An Anglican friend once asked me why I wasn't leaving the Church after all the scandals. I said I was there for Christ. When you have a strong relationship with God, flawed men do not get in the way of your spiritual progress.
I came back to the church this summer, after 20+ years of believing that it was the men who uphold the church. Only when I realized it was Christ himself that matters, i came back
I have returned to my faith after 40 years away from it - because of the scandals. Indeed, bad men do not, should not determine our faith. I've returned to fight for it.
This morning I cancelled seeing my current therapist. I feel she wasn't helping me anymore and I felt I relied on her too much, meanwhile she hasn't helped me improve. I plan on putting my faith and trust in God instead. Thank you Father Mike :)
That’s awesome! Therapists are meant to guide us and help us when we can no longer be our own help. Once we get back up we no longer have to receive their assistance! But they are very needed!!
@@nicola489 i agree with you. what Fr Mike says pertains to matters of faith. for health issues, you should seek expert help. but put your faith in Jesus that he will guide you to the right expert. faith is not about deliberately standing in front of a speeding truck. faith is trusting that God will do what's best for you.
@Wulf Sheepskin I'm sorry to hear about your current situation :( I will pray for you and ask God to give you the peace and guidance we all need in our lives. Be strong my dear and may Jesus, Mary, and Joseph watch over you ❤✝️
@@nicola489 I've been in therapy for 8 years and have had many therapists and different psychiatric help. I've made such improvement, and though I still struggle sometimes, I feel it's my time to put my full faith in God and within myself to make the right decisions. Maybe in the future I'll find a different therapist to speak with, but for now I want to listen to God's voice and follow my own as well. But I do understand where you're coming from. I appreciate your input :) thank you and God bless!
@@thecatholiccorner Hi Tessa, I understand what you mean. I sometimes feel that I'm using my counselor/therapist like a crutch sometimes, especially when I'm overwhelmed by a trauma and dwell on it for days or weeks at a time without finding a way to accept and overcome it. However, I do find it helpful to have an objective person show me a point of view I didn't consider before because I tend to over analyze what other people say and do to me and interpret their words/actions as threatening when it's not most of the time. I also find it a comfort when I go through a bad ordeal that I don't have to unpack the situation by myself. I want to be resilient enough (like you) to regulate my emotions and over sensitivity. I pray that Jesus will heal me even through the help of a trained professional. Thank you for sharing your story.
I remember my parish priest talking about this topic during mass and what he said "If you put your faith in your priest, bishop or even the pope, then you've already set yourself up for failure" Great vid padre Mike 👌🏽😁
Thank you Fr Mike! Put trust not in mortals but in God! May our public life match our private life ...their failing not an obstacle to our faith! I put my faith in you Jesus!! Bless you Fr Mike 🙏🙏🙏
I WENT TO MASS YOU GUYS !!! I went to mass today for the first time in a very long time. I really suffer with two conditions so with them very debilitating (making me sick amongst other things ) as well as the virus. It's been such a long time since I could attend mass. But I went today. I had a dream last night I went to mass. So I woke up today and decided today is the day I should go to mass. I went and there was sooo many restrictions. But it was still amazing ! I got to have the communion which was fantastic. I wish that the priest was more enthusiastic and didn't mumble though, truly i wish It's a shame when online mass shows more enthusiasm than your in real life congregation and priest. But I hope they're doing it for the right reasons(a few priests in my town have been con men ) and actually want to be there for the true reasons. But either way I know that I was happy to be there
God bless you dear. Seek out some bible study groups, women’s faith sharing, and meet your priest. You’ll need support along the way. Pray the rosary. 🙏🏻❤️
Mary has actually never fell into sin either. Nor does any of the saints and holy angels sin in heaven, they are glorified, sanctified and prepared to help intercede for us through prayer to our Triune God.
@@martinmichaelpaulusnihlen1525 I guess the state applies only for our Lord of Lords Jesus Christ, Holy Mother Of All Mary and the Holy Angels .. the Saints as well are in Heaven but not all of them had the same story without any sin .. some of them actually, like Saulus that after became Paulus. Anyway, let's be inspired from all of their lives and stories to sanctify ours as much as our souls. Bless you! 🙏
@@tcn.br.92 everyone except Jesus and Mary sinned while on earth. I'm just saying that as of now, the saints in heaven have been purified and therefore able to intercede for us in the spiritual realm. Pax Christi
So true father! A priest once told me, "People are fickle, focus on God, people will be your enemy one day and your friend another or vice versa, God never changes".
Matthew 10: 36......God has given me the Grace to love my enemies. Somewhere in the Old Testament it is written that our love for God evaporates like the morning dew. God never changes but He can turn hearts of stone into flesh.
I just had another thought - think of Joan of Arc. She was put on the stake by the Catholic Church, she was abused and betrayed before that. Did that diminish her faith in Christ? I don't think it did. The Cross was the one thing she had faith in. Even though those who were supposed to serve Christ were the ones burning her alive. She is a true hero. 🙏🏼🌟
Psalm 146: "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save." Sadly, some of the actions of the religious have turned people away from following Christ.
Yeah, I quit church half a year ago because a priest I considered to be my spiritual father insulted me instead of helping me make sense of the coronavirus situation... And I quit church because I really thought that priest was like a father to me, I was really counting on his help, and he hurt me. I went back to church today. I participated in Mass, went to confession, received the Holy Communion. Good video, Father! I think, I'll keep watching your videos. This one has kind of helped.
Thank you Father for this teaching. “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) is what my mother used to quote to us kids. Today my faith does not rest on what humans do or say, but on Christ and His mercy.
I had something of a prodigal journey. When God showed me that the Bible was His word and I began reading it for the first time in over a decade, I saw it so differently. Everyone from Adam to Noah to Abraham, Jacob, Joseph Moses, David, and the Apostles were all so fallible and the same God that had loved me even when I did not believe in Him and blasphemed Him was there loving them and guiding them through. I never put faith in people in the first place as a child Christian but now I see how central to the Bible that is. It's written about sinners for sinners to show us that God is love and truth.
