There is a Longing

Luke 14:1, 7-14 Humility is often portrayed in a negative light. It's seen as a sign of weakness. This misinterpretation leads to one feeling insignificant & inferior to those who exude confidence & pride in themselves.  Continuing from last week's Gospel, though, humility is actually the key to dumping our excess baggage. By humbling ourselves, we are stripped of worldly desires & accolades. We recognize our weaknesses, those things that hold us back from fully embracing our path to Heaven.  God wants all of us with Him, but not because of our awards & accomplishments. He doesn't want to see us boasting about our fancy clothes, cars, houses, or how high we've climbed the corporate ladder. He looks within us, straight to our hearts. Take that lower place here in earth so that, when you die, God will welcome you into the higher position that is Heaven. Looking back on an embarrassing moment of humility in your life, where can you see the good in it? What ...

On August 31st, we celebrate the feast of Sts. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Both prominent figures in their time, Sts. Joseph and Nicodemus are witnesses to Christ’s influence on the influential. The respected civic leader and Pharisee followed Jesus in secret for fear of the Jews.  N icodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, and came to Jesus in the night. There he inquired about the Kingdom. Later, he would remind the other members of Christ’s right to hearing at the time of his arrest.    After the death of Jesus, it was Joseph, a “virtuous and righteous man” as the Gospel tells us (Lk 23:50), who went to Pilate and asked for His Body. He wrapped Him in fine linen and was among those who buried Him.  Sts. Joseph and Nicodemus, pray for us!     Other saints we celebrate this week include St. Augustine of Hippo (28th), St. Jeanne Jugan (30th), St Giles (1st), and Blessed John Francis Burte and Companions (2nd).

As students are heading back to school this time of year, we thought a quote on learning would be good for today. "You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn any other way deceive themselves." (St. Francis de Sales) 27

  8/21/2022     Dear W.H.R.     (Whoever Happens to be Reading)     Praised be Jesus Christ!     For whatever reason, I think a lot while I’m brushing my teeth. It’s just one of those moments during the day when my brain seems particularly active, and conjures thoughts that I might not necessarily think about at any other time. I cover a wide range of subjects, and then some; the majority probably being a waste of time, more than anything else. But every so often, I’ll think of something interesting.  Recently, during the course of one of these “thoughts and teeth” sessions, I put myself in the shoes of one who has left the Church, so to speak. Now, to preface, the thought of people leaving the Church is not exclusive to the period of time in which it takes me to brush my teeth. This is something I often think about. However, in this instance, I wa...

Luke 13:22-30 "Have you been saved?" This often asked question posed by some Christians usually refers to their "once saved, always saved" belief, where one chooses a baptism of repentance needed only once for salvation. However, all of us were saved the moment Jesus died on the cross, when He chose to take on the sins of the world. As Catholics, we accept & partake in that gift of salvation each time we approach the altar to receive Jesus at Mass - Body, Blood, Soul, & Divinity.  There's a caveat though - we must want & choose to be saved. That's no easy task! We are bombarded daily by temptations & distractions of the world. Those are often easier to achieve, but not fulfilling in the long run. How do we overcome those to enter through the narrow gate Jesus mentions? In Jesus' time, most cities typically had three entry gates. The largest was used by those travelling with carts, animals, & various belongings. The two smaller ones we...

      A Christian herself, St. Monica, or Monica of Hippo, was given in marriage to the Roman and pagan, Patricius. Though bothered by her charitable deeds, prayers, and Christian life, the man respected her beliefs, and three children were born to them, the most famously known being St. Augustine of Hippo. Both Patricius and his mother, who lived with them, possessed violent tempers. For many years, Monica gave herself to patient prayer that they might be converted, and by God’s grace, her husband was baptized a year before his death. But this was not the end of her problems, for Augustine, who was just seventeen at the time, was straying very far. To her great distress, he even embraced the Manichean heresy. After this, she turned him out. A vision, reassuring the mother that her son would be converted, drew her to reconciliation with him. From then on, she followed him to Milan, all the while chasing him with the fervent prayers, fasts, and tears, which she daily ...

  Happy Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary! This is the day in which the Catholic Church celebrates Mary being received into Heaven, Body & Soul. Usually, this is a Holy Day of Obligation, however, that is lifted in the United States for most Holy Days when they fall on a Saturday or Monday. That does not make this day any less important, though! Why do we believe Mary's Body & Soul entered Heaven as opposed to the death & burial of Her Body? Death is a consequence of sin. Mary was the Immaculate Conception, born without the stain of Original Sin. God kept Her Immaculate throughout Her life to become the Mother of His Son, Our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. Because She was pure & undefiled, there was no need for bodily death. Therefore, She was assumed, Body & Soul, into Heaven.  I love the image above! Most of the ones you see for this day only show Mary being assumed into Heaven, sometimes accompanied by angels. In this one, you see Jesus welcoming Her...

