St. Simon Stock is a “hallowed” figure in Catholic tradition, best known for his great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and his association with the Brown Scapular—a symbol of Marian protection...
Watching my son arrange dinosaurs during Mass—his way of staying regulated—reminds me how far our Catholic family has come on our autism journey. What once felt impossible has become a chance to...
Every year on May 13, the Church honors the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, commemorating the Blessed Mother’s appearances to three young shepherd children in Portugal in 1917. Her message was simple...
You know the scenes that make me sob the most in books and movies? It’s not when characters are treated unfairly. It’s not when all seems hopeless. It’s not even necessarily when the protagonist...
“The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” – (Soon-to-Be) Saint Carlo Acutis Eeeeek! Let me pause for a minute to do some backflips!!! A real-life saint. A saint who was alive only 18 years ago?!...
Imagine for a minute that you are on a mountain with Jesus. You’re both having a great time, our Lord is telling hilarious jokes, and you feel like you’re on top of the world. The view is magnificent…
“17. The coming Jubilee Year will also coincide with a significant date for all Christians, namely, the 1700th anniversary of the celebration of the first great Ecumenical Council, that of Nicaea… The Council of Nicaea sought to preserve the Church’s unity, which was seriously threatened by the denial of the full divinity of Jesus Christ and, hence, his consubstantiality with the Father. Some 300 bishops took part, convoked at the behest of the Emperor Constantine; their first meeting took place in the Imperial Palace on 20 May 325.
“Jesus said to His disciples, … When you fast, … When you give alms, … When you pray … And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Mt. 6:1–6, 16–18
Each year on Ash Wednesday, at Mass or a Prayer Service, as we begin the Season of Lent, we hear the Gospel quoted above, Matthew 6: 1–6, 16–18, and Jesus speaks to us, His disciples, about fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. As Jesus speaks to us of those spiritual practices, we should “listen very closely” because He is telling us not only “what” we should do but “how” (and why) we should do it.
St. John Henry Newman, the great theologian of the nineteenth century, chose as his motto when appointed a cardinal, “Cor ad cor loquitur” — “Heart speaks to heart.” This is a time in our history, I respectfully suggest, when we need heart speaking to heart.