Wow I couldn’t have said it any better. And I have tried to explain this to my family members who have fallen away. 😞😞😞😭😢😭. They belittle me and point out the abuse and doctrine. They ask how I still believe. My answer is because I do trust in Jesus and the teachings He left. My faith is rooted in Jesus not man!!!!! Priests are human and just like the rest of us fall a lot. God knew and knows this. But is so humble that He has trusted humanity with His most precious gift of the Holy Eucharist. I tell people putting aside our churches with all the riches there in. Setting all of that really has no value. Our most precious and holy rich is in the hand of a priest and in the body and Blood soul and divinity of our lords Jesus Christ. And that can never be taken away from us!!! God Bless
Thank you, Father Mike. "If you see a person sin, do not judge yourself to be better than him because you know not how long you shall persevere in goodness". Thomas a Kempis (The Imitation of Christ)
Wow Father Mike, I am amazed at the way Mary our Mother kept you under her protection and the Holy Spirit kept you in the truth, after having gone through those disappointments. May God bless your apostolate.🙏🏻
“O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.” Psalms 69:5-6 NLT. Thank you ❤️🙏🏾❤️
I remember when Fr. Corapi fell. I was so completely devastated. He brought me closer to the Lord with his incredible gift of preaching. I had to remind myself that he preached the truth, even if he ultimately didn't live his private life the way he should have. I still miss his preaching and pray for him.
Thank you for this inspiring video. It is the way a priest has treated people & me in our Cathedral parish. He was very overly welcoming to us when he was assigned to the Cathedral in 2009. Came for dinner at our home many times over 4 years. Then, as he complimented, winked, and seemed to so to enjoy your company-- he then was judging us. Then as time went on he would ignore you in parish activities & ignore your family at the Mass. This drove some parishioners to switch to a different Catholic Parish. I realized by how he treated me that he was hoping I would leave. We did not. Through much prayer--I knew I was at the Mass for my own soul and the souls of my husband & children. We were not leaving our home parish of 50 years. It was then that I realized that I am not at the Mass for the priest, but for Jesus, my own soul, and the souls of my children, departed loved ones:) We are not at the Mass for the priest, WE PRAY THE MASS FOR OUR OWN SOULS:)
I was with a baptist Bible study group. And they were angry of all the scandals going on. And I said all the priests, Fathers, Pasters and religious teachers in all the churches around the world are human and do make mistakes. Jesus is the only perfect one. ❤️💯🙏🏻
So human, so true. I once let down a friend of mine that I had led to Christ. I still feel so horrible about it and I know she was thoroughly disappointed. We are gradually recuperating out friendship but bless the Lord, her relationship with the Lord went on up.
I've learnt to this a long time ago when my dad walked out when I was 4 years old and my mum died soon later . I don't.know where my father is I'm 55 and yes people will let you down. I've found dogs are wonderful company while you learn to trust God 🙏 again 😉 Amen
I love dogs too. If people are not around, these dogs can give us the sense of company we need. They also make us stronger making us realize that we can be a support to another. With that sense of being needed, we can find meaning in our life. I'm sure that God looks on us, on you, smiling when you realize that you are God's son who also know how to forgive. And I've heard many times : to forgive is divine.
no fear:how have you fared in life, did you come to a loving, good foster home? I agree e that dogs can be good company , but I hesitate getting one, since i am not good socially and want to learn to be with húman beings, and communicate, help and learn on a spiritual, verbal, soul level which of course one never can with even an intelligent animal. They don't have an I of their own, and as much as I lovd my cat for 17 years, and shared love, joy and comfort with her, it made me in y exhaustion and hard life situation a bit lazy about seeking the company of others, that was so difficult to get right...but they are easier. but it fels like a failure and letting God down if we shun mankind because of laziness and fear.I am so grateful and glad for the 12-- step program, where God helps me reconsider, clean house, heal and improve socially.
Words you spoke make sense, trust is everything, I’ve learned about how important my faith is by Great Spiritual Leaders, including you Father Mike, your Bible in a year, Catechism in a year…..are all important to the faithful,I would like to quote your Mother’s wise words to you “Remember who the Star is”…..words to live by in Jesus name.
Father Mike please please pray for all the homeless people in Los Angeles and everywhere!! You won't believe how sad it is! Only God and Mother Mary can help us! It's so bad! It's so scary! God bless you and everyone!! LOVE for you!
I go to a Catholic Highschool and as juniors we are learning moral theology and the priest that teaches it has talked about scandal and how he's not alowed to openly speak for or against a political party, especially now, because it can cause scandal. Having Fr. Mike as a teacher would be amazing!🤣
Just wanted to say congratulations on having such devotion to your high school religion classes and the wisdom to supplement that education with teachers like Fr Mike. I attended a catholic high school and squandered that valuable resource. The only thing I remember from those classes was that Paul wrote a lot of letters to people. Since then I’ve had to regain that education the hard way on my own. Keep up the good work and it’s refreshing to see teens who see things more clearly than most these days! Hopefully there’s more like you in your school than there was in mine.
The priest is not telling you the truth! Clergy may not hold public office; however when a particular political party advocates violations of the moral law, as the Democratic party does now, clergy have a duty to speak out publicly. It is a great scandal that most of the bishops do not call out the Democratic party on the issue of abortion (baby murder). You are being taught that clergy should be passive in the political sphere. This is wrong!! They will be judged harshly by God for not speaking out.
Hi Sav. Im a High School Teacher and would get sacked in 5 minutes for teaching about my faith in Jesus and His Holy Mother. The Holy Spirit is your Teacher, keep praying, i have witnessed MANY miracles. I am serious, be patient.
This message is very true. I was burned by a church and I was disillusioned by the church yes. However it didn’t shake my belief in Jesus. This is not a boast but a testament to never put your faith in men because we all fall short. All means all, no matter who you are. It was God’s mercy that He showed me to not put my faith in men.
