There is a Longing

                 We all have a serpent, don’t we?  Actually, we have three: the world, the devil, and the flesh, or our “self”.  These are opposed to God and draw us away from Him.  The world would have us busy ourselves with its endless array of concerns and preoccupations; the devil seeks to steal our heavenly reward and claim us as his own; and our flesh, ever caught up in itself, has a long list of things it supposedly needs.              And so, with these three serpents entwined around us, it is clear that we have a challenging task before us, if we wish to be free of them.  We have two models presented to us today of how we can handle our serpents.              First, we have Adam and Eve.  What did they do?  Fell into the temptations of the devil.  There is nothing more pai...

"The ashes mean I'm a sinner. The cross means I have a Savior." Fr. Mike Schmitz

              Sometimes you have to search a little bit to find the connection in the readings.  But not today.  From the first two readings we hear “ Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy, ” and “ The Spirit of God dwells in you…the temple of God, which you are, is holy. ”  And in the Gospel, we are told “ So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. ”             We are reminded of that universal call which draws us sanctity.  God created us uniquely, apart from the rest of creation, in His own image.  This isn’t to say that we do or can possess God’s divinity.  Rather, in His infinite goodness, God allows us to share in His blessed life in heaven, while on earth we must strive to prove ourselves worthy of such a gift.  The lowliness of our sinful nature makes this seem impossible, but God, giving Himself to us as a Father, look...

               A few years ago, I heard a beautiful story told at a talk and it really touched me.   To my dismay, I eventually forgot the details, making it impossible for me to find a written account of it. However, I held out hope that I would stumble upon it someday throughout my various reading materials…and I was not disappointed! A few weeks ago, as I was working through Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s St. Therese , I found the story, captured in more detail than before. It took me by surprise, as finding it wasn’t on my mind at that moment, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise!                I want to share some of my delight and tell the story. So here is the account (taken from the book, which credits the story to the Cardinal Kung Foundation):                      “There was a little Chines...

Once again we share a quote from the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He's definitely been someone to quote often.  Yesterday was Valentine's Day & as such, images of hearts were quite abundant! However, Archbishop Sheen had a different take on the heart & I just love this! “The human heart is not shaped like a valentine heart, perfect and regular in contour it is slightly irregular in shape as if a small piece of it were missing out of its side. The missing part may very well symbolize a piece that a spear tore out of the universal heart of humanity on the Cross, but it probably symbolizes something more. It may very well mean that when God created each human heart, he kept a small sample of it in heaven, and sent the rest of it into the world, where it would each day learn the lesson that it could never be really happy, that it could never be really wholly in love, that it could never be really whole-hearted until it rested with the Risen Christ in an eternal Eas...

Well, the first month of 2023 is over & we are well into the month of February. Many at this point have given up or failed in keeping their New Year's resolutions. (I personally tend to set goals instead of resolutions, but that's a thought for another day.) Was adding more prayer to your life one of your resolutions or goals this year? Are you finding it difficult to follow St. Paul's directive to "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? I would like to share some ways of adding more prayer to your daily life. You don't have to use them all or even any of them. They are merely suggestions to help get you started. Some may work for you; some may be too difficult. There are many other ways not listed here. Over the years, your prayer method may change depending on your stage of life. 1) The Five Finger Prayer (aka The Hand Prayer): This prayer has been attributed to Pope Francis, but I became aware of something similar many years prior to his pontif...

Matthew 5:17-37                We have two options for the Gospel today.  Matthew 5:17-37, or the shortened version, which consists of parts from Matthew 5:20-37.  In both, our Lord establishes a higher standard, so to speak, for those who wish to follow Him.   Oftentimes these days, we are criticized, or we criticize others for going to the extreme.  Indeed, it is not uncommon to be tempted into overdramatizing even the most ordinary of our daily lives, or things that simply don’t deserve the degree of attention that we give to them.  In these instances, we make out the ordinary to be extraordinary; we embellish and exaggerate those things which are more beautiful when left to their natural modesty.  However, there are times when extreme is the only option. When we can firmly declare, “all or nothing.” Probably the greatest “all or nothing” that will ever exist is our response to God.  Call to mind the...

Blessed Vicente Vilar David was the youngest of eight children born June 28, 1889 in Valencia, Spain to devote Catholic parents. As owner of a ceramics factory, he conducted his business with charity, compassion, & justice...an example that his strong faith could extend beyond family & church. He treated his employees as friends & offered assistance when they needed any. His wife of 33 years, Isabella Rhodes Reig shared his faith & ideals. Together they performed works of charity & took part in parish activities.  Bl. Vicente was bold, outspoken in his views against the Spanish Civil War of 1936. Despite many threats & warnings, he continued to offer protection to many priests & religious being persecuted. Upon his arrest, he was given an opportunity to deny his religious beliefs to save his life. However, he stood firm in his faith, even to the point of forgiving his persecutors before they shot him. He died February 14, 1937.  A testament to his l...

On today's feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, we share a brief biography & a few quotes from her. Born in 1869 to a wealthy family, she was kidnapped at age seven & sold into slavery. After being sold numerous times, she was bought by a kind, Italian consul who later gave her to a friend of his. Through working as a nanny for the friend's daughter, she met the Canossian sisters, was drawn to the Catholic Faith,  & was baptized in 1890. After being freed from slavery, she made her profession at the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa, serving there for 45 years. She died in 1947 & was canonized on October 1, 2000. "If I was to meet those slave raiders that abducted me and those who tortured me, I'd kneel down to them to kiss their hands, because, if it had not have been for them, I would not have become a Christian and religious woman." "Be good, love the lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a grace it is to know God!"

Matthew 5:13-16                Until we can share in the Beatific Vision and experience the fullness of God in Heaven -- earned for us by the Blood of His Son and given through His grace and our cooperation thereto -- we live in darkness.  Jesus Himself reveals, “I am the light of the world.”   A light would imply a darkness, and if Jesus is the light, then where He is absent belongs to the darkness.              Today, in His infinite goodness, our Lord is extending His light, desiring that we, too, may share in it.  By calling us into deeper communion with Himself, Jesus wishes to set us aflame with His light.  From this Great Fire, the lanterns of our souls are lit and we carry His radiance into the world.                 But on what can we base this?  This is a spiritual light: one ...

Blessed Pius IX was born May 13, 1792 in Senigallia, Italy to Count Girolamo Mastai-Ferretti & Countess Caterina Solazzi. His given name at birth was Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti.  Bl. Pius IX was ordained a priest in 1819 & vowed only to be of service to the Church, not wanting any special honors due to his noble upbringing. And serve the church, he did! In 1825, he became Archbishop of Spoleto & in 1840, received the Cardinal's hat. On June 16, 1846, he was elected Pope & took the name Pius IX. Throughout his pontificate, Pope Pius IX did the following (among many other things): * 1854 - defined the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the dogma of the Church which decrees that Mary was conceived without Original Sin * granted permission to the Redemptorist priests to move the Byzantine icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help to their church in San Alfonso, encouraging them to make Her known worldwide * 1864 - convened the First Vatican Council, from which came the decre...

Yesterday was the feast of St. John Bosco. He was an Italian priest, writer, & educator from the 19th century. His ministry was dedicated to the scholarly & religious education of underprivileged young men. Here are some of his quotes. ************ "Guard your eyes since they are the windows through which sin enters the soul." "Act today in such a way that you need not blush tomorrow."  "Do you want Our Lord to give you many graces? Visit Him often. Do you want Him to give you few graces? Visit Him seldom. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil. Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you." "Remember that good confessions a nd good Communions are the first steps to a sound education."