No other story, no pagan legend or philosophical anecdote or historical event, does in fact affect any of us with that peculiar and even poignant impression produced on us by the word Bethlehem. No other birth of a god or childhood of a sage seems to us to be Christmas or anything like Christmas
I hobbled down the darkened stairwell of the Upper East Side flat in New York City. My steps were unsteady. My left arm held the banister tightly. My right arm clutched my abdomen. It was burning in pain. I walked out onto the street alone in the dark. It was in September of 1919. I was twenty-one years old and I had just aborted my baby.
On the feast of the Queenship of Mary, August 22, 1954, a young Venezuelan woman named Maria Esperanza invited some friends to pray the Rosary at her home in Caracas. She was nearly twenty-six at the time, single, working and living in Caracas with her mother.
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On several occasions, Our Lord told Elizabeth, “The grace from the Flame of Love of My Mother’s Immaculate Heart will be to your generation what Noah’s Ark was to his generation.”
In our fight against evil, it is easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged when the darkness seems to be getting only deeper and its powers more forceful… That is why it’s so important to recall the mighty power of our God and prayer; and realize again, or for the first time, the immense power we have within our grasp!
Medjugorje has confounded secular observers and others alike for many reasons. Many theologians, and
believers in general, bring an unreasoned, preconceived bias of the supernatural as an ingredient in the
spiritual journey. Yet the entire anthology of the Roman Catholic Church and people we call saints demonstrate that the miraculous and mystical were often commonplace.
As we are in a Holy Year dedicated to St. Joseph, I want to conclude this series of articles with a reflection on consecrations. The last several months we have been considering several forms of prayer – the Mass and the Daily Office, lectio divina, and mental prayer, with a separate piece outside of this set on the Holy Rosary.
Mental prayer is the furnace of love on this earth. The Church’s liturgy — Mass, Divine Office, liturgical devotions–, with lectio divina, the Holy Rosary, and personal devotions, all prepare us for the great personal encounter with Christ in our prayer.
It’s never easy to write about oneself. Basic writing principles suggest beginning with a strong lead, hooking readers right from the start with something interesting, exciting, or impressive. But to describe the Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will, only one word …
Who are the Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will? Read More »