@@missevelynr Thank you, Happy Sabbath day :) King Jesus is coming soon :) May God Bless you too for Knowledge, wisdom and understanding :) Hope to see you in heaven when Judgement day is served :)
@@tomandrews1429 I felt you when my grandma passed away. I almost committed suicide. But now I know that’s God’s grace. I wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t left this earth 8 years ago. I’ll see her when I see God. Praying for you and your family, brother🙏❤️
I put my faith in the Lord Jesus, I also believe in the good of my Priest, who convinced me to put my trust in Jesus,I needed his good advice to know God is all forgiving, and God will forgive my mistake confession was cathartic …..Love your videos Father Mike
This post comforts me because as I get older and my walk with Jesus Christ gets stronger and I start to be able to see reality better. I can see how dysfunctional my family is and I can see their downfalls. My dad is the one who helped me throughout my life with my faith and I see today that my dad has a lot of character defects and dysfunction in the family and is kind of verbally abusive to his wife and two other people. But his faith is amazing and strong and add mirable. Many times I have just overlooked his downfalls and have refused to look at them but today because of the reality and my relationship with Jesus Christ I can’t avoid this reality anymore. My goal is to accept my father and everyone else in my life and love them the way that Jesus Christ loves me.
You do good work, Fr Mike! I look forward to your weekly thoughts, along with Friar Mark Mary and all Ascension Presents! I find myself going back over and watching some of the homilies or some or the other videos. I definitely wish there were more of you and the people on Ascension Presents around, in person. You all are far and few between, especially during these times. Thank you again and I am praying for you all.
Even the best of men can fall. I told my children often about Solomon- wisest and most famous of men. We do not know if he died in God's grace. he became corrupt at the end of his life. Perseverance is such an important virtue.
All human beings are disappointing, soon or later, including our beloved ones, including ourselves ! God IS The Only One WHO deserves our confidence, our dreams, our loyalty,
This is so true, that is exactly how I have always looked at this. The only hero I have is Jesus, do not put humans on a pedestone, as we are all broken.
God gave us free will, the right to choose, and has to sit back and watch us chose, my heart breaks for Gods disappointment in us, i really try to live my best for Gods sake and for mankinds
Spot on Pat. During Christs Agony in the Garden He wept over souls who rejected His Love by their own free will. On the Cross He endured by seeing those who would be in Heaven with Him.
This is such an important idea to learn. I remember when my daughters would say to me "don't you trust me?". My answer was " yes I trust you to be human. Subject to the same temptations and faulty judgements that I was." I would then explain my role in being tasked by God to be their accountability partner and parent. I would always tell them that my rules for their behavior exist because I love them and that God's rules are rooted in the same purpose. The good news is that now these many years later, they all express gratitude to me for my stand. With 80 + years visiting this dispensation, I can agree with you that no human behavior surprises me because I fully understand the nature if the human heart. That doesn't stop me from loving others, rather intensifies it. I long ago realized that Christ's veracity was independent of the missteps of His followers. Blessings
I had a similar experience with trusting and caring about a priest that was found to be ... Fortunately I was 40 when I converted and mature enough to know my faith was in Christ, in the purity of faith, not in a man, an individuals. I looked down at my medal of my new patron saint, Michael the archangel, defender of the faith. I know I must do everything I can to constantly review my life and walk through the crucible of the world and keep my eyes on Christ, God, heaven to keep moving forward daily. Help your brother or sister in Christ, don't burden them with expecting them to be perfect, instead just keep encouraging them too to stand up drop what holds them back and keep moving forward to God. Hang in there. Very well said Father. Keep moving forward Father, its never over until we don't get up again to run the race.
Well said Gail. We all fall but getting up in trust is the only way. If at times we are too weary to get up, Christ and His Mother always send someone to help us.
Fr. MIKE, You are an awesome instrument of God's Will. You so Crack me up Sometime's . You give me a good laugh, love your sense of humor. Keep up the Great work and ThankYou, God Bless! Ken Weber. N.J.
I sometimes worry I do that with Fr. Mike, I have yet to find anything in him to disappoint me. But I'm aware that my focus should be on Christ, not Fr. Mike. Thank you for all you do
Fr. Mike - one of our best. Only thing I would add is a point (specific to the sacraments) Bishop Barron makes in his book, Letter to a Suffering Church. Which is, regardless of what an ordained priest does, the sacraments which they provide us on behalf of God and His church are not in vain. Your sins are still forgiven in confession. The consecrated Eucharist is still the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, God himself.
We had a priest say that to us, don't put your trust in him or any other priest. If we did then we didn't come to serve God. Some of us are like " oh my I don't like the new priest or I love the new priest so i started back going to church. We were never there for the right reason (God)in the first. place cave. Thanks again Father Mike.
Excellent message, Fr -- I pray those that have left the Church because of someone's 'humaness' stumbles upon this. Either way, I always pray for the priests that have strengthened my faith - and nothing can take that from me because I, too, am a sinner. For those that left the Church for this reason - even if they truly feel it was justified ... remember: "some seeds fell on rocky ground.." Let's pray that good soil gets tossed on them before it's too late.
I rarely let others who stumble affect my faith in Christ because we are all going to continue to sin up until we die. We all have to work out our own salvation and we need to pray for each other
One of the mysteries is why evil exists. Perhaps to bring about a greater good. We must let the Holy Spirit guide us. God hates sin not the sinner. Through bad examples, later we also learn lessons needed in our paths. Each one of us is responsible for our righteousness to the Lord. Indirectly they help to achieve God’s purpose for ourselves. Good to hear you always Father Mike!
It is so very true, I guess it is a little bit like seeing the bad in others but not seeing the bad in ourselves.. . And even if we may not be guilty of these scandals we Certainly well I certainly am not perfect by any means. Thank you
Today we have way too much of a tendency to try to erase someone who’s stumbled and nullify anything they’ve said. The truth is the truth and just because the person speaking it has some kind of flaw or issue doesn’t change the reality of that truth. Let God be the judge of that person’s worth, let us learn what we can from anyone who’s speaking wisdom and maybe show a little mercy along the way.
