May222013

ALCOHOL AND MY HERITAGE

By Andrew Oross on May 22, 2013 in The Christian Life

My wife and I first got the idea of making homemade wine when my grandmother offered us some of her home vintage. It was good. My grandmother never drank so I was surprised at her skill. Many Hungarian peasants of her generation knew how to...

May212013

FEELING SOMETHING DIFFERENT

By Guest on May 21, 2013 in Sacraments

Editor's Note: Today we welcome Angel as our guest author. Angel is a young man from St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Fort Wayne, IN, who was recently confirmed. We welcome him to the blog today to share some of his reflections from...

May202013

RECEIVING THE SPIRITUAL SEAL

By Catechism of the Catholic Church on May 20, 2013 in Sacraments

1286 In the Old Testament the prophets announced that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on the hoped-for Messiah for his saving mission.[1] The descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at his baptism by John was the sign that this was he who was...

May192013

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT

By My Year of Faith on May 19, 2013 in Feasts and the Liturgical Calendar

Pentecost ranks as one of the most important feasts in the Liturgical year. Why, you ask? It commemorates the decent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. When this happened, they received spiritual gifts that transformed their lives. ...

May182013

FANNING THE FLAMES

By Fr. Mark Gurtner on May 18, 2013 in Sunday Readings

We celebrate this great feast of Pentecost when the Lord fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit, which is the exchange of life and love between the Father and the Son in the Holy Trinity, and this exchange is so real...

May172013

FUN, CREATIVE AND CATHOLIC GRADUATION GIFT IDEAS

By My Year of Faith on May 17, 2013 in The Faith in Action

We are already in the midst of graduation season. Many college students have already received their diplomas and high school seniors are turning in projects, cramming for tests, and counting down the days. For all of us, the odds are pretty high...

May162013

CELEBRATING THE INVISIBLE THROUGH THE VISIBLE: PENTECOST

By Susan Bailey on May 16, 2013 in Faith at Home

As we count down the days to Pentecost on May 19, you may feel faced with a challenge: how do I make this birthday of our Church real to my children? Pentecost calls up vivid images of the apostles assembled in prayer and aroused by a fierce...

May152013

BLESSED ARE THE BARREN

By Guest on May 15, 2013 in Theology of the Body

Editor's Note: Today we welcome Theresa as our guest author. Theresa is a young woman who offered to share with us her infertility journey and how she has learned to trust that Jesus can bring great fruit out of barrenness. We thank her...

May142013

HONORING THE MOTHER OF GOD

By Catechism of the Catholic Church on May 14, 2013 in Catechism

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin 971 “All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.”[1] The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special...

May132013

CROWNING MARY

By My Year of Faith on May 13, 2013 in Prayer and Devotion

As you know, May is known as the month of Mary. One common celebration during this month is the May Crowning, in which a crown of flowers is placed on a statue of Mary. Often, Marian hymns are sung and a priest may include a blessing at the end...

May122013

A MOTHER’S DAY PRAYER

By My Year of Faith on May 12, 2013 in Faith at Home

Join us in praying asking Mary, Jesus' mother and ours, to intercede for all mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, spiritual mothers, and especially for any mother who, like Mary, has grieved over the death of her child. Mary, on this day when...

May112013

SO THAT WE CAN FOLLOW

By Deacon Jim Kitchens on May 11, 2013 in Sunday Readings

As our Easter celebration draws to a conclusion, we celebrate our Lord’s glorious Ascension into heaven. What a wonderful time to reflect upon just what the dying and rising of our Lord means for us. God’s love for us is boundless. His...

May102013

JOY OF CHRIST’S ASCENSION

By Jonathan Norton on May 10, 2013 in Feasts and the Liturgical Calendar

Joyfully, we have been celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus for the past six weeks. As we approach a return to Ordinary Time on the Liturgical Calendar, the Church asks us to meditate on the Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father. Of...

May092013

WHAT KIND OF DISCIPLES ARE WE?

