Meditations
We know we should cultivate silence in our lives. Why don’t we?
May 23, 2023
Scripture, science and experience tell us that we all should cultivate silence in our lives. If we know this, why do we resist it? If you want “to learn to better wait in silence,” a silent, directed retreat might be what you’re looking for.
I Think, Therefore I Feel
May 16, 2023
By Fr. Garry Richmeier, C.PP.S
Emotions, not being rational, can be difficult to control when an event triggers one. But there is a step between the event and the emotion that we can control; the preceding thought. Managing our thoughts can help avoid negative emotions and the hurtful actions that sometimes follow.
Avoiding Mud Puddles or How to Move Beyond Mere Survival
May 2, 2023
By Fr. Garry Richmeier, C.PP.S.
When young, we learn coping strategies to safeguard our emotional, psychological and social survival, but not all strategies may be healthy. A person dying of thirst, for example, will drink from a mudpuddle to survive. How does one avoid drinking from mud puddles?
How Do I Know: Am I Doing God’s Will?
April 19, 2023
By Fr. Garry Richmeier, CPPS.
A common idea is that God has a detailed life plan for each of us, and our job is to figure that out. This can lead to anxiety, and even fear, of guessing wrongly, not pleasing God, and suffering the negative consequences. How do we know if we are doing God’s will?
Changing unhelpful habits
April 5, 2023
By Fr. Garry Richmeier, CPPS
People tend to think of habits as behavior, but we also have thinking habits. We get used to certain thoughts or ways of thinking, and we repeat them automatically. They may or may not be true or accurate, but we continue to repeat them, which can cause problems.
Making Peace with Uncertainty
February 23, 2023
By Fr. Garry Richmeier, CPPS.
Uncertainty is one of the most unpleasant feelings human beings experience. We hate it. It triggers our fears of what might happen if things go badly. We usually end up envisioning the worst-case scenario. And we can imagine some pretty scary things. An Assembling God’s Puzzle video.
Arguments, an Assembling God’s Puzzle video
February 8, 2023
By Fr. Garry Richmeier, CPPS.
Some people love to argue, and others avoid it like the plague. Arguing can be destructive or constructive. Which it turns out to be depends on what one’s definition of arguing is.
Failure: When you can’t avoid it, what to do about it?
January 11, 2023
An Assembling God’s Puzzle video
By Fr. Garry Richmeier, CPPS.
No one likes failure, but we just can’t get away from it. We experience many failures in life, like gaining weight when we try to lose it, our business fails, we get fired, we don’t get the grade we wanted. Can we situate this puzzle piece in our lives so it doesn’t cause so much pain?
Christmas and Depression, an Assembling God’s Puzzle video
December 14, 2022
By Fr. Garry Richmeier, CPPS.
Christmas — the most wonderful time of the year? Our culture tells us it is. But according to mental health agencies and therapists, more people report feeling depressed at Christmas time than almost any other time of the year. Why is that?
The ‘Why’ Conundrum, an Assembling God’s Puzzle video
November 29, 2022
“Why did I get ill?” “Why did my loved one have to die?” “Why haven’t I met the right person to marry?” God throws many more puzzle pieces into our lives every day, like new events or new relationships. A very human reaction is to ask “Why?”