@@phoebea you’re right. The sad part is as fallen beings it’s easy for us to fall prey to that way of thinking. Modern politics and media are making it very popular to do so too. It’s not overtly sinful feeling to shun clearly sinful people and nobody wants to be seen as endorsing such things. Scripture, however, spends a lot of time talking about that very subject. Most notably in John 8 “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”. There’s dozens of other examples but it’s pretty clear we should be acting more like Christ and less like the Pharisees right now. An every day exercise in this way of thinking that someone taught me is seeing an out of shape person jogging down the road while I sit on the porch or in my car. It’s easy to judge them for being out of shape but I always need to remember while I sit so comfortably that they’r out there working for it right now and I’m not. I constantly have to remind myself who gets into the Kingdom first..
Thanks Father Mike for being such an inspiration in spite of all you are going through. I knew someone for over forty years and never knew her at all. Jesus is all.
What an incredibly important message thank you so much so many people seem to put their faith in other people like you say and not directly in God we are all fallible we are human and we have to keep our eyes on the Lord thank you for your message and God bless
Good morning Father Mike. Thank you for all your very helpful advice and guidance. I found this one especially helpful, because I needed an answer to provide to some family members who have fallen away from Christ because of what they experienced with certain clergy or scandals that have occurred. Greatly appreciate your advice, thanks!
Keep "Striving". Perfection takes a lifetime. PATIENCE. Know this: "God is patience." (Scripture) This is good message. A good reminder to trust God alone and love others into healing. Thank you.
WOW,WOW,WOW. I was disappointed at a very early age by family, so called friends and even Church Folk. So I grew up being mindful of people in general. Then as I grew older, I started asking God to Bless me with Discernment. I am Grateful that He has. Now, many years later , I ONLY TRUST GOD. AT ALL TIMES!!!
but father... even if we cant put our own faith in them, i firmly believe that we can supply them in faith with our prayers... 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 i believe God will drag the forsakers back...in His own time under His divine providence...
Such an important point. It's so easy to feel betrayed when some very big preacher ends up being just a sinner and someone that leaves the faith. But after watching this message I realize it's not a personal betrayal at all. The only thing I need to have faith in is God and his son Jesus.
Thanks. This is so apt right now. Without sometimes knowing it some are misleading others away from God, both Hierarchy, Bishops and other clergy and lapsed Catholics. Media isn't helping either. But we need to hold onto God. Found important document while listening to this and praying to Jesus. Thanks you Jesus. 🙏❤
Jesus was the only person who never sinned, that is why we must put our trust in HIM alone. Everyone else born after the fall of Adam and Eve were born into sin. We have a sinful nature because of this and we all fall short of the glory of God. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins and upon repentance with a contrite heart we can start afresh. Praise God
Thanks for this. I really needed to hear it. The person who led me to the Catholic Church, is living so far outside the Catholicism she professes that her cognitive dissonance has sometimes made me question (in my head) her motives, but certainly not my faith. She helped me find the truth, even if she isn’t the person I thought she was. For that, I’m grateful.
Amen. There is ultimately only one hero in the epic of redemptive history: Jesus Christ. To the degree that a man reflects Christ, he is heroic; and to the degree that he fails; he underscores his (and our) need of Christ. Both his success and his failure should direct us to Jesus Christ, the One upon whom all our hope depends and who is completely worthy of all honor and praise, glory and power, trust and devotion. He is the only one worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, the only one who can and should be trusted with absolute authority. He is the only Savior, the One Man who is worthy of worship. Let all God’s saints and angels, all peoples, and all of creation worship Him!
It's very true Fr. Mike!! I like the verse you quoted from the Bible which says that we ought not put our hope in men or leaders but in God alone! Only God knows the deepest thoughts in our hearts so he can guide us by sending us different people in our lives. I'm praying for you Father that you continue your works with a dedicated heart in the salvation of many souls into God's kingdom. With warm regards and prayers 🙏🙏😊
An Anglican friend once asked me why I wasn't leaving the Church after all the scandals. I said I was there for Christ. When you have a strong relationship with God, flawed men do not get in the way of your spiritual progress.
I definitely struggle with this. Feel like silence is saying it’s ok 😢
I came back to the church this summer, after 20+ years of believing that it was the men who uphold the church. Only when I realized it was Christ himself that matters, i came back
I have returned to my faith after 40 years away from it - because of the scandals. Indeed, bad men do not, should not determine our faith. I've returned to fight for it.
Fr Chad Ripperger said no man behaviors should shake your faith and I will keep it in my heart forever
AMEN!!
This morning I cancelled seeing my current therapist. I feel she wasn't helping me anymore and I felt I relied on her too much, meanwhile she hasn't helped me improve. I plan on putting my faith and trust in God instead.
Thank you Father Mike :)
That’s awesome! Therapists are meant to guide us and help us when we can no longer be our own help. Once we get back up we no longer have to receive their assistance! But they are very needed!!
@@nicola489 i agree with you. what Fr Mike says pertains to matters of faith. for health issues, you should seek expert help. but put your faith in Jesus that he will guide you to the right expert. faith is not about deliberately standing in front of a speeding truck. faith is trusting that God will do what's best for you.
@Wulf Sheepskin I'm sorry to hear about your current situation :( I will pray for you and ask God to give you the peace and guidance we all need in our lives. Be strong my dear and may Jesus, Mary, and Joseph watch over you ❤✝️
@@nicola489 I've been in therapy for 8 years and have had many therapists and different psychiatric help. I've made such improvement, and though I still struggle sometimes, I feel it's my time to put my full faith in God and within myself to make the right decisions. Maybe in the future I'll find a different therapist to speak with, but for now I want to listen to God's voice and follow my own as well. But I do understand where you're coming from. I appreciate your input :) thank you and God bless!
@@thecatholiccorner Hi Tessa, I understand what you mean. I sometimes feel that I'm using my counselor/therapist like a crutch sometimes, especially when I'm overwhelmed by a trauma and dwell on it for days or weeks at a time without finding a way to accept and overcome it.
However, I do find it helpful to have an objective person show me a point of view I didn't consider before because I tend to over analyze what other people say and do to me and interpret their words/actions as threatening when it's not most of the time. I also find it a comfort when I go through a bad ordeal that I don't have to unpack the situation by myself.
