“We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her Son.” – Saint Louis Marie de Montfort
Life is hard. We will feel pain, but the pain we face as we struggle along in our journey will one day make sense as we reach our “finish line” and experience perfect joy for all eternity in heaven. It is here where we will be welcomed for who we are, congratulated on the “race” we ran, and showered with an eternal feast the likes of which we could never have imagined. You see, no matter what we may face in this life, it’s worth it because of what lies ahead in the next.
Teens will like Girl in Progress because it’s clever, fun, and has lots of drama. Adults will like the movie because – gasp! – Hollywood finally shows consequences to bad decisions. About the Movie Single mother Grace, played by Eva Mendes (Hitch, 2 Fast 2 Furious), who has made some bad decisions in life and is failing miserably at taking care of her teenage daughter Ansieded. Ansieded (actress Cierra Ramirez) feels rejected and neglected by her mother. She’s also aggravated that her mother makes so many immature decisions. She knows that she wants something different in life, but doesn’t know [...]
How did she do it? How did she manage to remain focused on God while she had the most unique and challenging role in all of human history? And how could I possibly be anything like her, when I get stressed out by the everyday pressures of my comfortable life? Her Immaculate life was so unlike my own awkward existence that I had no idea where to even begin if I was going to try to imitate her.
A couple of weeks ago Beyonce was given the title of “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” from People Magazine. I feel like once you’ve got that award in your back pocket you can either:
No really, congrats Beyonce, you are gorgeous and have cleared up any confusion about how far I have to go to reach the plane you exist on.
We’ve got a free download from Catholic musician Danielle Rose! Check it out and read about why she wrote the song, and why Mary is such a big part of her life.
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” This is the mission that Jesus leaves with the apostles before He ascends into heaven. But it wasn’t just for them; this is the mission of the whole Church. That means all of us. Ask God for the grace you need to fulfill this mission, and that the gifts of Holy Spirit be unleashed in you.
In choosing what you do to commemorate these final days of school, whether after graduation, prom or band practice, at the forefront of our mind and hearts should be this reality that all is a gift from God, to be used for His glory. This doesn’t require walking around yelling, “hallelujah,” but it demands that our actions be a reflection of who we belong to. We are not our own.
How exactly do you thank your mother for being your mother? This year, I wanted to drop some Biblical wisdom that you might want to take to prayer and share with mom this weekend (or anytime, for that matter).
Here are some verses you might want to share within a card or note and some ideas for how you can tie them into a message fo’ yo’ mama . . .
Please help me see and appreciate the ways that you love me. And can you show me how to love my own mother like you would? There’s a reason why your Son chose her to be my mother on earth; please pray for her that she can be more like you as well.
I can’t thank you enough for loving me and caring for me. My words cannot express how thankful I am that you have loved me unconditionally. It’s so crazy to think that God loves me so much that He would share His perfect mom with me.
I’m a girl and I love weddings.
Big surprise, huh? I’ve spent many of my 22 years dreaming up the most perfect wedding. And since the creation of Pinterest, the harmless dreaming has become a borderline-addictive pinning-spree of dresses, cakes and the world’s most adorable flower girl outfits. So, it’s only natural, that I fell in love with the story of the Wedding at Cana when I started praying the rosary regularly last year.
Cierra Ramirez, who stars in Girl in Progress alongside Eva Mendez, sat down with Jackie Francois to talk about the movie and what it’s like to be an actress. Check it out and go see this awesome movie! It comes out in theaters May 11, 2012.
Growing up, I never had a devotion to Mary. I mean, I liked the idea of her . . . but I didn’t have a relationship with her. The Virgin Mother was a porcelain statue, a gold-etched picture on a Christmas card. She wasn’t real to me. My only connection to her, at best, was a panicked “Hail Mary” before a pop-quiz.
What I’ve learned is that Mary is way more than a boring stained glass window. She lived an exciting life and did amazing things. And outside of Jesus, she is one of the greatest gifts we’ve been given as Catholics. Although I didn’t have a relationship with Mary growing up, I have fallen in love with my mother since then, and let me tell you: OUR MAMA ROCKS!
“You can’t pick and choose the people you love . . . especially if they’re in your family.” But besides our families, we are called to love everyone as Christ loved us. How did He love us? He sacrificed His life. That means love can’t be all about warm fuzzies; it’s about self-sacrifice.
What happens when six super heroes team up to fight the biggest enemies in the Universe? You end up with a hit movie written and directed by nerdom’s chief storyteller Joss Whedon and played by some of today’s biggest actors. If you’re looking for an action packed and entertaining film for the weekend The Avengers is your obvious choice. The Avengers is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference.
At a conference for High School journalists, Dan Savage gave a talk that was supposed to be about anti-bullying. Instead it was anti-Christian. As he began to talk about the “bullish*t” of what can be found in the Bible, many Christian students stood up and walked out on him – a move he later called “pansy-assed.” Here’s the video. It’s about three minutes, but be forewarned there is some swearing going on in it (not suitable if kids are nearby). The video has gone viral since being posted three days ago, the vast majority of people giving it a “like.” [...]
Our friends at RosaryArmy.com have some great instructions for how to make your own rope rosary. Do something meaningful (and super Catholic) with some of your free time and get together with your friends or youth group to make a bunch of rosaries for yourselves, or to give away. You could even make small rosaries that are just one decade and wear it on your wrist as a witness and reminder to pray. The month of May is dedicated to Mary; so it’s the perfect time to put your fingers to good use and make a rosary. “The holy rosary [...]
Mystical Rose “Mary, mystical rose, pray for us; virgin most powerful, pray for us.” Designed by Gabe Telepak Download: 2560 x 1440, 1600 x 900, iPhone Wallpaper
Last week I ran in a race and a couple times I was reduced to the “I feel hot and nauseous; I’m so over this” jog that is very slow (if you’ve never experienced it for yourself). And you know who did NOT motivate me? The 70 year old next to me who was speed walking at the same (if not a faster) pace than me. Come on. Really?
It’s in moments like this, and other times when I feel like I’m not good enough, that I ask myself, “Why can’t I be more like that person? They must be so much better than I am.”
