It was in the Holy City of Jerusalem when I took a terrible fall. Craving locally baked bread sprinkled with sesame seeds, I turned around with the pretzel in hand when a bollard took me down. It was a hard fall. Moses, our tour guide, quickly came to my aid. “Don’t get up—wait a minute to assess the injury.” This was an important lesson which I took to heart.
Striving toward sainthood, the path is not always clear. Especially for someone who likes to take daily walks. Last Wednesday, on our ordinary walk around our neighborhood, an uneven segment of the sidewalk caught the toe of my walking shoe and down I went. Mike was there and actually broke the fall; catching my face with his leg saved me from a face injury. The right knee and shoulder did not fare well in the fall. As much as Mike wanted to help me up, I remembered the Jerusalem lesson and waited, using my right hand to move toward a decorative brick barrier. I pulled myself up.
Sonja
Our daughter Sonja works for a local hospital. She suggested that I come to the emergency room as soon as possible. Sonja arranged for triage as soon as I arrived. X-rays of both my shoulder and knee were ordered. Praising the good Lord, the x-rays came back negative of any breaks, but my right shoulder is out of alignment and there is a possible tear in the tendons. Before leaving the hospital, Sonja arranged an appointment with one of the best orthopedic surgeons. So on Tuesday, an MRI will determine the severity of the injury. Praying that no surgery will be needed. Our daughter is an angel.
Deductive Reasoning
It started nine years ago with a hammer toe that required surgery. Instead of a joint replacement for the useless toe, I opted for a rod. Though the toe looks normal and my feet are anatomically correct, the suffering from the botched surgery has caused me to trip on a daily basis. With this last fall and the injury to my shoulder and right knee, I have cause to question why this is constant. I need to address the real concern, which is the useless toe.
Our Spiritual Falls
In the same way as a physical fall, we must look for the reason why we fall short in our spiritual walk. Like everything in life, we must take a good look around to make sure that an uneven spiritual sidewalk will not cause us to fall. When making a full dedication to serve God, the enemy is there to distract our walk. We cannot take our eyes off the Lord, or we will end up in the water like Peter.
Peter’s fall is the perfect example of spiritual deception. He was walking toward Christ across the water—moving toward the very source of salvation—yet he lost faith in Christ’s power while walking toward Him. That paradox is the nature of spiritual manipulation: the deceiver often poses as a guide to God while actually pulling away from Him. Peter cried out, and Christ caught him. But how many fall and have no one to cry out to—or worse, cry out to the very person pulling them under? As soon as Peter took his eyes off God, down he went. But he was saved because he recognized his error and called out to the Lord.
I find that with more spiritual growth comes more distractions to cause us to fall. So if the first Pope can take his eyes off God, we are no different.
Bella’s last visit to Disneyland was just days before COVID shut down the world. Now in her third year of college, she and her friend Zayda are back — back in “The Happiest Place On Earth.” This piece is a return to that earlier moment: a look back at the state of our minds when the world went quiet, and we all found ourselves descending into a deep, dark place that had no name.
March 2020
Last Tuesday evening, our son Mikos called. He had spoken with a doctor friend, and the message was clear: Mike and I needed to be careful and take steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Mike was already in bed and had a restful night’s sleep — but not me. Anxious, I turned on the news. The reporting was alarmist, fixated on the single-digit number of confirmed cases. I finally turned off the doomsday coverage and went to bed. Earlier in the call, Mikos had asked if we were prepared. “Prepared for what?” I answered. “Mom,” he said, “if either you or Dad gets sick, you’re going to need supplies.” That was my last thought as I got into bed — and needless to say, sleep did not come.
The Rosary
I fumbled in the dark for my rosary, which I keep on my nightstand. I clutched it and began to pray — asking God to take away my fear and free me from anxiety about this ever-changing situation. Throughout the prayer, I kept receiving one word: repent. I asked God to forgive me of any hidden transgressions. Then I prayed the Rosary with special intentions, dedicating each decade for God to intervene against this virus and for the remission of all our sins. Finally, around 3:30 a.m., I fell asleep.
As prayerful and faithful as I strive to be, I had gotten so caught up in the snares of negative news and the sensationalism surrounding the virus that it caused me to stumble. From this day forward, I will thank God for my health daily. Today is a new day. Nothing has improved — in fact, things have escalated from bad to worse — but I remain faithful and keep my eyes fixed on God.