I want to be resilient enough (like you) to regulate my emotions and over sensitivity. I pray that Jesus will heal me even through the help of a trained professional. Thank you for sharing your story.
I remember my parish priest talking about this topic during mass and what he said
"If you put your faith in your priest, bishop or even the pope, then you've already set yourself up for failure"
Great vid padre Mike 👌🏽😁
ooof this couldn't come at a better time :(
@@TheMariaMejia yeah... That aged well
@@TheMariaMejia why?
God bless Fr.Mike and everyone today!
Amen the same for you friend
Thank you Fr Mike! Put trust not in mortals but in God! May our public life match our private life ...their failing not an obstacle to our faith! I put my faith in you Jesus!! Bless you Fr Mike 🙏🙏🙏
Amen 🙏🏻, same to you
It's Psalm 146:3, in case anyone was looking it up, like me, not 149. 😊
Thank you and Peace be with you and yours. ♡
I WENT TO MASS YOU GUYS !!! I went to mass today for the first time in a very long time. I really suffer with two conditions so with them very debilitating (making me sick amongst other things ) as well as the virus. It's been such a long time since I could attend mass. But I went today. I had a dream last night I went to mass. So I woke up today and decided today is the day I should go to mass. I went and there was sooo many restrictions. But it was still amazing ! I got to have the communion which was fantastic. I wish that the priest was more enthusiastic and didn't mumble though, truly i wish It's a shame when online mass shows more enthusiasm than your in real life congregation and priest. But I hope they're doing it for the right reasons(a few priests in my town have been con men ) and actually want to be there for the true reasons. But either way I know that I was happy to be there
Happy to hear that! God Bless 🙏
God bless you dear. Seek out some bible study groups, women’s faith sharing, and meet your priest. You’ll need support along the way.
Pray the rosary. 🙏🏻❤️
Welcome home!
@@emiliob9941 thank you
@@cn4492 I will try.
Someone once told me "Don't make heroes of people. They will always let you down. Put your faith in Jesus, He will never let you down."
Focus on Christ. Only he doesn't fall to sin, small and large. Not everybody who says "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of God.
Mary has actually never fell into sin either. Nor does any of the saints and holy angels sin in heaven, they are glorified, sanctified and prepared to help intercede for us through prayer to our Triune God.
@@martinmichaelpaulusnihlen1525 Now why did I forget that? Good catch, thanks.
@@martinmichaelpaulusnihlen1525 I guess the state applies only for our Lord of Lords Jesus Christ, Holy Mother Of All Mary and the Holy Angels .. the Saints as well are in Heaven but not all of them had the same story without any sin .. some of them actually, like Saulus that after became Paulus.
Anyway, let's be inspired from all of their lives and stories to sanctify ours as much as our souls.
Bless you! 🙏
@@tcn.br.92 everyone except Jesus and Mary sinned while on earth. I'm just saying that as of now, the saints in heaven have been purified and therefore able to intercede for us in the spiritual realm.
Pax Christi
@@martinmichaelpaulusnihlen1525 got it now. You're right.
Amém! Keep it strong brother 🙏
So true father! A priest once told me, "People are fickle, focus on God, people will be your enemy one day and your friend another or vice versa, God never changes".
Matthew 10: 36......God has given me the Grace to love my enemies. Somewhere in the Old Testament it is written that our love for God evaporates like the morning dew. God never changes but He can turn hearts of stone into flesh.
I just had another thought - think of Joan of Arc. She was put on the stake by the Catholic Church, she was abused and betrayed before that. Did that diminish her faith in Christ? I don't think it did. The Cross was the one thing she had faith in. Even though those who were supposed to serve Christ were the ones burning her alive. She is a true hero. 🙏🏼🌟
More and more Catholics need to hear this message, as this has been an excuse that used more and more for the reason they choose to leave God.
or to leave catholic faith, it seems that the basis of their faith is in people
Psalm 146: "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save." Sadly, some of the actions of the religious have turned people away from following Christ.
Thanks for posting. 😎
Basically no one is perfect except God. 🙏
Thank uou so much Father Mike! You are the Guru who leads his disciples from dakrness to light!
Prayers for AMERICA'S brokenness ... Jesus Christ Son of God I ONLY trust in YOU
💜💜💜
It’s best to keep your Christianity private than be open about. Thank you father Mike. God bless. ✝️
Yeah, I quit church half a year ago because a priest I considered to be my spiritual father insulted me instead of helping me make sense of the coronavirus situation... And I quit church because I really thought that priest was like a father to me, I was really counting on his help, and he hurt me. I went back to church today. I participated in Mass, went to confession, received the Holy Communion. Good video, Father! I think, I'll keep watching your videos. This one has kind of helped.
Let us trust in the Lord, His Holy Mother and the saints.
That's brilliant Thanks Fr Mike,We Trust in Jesus,🙏🙏🙏
Thank you Father for this teaching. “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) is what my mother used to quote to us kids. Today my faith does not rest on what humans do or say, but on Christ and His mercy.
I had something of a prodigal journey. When God showed me that the Bible was His word and I began reading it for the first time in over a decade, I saw it so differently. Everyone from Adam to Noah to Abraham, Jacob, Joseph Moses, David, and the Apostles were all so fallible and the same God that had loved me even when I did not believe in Him and blasphemed Him was there loving them and guiding them through. I never put faith in people in the first place as a child Christian but now I see how central to the Bible that is. It's written about sinners for sinners to show us that God is love and truth.
Wow I couldn’t have said it any better. And I have tried to explain this to my family members who have fallen away. 😞😞😞😭😢😭. They belittle me and point out the abuse and doctrine. They ask how I still believe. My answer is because I do trust in Jesus and the teachings He left. My faith is rooted in Jesus not man!!!!! Priests are human and just like the rest of us fall a lot. God knew and knows this. But is so humble that He has trusted humanity with His most precious gift of the Holy Eucharist. I tell people putting aside our churches with all the riches there in. Setting all of that really has no value. Our most precious and holy rich is in the hand of a priest and in the body and Blood soul and divinity of our lords Jesus Christ. And that can never be taken away from us!!!
