Category: Fr. Bob Hilz

Friar’s Corner: Safe haven in Jesus’ love

It seems to some of us that the coming election is critical for the survival of our country. It is almost as if we are headed into a civil war. There has been an ongoing battle between good and evil, God’s love and light and satan’s evils. Catholic Canon Law speaks about the option between two forces, choosing the lesser of two evils. We may not like many things on either side. Which one would provide the best way forward?

Friar’s Corner: God wants to raise us up

At the end of St. Paul’s Roman letter in chapter 13, he emphasizes love, the love that Jesus was all about in His gospel messages. This is what we owe to one another, sharing God’s love. Amen! This is what our family, friends, neighbors, fellow workers, others and the world long to hear and see in us, God’s love. One way you can do this is by sharing God’s transforming love in your life. Nancy Ward can show you how in her book, Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips, and Testimonies.

Friars Corner: Be a Living Sacrifice

“St. Michael the Archangel, illustrious leader of the heavenly army, defend us in the battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of darkness and the spirits of wickedness in high places. Come to the rescue of mankind, whom God has made in His own image and likeness, and purchase from Satan’s tyranny at so great a price. Holy Church venerates you as her patron and guardian. The Lord has entrusted to you the task of leading the souls of the redeemed to heavenly blessedness. Entreat the Lord of peace to cast Satan down under our feet, so as to keep him from further holding humans captive and doing harm to God’s Church. Carry our prayers up to God’s throne, that the mercy of the Lord may quickly come and lay hold of the beast, the serpent of old, Satan and his demons, casting them in chains into the abyss, so that they can no longer seduce the nations.”

Friar’s Corner: Big Rock, little rock

Today’s Matthew 16:18 has two interpretations. One is that Peter is the rock on which the church of Jesus was built. The other is that Jesus, Himself is the Rock of our salvation. Peter is the “little rock” next to Jesus. He was obviously a stabilizing factor within the early church and today. The Catholic papacy has been something of the eye of almost every religious hurricane in the course of Christian controversy.

Friar’s Corner: Fighting the evil spirits around us

We could call events these days at least as a double-layered early storm. We have the physical story of the Covid virus and the political movement toward our November elections. I won’t sidestep today’s gospel of  a Canaanite mother whose daughter is “tormented by a demon.” There are levels of demonic activity. Oppression deals with a person experiencing normal attacks by evil spirits. Obsession deals with evil spirits to create severe disturbances and blockage in a particular area of a person. God will not let evil spirits completely take over every area of a person’s life. They may hamper certain areas. We think of temptations, harassment, obsession or possession of certain areas of a person’s life.

Friar’s Corner: Keeping your God-light shining

To turn our God-light on, we need to plug our lamp cord into God’s power socket, our baptism. Then we can turn on the Jesus-light inside of us. Knowing and loving Jesus empowers us to radiate His light and love to others. To keep our lights on we need to repent of all our past sins and beg God for His mercy and love.