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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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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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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Let Us Celebrate the Universal King!

May we love each other as Jesus loves us!

We have reached the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year 2025. We have meditated on so many things about Jesus and the love that He has for us over the year. In the Novus Ordo, we conclude this glorious year with the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe! It is a powerful reminder of what is important to us; Jesus is our ultimate role model.

Our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 23:35-43, and we will meditate on,

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingly power.”
Luke 23:42

These words come from St. Dismas, the thief who stole Heaven. It reminds us that the King of the Universe came to save the world! Jesus challenges the world in His type of Kingship. It is the Kingship of kindness, love, and mercy.

St. Dismas could not work for his salvation; it had to be a gift. All he did was to surrender to Jesus with his whole being, and Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

What an excellent King and what a fantastic Kingdom to be citizens of now and for eternity.

As we close this year and prepare to open ourselves to Advent, the beginning of the Liturgical Year 2026, may we remember who our true King is and our responsibilities to Him. May we bring the Heavenly Kingdom to the here and now by the way we treat everyone and ourselves.

We do not have to wait for Heaven; we can live in Heaven now!

All hail our King Jesus!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Pray, Pray, and Pray Without End!

Pray is the answer!

How is prayer the answer to our lives? I speak from my experience, there were times that I had nothing else but prayer, and I was able to go on for another day. Everything could seem impossible, but being in communication with the Divine makes the seemingly impossible possible!

Our Gospel portion is St. Luke 18:1-8, and we will concentrate on,

“And will not God vindicate His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?”
Luke 18:7

Whatever we have to deal with, do not give up on it; may we never give up on ourselves! God will not give up on us! Turn to God, be in constant communication with God, and allow God to work things out!

I share a constant mantra prayer that I use in good times, ordinary times, and in sad times,

“God, I surrender, please take care of everything!”

Let God fight our battles and be obedient to God’s Will and purpose in our lives. I have found this to bring me to the peace that passes all understanding.

Let us share this peace!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Being Humble Always Matters!

Through humility, we can be raised!

Love and humility are intertwined. We cannot separate the two. We find this in the life of Jesus, who chose to join humanity even though He remained Divine.

Today our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 14:1-14, and we will meditate on,

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

St. Luke 14:11

Jesus is the example that all of His followers must follow. He provides the means to bring Heaven to earth, and He showed this in His 33 years of life with us.

St. John the Apostle told us that God is love (1 John 4-8), and we see that lived out in Jesus’ life. Now our challenge is to live love out in our lives. When we encounter every individual, we are to be that love.

It is normal to love those who love you back; however, what is most difficult is to love those who openly hate you! This is so hard to do, but we are called to do this supernatural love.

Genuine humility is required to love like Jesus!

Remember, God allowed those who hated Him to execute Him, and He forgave them and the whole world! To receive that forgiveness, we must humble our pride and love those who aim to harm us.

When we become like Jesus, we allow Him to exalt us in the present moment!

Be humble like Jesus and be exalted by Him! Live in Heaven on Earth!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

Be the Fire of Divine Love!

Be the source of true peace in your world!

Sunday blessings!

People talk about peace, but there cannot be peace without justice. Our Gospel reading today, St. Luke 12:49-53, highlights this truth. We will focus on the following section:

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

Luke 12:51

It might seem strange that Jesus speaks about causing division instead of peace, but listen— the peace we often think exists in the world is an illusion! Many situations people live in are far from peaceful. When we judge our family or neighbors, we are not at peace with them. So, when we follow Jesus, we may not always find peace with everyone.

Our peace is a peace of Divine Love!

The peace Jesus provides is an inner peace. When we have that peace, we reflect it from deep within our hearts.

However, this inner peace can cause division among those unable or unwilling to share this love. Today, I will share the story of St. Lawrence the Martyr. When Emperor Valerian inquired about the riches of the Church, Lawrence responded by presenting the poor of Rome.

St. Lawrence was murdered for doing this! St. Lawrence followed his Savior and died for true peace.

May we have the true peace of Jesus and say to the world by how we live, that without justice, there cannot be peace!

Be the change you want to see in your world!

Sunday Blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

What We Treasure Matters!

Choose Jesus and make a better world!

What we hold as important directs our focus in life. Today, our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 12:13-21, and we will concentrate on

“So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:21

Jesus gives us a model that helps make a better world. Jesus uses love as the complete center of His actions, and as His followers, we must keep this love as the center of our behavior, too!

Kindness always matters!

Being kind does not mean that we can not be wealthy in the things of this world. But it means we must share our wealth with those in need.

We must always remember that everyone is our sister or brother and love them in concrete ways. This often means sharing what is ours with organizations that we trust that feed the poor, clothe the naked, visit the incarcerated, care for the sick, and do all the other necessary acts of charity in our world today.

Living charity is living already in the Kingdom of God!

May we live the words we pray many times a day: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!

May we be Kingdom People!

Sunday Blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

Keep Knocking!

The Lord will open the door at the right time!

Today, our Lord teaches us to be persistent in prayer. Let us spend some time applying this principle here and now. We will use St. Luke’s Gospel 11:1-13, and we will concentrate on

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Luke 11:10

We must be persistent in what we want in life, but it must follow the Law of Love. For what we want to be accomplished it must be part of God’s Will!

We find God’s Will in Jesus Christ! God became one of us so that we could be more like God.

Hence, what we want must be in sink with that which would make the world a better place.

It is important to evaluate our desires according to love. For example, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta desired to love those who were not treated with love. Her prayerful actions started a worldwide movement. Or, let us look at the Little Flower, St. Thérèse, who from her monastery, died at 24 years of age, transformed spirituality in her Little Way. There are many more examples and in our little way can make a big difference in someone’s life!

Be persistent in prayer! Keep knocking on the Divine Door! The Divine One will open the door when it is the Divine Time!

Be blest and be a blessing!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Bring Peace Wherever We Go!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Our presence in the world as followers of Jesus brings His Peace. We are the Seventy-two Disciples in the world. That is a tremendous responsibility, but our world desperately needs us to be faithful to our call!

Our Gospel Portion today is St. Luke 10:1-20, and we will meditate on,

“Whatever house you enter, first say ‘peace be to this house!’” St. Luke 10:5.

To bring peace, we must already have it. Jesus’ Peace must already reign in our lives. The original 72 Disciples had been taught by the Master Himself; hence, Jesus already reigned in them.

We are the Seventy-two today!

Jesus has taught us through His Word, His followers’ example, and their words.

We bring peace more by who we are and how we treat everyone than by our words.

Live the Peace of Jesus and radiate that peace in our homes, at our workplaces, and with everyone we encounter.

Peace must begin with us! Let the world be a better place through us!

Happy Sunday!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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