Written On Our Hearts

Yesterday, January 6, 2021, is a day that will never be forgotten. I was out rideshare driving for several hours while listening to the news on the radio. I rarely listen to the news, as I usually prefer to have some light background music on while driving others around the greater Milwaukee area. However, yesterday was different, I needed to listen to the local traffic and news because less than 24 hours before it was announced by the district attorney in Kenosha, WI that no charges would be filed against the police officers involved in the Jacob Blake shooting last summer. Several streets in that community were barricaded the previous evening as they anticipated some protests and rioting. For the most part, things seemed to be calm in Kenosha, and the rideshare trips led me out to the Waukesha area - I was safe and the risk was low that I would run into any demonstrations that might put my safety or the safety of my passengers at risk. Just as I reached for the dial to change the sta...

“Who has measured with his palm the waters, marked off the heavens with a span, held in his fingers the dust of the earth, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or instructed Him as a counselor? Whom did He consult to gain knowledge? Who taught Him the path of judgment or showed Him the way of understanding?” Isaiah 40:12-14 Recently, God has called me into a period of transition in my life to focus on expanding the mission of Patchwork Heart Ministry. Each new day is unpredictable, vastly different than the previous and can be filled with skyrocketing highs or rock-bottom lows. The reward of success is constantly and relentlessly paired with the added stress and responsibility of starting and operating a non-profit. In one of those rock-bottom stressful moments, earlier this month I was trying to hold it all together and began complaining to God, as I began reading Him my shopping list and asking Him for His interventi...

We are all a great deal luckier that we realize, we usually get what we want - or near enough.  ~ Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Just about everyone knows that the only way to get into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory is with a Golden Ticket. According to the vision of Roald Dahl, you can’t enter the famous Chocolateer’s world of pure imagination without one. There are only five authentic tickets and they are hidden inside an ordinary Wonka Bar. The reclusive Wonka knows, the demand of chocolate-loving children will outweigh the supply of golden tickets and madness will likely ensue in sweet shops all around the world. Children everywhere push their parents to the brink of insanity with requests for more chocolate in hopes of winning the ultimate prize. For the vast majority, their dream of touring the enchanted factory comes crashing down just as fast as their blood sugar levels, but the sugar rush is extended for the five Golden Ticket finders; Augus...

Working as a Youth Minister and in Catholic Media, the Stations of the Cross has shaped my ministry. What began ten years ago as a youth ministry activity in need of a revitalization, has become a pillar and guidepost of my personal spirituality and public ministry. Thus the Stations of the Cross has been one of the favorite ways Patchwork Heart Ministry reaches out and touches hearts; presenting them in a dramatic stage production of Living Stations of the Cross, authoring two print editions of the Contemplative Stations of the Cross (2016 & 2018) and also an audio version featuring an overview of the theology, history and spirituality of the devotion by Fr. Bill Zimmer. It almost goes without saying that the Stations of the Cross are a keystone of our ministry. Why? There are a few reasons. First, the passion, death and resurrection is what gives credibility to the claims of Christianity. If Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, didn’t sacrifice Himself for your sins, my sins an...

“We cannot all see alike, but we can all do good.” ~ P.T. Barnum Jesus used many analogies when he talked about the Kingdom of God. He likened Heaven to a hidden treasure, a landowner, a pearl of great price, a mustard seed, and many other things throughout His public ministry. One parable he never told was the Circus and the Kingdom of God, but He might have if P.T Barnum had lived in first-century Jerusalem. The life of legendary entertainer Phineas T. Barnum was recently brought to the big screen by 20th Century Fox in the imaginative musical film The Greatest Showman . While the movie took many liberties in regards to historical accuracy, it highlighted some important spiritual principles from which we can learn and apply in our spiritual life. Barnum is portrayed as a disadvantaged visionary. While he is unsure of exactly how the gifts he possesses will unfold on the canvas of his life, he is certain that he is called to greatness. More importantly, he desires to share this ...

Lord make me an instrument of your peace Where there is hatred let me sow love Where there is injury, pardon Where there is doubt, faith Where there is despair, hope Where there is darkness, light And where there is sadness, joy O divine master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console to be understood as to understand To be loved as to love For it is in giving that we receive it is in pardoning that we are pardoned And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life Amen. My grandfather was a fantastic storyteller. As children, when we stayed overnight at his house he would tell us the most amazing bedtime stories. His most famous and memorable fable was that of the legendary swashbuckler “Orange Beard.” The fictitious pirate’s klutzy adventures were kept afloat by our giggles. My Pop’s boundless imagination provided just enough wind for his sails each night. The entertaining tales also taught us about what it meant to live with honor and virt...

No one has ever become poor by giving. ~ Anne Frank This week our nation pauses to allow us to give thanks in a big way. Offices will be closed, roads and airports will be jammed as people prepare for the largest family meal of the year. Many of us go to great lengths to cross over the rivers and navigate through the woods so we can share in this extravagant meal with our loved ones. It is worth competing with the crowds because we have so much to be thankful for in our lives. Coming together to share the year’s blessings and successes helps us to reap the rich harvest of joys which constantly surround us and at times we take for granted. Take a moment to think about all of the things you have said a cursory “thanks” for this year. Every time someone has held a door for you, you've probably murmured it, or mumbled it to the barista at your favorite coffee shop after they prepared your favorite drink, maybe you have even composed a thankful tweet or sent a snap this year and ...