This pandemic has changed many of us. We are praying more, and asking God to help us. We are in this together, navigating these turbulent times as one.
Mike, Mikos, Bella,Zayda, Sonja and RussJacob (family friend), me, Bella and Zadya
The prayers of the Rosary are drawn from Scripture. The Our Father — also called the Lord’s Prayer — was taught by Jesus himself to his disciples and is found in the Bible in two slightly different versions: Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4, with Matthew’s version being the one all Christians pray. The first part of the Hail Mary is composed of two Scripture verses joined together: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke 1:28) and “blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42). The second part of the Hail Mary is not taken directly from Scripture, but it is entirely biblical in the thoughts it expresses. As for the Magnificat, it is Mary’s prayer par excellence — the song of the messianic times — found in Luke 1:46–55.
We should all be in prayer. The Rosary is a powerful means of prayer. At three o’clock, I will also pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet — a powerful prayer asking Jesus to have mercy on us and the whole world. You can find the prayer online; please join the thousands who pray it at three o’clock each day.
Jacob, Bella, Eli Disneyland March 2020
Leah
My niece Leah was visiting from Arizona last week. Leah and her family are avid Disneyland attendees and had recently purchased annual passes. This was the only time they were able to use the passes.
She and her children were staying at a hotel near Disneyland, with plans to visit the park for three days. The weather cooperated for the first two visits — but Thursday brought rain, and with it, bad news. The coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, and shortly after, the announcement came that Disneyland would be closing effective Saturday.
Knowing Leah and her children were at the park, I texted her right away to let her know. Something about the announcement struck me as drastic, even suspicious, and I wanted them out of there. Meanwhile, her father was sending her the same message — urging her to leave. Between the two of us, we alarmed her so much that she began to feel physically ill, convinced she was coming down with the virus herself.
Looking back, the concern was real — but the reaction made things worse. The goal was simply to keep them safe.
Image of Our Lady, painted by St. LukePrayer procession around the city of Rome led by Pope Gregory the Great
Ashes and Sackcloth
Have you ever heard of Castel Sant’Angelo? This historic fortress stands on the banks of the Tiber River, just across from St. Peter’s Basilica. Perched at its summit is a bronze statue of St. Michael the Archangel.
Castel Sant’Angelo
Castel Sant’Angelo and the Plague of 590 AD
In 590 AD, a devastating plague struck Rome. A new outbreak had already carried off Pope Pelagius, and by general consent, Gregory was the candidate best fitted to succeed him. To implore God’s mercy, he ordered a great processional litany through the streets of Rome — from seven of the more venerable churches, seven columns of people streamed out, all to meet at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Pope Gregory the Great led the procession with a sacred image of the Madonna. At that time, the plague was decimating the population of Rome. And according to tradition, at the end of the prayers, the figure of St. Michael the Archangel appeared suddenly over the Mausoleum of Hadrian — the present Castel Sant’Angelo — indicating that the pestilence was ended.
The memory of the event is still preserved by the name “Sant’Angelo” given to the mausoleum of Hadrian, from the account that St. Michael was seen upon its summit in the act of sheathing his sword as a sign that the plague was over. In gratitude, a statue of St. Michael was placed atop the castle — a witness in stone to the mercy of God and the intercession of His great archangel.
Prayer to St. Michael
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
We all need to get on our knees and pray. Prayer changes things — it always has, and it always will. Join in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet at three o’clock each day, uniting your voice with thousands around the world who are calling on the mercy of Jesus for our families, our nation, and our world.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank You for Bella and Zayda’s visit — to see them so mature, walking the journey You have paved for them. Lord, never let them forget how much You love them, and continue to draw them to Your holy truth. Amen.
Proverbs 30:5-6New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 Every word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Add nothing to his words, lest he reprimand you, and you be proved a liar.
The Danger of Adding to God’s Word
The problem with setting your own rules and adding to God’s Word leads inevitably to confusion—and confusion is the Devil’s playground. Worse still is the deliberate attempt to minimize God’s Word, to desensitize souls with lies. This is a grave sin, for it severs people from truth itself.