By Stephen Jagla on May 09, 2013 in Feasts and the Liturgical Calendar

“So Jesus just leaves us?”…is what I remember feeling in my youth upon my first heartfelt reading of the Ascension. “Is he going to come back?” – my next thought. One of the most tragic events of my youth (at least, so I...

May082013

SCRIPTURAL ROOTS OF THE ROSARY

By Brother Cassian Derbes, OP on May 08, 2013 in Prayer and Devotion

Catholics sometimes struggle to read the Bible. Mary can teach us how to read Scripture. How? As Saint Luke says, she “pondered [all these things] in her heart.” (Lk 2:19) The Blessed Virgin Mary ponders the mystery of the Word of God....

May072013

SUMMER FASHIONS: THE ATTACK ON TRUE BEAUTY

By Leah Darrow on May 07, 2013 in Theology of the Body

As summer approaches, the clothes of winter are put away and the light, airy clothes of summer are put on. The hotter it gets, the more pressure there is to dress in short dresses and low tops. After all, don’t you want to show your friends the...

May062013

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

By My Year of Faith on May 06, 2013 in Prayer and Devotion

In the month of May, we celebrate Mary in a special way. One of the most popular prayers to Mary is called the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. More commonly, it is known as the Litany Loreto for its use at the Shrine of the Holy House in...

May052013

REMEMBERING YOUR FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

By My Year of Faith on May 05, 2013 in Web Challenge

It's the beginning of May, a time when many Catholic Churches celebrate First Holy Communion. Maybe you were blessed to witness the children of your own parish receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time at Mass last night or this...

May042013

DISCIPLE AND MISSIONARY OF LOVE

By From the Writings of Pope Benedict XVI on May 04, 2013 in Sunday Readings

Homily of His Holiness, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI for the 6th Sunday of Easter, 2007. Given at the Shrine of Aparecida on the occasion of his apostolic journey to Brazil. The New Testament presents Christ as the missionary of the Father....

May032013

GOOD MORNING, WALGREENS!

By Rick Becker on May 03, 2013 in Faith at Home

On our way to church one Saturday morning, Nicholas made a request for some music or a Bible story CD or something to listen to. “No,” I said. “Not this time, Nick. Let's just have it quiet as we get ready for Mass.” As we drove...

May022013

MARY IS OUR PILLAR OF FAITH

By Bishop Kevin Rhoades on May 02, 2013 in Bishop Kevin Rhoades

In the month of May, we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in a special way. In this Year of Faith, it is good to look to her as a great model of faith for us. “Blessed is she who believed,” Elizabeth said of Mary at the Visitation. She...

May012013

ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER AND HUMAN WORK

By My Year of Faith on May 01, 2013 in From the Writings of the Pope

May 1st is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. St. Joseph, husband of Mary, foster father of Jesus and carpenter, is a model and intercessor for all workers. In honor of this great feast and all who labor, here is an excerpt from Laborem...

Apr302013

JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU

By John & Monica Sikorski on April 30, 2013 in Prayer and Devotion

Today marks the anniversary of the canonization of Saint Faustyna Kowalska in the Jubilee Year 2000. A humble nun who did not even complete her elementary education, Saint Faustyna (+1938) was nevertheless chosen by Jesus to become an “Apostle...

Apr292013

WHY DO WE END THE CREED WITH AMEN?

By Catechism of the Catholic Church on April 29, 2013 in Creed

“Amen” 1061 The Creed, like the last book of the Bible,[1] ends with the Hebrew word amen. This word frequently concludes prayers in the New Testament. The Church likewise ends her prayers with “Amen.” 1062 In Hebrew, amen...

Apr282013

ST. GIANNA MOLLA: MOTHER’S LOVE IN SUFFERING

By Theresa Thomas on April 28, 2013 in Saints

“If you must choose between me and the baby, do not hesitate: choose the child- I insist on it. Save him!” Gianna Molla said these words when faced with a serious medical condition which posed danger to her life, and which occurred during her...