Fr. Alex

Boy praying in front of missing persons poster in Wal-Mart. "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 18:3) #catholic #prayer

When these trick-or-treaters didn't get candy because the family was too sick to come to the door, they didn't just walk away. They prayed for the family. Notice the boy who makes the sign of the cross. Who raised these children?! Well done.

Today is the Memorial of the First Holy Martyrs. They were killed as scapegoats by Nero, and their names have been lost to history. Remember, the world may not know your name or the suffering you carry, but God has counted every hair on your head.

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 8:5–17 The centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Just one sentence, but the perfect prayer. Simple but trusting. Maybe that’s all our prayers need to be.

A parishioner died. I looked up her social media. Her last post responded to someone calling church boring. “If we truly understood the Mass, we’d never be bored—no matter the music, etc.” One day people will look up your social media. What does your last post say about you?

It finally happened. Yesterday on Ash Wednesday, a woman brought in her cat for ashes. I told her I could bless the cat, but I can't give ashes. Ashes would indicate the cat is sorrowful for his sins. She accepted this explanation. The cat seemed relieved, and so was I.

The board game I ordered arrived yesterday but I had no one to play with. I felt an interior urge to ask the homeless man in the back of church. We played and he loved it. Then he said “I want to go to Confession. It's been many years.” Each day God has a special plan for us.

Feast of the 21 Martyrs On this day in 2015, twenty-one Coptic Christians were beheaded by ISIS. Christians are by far the most persecuted group in modern times with 5,898 killed last year. That's about 16 martyrs every day, yet UFOs get more news coverage.

Today's the 4th Day of Christmas, and the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Teach your children to be pro-life, or the world will make them pro-choice. Make the case for life through the lens of compassion. Show them true compassion starts with protecting the weakest among us.

God bless Catholic nurses who practice their faith. Last night I got a 2am call from a nurse saying that a patient wouldn't make it through the night. Because of the nurse's phone call, some unknown person received the Last Rites and was assured of heaven.

Try a walking rosary every now and then. Try to keep the image of the mystery in your mind as you pray and walk the decades. Not only is it good for your soul, but the 30 minutes it takes to walk a rosary lowers your risk for stroke, diabetes, and more. #catholic #fitness

Babies eating lemons: youtube.com/watch?v=ZC-WfUHU…