My goal in life is to be a saint, and I hope yours in too, so we need to ask ourselves – how do I treat people when I disagree with them?
Look actions 1 – 4 above and replace ‘St. Peter’ with whomever you disagree with. Are you more likely to gossip about the person, tell other people how wrong they are, or even fight with the person? Or are you mature enough to respectfully talk with the person and still give them the honor they deserve?
Everyone wants to know why there is suffering in this world. Because of the cross, suffering takes on a whole new meaning; it is through suffering that we gain life.
Fasting is all about the “disposition” of your soul. That means the “condition” or “state” that your soul is in. In order to prepare the soul, we have to prepare the body.
We are physical beings. When we force our body to do something hard, like not eat or drink, it reminds us that hunger and thirst for spiritual food is even more important.
Since the body and soul make up the one person that you are, they have to do things together . . . like get ready for Jesus in the Eucharist.
God has a plan for your life. Do you believe that and trust in Him? It takes surrender and humility; and that’s how John the Baptist lived. He always wanted the things he did and said to point back to Christ. Can you say the same about your life?
“When we feel like we’re loosing the battle, we can’t forget that God wins the war. Becoming small in the eyes of God is not the same as playing small – it’s not trying to pretend you’re humble but to become truly humble so that God could exalt you and God could be exalted in you.” Readings for the eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Ez 17:22-24; Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; 2 Cor 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34 Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Philip Neri’s prayer life is what kept him so joyful. His entire life became a prayer. He only ate once a day and, even then, it was only bread and water. Though he had a bed, he usually opted to sleep on the floor, without a pillow. He had few possessions, endured great spiritual attacks, and daily, during his intense prayers that lasted hours, it was not uncommon for him to experience ecstasies and visions.
Today’s feast is all about relationships. The Most Holy Trinity is a relationship between the three persons in one God, and the Trinity stands as a model for all of our relationships – to simply love.
Far from offering an escape from the problems of the world, the Rosary obliges us to see them with responsible and generous eyes, and obtains for us the strength to face them with the certainty of God’s help and the firm intention of bearing witness in every situation to “love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14).
Catholics pray the rosary because it’s a powerful prayer to God, through His mother, Mary.
Praying the rosary has been a tradition in the Church for a long time. It’s a bit fuzzy who made it more formal; some say it was St. Dominic and others say it wasn’t. What really matters is that this prayer is super powerful.
Throughout Church history, many popes and saints have highly recommended that we pray the rosary. St. Louis de Montfort said, “When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.”
This month of May – dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary – offers us a unique opportunity to deepen our contemplative prayer life.
Just as Mary pondered all the early events surrounding Jesus in her heart (Luke 2:19), we are invited to contemplate what the Holy Spirit chose to inspire and share with us regarding Mary – not only as Christ’s mother – but as our own (John 19:27). Below is part of a reflection I wrote some time ago that I recently rediscovered. Perhaps it will bless your own contemplative prayer life . . .
Mary is always ready to help us and take our prayers to her Son, Jesus. Pray this beautiful prayer to ask Mary for assistance in whatever you need. She is our mother and longs to pour out graces on us, her children.
Are you letting the Holy Spirit move you? Because when He does you better buckle up for the ride! The Spirit never moves us backwards, only forwards toward God, grace, and virtue. He sends out on mission to tell the world about God, and more importantly, to show God to the world.
“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
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.
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.
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.
