Gary Zimak founded Following the Truth Ministries in 2008, in response to his call from God to teach the truths of Catholicsm.  His apostolic mission attempts to present the tenets of our faith so that we can easily apply them to our daily lives.  Zimak reaches people through internet resources (the main website and blog), media appearances (including guest spots on Kresta in the Afternoon and Son Rise Morning Show), and live talks.  He frequently contributes articles to Catholic Exchange.  Do visit his websites where you will find informative material that will enrich your faith–such as this Ten Books That Every Catholic Should Read. 

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church
2. Theology for Beginners, Frank J. Sheed
3. My Daily Bread: A Summary of the Spiritual Life, Rev. Anthony Paone, SJ
4. Catholicism for Dummies
5. Conversing with God in Scripture: A Contemporary Approach to Lectio Divina, Stephen J. Binz
6. Loving the Holy Mass, Edward G. Maristany
7. Search and Rescue: How to Bring Your Family and Friends into – or Back into – the Catholic Church, Patrick Madrid
8. 7 Secrets of the Eucharist, Vinny Flynn
9. The Priest is Not His Own, Abp. Fulton J. Sheen
10. The Apostles, Benedict XVI

The original article appears on Tiber River.

Spiritual Dangers of the 21st Century by Rev. Joseph M. Esper

At the close of an intense three-day youth conference, emcee Steve Angrisano commented on how everyone was dismaying “going back to the real world.“  

“That–,” Steve retorted, pointing outside the arena, “–is not the real world.  This is.”

How true.  The culture of love with God at the center that pervaded that campus is the way He intended for Creation–not this culture of death where society has been attempting to eradicate His very presence… with a foreboding omen of another era of persecution.

Fr. Joseph M. Esper’s Spiritual Dangers of the 21st Century opens our eyes to the devil’s snares in this modern age, especially in the areas of sexual immorality, abortion, technology, and the scientific manipulation of life.  Not only does he enlighten us to these pitfalls, he also provides us with means of combatting it: gearing up for “spiritual warfare,” guides to making a good Confession, prayers for tough times, and a list of patron saints who intercede for modern day concerns.

Fr. Esper predicts there will be tough times ahead, so now is the time to prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s war.  But be rest assured, we’re already on the winning side. 

A gruff-looking man with a graying beard and long, knotty hair pulled back in a pony-tail, topped with a New York Yankees fisherman’s hat; a raggedy hooded gray robe fastened with a rope, a blue bandana dangling from it; a fully-stuffed, olive-drab backpack that looked like it could’ve been filled with crushed aluminum cans and plastic bottles; a soft case for a bass guitar slung over his shoulder. 

If I didn’t know who he was, I would’ve thought he was a bum.  But it’s Father Stan Fortuna, who with the prolific Father Benedict Groeschel, was one of the founders of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

He got up on stage and started jamming on his bass, rapping songs of praise with his reggae-tinged Bronx accent, rambling almost, like he was making stuff up as he went along.  Later that evening, he reemerged draped with a humeral veil and led Adoration–waddled about with the monstrance, with awkward gestures and bows, and at one point picked up an acoustic guitar to sing a song.

And immediately, I thought: Wow, what a lack of reverence for a man of God, a priest!

And immediately, I took it back.  What I mistook for irreverence was in fact such profound piety that those who first see it will not get it.  I let appearances deceive me.

Father Stan Fortuna is a living saint, with the Holy Spirit flowing abundantly through him, putting the words on his tongue and the notes in his fingertips.  When he bowed before the King of the Universe, his head touched the dirty ground.  And when he gazed upon the Lord, sang to the Lord, he did so with such love, such intimacy.  I did not know that kind of love–that fire–but I knew I wanted it, too. 

We have two CDs in our store by Father Stan, showcasing his musical breadth and zeal.  All the proceeds from these sales go towards the friars’ apostolic mission of serving the poor. 

I remember a time when I asked the same question.  I think we all did. 

During his homily, the very jolly Father Jose Robles Sanchez recounted an anecdote from his upbringing about his unwillingness to attend Sunday morning Mass.  His mother gave him two choices: get up, get dressed, and go to Mass; or, get up, GET BEAT, get dresed, and go to Mass.

I am thankful my mother had the same persistence when I was younger. 

Unfortunately, this makes our young ones rue Sunday mornings.  Matthew Pinto and Chris Stefanick’s Do I Have to Go: 101 Questions About the Mass, the Eucharist, and your Spiritual Life remedies this by offering the answer to that whiny question, and, all the other uncertainties which keep them from the Celebration. 

Incidentally, I got to hear a talk by the co-author Chris Stefanick the same weekend as Father Jose.  Very passionate about his faith and ministry to the youth, he tells it like it is–but, in a vibrant, often humorous manner that is accessible by today’s teenagers.  This charisma definitely comes through in this book. 

They leave no stone unturned, addressing every aspect of our Mass, offering cool insights and trivia that will ignite a love for our highest form of worship.  Perhaps the next Sunday morning, your teen will be dressed and ready to go before you!

S0metimes it’ll take a tragedy to ignite our faith.  And sometimes, it is a tragedy that confirms it.

As the plane was crashing into the Hudson River, Frederick Berretta felt God stirring in his conscience.  Facing certain death, in his final prayers and thoughts of his family, he distinctly heard His voice.  It was the apex of a lifetime of searching for Him, for meaning in his life. 

Following his miraculous survival, spreading what God revealed to him that afternoon became his mission, and is the central theme of his book, Flight of Faith.

It’s a quick-paced read–symbolic of those very few minutes Berretta had to take stock of his life and make his peace with God, from when Flight 1549 struck the flock of geese to the time Captain Sully splashed it into the icy river.  The book is such a testament to God’s intervention–not just in times of desperation, as Berretta interlaces the events of January 15, 2009 with other scenes from his life that moved him towards a deeper relationship with God.  Flight of Faith becomes not just a book about one man’s epiphany on a doomed plane trip out of New York City, but one man’s lifelong journey to a more intimate friendship with his Savior.