Have you ever experienced a "God wink" – a meaningful coincidence that feels like a sign from above?

In this All Souls Day homily, Deacon Bill introduces a simple family practice that might help you experience more of them: the popsicle stick prayer jar.

Drawing from the Book of Wisdom and John's Gospel, Deacon Bill explores the souls in purgatory – so close to heaven, yet still being purified for that final encounter with God.

But here's the beautiful mystery: while souls in purgatory can't pray for themselves, they can pray for us. And when we pray for them, they intercede for us in return. Those "coincidences" you experience might actually be God winks – answers to the prayers of grateful souls.

Deacon Bill offers a practical challenge: follow it...and then watch for the God winks that follow.

As Archbishop Fulton Sheen promised: when you enter heaven, souls will come toward you saying, "I'm a poor soul you prayed for in purgatory."

Why does a Super Bowl team follow the rules without question – but society feels free to change God's laws?

In this powerful homily, Deacon Bill tackles one of the most dangerous forces in our world: silence in the face of evil. Using the metaphor of sports rules that can never be changed, he challenges us to examine why we allow God's commandments to be rewritten to fit society's desires.

Drawing from the Gospel where Jesus calls out hypocrites who honor God with their lips but whose hearts are far from Him, Deacon Bill reminds us that silence implies acceptance. And as the song "The Sound of Silence" warns us: "silence, like a cancer grows."

St. Catherine of Siena said, "It is silence that kills the world." This week's challenge: Are you a doer of God's word, or just a hearer? And when your day comes to meet God, will you be judged by His laws – or society's?

"Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear." You've seen that warning on every car mirror – but what if it applied to God?

In this Ascension Sunday homily, Deacon Bill explores the apostles' bewilderment when Jesus ascended into Heaven. One moment they're watching Him disappear into the clouds, feeling abandoned and alone. The next, they're filled with joy. What changed?

The answer: they realized Jesus hadn't left them at all. He was closer than they could imagine – living right inside their hearts.

Deacon Bill explains how the same seeds Jesus planted in the apostles are planted in us through Scripture and the sacraments. And just like the apostles at Pentecost, we're called to let the Holy Spirit activate those seeds and share our faith with joy.

The next time you glance at your side mirror, remember: God is closer than He appears.