On Sunday morning, I heard about the killing of the “peacemaker” Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, and the news deeply saddened me. I was deeply touched when I attended a Healing Service he presided over at the Southern California Renewal Conference a few years ago. I’d also been especially thrilled to hear him interviewed by Deacon Steve Greco, along with Neal Lozano, the author and founder of Unbound, and Matt Lozano, his son who is Director of Training for Heart of the Father Ministries. In that “Empowered by the Spirit” radio show, Bishop O’Connell emphasized his appreciation for the gift, effectiveness, and simplicity of UNBOUND Ministry.
He shared how he experienced freedom through UNBOUND, sharing a very personal example of its power to heal and set free. He shared how he was liberated from anxiety and fear that he had carried since childhood, probably due to a trauma his mother experienced and never got over. He felt joy after his Unbound session, a euphoria never before experienced, and he concluded that’s how God wants us to be!
Afterward, he considered it the greatest gift of his priesthood that he could bring the Five Keys of Unbound* to the hurting people of the poor neighborhoods in which he worked and to those who came to him because their lives seemed destroyed by struggles with addiction, rage, abuse, shame, self-hatred, rejection, fear, and other kinds of brokenness. I won’t paraphrase more of his account, because I’d really prefer to include the YouTube video link so you can hear this interview for yourself.
Besides Bishop O’Connell, the Lozanos and Deacon Steve Greco also talk enthusiastically about how Jesus and UNBOUND promote life and life abundantly.
Note: Although the men in the linked video are all Catholic, UNBOUND Ministry is for anyone and everyone who can say “Jesus is Lord.” Please don’t dismiss this if you’re not a Catholic. Born in Ireland, Bishop O’Connell cared deeply for victims of social and racial injustice, was considered a champion for the poor and marginalized, and spent most of his priesthood serving in South Central Los Angeles — in short, he was an exemplary Christian whether you’re a Catholic or a Protestant, of any other faith, or spiritual but not religious!
*The Five Keys of the UNBOUND prayer model are 1. Repentance and Faith; 2. Forgiveness; 3. Renunciation; 4. Authority; and 5. The Father’s Blessing. For more about UNBOUND, read Neal Lozano’s Unbound book, visit HeartoftheFather.com, or make an appointment through RadiantJoy.us to speak with me about it. I will also be one of the presenters at a Healing Retreat featuring UNBOUND on March 31 and April 1 in Albuquerque. Registration is at abqccc.org/unbound/.
