« back to all posts

Nothing Can Stop You: Family Reflection Video

Nothing Can Stop You: Family Reflection Video

Return to the Church  |  Holy lives of inspiration

A while back, I went for a retreat with the Sisters of Bethlehem in Livingston Manor in Upper New York state. These sisters are cloistered, living in hermitages. The hermitage is a place where these sisters live in seclusion from the world for religious reasons. They have hardly any interaction with the outside world … but I would say they are the center of the world through the power of prayer!

During my time there, I was delighted to talk with one of the young sisters, who appeared very joyful. She told me that she had graduated from MIT in architecture. I was surprised that she had given up her profession and decided to follow Jesus in a cloistered convent! She said when she came to know about the sisters, nothing could stop her. She said she is the happiest now.   

Today we are celebrating the feast of St. Mathew. When Jesus met him at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And Mathew got up and followed him. When the call of God comes to you, nothing can stop you.  

In today’s gospel, Jesus says to young people, "Follow me." He needs priests, and religious brothers and sisters. And He calls some young people to the vocation of married life as well.

"Follow me," Jesus says to all of us: “Experience me, eat and dine with me, build your relationship with me ... share my love, joy, mercy, and compassion. Come, experience the full stature of Christ, and be filled with joy.”


  • Father Pinto's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)

  • To view Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 am EDT, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (You don't need a Facebook account to view.) 

About Father Pinto Paul, C.S.C.

Father Pinto Paul C.S.C., ordained a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1999, worked with tribal populations in northeast India as a missionary for ten years. In 2010 he came to the US for further studies. While working as a campus minister at Stonehill College, he assisted pastors in local parishes, led seminars and workshops for teachers and students in the US and earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration from Boston College and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Lesley University, Cambridge. He is currently working as the International Director of the Boston-based Holy Cross Family Ministries with missions in 18 countries.