Church bells will soon be summoning worshippers on Christmas Eve and Day. All types of believers will fill church pews for one of the holiest days of the Christian year. Some will be regulars, others occasional, and some will be those who attend only on...
In my book, Christmas Blossoms, an old Chinese craftsman has earned his living painting beautiful Christmas ornaments. His co-workers like to hear him explain what Christmas is about. He alone among them can tap into treasured Christmas memories, because he...
A common complaint I hear around this time of year is that people are struggling with family members. Old grudges are present, new additions may not be accepted, some family members may choose not to be present, and tensions can be at an all-time high. When...
Take time this week to create a plan that will help you prepare the way for the birth of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Advent is a season for stepping back from the hectic pre-Christmas routine of the world and slowing down to contemplate the Mystery of the...
In Communion with Those Whose Memory We Venerate In the Roman Canon, the First Eucharistic Prayer, in the section called the Communicantes, we are reminded of our communion with the Apostles and Martyrs. After the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph are mentioned, then many...
Author’s note: Are you contemplating taking your own life? - Please call or text 988 before you do anything else! There is always hope and always a better life just around the corner! You are not alone. Death is a Part of Our Fallen Reality Human beings are no...
All Saints’ Day is celebrated each year on November 1st and is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics of the Latin Rite. The following day, November 2nd, is All Souls’ Day. What are these? What is the difference between them? To begin, we really need to investigate...
Diary Entry of the Abbot of Kells, Ireland - November 3, 1012 A.D. Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”) was here a couple of days ago. The Celtic people celebrate this day as the start of a new year each November 1. The summer was at an end and the harvest was beginning. The...
Minimalism, simplifying, and small living are popular trends today. But for Catholics, the underlying spiritual realities are truly profound. And, who better to guide us in everything small and simple, but The Little Flower, Saint Therese herself? Did you know that...
The Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of St. Anthony Claret on October 24th. But moviegoers will have the opportunity to learn about him sooner with an upcoming Fathom movie release of Slaves and Kings on August 22 (English) and August 23...
Mary has been known to appear many times throughout the world, and quite often the Blessed Mother has reiterated a similar message: pray the rosary. Meditate on the words of Our Lady in these approved apparitions of the Church and heed her call. 5 Times The Blessed...
As you may know, many couples use fertility-awareness methods like Natural Family Planning (NFP) to try to become pregnant, but NFP can also help couples carrying the cross of infertility. Learning about the body’s signs and signals of fertility can often reveal...
Connotations surrounding sport can differ greatly. While sport has traditionally been a welcomed activity, it has more recent added benefits of being a terrific distraction from newer technology trends in the younger generations. This trend has been followed by other...
I find that the term “spiritual warfare” often makes me think it’s more dramatic and epic than it actually is. I think of saints doing heroic penances and exorcists fighting off demons, but truly spiritual warfare is often a subtle battle the devil wages against us to...
Let us first look at scripture, the place a Christian must start. In the Old Testament we find “Let there not be found among you anyone who causes their son or daughter to pass through the fire, or practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or...
What is Trinity Sunday? The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, called “Trinity Sunday,” is celebrated one week after Pentecost. This feast was made universal in 1911. Prior to 1911, there were private devotions, certain liturgical prayers and prefaces, and hymns in...
The word Purgatory comes from the Greek root πῦρ (“pur”) which means both “fire” and “pure.” This is a fitting description, as the fires of Purgatory, rather than destroying like the fires of Hell, instead purify. Purgatory is where we expiate for the pain due to...
In one of his most famous dreams, St. Don Bosco saw a large ship being attacked by smaller ships. Eventually, the Holy Father steered the larger ship, which represented the Church, safely between two pillars: the Blessed Mother and the Holy Eucharist. Like the Holy...
Gospel of John 20:19-31 On the evening of that first day of the week,when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood in their midstand said to them, “Peace be with you.”When he had said this, he showed them his hands and...
The Sabbath Day Sunday, the seventh day of the week is the sabbath, a day of solemn rest, that is set aside for the Lord. This goes all the way back to the dawn of creation when God made everything in six days and then rested on the seventh. The Sabbath day also marks...
What is Good Friday? Good Friday is the second day of the Sacred Triduum, in between Holy Thursday and Easter Vigil. Good Friday is the commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. It is always three days before Easter, which marks...
Gospel Of John 20:1-9 On the first day of the week,Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,while it was still dark,and saw the stone removed from the tomb.So she ran and went to Simon Peterand to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,“They...
The Friday of Sorrows takes place on the Friday before Palm Sunday and it is a time set aside to honor the sorrowful Blessed Virgin Mary before Holy Week begins.
What do you need to know about the Feast of the Annunciation? 5 Things To Know About Feast Of The Annunciation It's not a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States. The Pope will be consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Watch the...
Gospel of Luke 4:1-13 Filled with the Holy SpFilled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The...