Fr. Rick Thomas, S.J.: Recent Episodes
Fr. Rick Thomas, S.J.
We all had a ticket to hell until Jesus died on the cross for us. There is no joy in hell, only sorrow, regret, pain, fire. That’s what God wants to save us from. Each of us must make up our own mind: do we want to go to heaven or to hell? To go to heaven we need to believe in Jesus.
John 3:16
Peter had faith, but not enough. You and I have faith, but not enough. God likes to put us in fearful circumstances to test our faith. So much of what we do or don’t do is controlled by fear. The only thing we should be afraid of is offending God.
- Matthew 14:22-32
How do we get our radio tuned into God's station? God has a beautiful radio station and television station, and it is playing all the time, and we need to learn how to tune into it. We have two buttons we must adjust to tune in -- discipline of the mind and seeking God with the heart.
- Psalm 19
- Job 33:14
- Colossians 3:1-10
- Isaiah 55:6-9
- Sirach 32:14
Jesus says we will be judged by the words He has spoken. This is why it is so important to dedicate time to studying and obeying the Scriptures.
I want to tell you about my brother. He is a mechanical engineer in Mexico. When he came here to the U.S. it was very difficult for him to find a job, as the schooling is different for engineers in the U.S. He was looking and looking for work, and having to start his new career differently by going to school and taking classes in the U.S. And even though he went to school to be able to work as an engineer, he hasn’t been able to find a job.
Two weeks ago he was very desperate and depressed, thinking he had made a mistake to come over to the U.S. since he couldn’t find a job. He was thinking of going back to Mexico, but since he is 50 years old, it would be very difficult for him to find a job in Mexico at that age. He had no money, a lot of responsibilities, and no job.
I told him, “Okay, I’m going to give you the answer to your difficulties. I’m going to give you this little card.” So I gave him the Father Thomas prayer card. He looked at me like I was crazy, like how could this little card help him. I assured him, “Just start praying. Father Thomas is going to help you. He is in the position of going to be beatified but it depends on the miracles that are going to happen through his intercession. And this is going to be a good one since it looks impossible – it seems like an impossible situation for you to get a job.” He asked me how to do it, and I told him to just pray the prayer on the back of the card.
Well, last Monday he called me and said, “You know, this thing really works. I’m calling from Midland, Texas. I applied a year ago to this company and never heard a word back from them. But now they want me to come and work for them. I only prayed for two days with the prayer card, and it really works! Now I have a job. I have to move to Midland, but it doesn’t matter – I have a job! It’s a very well-paying job, and they provide the house to live in.” He was very grateful to Father Thomas, and so am I.
How do we get our radio tuned into God’s station? God has a beautiful radio station and television station, and it is playing all the time, and we need to learn how to tune into it. We have two buttons we must adjust to tune in — discipline of the mind and seeking God with […]
In February of last year, Mike Reuter came down with Covid. He had fever, aches, pain, and weakness, and he lost his sense of smell and taste. He felt terrible and was anxious about how this illness would unfold, praying that it wouldn’t get worse. “Every year on Fr. Rick’s birthday,” he said, “I ask […]
Jesus says we will be judged by the words He has spoken. This is why it is so important to dedicate time to reading, studying, and obeying the Scriptures. (audio teaching in English only, Spanish translation edited out.) Scripture: John 12:44-50
God loves us, and He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to save us. We all had a ticket to hell until Jesus died on the cross for us. You could say, “Well, I don’t believe in hell.” That’s not going to change the fact that there is a hell. Hell […]
There is a very close connection between proclaiming the Gospel with courage and miracles. The more courage we have in proclaiming the Gospel, the more miracles we are going to see. We are accustomed to praying for miracles, but we are not accustomed to praying for courage. When we start proclaiming the Gospel with courage, […]
God made everything about you, and He has destined you for everlasting life. He wants you to fight with Him so that you can win the victory. Jesus gained for us eternal life, and the devil wants us to lose it. The devil observes us every day to see what lie he can tell us […]
We are all in a battle, and the battle goes on until we die. God is on our side. Jesus died on the cross so that we could win the battle. But the beast comes to get us to leave Jesus and go to some crazy thing. God wants us to win the battle. He […]
The whole book of Revelation (or Apocalypse) is written in code. If you don’t understand the code, you won’t understand the book. Many people have made mistakes in writing about the book of Revelation because they don’t understand the code. During a war, the military communicates in code. This book of Revelation was written to […]
Jesus prays to His Father, “What you have hidden from the wise and the learned you have revealed to little children.” Jesus is talking about revelation that comes from God. God wants to reveal Himself to humble people. God takes pleasure in giving us revelation. We can have a one-way prayer, asking God for things, […]
“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Luke 12:48 What are the gifts that some of us have? eyesight hearing ability to walk ability to talk We have gifts from God that we take for granted. And God is […]
When we come to Jesus, we need to talk to Him honestly in our own words. Otherwise, we will never come to Him. The greatest pain we experience in life is other people rejecting us. But Jesus will NEVER reject you. Go to Jesus! Begin to talk to Him in your own words — any […]
Jesus says, “I will never reject anyone who comes to me.” All of us have experienced rejection. The beautiful thing about this promise, and Jesus never lies, is that He will never reject us. Remember the good thief at the crucifixion. He came to Jesus and Jesus did not reject him. Jesus told him, “Today […]
God will reward you generously for your gifts to the needy. Be cheerful in your giving. Don’t give grudgingly to God. We should give alms anonymously. If we get a plaque or recognition for our charitable giving here, then we lose our reward in heaven. God wants us to do our good deeds in secret […]
You have to decide: is the Word of God more believable, or the word of everyone else? If you believe that the Word of God is more reliable than you act on it. Most Christians don’t believe that the reign of God is near. They go to church, but they don’t believe the reign […]
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.” Luke 12:32-33 So many people live in fear, […]
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15 There are two invisible kingdoms – God’s and satan’s. How can we figure out which one we are living in? St. Paul tells us in Acts 20:33-35 – “I have never wanted anyone’s […]
When they arrived at their destination of Emmaus, the disciples said, “Lord, stay with us.” That was a good prayer, even though they didn’t realize they were talking to God Almighty. And so Jesus stayed with them, giving them the Eucharist in the breaking of bread. Scripture: Luke 24:13-35
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus had given up hope and were leaving Jerusalem discouraged. Jesus, disguising himself, accompanied them along the way, listening to them. After drawing them out and hearing their complaints and disappointment, he said to them, “How slow you are to believe.” That’s our problem, too. We believe more […]
What it means to lose your faith = I have more faith in the problems than I do in Jesus. That’s what happened to Peter — he had more faith in the problems and the difficulties than he did in the Word of God. When we get our eyes off of Jesus and onto the […]
Peter had faith, but not enough. You and I have faith, but not enough. God sometimes puts us in fearful circumstances to test our faith. So much of what we do or don’t do is controlled by fear. The only thing we should be afraid of is offending God. Scripture: Matthew 14:22-32
Lent is meant to get us fit and ready for the army of God. The trumpet call is supposed to wake us up to get ready. Who is called to wake up? Everyone, according to Joel 2. God is merciful, and He will take us back if we have been AWOL in the spiritual life. […]
In the first chapter of Joel, he describes the plague of the locusts destroying everything. This is a symbol of the enemy’s army destroying things. We see the results of that happening all around us. Because it’s invisible, people are not aware of it, but the kingdom of satan is eating away at everything. The […]