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The Blended Rosary: The Third Mysteries
“It is this failure to meet expectations that leads, in part, to the Sorrowful Mysteries. Unlike the Magi who recognized royalty in the babe of Bethlehem, the soldiers in the Third Sorrowful Mystery do not recognize the king standing before them.” – Grace Abruzzo
Giving God Our Time and Tiredness: Early Morning Prayer as a Parent
“The only thing that changed was my perspective. I began to see that my tiredness was a small offering that I could make for my wife and daughter.” – Thomas Griffin
The Secret of Mary (Part 3)
“Throughout the entire history of Christianity, there has never been a saint, and there never will be a saint, who has had only a moderate love for Mary.” – Fr. Jeremiah Shryock
The Blended Rosary: The Second Mysteries
“In the Second Mystery, we see a new development closely linked to the first; extending outward and bringing in new witnesses. As the work of God is made manifest, we are invited to join those who witness.” – Grace Abruzzo
On Meditation
“Is God done raising up men and women of great prayer in his Church? Is a life devoted to meditation on the Word of God a thing of the past?” – Fr. James Brent
The Way of Prayer: You are Made for Love
“Prayer, like love, is sometimes glorious, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes ordinary, sometimes shot through with fire.” – Glenn Dickinson
The Blended Rosary: Intro and First Mysteries
“In the First Luminous Mystery, Jesus humbly and obediently repeats both consent and descent—this time taking His own deliberate step into the waters of the Jordan to be baptized, a sign He is willing to take on not only our physical condition but our spiritual condition as well. – Grace Abruzzo
From “They” to “I” in Prayer
“When I hear myself using ‘they’ in prayer or conversation with my spiritual director I know I am hiding from something.” – Deanna Bartalini
Lectio Divina
“What the monks learned by experience was that such practices prepare the mind to receive special illuminations from Holy Spirit for purposes of understanding Scripture.” – Fr. James Brent
The Secret of Mary (Part 2)
“Mary’s purpose is not only to give birth to Jesus and then disappear into the annals of history.” – Fr. Jeremiah Shryock
Epiphany Mystery and Contemplative Prayer
“Each epiphany unveils what Tolkien coined as a Eucatastrophe — the sudden happy ending that we were hoping for all along but that seemed so impossible.” – Dr. Anthony Lilles
The Hope of St. John of the Cross
“The hope of a Christian confronts every trial, even death itself. Christian hope does not just raise our spirits; it raises a battle flag against all the troubles of this life.” – Glenn Dickinson
Petitionary Prayer
“What would happen if everyone in the Church began offering rosaries, holy hours, novenas, and other sorts of prayers for themselves or their loved ones to grow in sanctifying grace?”- Fr. James Brent
The Secret of Mary (Part 1)
“What is true for us in our natural life in this world, is also true regarding our relationship with God: we need a mother to give us life, nurture us and form us.” – Fr. Jeremiah Shryock
A World Without Them: Facing the Crisis in the Priesthood
“We know that in the harshness of our cultural climate, each priestly vocation, and each young discerner’s heart, is a fragile thing that must be loved and held sacred and formed into maturity. It must stay anchored to an unflinching branch in order to become fully itself: healed, restored and radically free.” – Claire Dwyer