I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 16:19) When I was sent to Rome in 2010 to take a course, I was assigned an apostolate in St. Peter’s Basilica. Every day that I entered the basilica, I would notice a beautiful design of two keys […]

Psychologists define forgiveness as, “a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person who has harmed us, regardless of whether or not the person actually deserves forgiveness.”  If you’re like me, forgiveness isn’t easy, especially when the hurt is deep.  Yet, forgiveness is a necessity, […]

Due to life circumstances, today I found myself without access to a computer. I had a commitment to write a blog for Build the Faith and my first instinct was to postpone this task until the following week. I had the perfect excuse and contemplated using my hours on some […]

This year, on May 13th, I was ordained a transitional deacon at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, and I was assigned to the Immaculate Conception Parish in Marlborough, MA. My ordination came at the end of my three years of itinerant missionary work; the first year and a half […]

In today’s First Reading from the First Book of Kings, we hear the story of how the Lord appeared to King Solomon in a dream. In the dream, God simply said,”Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”Do you ever think for a moment what it would […]

We are in the middle of the summer. We are in the midst of a time that we call “rest.”  It’s something we wait for the whole year because we feel overwhelmed by work commitments and the different tensions of family life. Usually, it is as if we look at […]

A sower went out to sow…. (Matthew 13:3)Most of us know the Parable of the Sower well. It is one of my favorites.  Perhaps the reason I like it so much is because I am an avid gardener and I love to grow things pretty much any place I can. […]

Over the past few days, I was walking along the beach while praying. Suddenly, I stopped at a place on the seashore where there were several rocks and I noticed that in the middle of some of them there was a very small pool of seawater – enough for a […]

I would like when we meet in the neighborhood, making rosaries or at some other event that unites us, to hear your ideas.  What do you expect from me? What do you expect from Build the Faith bloggers? Today, I’m sharing what it means for me to be a blogger […]

The word simplicity comes from the Latin word “simplex,” meaning “single, simple or one‑fold. Simple people are unique, without decorations or artifice, and they do not need to exhibit possessions or qualities.  Because there is no ostentation or duplicity in them, they are free from material and emotional desires, and […]