One of the most profound mysteries of our Faith is that by entering into the rhythm of the liturgical year, we do not simply remember things that have happened in the past and are now over, but we also — in a mysterious way — experience and participate in those very realities, these sacred and eternal things touching us in our own time.
We can dispose ourselves to receive specifi...
*In years when this Feast occurs during Passiontide, it is moved to the Monday after the octave of Easter. Otherwise, it is celebrated on March 25th, nine months before the celebration of the Birth of Christ.
Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. (St. Luke i. 30.)
1. Mary's life as Joseph's spouse was no less one of devotion and recollection and prayer than her life ...
Here are some good prayers to pray tomorrow:
ACT OF CONTRITION
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, But most of all because they have offended Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and ...
We've been walking the desert sands with Jesus the past few weeks, reflecting upon our own sinfulness and doing what we can to make reparation for our sins and the sins of others.
This Sunday, however, the Church shifts our focus from ourselves and our sinfulness to Jesus and His Passion.
Today, we celebrate Passion Sunday, the beginning of Passiontide.
Dom Prosper Gueranger says ...
Friends,
We highly encourage you to participate in the Epiphany House Blessing, a beautiful tradition in our Faith, which symbolizes an invitation and your desire for Jesus' presence in your home.
May the Lord bless you and your families in this new year!
Illustration: The Adoration of the Magi, Edward Burne-Jones
O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
jacentem in praesepio!
Beata Virgo, cujus viscera
meruerunt portare
Dominum Christum.
Alleluia!
O great mystery,
and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord,
lying in a manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb
was worthy to be...
Carmelites in the News: Pope Francis has recognized a miracle attributed to Carmelite Sister Ana de Jesús, a spiritual daughter of St. Teresa of Ávila and a friend to St. John of the Cross. Let's pray for a second miracle and for her canonization.
In 1570, Ana de Jesus joined the Monastery of St. Joseph, founded by St. Teresa as the first establishment of the Carmelite refo...
Today we celebrate the Feast Day of St. John of the Cross.
St. John of the Cross was born San Juan de la Cruz in 1542 in Old Castile, Spain. His father was disinherited because he married below his rank, and when his father passed at an early age, Juan was raised by his mother in poverty. He and his two siblings were underfed to the point that his stature was dwarfed.
Since his parents ...
On December 12th, the Church in the United States celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
In December 1591, Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant, was on his way to Mass. Our Lady appeared to him, and speaking in Nahuatl, which was Juan Diego's native language ( the language of the fomer Aztec Empire), identified herself as "Mary, Mother of the very true deity" and asked that ...
Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This solemn dogma was defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX on December 8th, 1854:
"The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin."...
