There is a Longing

Luke 24:46-53  Through His Passion and Death, Christ reconciled us with the Father and offered the pure sacrifice, His own life, in atonement for our sins.   Through His Resurrection, He conquered death and opened the gates of Heaven.   Now we have come to Jesus’ Ascension, through which He ascends into Heaven and takes His seat beside God the Father. When Jesus rose from the dead, He did not cast aside the human nature that He embraced through His Incarnation.   It was not removed at any point, but rather, Christ rose as God Incarnate, with the perfect unity of divine will and human will.   Thus, when Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, He carried with Him the human nature that He shares with us. Not only did Christ redeem us through His Death and Resurrection, but also through His Ascension He raises our human nature to a higher dignity and imbues it with His own divine life. In His love, He wished to become so intimately close to us, that He would save ...

  June 3 is the feast day of St. Charles Lwanga & his companions. They were 22 martyrs from Uganda. Charles was born on January 1, 1860. He was a member of the Baganda tribe in Uganda & became a leader of royal pages. Later, he became chief steward in King Mwanga II's court. While leading the pages, he taught them the Catholic Faith, inspiring them to live the virtues of chastity & faithfulness. Between the years of 1855 & 1887, King Mwanga tried to force Christians to abandon their faith. He also wanted them to give in to his sexual demands. Charles protected his fellow pages from these homosexual advances while they were imprisoned. Angered by their refusals, King Mwanga ordered them all to be executed. Charles was burned alive on June 3, 1886. Pope Paul VI canonized Charles & his companions on October 18, 1964 & we celebrate their feast day on June 3. Charles is the patron saint of Catholic youth, African Catholic Youth Action, converts, & torture vic...

"If you invoke the Blessed Virgin when you are tempted, she will come at once to your help, and Satan will leave you." - St. John Vianney 

John 14:23-29 “ Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” The Last Supper was an occasion of many gifts, which Jesus freely gave, and would continue to give through His Death and Resurrection.  John shares some of these gifts with us, which were not meant for the Apostles exclusively, but for all those striving to know and love the Lord.  Jesus’ words today are full of gifts, too numerous to count!  He begins with love, that precious gem He treasures. Extending from this, He lifts that mysterious veil, ever so slightly, that we might glimpse the dazzling light of the Blessed Trinity.   From the Trinity, He shares with us His peace, generously handing it to us without restriction.   Jesus finishes by reminding the disciples that He would be going to the Father, but with the gifts He bestowed, He would continue to provide for them in abundance and share with them the great rejoicing in His glory.   This reassurance applies to us today, after Christ’s Res...

Today, we are featuring one of my favorite saints...St. Rita of Cascia. I discovered her a few years ago when I came across a movie on the Catholic app, Formed. (A great resource, by the way!) Rita was born in Italy in 1381. On the day after her birth, a swarm of bees surrounded her. Her family took this as a sign that she was destined to be virtuous with a great devotion to God. She wanted to join a convent from a young age, but was instead married by arrangement at the age of twelve to Paolo Mancini. This arrangement was for safety & security. Paolo was a cruel man with a violent temper. He pursued other women & had many enemies. Rita, through her prayers & devotion, influenced Paolo to become a better man. However, due to conflicts & feuding, he was betrayed by an ally & killed. Publically, Rita forgave her husband's murderer, but Paolo's brother was still angry & wanted to avenge his brother's death. He encouraged Rita & Paolo's aons to j...

I just finished a novena for Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. So, when I found this quote, I thought it a perfect conclusion.

John 13:31-33a, 34-35  I have often wondered what could have induced Judas to betray Jesus.   The Pharisees despised Jesus because they felt that He was attacking their position, seeking attention, blaspheming, contradicting their laws, etc. and resulting from their hatred they sought to kill Him.   But Judas had long since pledged allegiance to Christ and had been walking alongside Him as a friend for three years.   What could have corrupted his heart to commit such a grievous crime?   The Gospels do not give much pretext to Judas’ betrayal.   Why?   Probably because we do not need to know.   What good would it profit us to know Judas’ faults?   It would only feed into our curiosity and give us more ground to blame and judge. This is exactly what Jesus is not teaching his disciples in today’s reading.   Rather, He offers the new commandment, which will help us combat our natural inclinations to sin: “ As I have loved you, so you also s...

