Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Only The Chaste Man And The Chaste Woman Are Capable Of True Love

Only the chaste man and the chaste woman are capable of true love. - Blessed Pope John Paul II

Always Turn To This Most Tender Queen

‎Always turn to this most tender Queen and you will certainly be saved. Are you alarmed and discouraged at the thought of your sins? Remember that Mary was made Queen of Mercy to save the most abandoned sinners who recommend themselves to her. - Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

Sunday, May 29, 2011

She Was More Absorbed In What Was Happening Within Her Than Without, For Within Her Was Her Treasure, The Gentle Secret That Left Her Amazed And Speechless

Only when the divine life we receive in the sacraments has been assimilated in contemplation, can it be practically expressed in action - in the practice of the virtues and especially charity. Just as there is no human action that doesn't originate in thought (if it does, it is useless, or extremely dangerous), there is no Christian virtue that doesn't originate in contemplation...Perfection in Christian life consists in being fully like Christ, first in the inner heart and then in exterior action.

Contemplation is, then, the set course for passing from communion with Christ in Mass to the imitation of Christ in life. Therefore, just as everyone in the Church is called to holiness, we can equally talk of everyone in the Church being called to contemplation. The way to Christian perfection goes from the mysteries to contemplation and from contemplation to action.

As soon as we try to apply these general premises on the mysteries of the Eucharist, their importance and relevance is immediately obvious. The result is that to be like Christ it is not enough to eat His Body and drink His Blood; this mystery must be contemplated. There is a big affinity between the Eucharist and the incarnation. St Augustine says that in the incarnation "Mary conceived the Word first in her mind and then in her body" (Prius concepit mente quam corpore). Actually, he adds, it would have been worth nothing to her to have carried Christ in her womb if she had also carried Him with love in her heart.

After the incarnation, therefore, Mary was full of Jesus not only in her body but in her spirit too. She was full of Jesus because she thought of Him and awaited Him (and how she awaited Him!); she loved Jesus. Like any woman expecting a child, but in a much more perfect way, she was more absorbed in what was happening within her than without, for within her was her treasure, the gentle secret that left her amazed and speechless. St. Luke tells us: "Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). In this she is the most perfect model of Eucharistic contemplation: that is what the Christians who have just received Jesus in the Eucharist must be like. They too must receive Jesus with their minds after receiving after receiving Him into their bodies. And to receive Jesus with the mind mean to think of Him and have one's gaze fixed on Him.

- Father Cantalemessa

Saturday, May 28, 2011

I Never Did Give Them Hell. I Just Told The Truth, And They Thought It Was Hell

‎I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell. - H. Truman

It Is Only The Reasonable Dogma That Lives Long Enough To Be Called Antiquated

‎I am proud of being fettered by antiquated dogmas and enslaved by dead creeds (as my journalistic friends repeat with so much pertinancity), for I know very well that it is the heretical creeds that are dead, and that it is only the reasonable dogma that lives long enough to be called antiquated. - G.K. Chesterton

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Gift That Surpasses All Gifts

“I will not leave you orphans.” How painful for the Twelve to hear their Lord, their Leader, speaking about his imminent departure! They had left all to follow him, and he was going to leave them. But not really… He would send them the “Advocate to be with them always” – the “Paraclete,” the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Spirit, Jesus knows that he will be present to his disciples in a more intimate way than ever before. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, is the love between the Father and Son lived so intensely that it is a person itself. When we are baptized, that same Spirit takes up residence within our souls, and his field of action is increased when we are confirmed. This gift surpasses all other gifts. In the Holy Spirit the prophecy of “Emmanuel” (God-with-us) takes on unimaginable proportions: not merely God among us, as in the Incarnation, but God within us, a guest in our souls, a guide for our life’s journey, a personal trainer for our spiritual fitness. What greater gift could Christ have left us? What other friend could match such a gift?


Jesus: I was longing to complete my mission and go back to the Father, because I was longing to come and live in your heart forever, in an intimacy that only the Spirit can give. And I was longing to go and sit at the Father’s right hand so that I could be there interceding for you all the time, so that you could finally ask the Father for all that you need and desire in my name. Now that I have repaired the breach through my sacrifice on the cross, the floodgates of grace are open, and all that I have and all that the Father has is all yours.

