Aug
27
St. Monica & St. Augustine
August 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today and tomorrow, we remember the lives of St. Monica and her son, St. Augustine.
There are two amazing things about their story. The first is that St. Monica spent her whole married and maternal life praying for the conversion of her pagan husband and her delinquent, wayward son. She kept the faith and hope needed [...]
Aug
14
St. Max
August 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today is the feast day of St. Maximilian Kolbe. He is my parish’s patron saint and there is a big stain glass window of him in our church. So I’ve done quite a bit of studying his life and praying to him and, through the years, I’ve grown in devotion to this rather remarkable man.
Most people only know him [...]
Jul
16
The Brown Scapular
July 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the patron saint of the Carmelites - St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Theresa de Lisieux (the “Little Flower”), St. Edith Stein, St. Simon Stock.
One of the great devotions handed down to us from the Carmelites is the Brown Scapular.
Don’t know anything [...]
Jul
5
Novena Prayer for Voters
July 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Our parish has started saying a novena prayer for the November elections. As elections matter and the government is involved in every aspect of our lives, it’s probably a good idea for us to call upon God and the intercession of Mary, America’s patron saint, to ensure we pick the best leaders.
Here’s the prayer, which [...]
Jun
23
Holding Hands with Grandma
June 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
My grandma broke her hip late last week. On Friday, they went in, operated on the hip, and put a steel rod in her thigh. She came through the surgery well-enough but started to experience renal failure over the weekend. In other words, she isn’t knocking on death’s door as of yet, but she is [...]
Jun
6
Mary and the Dentist Chair
June 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I went to the dentist yesterday to have some relatively major work done. I’ve been putting it off but finally decided I had to get it over with.
The dentist chair and I have a very long and acrimonius relationship. Due to my birth defects, my mouth is a structural mess. I have spent more time [...]
May
31
The Visitation
May 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The story is told in Luke 1 and gives us two great prayers.
The first great prayer is the second part of the Hail Mary. The first part of Ave Maria is taken from the Annunciation when St. Gabriel cries out -
Hail Mary, full of [...]
May
13
Seeing Our Lady
May 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
With today being the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima, I’ve been reading in depth about the events of Fatima and the three children.
And, I’m thinking - what if my two kids came running in one day excitedly telling us that Mary appeared to them? And that they saw dark visions of the world’s future?
I believe that Mary [...]
May
8
“Take Courage”
May 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Sometimes, I find myself really focused on one group of saints - those who saw Mary, saints, angels and Christ himself. Is there a greater afffirmation of faith - to get to believe and to see?
I was thinking about these apparitions in reading today’s first reading (Acts 22). St. Paul is in prison, yet again, and we [...]
May
6
The “New Springtime” of the Rosary
May 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I’ve heard stories of how families used to gather around a statue of Mary every night during the month of May and pray the Rosary. While I don’t think my little ones are ready for us to kick off this family practice, I am amazed that the May family rosary seems to have been ditched [...]
