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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of us Your faithful and kindle in us the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Let us pray. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the…
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During his lifetime people referred to Jesus by several titles as they tried to comprehend the mystery of his identity: Christ (Messiah), Prophet, Kyrios (Lord), and Son of God. In order for us to better understand Jesus’ earthly path and preaching, Pope Benedict ( 2007, chapter ten) discusses three titles that Jesus actually applied to…
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What exactly is a spiritual or faith journey, and how may we define it? The Simple Catholic blog and Dr. Scott Hahn’s book Holy Is His Name help us answer these questions. We can think of a spiritual journey as our entire life’s pilgrimage toward God. Our faith, a gift from God (CCC 153), teaches…
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The last ten years have brought many reasons to fear, feel downcast, and to wish for better times: a pandemic, political and social divisions, natural disasters. For many, these trials in addition to those of human life that include illness, death of loved ones, and troubles for our children weigh heavily on our hearts. A…
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A recent study suggests that only 2/3 of Catholics believe that the Eucharist is truly Jesus. Although I was taught about and believed in Jesus’ real presence when growing up, I simply didn’t understand the mystery. I couldn’t make sense of the significance of that doctrine. It wasn’t until my discovery of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Brant Pitre’s…
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What makes us truly happy? What do we need and want to make us so? About 250 years ago the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that God gave us the right to be happy: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain…
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Few Catholics partake in the Sacrament of Reconciliation despite it being something that we must do at least once a year (CCC 1457-1458). A recent survey suggests that 73% of those who have not attended in the past year believe that confession is not necessary to receive forgiveness from God. But the Catechism tells us…
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Recently I started reading the autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and found great wisdom from the very first chapter. She writes that for a long time she wondered why God did not give the same graces to everyone. For example, some great sinners like St. Paul were given extraordinary graces, while others have never…
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The images, visions, and thoughts of what happened on Good Friday are hard to bear. Why the Cross? What does it mean for me and my path as a human being? Pope Benedict (2011, chapter eight) addresses these questions and shows us how we can understand God correctly. He explains that the mystery of the…
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We pray the Sanctus prayer at every mass, but the prayer is especially meaningful on Palm Sunday when we commemorate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna…