A Reflection from “40 Days, 40 Ways to Pray” by Jonah Soucy Why We Fast The reason that followers of Jesus fast has several layers. As we begin to peel them back, we find that, at its core, fasting is first and foremost meant to be an experience of prayer. Fasting is meant to draw
A Reflection from “The Kingdom of the Heart” by Dr. Alexander Harb The Four Steps of Conversion Repentance is hard work. Again, it cannot be a mere cognitive act—a decision to behave better—because we are physical and spiritual beings. Thus, we must repent with our body and soul. Often in the Liturgy this takes the
A Reflection from “The Little Book of Holy Gratitude” by Fr. Frederick William Faber Thankful Souls Are Happy The love of gratitude is preeminently a mindful love. It ponders things and lays them up in its heart, as our Blessed Lady did. It meditates fondly on the past, as Jacob did. It sings of old
A Reflection from “The Church in the Storms” by Fr. Joel Guibert St. Therese and Surrendering to God The following words of Thérèse, in a message to Father Bellière, very well sum up what we understand by the surrendering of oneself to God: “I follow the way He is tracing out for me. I try
A Reflection from “The Church in the Storms” by Roberto de Mattei Christianity and the Roman Empire We live in an age of crisis in every sense: economic crisis, political crisis, and above all spiritual and moral crisis. 22 These latter crises are what here interest us most; they touch our lives, because we are
A Reflection from “One Lord, One Faith, One Church” by Jesse Romero and Paul Zucarelli The Church as the Living Bride of Christ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we
A Reflection from “Flee From Heresy” by Bishop Athanasius Schneider “Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, for thou alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world. Thou believed the word of the Archangel Gabriel. A virgin still, thou brought forth the God-man; thou bore a Child, O Virgin, and remained a Virgin still. Mother of God, intercede for
A Reflection from “A Wager on Death” by Vittorio Messori There is another ancient dialogue, equally forgotten if not mocked by the sociotheologians, and equally extraordinary for those who hunger and thirst for life. “Why did God create us?” “He created us,” one responded, “to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him and
A Reflection from “The Power of Reparation” by Raoul Plus People are too prompt to think that, in order to consecrate themselves to a life of reparation, they must necessarily live in a cloister, practicing silence and the most severe austerities of Christian penance. This is a mistake. Reparation is not so much the observance
A Reflection from “The Logic That God Exists” by Robert Trussell “We are bound by man’s innate dignity to seek the truth, and once we find it, to adhere to it and live it. Man is drawn to the truth by his own nature, by his own freedom. God won’t force it on us. Man