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."~ Hebrews 4:12 Are you equipped for spiritual battle? As a Christian you should be. St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians states; “ we are not contending against flesh and blood but with the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places  (Ephesians 6:12)." In that verse, St. Paul reminds us that many of the issues that challenge us, while they affect us in our temporal world, need to be fought on the spiritual battlefield. We are called by the nature of our Baptism to put on Spiritual Armor, take up the Sword of the Spirit and wage war against Satan. This battle is not easy, and to be victorious it requires that we believe in particular set of values and possess a c...

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." ~ Matthew 28:19  The Parable of the Lost Sheep is recorded in two different Gospel accounts; Matthew (18:10-14) and Luke (15:1-7). The central story of the shepherd leaving ninety-nine and searching for only one stray is the familiar common denominator, but the contexts which surround this story in each Gospel are very different and help us to learn different aspects about caring for those who are lost. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is teaching his disciples lessons about leadership, sin and how they should approach dealing with tough issues that arise in their ministry. It is for these reasons biblical scholars often call the eighteenth chapter of Matthew the “discourse on the church” or the “ecclesiastical discourse” (The Navarre Bible Standard Edition: Saint Matthew’s Gospel, 126). Jesus begins the parable saying, “ See that you do not...

“Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:14 As Bert, the beloved chimney sweep in Mary Poppins, feels the winds change in the opening scene of the movie he chants; “ Winds in the east, there's a mist comin' in, like somethin' is brewin' and 'bout to begin. Can't put me finger on what lies in store, but I feel what's to happen all happened before .” He alludes to the arrival of the world’s most famous nanny - who soon floats onto the doorstep of the Bank’s home to animate the lives of Jane and Michael and answer the plea of their father George for a qualified and diligent caretaker. Her unexpected arrival is a pleasant surprise to almost everyone involved. She solves problems with a touch of magic and routinely suspends the laws of reality, to provide those whom she comes in contact with a reality check. Her iconic bag is filled with a unique combination of advocacy, orderliness and spontaneity. With ...

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ~ Philippians 4:4 I think the month of May was given to us by God for celebrations. Star Wars fans begin the month wishing well to one another, saying “ May the fourth be with you. ” Mexicans celebrate a victory in their struggle for independence a day later on Cinco de Mayo. A few weeks later we celebrate Mother’s Day. Finally, on the month’s last Monday we memorialize all those who have died defending the United States of America. That is just the societal celebrations, we haven’t mentioned high school and college graduations and proms or those who receive the Sacraments of Initiation. It goes without saying there are many reasons to celebrate this month. As the weather gets warmer, these events and occasions give us reason to gather with family and friends to share in some silliness like Star Wars day, give thanks to our mothers for blessing us with the gift of life, celebrate the accomplishments of loved ones and honor t...

Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize Jesus Christ is in you? - unless, of course, you fail the test. I hope you will discover we have not failed. ~ 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 “Okay, Houston ,  we’ve had a problem here ” were the words of command module pilot John Swigert aboard the space shuttle Apollo 13   when an oxygen tank exploded during their mission to the moon on April 13, 1970. The in-flight explosion resulted in abandoning the planned trip to the moon and instead getting home alive. In the minutes, hours and days that followed, the circumstance of relying on a spaceship for life-support that was on life-support itself tested, challenged and demonstrated the ingenuity and perseverance of a team determined not to be defeated by the disaster. If you’ve watched the popular 1995 film you’ve got an idea about how NASA engineers and scientists helped the trio of astronauts beat the odds and make it home safely, al...

Today, February 22 nd the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Peter’s Chair. Some of you are probably thinking “ that has got to be one expensive piece of furniture, to have its own feast day! ” While there is a physical chair, traditionally attributed to the first pope in St. Peter’s Basilica; the wooden chair , now housed in an ornamented bronze enclosure, actually dates back to the year 875 A.D and is a gift from Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Bald to Pope John VIII. So it is a real longshot that the Apostle himself ever used the chair, but still I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for the Vatican to list it on eBay if you are in the market for second-hand apartment décor. Long before a bald emperor was assembling his latest Ikea purchase, the Church was venerating the Chair of St. Peter, as a symbol of the unbroken succession of the Papal authority and Christian unity. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI spoke of this significance during a papal audience on February 22, 2006 ....

January is Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church; this is due in large part to the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade that legalized on-demand abortion in the United States. That decision made by the Supreme Court on January 22, 1973 declared war on innocent humans in the most vulnerable stages of our development. It’s hard to believe that for the past forty-four years the sanctuary of the womb has become a warzone. The ongoing conflict between the pro-life and abortion rights movement has been fought on many different battlefields; legislative, economic, social, cultural and religious. These are important battlefronts for us to remain engaged, but most importantly we must capture the heart to transform our society from a culture of death into a culture of life. Sometimes pro-life supporters and advocates (including myself) forget that those in the abortion rights movement have a heart and that we can appeal to it. Often we talk to and about our opponents as heartless monsters. I’m not ...