This week we are featuring St. John I, pope & martyr. He was born around the year 470 in Italy. He became pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas in 523 & reigned for only three years. Italian ruler Theodoric the Goth followed Arian beliefs, a heresy which denied Christ's divinity. However, he did tolerate Catholics early in his reign. About the time of John I succession to the papal throne, Theodoric's policies began to change. One reason for this was the Emperor Justin I (a supporter of Catholicism) issued an edict against heretics. John I was named as head of negotiations by Theodoric instead of waging a war against Justin I. John I was successful in the mitigation of how Arians were treated & avoided reprisals against Italian Catholics. He also reconciled the Easter & Western churches which had been divided in their beliefs since 482. Theodoric was still suspicious & concluded that John I & Justin I plotted against him. He had John I imprisoned in Rav...

"If you put all the love of all the mothers into one heart it still would not equal the love of the heart of Mary for her children." (St. Louis de Montfort)

John 10:27-30 Of the many titles given to Jesus Christ, there are two that at first glance, seem contradictory.   We call Him the Shepherd and the Lamb.   How can this be?   Well, when the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt, it was their offering of the blood of a lamb which spared them from the plague of death and led to their flight.   This was a foreshadowing of Christ’s offering of His own blood to save us from our slavery to sin, and therefore, we call Jesus the “Lamb of God.”   The Good Shepherd, of course, was a name that Jesus used in reference to Himself.   The relationship between a shepherd and his sheep is astounding!   The shepherd provides for his flock, and forms a deep bond with them.   The sheep know and trust their shepherd, distinguishing his voice among others and recognizing in him their source of safety.   By calling Himself the Good Shepherd, Our Lord reveals to us the sort of relationship He has with His own people. ...

St. Damien de Veuster, better known as St. Damien of Molokai, was born Joseph de Veuster in Tremelo, Belgium on January 3, 1840. At the age of 13 he left school to help work the family farm. Then at the age of 19, he joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. It was there that he took the name Damien, after a 4th century physician & martyr. Damien's brother, Pamphile, a priest in the same order, received an assignment to go to the Hawaiian Islands. Unfortunately he fell ill & Damien volunteered to take his place. Two months after his arrival there, in 1864, he completed his own studies & was ordained a priest.  In 1873, after nine years, he journeyed to the island of Molokai to serve those in the leper colony which had been established seven years prior. There he remained tending to the physical, emotional, & spiritual needs of the people. Volunteers normally took three month assignments in Molokai. Damien, however, stayed permanently, living th...

"Throughout the Easter season the Church will make the joyful announcement resound: Surrexit Dominus vere! The Lord is truly risen!...Our prayer rises fervently to the Divine Savior for all and for each of you: for priests and for the souls consecrated to God; for the bold and thoughtful youth, the future hope of the Church; for Christian families, especially for those who in the wombs keep the precious deposit of a numerous sonship with greater fidelity and sacrifice; for those whose advanced age makes the heavenly homeland look to firm hope; for those who study, who teach, who work; especially for workers who do heavy work during the day and night; for the sick, who are so dear to us. We want to assure everyone that not only our particular predilection constantly follows them, but also their life, even if hidden and humble, is so precious before God."   (St. John XXIII)

John 21:1-19 Our dear Lord has a way of trying and testing us, sometimes to the point of our own dismay. We catch a glimpse of this when the Apostles do not immediately recognize Jesus from a distance, and again when He questions Peter’s love three times. Jesus tests us each accordingly throughout our walk of life. In fact, the sum of our life on earth is like a test, a refining, a perfecting . And so it should be! If you loved someone very much, and desired all that was good for them, wouldn’t you want them to be capable of receiving that good wholly and entirely? You would hesitate to give it to them if you judged them to be unfit for receiving it; not that the good might be preserved, but out of hope to bestow it at a time that would profit them more. With this in mind, we can better dispose ourselves to accepting these tests and trials, and compose ourselves more worthily in love of our Lord. On another note, we also get an interesting insight on the Apostles. It is the “disciple w...

Welcome to Saintly Saturday...on a Monday! It's been a busy couple of weeks & we've gotten a bit behind, but hopefully we're getting back on track now! Today, May 2, we celebrate the feast day of St. Athanasius, Bishop & Doctor of the Church. What does it mean to be a Doctor of the Church? It is an honor placed on many saints in the Catholic Church who have been prominent writers & speakers in their time. Those writings & preachings have stood the test of time & can stand strong in any age. Many are still available & as prevalent today as they were during the times they were written. It is believed that St. Athanasius was born around 296 or 298 in Alexandria, Egypt. He died on May 2, 373, also in Alexandria. He was raised in a Christian family & received a classical education in Christian doctrine, Greek Literature, philosophy, & rhetoric. St. Athanasius was known by several titles..."Father of Orthodoxy," "Pillar of the Church...