Luke 12:49-53 Jesus speaks of coming to earth to divide us. How can that be? Isn't He the Prince of Peace? Of course He is! He has come to establish peace, but not necessarily here on earth. Furthermore, to do so He must first cause divisions.  Jesus requires our cooperation to reach the peace He gives & unfortunately, not all of humankind has chosen to use their gift of free will to follow Him. Take a look at the news or any social media site! Everyday, there are wars being waged, heightened violence, an increasr in the breakdown of families, even dissension within our Catholic Church. Many of these divisions are what Jesus was speaking of inducing. Not quite peaceful, is it? We all start off following the path to Heaven, but not all will make it, sadly. Jesus would like nothing more than to welcome all to His Father's Kingdom, but it is a choice each individual must make for themselves. He will not force us.  To stay on track, we must "...persevere in running the rac...

      St. Louis of Toulouse was born in 1274, to Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungary, having relations to both St. Louis IX and Elizabeth of Hungary. At fourteen, Louis and his brothers were taken hostage on account of political dealing, and were brought to the court of the king of Aragon. Having already shown a draw to prayer and charity, Louis progressed in the court under the direction and tutorship of the Franciscan friars. Louis was able to leave the court when he was twenty. Renouncing his title, he decided to become a priest and was ordained the following year. It did not take long for him to become bishop of Toulouse and was given permission to become a Franciscan himself. Louis was quickly considered a saint through his work in Toulouse. He gave much of his income to the poor and to the maintenance of the churches; he appointed a friar to give him correction and continued to wear the Franciscan habit; he fed the poor at his own table and even begged him...

August of the month of The Immaculate Heart of Mary. So today, we share a couple quotes from Her visits to three young children in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal.  "Be not afraid; my Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and safe passage to God."  (Our Lady of Fatima)  "To save the souls of the poor sinners, God wishes to establish the devotion to my Immaculate Heart throughout the world."  (Our Lady of Fatima)

  8/7/2022     Dear W.H.R.     (Whoever Happens to be Reading)     Praised be Jesus Christ!     I’ve always liked the comparison of a soul to a garden, with God as the Divine Gardener, watering and nourishing the unique flowers, cultivating fruits beyond any sweetness we can imagine, and uprooting the weeds that threaten the splendor of the soul. We too, do some of the work, for God wills to share the load with us, that we might walk in harmony with Him and grow to love Him all the more. How our little gardens flourish when we obediently dedicate ourselves to the tasks pleasing to Him, regardless of how menial they might be! And when we patiently accept the soil He plants us in, the amount of sun and water we get, or His careful pruning! For, though we might think we ought to have better nutrients in our soil, more or less sunshine, water, and pruning, it pleases Him most when we accept what we are given. The Gardener know...

Luke 12:32-48 "For where your treasure is,  there also will your heart be." (Luke 12:34) Our hearts are set where we store our treasures -- not just finances & possessions, but also our time. How much of your day is spent building your Heavenly treasure? If you're anything like me, the answer can be quite sobering. As I break down my days, I see I get off to a good start. I grab my morning coffee & settle myself into my recliner for some quiet time with God & some spiritual reading. Once finished, I jump right into my day & unfortunately, do not always stay in touch with that spiritual side. Duties to work & family, as well as distractions (social media, anyone?) manage to take precedence. Thoughts of Heavenly pursuits get pushed to the back of my mind, popping to the forefront sporadically. Not much lasting treasure being built up, is there? "Pray without ceasing," St. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  There are numerous ways to do so thr...

Born on October 12th, 1891, in Breslau, Edith Stein was the youngest of eleven in a Jewish family. At just fourteen, she abandoned her faith in God. She enrolled in the University of Breslau, and later transferred to the University Gottingen. Her interest was in philosophy and women’s issues, though she chose to study history and German. After serving as a nurse during World War II, Edith became the assistant of the philosopher, Edmund Husserl. She continued this job until 1918, when she wanted to work independently. Edith spent the summer of 1921 with a pupil of Husserl’s. There she read the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila and remarked to herself, “This is the truth.” She was confirmed and baptized in 1922. After her conversion, Edith wanted to enter a Carmelite convent, but was discouraged by her spiritual mentors. Until 1933, among other things, Edith taught, translated the writings of Cardinal Newman and Thomas Aquinas, held a lectureship position, and wrote works of her own....

The Catholic Church celebrates the Transfiguration of Jesus on August 6, this coming Saturday. Today we share a quote on His Transfiguration. "Brethren and fathers, since we have been counted worthy to celebrate the forefeast of the divine Transfiguration, from this then let us compose an instruction, discharging our duty in a few words. On the one hand, all the feasts of the Lord expound the mysteries of his sojourn in the flesh, such as that he was born, that he was baptized, that he was crucified, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, that he was taken up in glory; while the mystery of the Transfiguration hints at the restoration in the age to come. For in the same way that 'his face blazed like the sun, while his garments became white as light' (Matt. 17:2), in the same way he will come from heaven like lightning, with power and great glory to judge the universe. And as Peter, James and John were with him on the holy mountain, so the elect will be wi...