“Jim Snyder, You Did It. You’re An Ironman Jim” are the words that rang out over the PA system amidst the cheers from our family and his friends as my 6 foot 2 inch “little brother” crossed the finish line of the Ironman competition at the base of Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin a few weeks ago. He finished a triathlon that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. That is 140.6 miles, for those of you keeping score at home. He accomplished this test of both skill and will in just under 15 hours. Let me say that again 140.6 miles in less than 15 hours. Incredible. Unbelievable. Amazing. Simply, there aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe watching someone you love complete this triathlon, but I’m sure if my little brother had a pen right now he could add a few more adjectives to the list. In my opinion this is the most physically and mentally demanding sporting event in which one can participate. After a “leisurely” 2.4 mile ...

As I write this article I'm on a plane headed for the Jersey Shore. I'm 30,000 feet above sea level, soon hoping to be swimming in the sea. But as I cruise at 450 miles an hour toward the shore I've been thinking...where has my summer gone? In April, I made a resolution, I'm going it slow down relax and enjoy the summer. There are less than 8 weeks left to the summer and haven't really slowed down or taken a deep breath. Sure, I've taken a number of lakeside walks and gone on a few weekend trips, but I really haven't slowed down and enjoyed God's creation. I get wrapped up thinking about and planning all the fun things I am going to do then when the time comes to enjoy them, I'm thinking about what's next. In some respects, I feel like I've been bouncing from Ice Cream Cone to Ice Cream Cone this summer. As much as I like my double scoop of Chocolate Peanut Butter, the sugar highs just don't cut it. I'm in need of something more prof...

It was a warm summer day, before cell phones took over the universe, and my little brother and I were playing a game of home run derby in the backyard of our childhood home in Malvern, PA. I was about 13 years old, he was about 10. He was an athlete (and still is an athlete), I...well I just wandered around on little league fields (I’ve stopped wandering around...well at least on baseball diamonds). But this day there weren’t any scoreboards...or umpires just two brothers having fun pitching tennis balls at a cut off hockey stick trying to hit them into our neighbors pool (over the years we tried to hit lots of items in their pool...but I’ll save the story of “Pete Sampras mad at his neighbors” for another occasion). Home run derby was our favorite summer game - we played it often and we had a dirt spot in my father’s otherwise pristinely manicured lawn to prove it. We would always stand in the same place to hit baseballs. We played it so often that we wore out the grass down to t...

In late March, one of my favorite TV shows, “How I Met Your Mother”, wrapped up it’s 9 year run on CBS. The series finale, like most things of this world, came to an end, albeit with much fanfare and debate by it’s devoted fan base about how Ted Mosby finally met his true love under a yellow umbrella. Debating how the writers concluded the show is not my focus, nor will you find my opinion about it here; like most things of this world it is inconsequential. But as I watched the final episodes I found myself rewinding and replaying the following line, by protagonist Ted Mosby, from the second to last episode entitled “The End of the Aisle”. “Love doesn’t make sense. You can’t logic your way into or out of it. Love is totally nonsensical but we have to keep doing it or else we’re lost and love is dead and humanity should just pack it in… Because love is the best thing we do.” This quote from the show contains much truth. It reminds us that the perfect love of God runs deeper...

Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing Michael Stark, the Executive Producer of The Truth and Life Audio Bible and App. The audio bible is a dramatized reading, complete with original soundtrack and sound effects of the Catholic Edition of the NRSV Bible. It is brought to life by critically acclaimed hollywood actors like Neal McDonough (Jesus), Sean Astin, Kristen Bell, Stacy Keach, Julia Ormond, Malcolm McDowell, Blair Underwood, Michael York, Brian Cox, John Rhys-Davies and many more . It has a Vatican Imprimatur and endorsed with a foreword by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The smartphone and tablet app which is available on all major carriers has additional components like direct access to Word on Fire, Word Made Clear, the Archdioceses of Chicago, Catholic News Agency and daily readings for the Mass. First and foremost, let me say that in my opinion, as a 28 year-old tech geek who consumes a lot of Catholic media, this is the best Catholic Audio Bible and App on the market. ...

You know, I think the first Commandment doesn’t get enough attention. We find ways to gloss over this commandment as a “given” in our prayer life. Most Catholics I know, myself included say “I know that one...I am the Lord your God, you shall not make any graven image of me...yadda, yadda, yadda...good I’ve done that...now moving on to the more interesting things I’ve done or not done on the list of ten.” I mean after all, even if we wanted to do so, most of us don’t have enough precious metal laying around the house to make a molten calf. It is a pretty safe bet though that God didn’t deliver the first commandment to Moses and his chosen people with a “Seinfeld-esque” attitude, therefore we too shouldn’t approach it lackadaisically, but we at times can be lazy and fall into this trap. I think the issue is two fold. First, we believers take God’s love, power and grace for granted (I mean He is always present and knows everything...maybe if He wasn’t constantly hanging around with us we...