May Christmas stay in our hearts beyond these 12 days and remain a powerful force in our lives throughout 2026!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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May We Be More Like Saint Joseph!

May we obey God as we live our lives.

Happy Fourth Sunday of Advent 2025!

We are so near the great Solemnity of Christmas, and our Scriptures point to that. Our Gospel Portion is St. Matthew 1:18-24, and we will delve into

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife.
Matthew 1:24

Humble St. Joseph did not speak in the Holy Scriptures in words; instead, he spoke loudly through his actions.

Joseph discovered that his wife was pregnant and refused to hurt her, and then the Angel came to him in a dream, and he trusted, and the Savior was born into a family. We call this family the Holy Family! Joseph made a home for Jesus and Mary, and in doing so, created a home for us.

The Holy Family had difficulties, but they had each other and the protection of St. Joseph. St. Joseph is the quiet hero who did what he was supposed to do.

St. Joseph is a key figure in the life of the Savior, and it all came about because he surrendered to the Divine Will in everything.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, may we hold onto the example of St. Joseph and apply it in our lives.

Happy Love Sunday, fourth Sunday in Advent!

Pax, the Hermit of Peace.

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Rejoice, the Lord is Near!

The great Feast of Christmas is near; may we have hearts ready to receive Him!

We are celebrating Gaudete Sunday. We rejoice that the first coming of Jesus is near, and we are probably rushing to get our Christmas plans ready. This is a time that we balance our spiritual needs with our physical needs. This is normal, and we must be vigilant so we can do what we need to do for our spiritual and social lives.

This is a blessed time.

Our Gospel Portion today is St. Matthew 11:2-11. We will pray over,

“The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”
Matthew 11:5

Jesus speaks in response to St. John the Baptist about who Jesus is. Jesus is the one we need to wait for. Jesus is the only one who can bring us the healing that we need. St. John the Baptist, soon after he received this message, would be martyred because he lived the truth and preached it. St. John the Baptist’s mission was completed. He prepared the way for Jesus.

St. John the Baptist prepares us each year during the Advent Season. Are we listening to his message of repentance?

We have these next few days to prepare ourselves for the birth of Jesus in our lives again.

Do not miss the healing that Jesus has in store for us!

Happy Gaudete Sunday!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/1d254e0b2

Where Is Our Hearts Now!

Our focus has a significant impact on our overall health.

We are in the Second Sunday of Advent, and it matters where our hearts are at this time as we prepare for the great Feast of Christmas. Our Gospel Portion today is St. Matthew 3:1-12, and we will delve into

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
Matthew 3:3

There are many pressures the Holiday Season brings. Everyone needs the right present. Do we have everything we need to have the magnificent Christmas Party? There are all these special gift days, like Black Friday (which can last for many days). Do we have enough money in our bank account and on various credit cards? I have been there, and these are essential concerns. But are our hearts ready to receive the Savior’s First Coming?

Jesus, the Emmanuel, wants us to have total healing, and we can receive it if we do not let the things of Christmas outweigh the meaning of Christmas.

How do we do this? Schedule time to read the Scriptures for the season. Schedule time to meditate and pray that our hearts will be ready to receive Jesus most profoundly on Christmas Day and Christmastide.

We must work as hard as we do to make our Christmas Healing as great as preparing for gifts and the Season’s celebrations.

Make a straight path for Jesus to come into us and bring us healing!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/1d254e0b2

It Is Wonderful To Begin Again!

Let us enter boldly into the New Liturgical Year!

We closed the Liturgical Year yesterday with the message to be ready for the Lord! Today, we open our hearts to receive the Lord, for the Lord is coming!

Our Gospel Portion is St. Matthew 24:37-44. We will concentrate on,

“Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
Matthew 24:42

Be watchful!

On the famous Black Friday, I noticed how many people were running around catching bargains, and that is wonderful. People giving and receiving presents is wonderful! It is an essential act of love in a very concrete way, but let us not forget the reason for the season of gift-giving. We celebrate the greatest gift of all, Jesus, God with Us!

Times can be challenging, financial difficulties are a reality, and we struggle to make ends meet. The religious season of Christmas is full of emotions. We have memories that bring us to a place that is not always comfortable. We have lost loved ones who have transitioned to eternity. We can get lost in these feelings, yet if we stay in these emotions, we may miss Jesus. When we miss the Lord, we miss the healing that He offers us.

Do not miss the Lord! He will get us through whatever we are going through.

Be ready to receive the Lord this Advent! We need Him throughout the year!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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