“Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man. …[P]rayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is ‘the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity … with the whole human spirit.’ Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him. This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ” (CCC 2564-2565).
This section of the blog is dedicated to topics related to prayer, worship, and liturgy.
In this time with so many difficult things happening, the pandemic, financial instability, political conflict, and wars, many people are asking if these are the end times. In many ways, there will be conflict and peace will not be finally established until the coming...
What is common about the saints in heaven and the souls in purgatory? They will share the heavenly homeland. Yes, while the saints live seeing God face to face, those in purgatory (the Church Suffering) are destined for this glory and blessedness. Those in...
"Give me a free hand;" this is the reported response that Jesus gave to Saint Margaret Mary when she asked, "What must I do?"[i] This is how saints are made. For it is of His fullness, we have received grace upon grace.[ii] For each of us there are but two options...
In September, the Church celebrates tremendous feast days. We turn our attention to the Triumph of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows. St. Bernard writes beautifully of the power of the contemplation of the wounds of the Lord; it is through these wounds and the...
In his is commentary on the Song of Songs, Saint Bernard speaks of the Lord as “leaping” and “drawing near the wall” in the Incarnation when he takes on human flesh. “He drew near the wall, therefore, when he joined himself to our flesh. Our flesh is the wall, and...
Immediately her issue of blood stopped. Looking about, Jesus asks, “Who touched me, for I know that power has gone forth.” The woman with the hemorrhages is a story that is found in each of the synoptic gospels (Matthew 9:20–22, Mark 5:25–34, Luke 8:43–48). This...
Every Christian is called to surrender his or her life for Jesus Christ. In the gospels, we read that he who would gain his life must lose it, and he that loses his life will keep it safe unto eternal life. This may be in small, little deaths or in the most eloquent...
In the Catholic Church, the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You may have noticed that many clinics and medical initiatives bear the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, such as our Sacred Heart Mercy Healthcare Center. Names are meaningful and,...
The month of June finds us celebrating the Solemnities of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus commands us, as we heard in the Gospel of Sunday, "Take it; this is my body." He is the way, the truth, and the life; He gives us...
Naming the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, we hear Jesus speaking, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit… I am with...