Christ in My Life You speak with such assurance, Lord. You are Master of all time and space. You are Master of my life. What confidence this should give me! Increase my faith, Lord. Give me the faith and trust of a child who is incapable of doubting, of being anxious, of wondering what will become of him. You love me more than any human mother or father ever could. And you are all-powerful. Jesus, I trust in you…

Mary, the Church calls you the Mother of Fairest Love. But you didn’t do big and impressive things. You did all things with the purest and most humble self-forgetfulness and dedication to God the world had ever seen. You had two mottos: “Let it be done to me…” and “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Why do I keep seeking satisfaction in other mottos? Mother, pray for me, teach me to love…

Holy Spirit, pour out your gifts into my soul. My mind is weak and benighted; renew and restore its vigor and clarity. My will is shrunken and misdirected; breathe into it your force and goodness. My heart – I don’t even want to talk about it. You know that way down at its very core is a tiny spark of love. Blow on it, feed it, build it into a blazing fire of zeal for God’s glory and the salvation of souls…



- Fr. John Bartunek

Read more at Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

No One Can Be At The Same Time A Sincere Catholic And A True Socialist

No one can be at the same time a sincere Catholic and a true Socialist. - Pius XI

She Crushes The Head Of The Serpent

I once had a dream in which I was surrounded by snakes. Then a young lady with the feet of an elephant rescued me. It was so bizarre and lasting that I prayed and asked God to help me to understand it...

"She crushes the head of the serpent." - Gabriel Castillo

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Pope Benedict Is Trying To Revitalize Our Catholic Identity As A Bulwark Against The Dictatorship Of Relativism

After the devastation in WWII, the USA helped to rebuild Europe in order to foster trade and support a bulwark against Communism. In the wake of the devastation caused by a hermeneutic of discontinuity after the Second Vatican Council, Pope Benedict is trying to revitalize our Catholic identity as a bulwark against the dictatorship of relativism. - Fr. Z

We As A Culture Have Unburdened Ourselves Of All Standards Of Sexual Morality

Sex before marriage is not new to our time, but what is new is that in the last fifty years or so, beginning with the sexual revolution of the 1960s, we as a culture have slowly unburdened ourselves of a high standard, or really any standard, when it comes to sexual morality. In 1955, a young woman having sex with her boyfriend, though not unheard of, was considered far from ideal. Today, there is no ideal, and the fact that teenagers will have sex with each other is par for the course – as are teen pregnancy, abortion, single motherhood, the welfare state, and juvenile delinquency. Coincidence? No.

Planned Parenthood delights in the death of sexual standards…. Why? Because a young woman who says ‘yes’ to sex before she’s ready could one day be a young woman who says ‘yes’ to an abortion, allowing PP to continue their intended mission: ridding the world of ‘human weeds.’

And my, how the money rolls in. - Kristen Walker, author of Eve’s Ransom blog

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Our Productivity, Personal Growth, And Our Future Depends On What Our Minds Are Focusing On At Any Given Minute

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to become distracted and spend our time on activities that are either non-productive or ineffective?

Our productivity, personal growth, and our present as well as our future depends on what our minds are focusing on at any given minute.

Since our future depends on our focus, my thoughts often turn toward Ephesians 5:15-17 - Be very careful, then, on how you live---not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

It’s our choice how we spend our time; we can choose to complain, criticize, worry & wish things were different or we can spend our time learning, creating, planning, encouraging & building people up. It’s difficult to be effective & productive in this life if we allow our minds to dwell on the negative. - Anna Gisselle

One Thing In This World Is Different From All Others

One thing in this world is different from all others. It has a personality and a force. It is recognized and (when recognized) most violently hated or loved. It is the Catholic Church. Within that household the human spirit has roof and hearth. Outside it is the night. - Hellaire Belloc

Come To Me, Lord, And Possess My Soul

Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with you and let You work in my heart. I am Yours to possess.

I am Yours to use. I want yo be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all that is in me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You.

Help me to die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.

I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.

When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the promptings of others to change whats in my heart that You are making very clear to me.

I worship You, I adore You and I love You.

