I began writing my weekly reflections in 2010 as a way to pray (and fulfill a requirement for the spiritual formation program). However, what began as a requirement became a life-giving blessing for me! To be honest, those reflections personally helped me to see God’s presence in my life, even in the midst of many stormy seasons. Even though each reflection takes hours of prayer and putting things into words, they require me to make time to slow down, reflect, meditate, and share what the Almighty has first invited me to see, let go, or accept out of love. I write because I hope my struggles and His grace at work can encourage others in their own spiritual journey, to know that He is with them and they are not alone… and He does speak to us in many different ways!
The thought of sharing my writings in a book format had been in my heart for a very long time, and many of my parishioners encouraged me to do so; however, I kept hesitating for multiple (personal) reasons. Many of those reservations were out of fear that I might garner too much unneeded attention. Nonetheless, I could not seem to shake off this thought for many years, and people kept encouraging me along the way. So, I took a leap of faith and went out of my comfort zone on the Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe in 2025, trying to imitate his courage and asking the Blessed Mother on the eve of our commemoration of her Assumption for her intercession.
From the beginning, I meant for all the books to be free, but Amazon does charge for their Kindle eBook and paperback formats, so I try to keep the prices very nominal (to cover the required fees). However, the PDF file for each will always remain free for download. Additionally, any earnings will be accounted for and shared with the poor (because God has blessed me more than what I will ever need in this life). These were composed to be easily shared, available, and hopefully help people along the Way, not to make money or gain attention for myself.
CHARITY IN ACTION
The military defines spirituality as an individual’s ability to find meaning, purpose, and strength through life experience, drawing on personal values, sincerely held beliefs, and ethical frameworks. It is an inner set of foundations that helps a person remain resilient to endure, overcome, and persevere through adversity while maintaining a sense of hope and purpose. It seems very secularistic and vague from the Christian perspective, but this is the mission field we are entering each day as military chaplains. This brief guide provides eight different steps that a chaplain can use to reflect and creatively engage in pastoral care and counseling in a pluralistic environment.
GROWING THROUGH HOPE
God has made my life an interesting one! He has a very BIG sense of humor by overturning every single big plan I made for myself. I shared bits and pieces of my vocational and healing journey through weekly reflections and homilies. This is the result of the composition to share with you in five life lessons of how He has patiently and lovingly helped me to overcome my false notion of perfection and control, to free me from my own self-created enslavement and comfort zone, and to follow Him more faithfully each day. Personally speaking, this work is a blessing for me because I was able to put into words many of my childhood memories, especially how the good Lord was at work throughout my life’s trials, hardships, and failures.
SEEKING AND DEEPENING FAITH
There are many books written on prayer and discernment. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel, just to compose into one collection of my reflections over the years on spiritual growth and maturity, seeking God in times of loneliness, how to resist against desolation, discouragement, and despair, as well as my notes while praying with the Creighton squirrels. It also contains reflections on how to be anawim, the difference between Frodo and Gollum, and letting go of “My Precious” for the Most Precious. I hope it will assist you on your own spiritual journey in finding God, knowing and loving His will, as well as knowing who you truly are as His beloved, in order to persevere, grow, and mature in the journey of life.
CAPABLE AND READY FOR THE KINGDOM
Unlike the priests from the past, the current generation of parish priests are oftentimes being thrown into “hot water” with little to no administrative preparation. Their seminary formation tends to focus more on the theological and spiritual aspects, but they lack the real-world integration and pastoral formation that are required for the complicated society in which we are currently living. We are much more than sacramental ministers because we are called to be spiritual fathers, caring and courageous shepherds, and honest stewards of the goods entrusted to us from the People of God.
FINDING SOLACE FOR THE JOURNEY
Like all things military, R & R is an acronym that can mean a lot of things! Thus, borrowing what our military is used to with the acronym “R & R,” I would like to touch on the twofold necessity to find rest and recuperation as well as to seek recovery and restoration for our faith journey. This is not an either-or approach because we must learn to be attentive to our humanity and its limitations by learning to rest and recharge as well as making time for ourselves and God before we can receive the necessary grace that helps us to overcome our ruckus, desolation, discouragement, despair, strayed paths, or obstacles and receive true healing and restoration by His love.
Please note that I am not a professional writer, knowledgeable theologian, or skilled spiritual master, so you will find numerous writing mistakes and grammatical errors. I would like to apologize ahead of time because I did not use AI, hire a professional to proofread, or worry about making everything look perfect. I read and watched a few tutorials and did my best to figure things out with my limited computer and design skills. I struggled through the process, but keeping things imperfect is a great reminder for me as a recovering perfectionist and of my humanity!
A parishioner shared a heart-warming and precious picture of her husband reading Overcoming Perfection to their youngest child for Lent before her bedtime.
Please leave a review, drop me an email, or message me via a social media platform if you find them helpful. I would love to hear your thoughts! If you find them less than desirable, please forgive and continue to pray for me. I am truly humbled, honored, and grateful that my writings can help others in some small ways on their spiritual journeys. Thank you.
— Why I am a Military Chaplain
— I Thirst (John 19:28) Spiritual Reflections
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viet nam | united states of america | kansas | texas | congregation of the most holy redeemer | diocese of fort worth | archdiocese for the military services | united states air and space forces | english – español – tiếng việt | may 22 – june 29 | holy trinity seminary | st. mary’s seminary | ba – gcsf – ma – mdiv – stb | university of dallas – creighton university – university of st. thomas – st. mary’s seminary and university
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