IT SEEMS TO me we are always struggling to be born. Some days, when I kiss the altar, I’m Mary adoring her slain Lord. Other days, I arrive as Judas in the night. Either way, He still insists on dying for me. The altar is our Bethlehem, a cradle holding an infant already pressed into
I Believe Kneeling before the tabernacle, it seems quite natural to begin my period of prayer with an act of faith: “I do believe, my Jesus, in the reality of Your presence here.” Just then an unexpected voice intrudes itself upon my pious reflections. Perhaps it is my guardian angel who asks, “Oh, you believe,
The Art of Prayer Conchita learned the art of prayer from a young age growing up in a pious family. As a child, she felt as though Jesus had stolen her heart. From my tenderest childhood, I felt in my soul a strong inclination toward prayer, penance, and, above all, purity. Penance was always a
Now, what are some of the methods of prayer? Certainly, one which is familiar to all is vocal prayer, or formal prayer. In vocal prayer we follow a set formula such as in the Our Father or the Psalms, and we allow our hearts and minds to be lifted up to God through these words.
PROPHET “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.” In the darkest hour of the darkest century of human existence, one man single-handedly led his country against the forces of an evil empire. Winston Churchill rallied the English and helped them to stand against the Nazi threat, eventually leading England to victory over Germany
“Make your way in by the narrow gate.” Christ, our Lord, died for the salvation of all mankind, and we know from Scripture that it is God’s will that all men should be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). Yet a man’s salvation can only be secured by his own cooperation with grace, for God has given
To each man who lives in Christ all men belong, all love and wisdom and joy, all suffering and fear and atonement, all power and beauty, all living and dying, all childhood and manhood. Because Christ is whole in each member of His Body on earth now, each in a sense is the Mystical Body.
His name will be Emmanuel: God with us (cf. Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23). If we understand the significance of this name Emmanuel, we will find it includes the notion of Savior. For what is a Savior unless one who takes away sin, just as the angel said? Yet with sins having been taken away and
What I find most interesting about the appearance of the angels to the shepherds is their message and their song, because the angels’ message and song unlock the secret of why the shepherds were important to St. Luke. The angels’ message is “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great
The Gospel of Matthew begins with the well-known description of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. St. Matthew emphasized to his largely Jewish audience the real and deep connection of Jesus with the Hebrew people, showing that He was indeed the son of David. This connection became important not only for Jewish readers, but for all