Come and dwell with me now.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Nothing We Do To Defend The Human Person Is Ever Unfruitful Or Forgotten

Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Don’t ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work. - Archbishop Charles Chaput

Any Pro-Life Effort That Temporizes On Contraception Will Be Ultimately Futile

Any 'pro-life' effort that temporizes on contraception will be ultimately futile. Legalized abortions in the United States are usually estimated at about 1.5 million a year. This figure, however, does not include early abortions caused by the intrauterine device and some so-called contraceptive pills. Such early abortions have been estimated at between 6.4 and 8.8 million each year in this country. - Charles E. Rice

The Call To Martydom Of Witness Is Ever More Urgent

Given the breakdown in family life, the wholesale attack on innocent and defenseless human lives, and the violation of the integrity of the union of marriage in our society, the call to the martyrdom of witness is ever more urgent. - Cardinal Burke

Mass Is Very Much More Important Than An Exorcism

Mass is very much more important than any exorcism. Many people ask me, do you prepare a lot before doing an exorcism? I can assure the people that I prepare more for the Mass than for exorcism, because in exorcism I am treating with just a demon, but in the Mass I am dealing with, treating with the Holy of the Holies, the Almighty God, the God of all the armies...Exorcism has made me understand the importance of every small rite in the liturgy, because now I see, if every rite has so much importance in exorcism, how much more has to be the importance in the liturgy. - Father Jose Fortea, 'Interview with an Exorcist'

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Keep Up Your Daily Communion, And Think: 'What Would I Be If I Had Not Gone'

'Going to Communion every day for so many years! Anybody else would be a saint by now, you told me, and I...I'm always the same!' Son, I replied, 'keep up your daily Communion, and think: what would I be if I had not gone' - Saint Josemaria Escriva

The Word Gives Life To Our Souls, But The Word Made Flesh Nourishes Our Bodies

‎The Word gives life to our souls, but the Word made flesh nourishes our bodies. In this Sacrament is contained the Word not only in His divinity but also in His humanity; therefore, it is the cause not only of the glorification of our souls but also of that of our bodies. - Saint Thomas Aquinas

One Day, All Human Accomplishments Will Be Reduced To A Pile Of Ashes But Every Single Child To Whom A Woman Gives Birth Will Live Forever

One day, all human accomplishments will be reduced to a pile of ashes. But every single child to whom a woman gives birth will live forever, for he has been given an immortal soul made to God's image and likeness. In this light, the assertion of de Beauvoir that "women produce nothing" becomes particularly ludicrous. - Doctor Alice von Hildebrand

Looking Through This Distorted World's Lenses

The world in which we now live is a world whose outlook is so distorted that we absolutize what is relative (money-making, power, success) and relativize what is absolute (truth, moral values, and God). Power, riches, fame, success, and dominance are idolized; humility, chastity, modesty, self-sacrifice, and service are looked down upon as signs of weakness. - Doctor Alice von Hildebrand

The Mother Is Nature's Constant Challenge To Death, The Herald Of Eternal Realities, God's Great Cooperator

The mother is both the physical preserver of life and the moral provider of truth; she is nature's constant challenge to death, the bearer of cosmic plenitude, the herald of eternal realities, God's great cooperator. - Archbishop Fulton Sheen

There Are Going To Be A Lot Of 'Nice' People In Hell

‎'Nice' is a very trite word and there are going to be a lot of 'nice' people in Hell because they didn't want to stand up for anything; they just wanted to be nice. - Father Tony Stephens

Like Eve From Adam's Rib, The Church, Christ's Bride, Grew From His Wounded Side

Like Eve from Adam's rib, the Church, Christ's bride, grew from His wounded side.

Through Christ I Enter In, Not To Your Houses But To Your Hearts

I, seeking to enter in among you, that is, into your heart, preach Christ: if I were to preach other than that, I should be trying to enter by some other way. Through Christ I enter in, not to your houses but to your hearts. Through Him I enter and you have willingly heard me speak of Him. Why? Because you are Christ's sheep and you have been purchased with Christ's blood. - Saint Augustine

The Truth Does Not Change According To Our Ability To Stomach It

The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. - Flannery O'Connor

That Bread Which You See On The Altar Is The Body Of Christ

That bread which you see on the altar...is the body of Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the blood of Christ...What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the body of Christ and the chalice is the blood of Christ. - Saint Augustine A.D. 411

The Best Suffering Is The Suffering That Is Kept To Oneself

The best suffering is the suffering that is kept to oneself. - Michael Fanelli

Friday, May 13, 2011

USCCB

USCCB: Underhanded Sindicate of Communists Camaflagued as Bishops - Janet Baker

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

We Preach Christ Crucified

I had a friend ask me why Catholics have Crucifixes in our churches...don't we believe Jesus has risen? Why do we keep Him on the cross?