God Bless
God Bless All. 🙏💒
God Bless🙏🏻 Thankful for Father Mike 🙏🏻❤️
Thank you, Father Mike.
"If you see a person sin, do not judge yourself to be better than him because you know not how long you shall persevere in goodness".
Thomas a Kempis
(The Imitation of Christ)
Spot on...."but for the Grace of God, there go I".....love The Imitation of Christ.
Yes you are absolutely right, God bless you. Father Mike..
Wow Father Mike, I am amazed at the way Mary our Mother kept you under her protection and the Holy Spirit kept you in the truth, after having gone through those disappointments. May God bless your apostolate.🙏🏻
Father Mike is the best Catholic Priest ever. 🙌
"when one part of the body is broken, we are all broken". Thanks Fr. Mike.
May God grant you the perseverance to the end father Mike. You are a valuable priest for this generation.
Thank you Father
Thank you Father!
“O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.”
Psalms 69:5-6 NLT. Thank you ❤️🙏🏾❤️
I remember when Fr. Corapi fell. I was so completely devastated. He brought me closer to the Lord with his incredible gift of preaching. I had to remind myself that he preached the truth, even if he ultimately didn't live his private life the way he should have. I still miss his preaching and pray for him.
Was a big shock for me too.. regarding Fr. Korapi.
Thank you for this inspiring video. It is the way a priest has treated people & me in our Cathedral parish. He was very overly welcoming to us when he was assigned to the Cathedral in 2009. Came for dinner at our home many times over 4 years. Then, as he complimented, winked, and seemed to so to enjoy your company-- he then was judging us. Then as time went on he would ignore you in parish activities & ignore your family at the Mass. This drove some parishioners to switch to a different Catholic Parish. I realized by how he treated me that he was hoping I would leave. We did not. Through much prayer--I knew I was at the Mass for my own soul and the souls of my husband & children. We were not leaving our home parish of 50 years. It was then that I realized that I am not at the Mass for the priest, but for Jesus, my own soul, and the souls of my children, departed loved ones:) We are not at the Mass for the priest, WE PRAY THE MASS FOR OUR OWN SOULS:)
I was with a baptist Bible study group. And they were angry of all the scandals going on. And I said all the priests, Fathers, Pasters and religious teachers in all the churches around the world are human and do make mistakes. Jesus is the only perfect one. ❤️💯🙏🏻
So human, so true. I once let down a friend of mine that I had led to Christ. I still feel so horrible about it and I know she was thoroughly disappointed. We are gradually recuperating out friendship but bless the Lord, her relationship with the Lord went on up.
You are correct, Father Mike🙏🏻🌹
Beautiful and true. Thank you and God bless.
Jesus I Trust In You!!!
I've learnt to this a long time ago when my dad walked out when I was 4 years old and my mum died soon later . I don't.know where my father is I'm 55 and yes people will let you down. I've found dogs are wonderful company while you learn to trust God 🙏 again 😉 Amen
I love dogs too. If people are not around, these dogs can give us the sense of company we need. They also make us stronger making us realize that we can be a support to another. With that sense of being needed, we can find meaning in our life. I'm sure that God looks on us, on you, smiling when you realize that you are God's son who also know how to forgive. And I've heard many times : to forgive is divine.
no fear:how have you fared in life, did you come to a loving, good foster home? I agree e that dogs can be good company , but I hesitate getting one, since i am not good socially and want to learn to be with húman beings, and communicate, help and learn on a spiritual, verbal, soul level which of course one never can with even an intelligent animal. They don't have an I of their own, and as much as I lovd my cat for 17 years, and shared love, joy and comfort with her, it made me in y exhaustion and hard life situation a bit lazy about seeking the company of others, that was so difficult to get right...but they are easier. but it fels like a failure and letting God down if we shun mankind because of laziness and fear.I am so grateful and glad for the 12-- step program, where God helps me reconsider, clean house, heal and improve socially.
Words you spoke make sense, trust is everything, I’ve learned about how important my faith is by Great Spiritual Leaders, including you Father Mike, your Bible in a year, Catechism in a year…..are all important to the faithful,I would like to quote your Mother’s wise words to you “Remember who the Star is”…..words to live by in Jesus name.
Amen Fr Mike!
Father Mike please please pray for all the homeless people in Los Angeles and everywhere!! You won't believe how sad it is! Only God and Mother Mary can help us! It's so bad! It's so scary! God bless you and everyone!! LOVE for you!
Thank you Father I needed to hear this.
I go to a Catholic Highschool and as juniors we are learning moral theology and the priest that teaches it has talked about scandal and how he's not alowed to openly speak for or against a political party, especially now, because it can cause scandal. Having Fr. Mike as a teacher would be amazing!🤣
Just wanted to say congratulations on having such devotion to your high school religion classes and the wisdom to supplement that education with teachers like Fr Mike. I attended a catholic high school and squandered that valuable resource. The only thing I remember from those classes was that Paul wrote a lot of letters to people. Since then I’ve had to regain that education the hard way on my own. Keep up the good work and it’s refreshing to see teens who see things more clearly than most these days! Hopefully there’s more like you in your school than there was in mine.
The priest is not telling you the truth! Clergy may not hold public office; however when a particular political party advocates violations of the moral law, as the Democratic party does now, clergy have a duty to speak out publicly. It is a great scandal that most of the bishops do not call out the Democratic party on the issue of abortion (baby murder). You are being taught that clergy should be passive in the political sphere. This is wrong!! They will be judged harshly by God for not speaking out.
Hi Sav. Im a High School Teacher and would get sacked in 5 minutes for teaching about my faith in Jesus and His Holy Mother. The Holy Spirit is your Teacher, keep praying, i have witnessed MANY miracles. I am serious, be patient.
Well said Father, I totally agree.
This message is very true. I was burned by a church and I was disillusioned by the church yes. However it didn’t shake my belief in Jesus. This is not a boast but a testament to never put your faith in men because we all fall short. All means all, no matter who you are. It was God’s mercy that He showed me to not put my faith in men.
Thank you for the message Fr. Mike.
Thank you Fr. Mike!!! You are on point.
