October 4th marks the Memorial of St Francis of Assisi in the liturgical year of the Roman Catholic Church. On that day, we remember St Francis’ example of holiness as he struggled to become a sign and witness of Christ’s love and mercy in the world. When most people think about St Francis, they usually will consider his poverty of life, or his love and appreciation for the grandeur and beauty of creation. Or perhaps they know of Francis’ efforts to bring attention to Christ’s humility in the Incarnation which resulted in the now familiar Nativity scene, or in his […]
saints
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Today’s memorial of St Monica particularly tugs at my heart because our three sons in their own ways are not as close to Jesus as I would desire for them. Am fairly certain that ALL parents have desires for their children that have yet to come to fruition. Therefore, we can probably identify with St Monica’s deepest desire and longing for her son, St Augustine, to come to know the reason for her (and our!) hope and joy–Jesus Christ. On a personal note, my prayers (and tears) are similar ones for our sons–that not only may they come to know […]
In the series finale of the epic fantasy television series, Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister, a character who throughout the series has been known for his insights and cleverness, argues for why Brandon Stark, who is now also the Three-Eyed Raven, should become the next King of Westeros. In a nutshell, Tyrion goes through all the many things that do NOT bring people together before pointing out the one thing that does–stories. Tyrion goes on to say: “There is nothing more powerful than a good story…nothing can stop it.” And Tyrion argues that this is why Bran should be king, […]
Happy Monday of the 2nd week of Easter! Had a full and busy few weekend that was bookended by two of the most anticipated pop culture events in the last decade as I went and saw Avengers: End Game… …and then watched the living battle the Night King and his army of the dead in the Battle of Winterfell in the final season of the Game of Thrones. So as to not give away any spoilers for those of you who may not have seen one or the other, let me simply share that in both of these stories, all […]
Hey, Everyone! In case you were not aware, I am a HUGE fan of the work being done over at Voyage Comics. I made mention of one of their previous projects, The Monks of Skellig Michael, in a post a few weeks ago. (You can click here to see that post–Star Wars, Hope and Holy Week) Therefore, I wanted to share this message I received from Philip Kosloski about their latest project–a Joan of Arc comic book! If you are like me, you know how vitally important it is to support authentically Catholic projects that can inspire the hearts and […]
I absolutely adore the changing of seasons, particularly as winter gives way to spring. The grass begins to green up, trees blossom and here in the South, azaleas bloom. If you are a golfer, or a fan of golf, blooming azaleas are a sign of another beautiful occurrence that happens every spring–the Masters. For those of you who may not be familiar, the Masters is the premiere professional golf tournament in the world played at one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, Augusta National, in Augusta, Georgia. Augusta was designed and built by Bobby Jones, the first […]
Merry Christmas! (And yes, it is STILL Christmas!) I hope this finds you still rejoicing in the great gift of Him who humbled Himself to become like us as a babe in the manger at Bethlehem! My post today is an outgrowth of my spiritual mentorship ministry work, and the great need that I have seen for people to come to know and understand and embrace that the reality that God loves us so deeply, passionately and profoundly, that He desires nothing more than to love us, and to that end, He invites us to enter into life with, in […]
A few days ago, I wrote about how much I love November, and how this is a truly special time in the life of the Catholic Church. Particularly because it is a month when we celebrate the fullness of the Communion of Saints. We begin by celebrating all who have completed their journey and are in heaven with God on All Saints Day, and then we commemorate all the holy souls who have gone before us on All Souls Day, before spending the remainder of the month praying for those same souls. I have to admit, with the shortening of […]
I absolutely ADORE the end of October and the month of November. Probably not for the reasons that you might expect though, as my reasons have not much to do with the usual ghosts or goblins or spooky graveyards, but everything to do with the Communion of Saints. What is the Communion of Saints, you ask? Well, simplest explanation is that it’s everybody–the best, the better and the trying to be holy men and women. The best are the Saints. These are people who are in union with God and have allowed their love for God and God’s love for […]
Many times when people hear stories about people who are saints, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope John Paul II, or Maximillian Kolbe, the response tends to be, “Well, that’s great, but I could never be like them.” The reality is actually quite the opposite, as all the people throughout history who eventually became saints share 7 common characteristics that we can incorporate and practice in our own lives, too. Practice #1 Daily Prayer and Meditation “A soulthat does not practice the exercise of prayer is very like a paralyzed body which, though posessing feet and hands, makes no use of […]