Lies and the Father of Lies
We know who the Father of lies is. Satan does not hide his agenda—he is brazen and shameless. He preys upon those with hardened hearts, those who have closed themselves to grace. But his tactics toward the lukewarm are far more subtle and personal. He knows that a halfhearted faith, one foot in the world and one in the Church, will eventually topple into his web of dissension.
Discerning Truth from Deception
Recognizing Satan’s tactics requires one thing: unwavering connection to God. We must pray. We must read His Word. We must guard our minds against the noise and corruption of the world, protecting our interior life from outside influences that cloud our judgment. Through grace, our souls are formed to receive truth and transmit it to the mind, enabling us to discern and separate truth from falsehood, the wheat from the chaff.
Lies destroy. They must be exposed. And only truth—grounded in Christ and His Word—can set us free.
Natural Law
We were not put on earth to do as we please. There is order in God’s creation—a harmony He established and deemed good. We are designed by God; we are not wiser than Him. Yet humanity suffers from a fundamental misunderstanding of Natural Law: the moral order written into creation itself, calling us to preserve life, protect the vulnerable, and steward creation with reverence.
Instead, we witness something far different. Man has arrogantly assumed the role of God in nearly every sphere—from sexuality to medicine to the environment—overcompensating, manipulating, and corrupting what is naturally good. We mistake progress for wisdom and free will for freedom.
The Dissolution of Authentic Masculinity and Femininity
God created man and woman in His image, each with a unique purpose, each called to complement one another. My marriage of nearly fifty-four years has borne witness to this truth.
I did not always understand my role as a woman. College indoctrinated me with the ideology of radical independence—the false promise that strength meant rejecting my nature and my husband’s leadership. When I married young, this hidden contradiction cause great distress. My husband, however, remained steadfast. He respected me while refusing to abandon his calling as the head of our household. He continued to be the man God created him to be.
It took years—and a hard shaking from God—for me to mature into truth. It’s a humbling experience to unlearn the lies and to relearn God’s design.
The Real Crisis
Men are not toxic. They desire to live out their vocations with integrity—to lead with love, to provide, to protect. Women who believe they are liberated by rejecting this design discover too late that they have imprisoned themselves. True freedom is not found in autonomy from God’s plan; it is found in alignment with it.
The tragedy is not that men and women are different. The tragedy is that we have forgotten how to dance together. Instead of embracing our differences as God designed them, we have been taught to see each other as enemies on a battleground. But God created us to complement one another—to reflect His very nature, the life of the Trinity itself.
The Battleground
The victory belongs to the Lord. Every spiritual battle will come to an end; there will be a victor—the one who stands in triumph over the enemy.
I have met many faithful souls at daily Mass, but one woman’s witness has particularly moved me. For years, she has been praying for the reconciliation of her son’s marriage. When we spoke recently, she shared the difficult news: the divorce was being finalized. What struck me most was not her grief, but her resolve. She would continue to pray. She would not surrender her son’s marriage to the enemy.
I stand with her in this battle. We believe God for the miracle of restoration.
The Enemy’s Strategy
Of course, the Devil works through the details. A mother-in-law whispers poison into her daughter’s ear: “Leave, never forget what he made you go through. This is not worth it.” These are the lies that destroy families. But my friend knows the power of intercessory prayer. She knows she is in a spiritual battle, and she will not lay down her weapons until God declares victory—or calls her to accept His will with peace.
This may seem naive to those who do not know Christ. But to those of us who understand spiritual warfare, we fight until God says it is finished. We remember: Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
Marriage Is Sacred
Marriage is not a contract to be dissolved at the first sign of trouble. It is a Sacrament—a covenant before God, a participation in His creative and redemptive love. When we treat it as disposable, we wound not only the couple, but the Church and the world.
The battleground is real. The stakes are eternal. And prayer—persistent, faithful, believing prayer—changes the course of history.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, I lift up to You those who are blinded by lies, who have been convinced by false teaching that they walk in truth. I ask Your powerful intercession: touch their hearts, transform their minds, and draw them to repentance.
I pray for all marriages broken by sin, confusion, and the enemy’s deception. Stand between husband and wife. Heal what has been wounded. Bring them to resolve—either through reconciliation in Your grace, or through acceptance of Your will with peace.
And for all of us who seek to follow You: give us courage to speak truth in love, wisdom to discern Your design, and the grace to live it faithfully, even when the world calls us foolish.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