I love how the Lord speaks to me in various ways. He is the answer to ALL my questions! Jesus Christ is my Lord & Savior ✨✨✨
May God Bless you! Lord Jesus is the King of Kings, Please the Gospel and ask the Holyspirit for understanding😊 Amen.
@@reallove3964 May God continue to bless you with the love & wisdom of the Holy Spirit!
@@missevelynr Thank you😊
@@missevelynr Thank you, Happy Sabbath day :) King Jesus is coming soon :)
May God Bless you too for Knowledge, wisdom and understanding :) Hope to see you in heaven when Judgement day is served :)
Those who put their faith in man will always be disappointed. Those who put their faith in God will never be.
I put my faith in God that he would heal my grandmother. God disappointed me.
Tom Andrews maybe God had another plan. Remember he has a plan for everybody
@@marcelstephens8683 What was God's plan, how was it better than my grandmother living?
I want to like but it has a perfect 100 likes so I'm commenting instead
@@tomandrews1429 I felt you when my grandma passed away. I almost committed suicide. But now I know that’s God’s grace. I wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t left this earth 8 years ago. I’ll see her when I see God. Praying for you and your family, brother🙏❤️
I put my faith in the Lord Jesus, I also believe in the good of my Priest, who convinced me to put my trust in Jesus,I needed his good advice to know God is all forgiving, and God will forgive my mistake confession was cathartic …..Love your videos Father Mike
This post comforts me because as I get older and my walk with Jesus Christ gets stronger and I start to be able to see reality better. I can see how dysfunctional my family is and I can see their downfalls. My dad is the one who helped me throughout my life with my faith and I see today that my dad has a lot of character defects and dysfunction in the family and is kind of verbally abusive to his wife and two other people. But his faith is amazing and strong and add mirable. Many times I have just overlooked his downfalls and have refused to look at them but today because of the reality and my relationship with Jesus Christ I can’t avoid this reality anymore. My goal is to accept my father and everyone else in my life and love them the way that Jesus Christ loves me.
You do good work, Fr Mike! I look forward to your weekly thoughts, along with Friar Mark Mary and all Ascension Presents! I find myself going back over and watching some of the homilies or some or the other videos. I definitely wish there were more of you and the people on Ascension Presents around, in person. You all are far and few between, especially during these times. Thank you again and I am praying for you all.
Even the best of men can fall. I told my children often about Solomon- wisest and most famous of men. We do not know if he died in God's grace. he became corrupt at the end of his life. Perseverance is such an important virtue.
Totally agree. Also we must not judge, on the death bed, many sinners repent. Never forget the man crucified next to Jesus, "Lord, remember me.....".
All human beings are disappointing, soon or later, including our beloved ones, including ourselves ! God IS The Only One WHO deserves our confidence, our dreams, our loyalty,
This is so true, that is exactly how I have always looked at this. The only hero I have is Jesus, do not put humans on a pedestone, as we are all broken.
So so true I have been very disappointed thank you father
God gave us free will, the right to choose, and has to sit back and watch us chose, my heart breaks for Gods disappointment in us, i really try to live my best for Gods sake and for mankinds
Spot on Pat. During Christs Agony in the Garden He wept over souls who rejected His Love by their own free will. On the Cross He endured by seeing those who would be in Heaven with Him.
So right. Make nobody your God. Only one almighty God. Everybody else is human and nobody is perfect.
This is such an important idea to learn. I remember when my daughters would say to me "don't you trust me?". My answer was " yes I trust you to be human. Subject to the same temptations and faulty judgements that I was." I would then explain my role in being tasked by God to be their accountability partner and parent. I would always tell them that my rules for their behavior exist because I love them and that God's rules are rooted in the same purpose. The good news is that now these many years later, they all express gratitude to me for my stand. With 80 + years visiting this dispensation, I can agree with you that no human behavior surprises me because I fully understand the nature if the human heart. That doesn't stop me from loving others, rather intensifies it. I long ago realized that Christ's veracity was independent of the missteps of His followers. Blessings
That's awesome and you are right people that are broken 💔 are looking for JESUS CHRIST ✝️ To mend and heal themselves AMEN 🙏
I had a similar experience with trusting and caring about a priest that was found to be ... Fortunately I was 40 when I converted and mature enough to know my faith was in Christ, in the purity of faith, not in a man, an individuals. I looked down at my medal of my new patron saint, Michael the archangel, defender of the faith. I know I must do everything I can to constantly review my life and walk through the crucible of the world and keep my eyes on Christ, God, heaven to keep moving forward daily. Help your brother or sister in Christ, don't burden them with expecting them to be perfect, instead just keep encouraging them too to stand up drop what holds them back and keep moving forward to God. Hang in there. Very well said Father. Keep moving forward Father, its never over until we don't get up again to run the race.
Well said Gail. We all fall but getting up in trust is the only way. If at times we are too weary to get up, Christ and His Mother always send someone to help us.
Fr. MIKE,
You are an awesome instrument of God's Will.
You so Crack me up Sometime's . You give me a good laugh, love your sense of humor. Keep up the Great work and ThankYou, God Bless!
Ken Weber. N.J.
I sometimes worry I do that with Fr. Mike, I have yet to find anything in him to disappoint me. But I'm aware that my focus should be on Christ, not Fr. Mike. Thank you for all you do
This is why leading by example is important.
Fr. Mike - one of our best. Only thing I would add is a point (specific to the sacraments) Bishop Barron makes in his book, Letter to a Suffering Church. Which is, regardless of what an ordained priest does, the sacraments which they provide us on behalf of God and His church are not in vain. Your sins are still forgiven in confession. The consecrated Eucharist is still the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, God himself.
We had a priest say that to us, don't put your trust in him or any other priest. If we did then we didn't come to serve God. Some of us are like " oh my I don't like the new priest or I love the new priest so i started back going to church. We were never there for the right reason (God)in the first.
place cave. Thanks again Father Mike.
Kindly pray for us to have a good reason to live well....hoping for a better life and to have trusting faith..Thanks.God bless you more, Fr. Mike:)
Excellent message, Fr -- I pray those that have left the Church because of someone's 'humaness' stumbles upon this. Either way, I always pray for the priests that have strengthened my faith - and nothing can take that from me because I, too, am a sinner. For those that left the Church for this reason - even if they truly feel it was justified ... remember: "some seeds fell on rocky ground.." Let's pray that good soil gets tossed on them before it's too late.
Truth!! I only pray and hope that people would get to understand this truth.
trust in the lord with all your heart, make allowences for imperfect human beings,we are all broken
Jesus loves you father
I rarely let others who stumble affect my faith in Christ because we are all going to continue to sin up until we die. We all have to work out our own salvation and we need to pray for each other
One of the mysteries is why evil exists. Perhaps to bring about a greater good. We must let the Holy Spirit guide us. God hates sin not the sinner. Through bad examples, later we also learn lessons needed in our paths. Each one of us is responsible for our righteousness to the Lord. Indirectly they help to achieve God’s purpose for ourselves. Good to hear you always Father Mike!
It is so very true, I guess it is a little bit like seeing the bad in others but not seeing the bad in ourselves.. . And even if we may not be guilty of these scandals we Certainly well I certainly am not perfect by any means. Thank you
Today we have way too much of a tendency to try to erase someone who’s stumbled and nullify anything they’ve said. The truth is the truth and just because the person speaking it has some kind of flaw or issue doesn’t change the reality of that truth. Let God be the judge of that person’s worth, let us learn what we can from anyone who’s speaking wisdom and maybe show a little mercy along the way.
Thank you for your wisdom. I completely agree especially with the prevalence of cancel culture.
@@phoebea you’re right. The sad part is as fallen beings it’s easy for us to fall prey to that way of thinking. Modern politics and media are making it very popular to do so too. It’s not overtly sinful feeling to shun clearly sinful people and nobody wants to be seen as endorsing such things. Scripture, however, spends a lot of time talking about that very subject. Most notably in John 8 “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”. There’s dozens of other examples but it’s pretty clear we should be acting more like Christ and less like the Pharisees right now. An every day exercise in this way of thinking that someone taught me is seeing an out of shape person jogging down the road while I sit on the porch or in my car. It’s easy to judge them for being out of shape but I always need to remember while I sit so comfortably that they’r out there working for it right now and I’m not. I constantly have to remind myself who gets into the Kingdom first..
Amen beautiful so true god bless you father Mike
thank you , Father Mike ...you have helped me alot ...Peace be with you and God bless
Thanks Father Mike for being such an inspiration in spite of all you are going through. I knew someone for over forty years and never knew her at all. Jesus is all.
What an incredibly important message thank you so much so many people seem to put their faith in other people like you say and not directly in God we are all fallible we are human and we have to keep our eyes on the Lord thank you for your message and God bless
Funny that, im reminded of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. As soon as Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he sank.
Thank you for this message.
Good morning Father Mike. Thank you for all your very helpful advice and guidance. I found this one especially helpful, because I needed an answer to provide to some family members who have fallen away from Christ because of what they experienced with certain clergy or scandals that have occurred. Greatly appreciate your advice, thanks!
Keep "Striving". Perfection takes a lifetime. PATIENCE. Know this: "God is patience." (Scripture)
This is good message. A good reminder to trust God alone and love others into healing. Thank you.
WOW,WOW,WOW. I was disappointed at a very early age by family, so called friends and even Church Folk. So I grew up being mindful of people in general. Then as I grew older, I started asking God to Bless me with Discernment. I am Grateful that He has. Now, many years later , I ONLY TRUST GOD. AT ALL TIMES!!!
but father... even if we cant put our own faith in them, i firmly believe that we can supply them in faith with our prayers... 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 i believe God will drag the forsakers back...in His own time under His divine providence...
Fantastic message Father!
Thanks for this. JMJ
Thank You Father Mike. God Bless You!
Such an important point. It's so easy to feel betrayed when some very big preacher ends up being just a sinner and someone that leaves the faith. But after watching this message I realize it's not a personal betrayal at all. The only thing I need to have faith in is God and his son Jesus.
Thanks. This is so apt right now. Without sometimes knowing it some are misleading others away from God, both Hierarchy, Bishops and other clergy and lapsed Catholics. Media isn't helping either. But we need to hold onto God. Found important document while listening to this and praying to Jesus. Thanks you Jesus. 🙏❤
Jesus was the only person who never sinned, that is why we must put our trust in HIM alone. Everyone else born after the fall of Adam and Eve were born into sin. We have a sinful nature because of this and we all fall short of the glory of God. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins and upon repentance with a contrite heart we can start afresh. Praise God
I am broken, but Jesus loves me. And all of us. Thank you AGAIN Father Mike
Thanks for this topic, Fr. Mike. I really needed to hear it.
Our relationship should only be with JESUS. Don't fret about others
Thanks for this. I really needed to hear it. The person who led me to the Catholic Church, is living so far outside the Catholicism she professes that her cognitive dissonance has sometimes made me question (in my head) her motives, but certainly not my faith. She helped me find the truth, even if she isn’t the person I thought she was. For that, I’m grateful.
Great video Father. Thank you
Thank you so much Fr Schmitz. May God bless you, all priests, religious and all those walking in Faith through Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen. There is ultimately only one hero in the epic of redemptive history: Jesus Christ. To the degree that a man reflects Christ, he is heroic; and to the degree that he fails; he underscores his (and our) need of Christ. Both his success and his failure should direct us to Jesus Christ, the One upon whom all our hope depends and who is completely worthy of all honor and praise, glory and power, trust and devotion. He is the only one worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, the only one who can and should be trusted with absolute authority. He is the only Savior, the One Man who is worthy of worship. Let all God’s saints and angels, all peoples, and all of creation worship Him!
Beautiful way of putting it!
It's very true Fr. Mike!! I like the verse you quoted from the Bible which says that we ought not put our hope in men or leaders but in God alone! Only God knows the deepest thoughts in our hearts so he can guide us by sending us different people in our lives. I'm praying for you Father that you continue your works with a dedicated heart in the salvation of many souls into God's kingdom. With warm regards and prayers 🙏🙏😊