First of all, you would want to check out 1st Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 23. Paul says, "...but we preach Christ crucified..." Why does Paul preach Christ crucified? Doesn't he know Jesus has been raised from the dead? Of course he does! But, he knows that it is through the power of the crucified Christ on the cross that the bonds of sin and death are broken. As Paul says in verse 24, Christ crucified is the "power of God".

1 Cor 2:2, "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Again, didn't Paul know that Jesus had risen from the dead? Of course, he did.

Paul preaches Christ crucified because an empty cross has no power. The cross that bears the beaten, battered, and bloodied body of Jesus Christ, however, that cross is the "power of God". This is why, we "keep Jesus on the cross," because we, too, preach Christ crucified. The Crucifix reminds us not only of God's power, but also His love for us - giving His only begotten Son up for suffering and death.

Also, here in this life we do not share so much in the glory of the Resurrection, as we do in the suffering of Jesus on the cross; after all, we must take up our cross daily if we are to follow Jesus, as it says in Lk 9:23.

And, we must die with Christ in order to live with Him as Romans 6:8 tells us. Where did Christ die? On the cross. The Crucifix serves to remind us of these things.

It Is God, The Thrice Holy Who Makes Us Saints

Can I do so with my own strength? The answer is clear: A holy life is not primarily the fruit of our own effort, of our actions, because it is God, the thrice Holy (cf. Isaiah 6:3), who makes us saints, and the action of the Holy Spirit who encourages us from within; it is the life itself of the Risen Christ, which ... transforms us. - Pope Benedict XVI

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Sacrament Of The Body Of The Lord Puts The Demons To Flight

The Sacrament of the Body of the Lord puts the demons to flight, defends us against the incentives to vice and to concupiscence, cleanses the soul from sin, quiets the anger of God, enlightens the understanding to know God, inflames the will and the affections with the love of God, fills the memory with spiritual sweetness, confirms the entire man in good, frees us from eternal death... - Saint Thomas Aquinas

He Remains Among Us Until The End Of The World

He remains among us until the end of the world. He dwells on so many altars, though so often offended and profaned. - Saint Maximilan Kolbe

Friday, May 6, 2011

Let The Thief No Longer Steal

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. - Ephesians 4:28

Mary Contributes To Transforming persons in Christ, That Is, To 'Christifying' Them

St. Paul the Apostle teaches that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Since Mary is sinless and ever-virgin, her immaculate body is the perfect temple of the Holy Spirit. Even to Martin Luther, Mary is “the pneumatophoros (bearer of the Spirit) to the highest degree.” Thus, she “can communicate the divine life in the Spirit” and “contribute to transforming persons in Christ, that is, to ‘Christifying’ them.” - Brother Marwil N. Llasos

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Frequent Not The Company Of Immodest Persons

Frequent not the company of immodest persons, especially if they be also impudent, as is generally the case; ...these corrupted souls and infected hearts scarcely speak to any, either of the same or a different sex, without causing them to fall in some degree from purity; they have poison in their eyes and in their breath, like basilisks. On the contrary, keep company with the chaste and virtuous; often meditate upon and read holy things; for the word of God is chaste, and makes those also chaste that delight in it. - Saint Francis de Sales

The Catholic Church Is Different From All Other

One thing in this world is different from all other. It has a personality and a force. It is recognized (and when recognized) most violently loved or hated. It is the Catholic Church. Within that household the human spirit has roof and hearth. Outside it, is the Night. - Hilaire Belloc

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The Devil Can Receive The Most Brilliant Mind

‎The devil can deceive the most brilliant mind. - Saint Padre Pio

O Ravisher Of Hearts, When Wilt Thou Restore Mine?

O Lady, who by thy sweetness dost ravish the hearts of men, hast thou not ravished mine? O ravisher of hearts, when wilt thou restore mine? Rule and govern it like thine own; preserve it in the Blood of the Lamb, and place it in thy Son's side. Then shall I obtain what I desire, and obtain what I hope for; for thou art our hope. - Saint Bonaventure

God With A Face

Heavenly Father, I embrace your grace this day,
So that I might not:
Think of another,
Speak to another or
Touch another,
without first looking for
Your Face in the other.
I ask all this through
Jesus Christ:
God Incarnate,
God with Skin,
God made Poor,
God with a Face. Amen!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

I've Fallen More Than I Like To Admit But The Sacraments Sustain Me

I could never go back to whom I had been in the past, so I stretched out my new legs and have been running the race ever since. I’ve fallen more times than I would like to admit, but the sacraments sustain me. - Blessed John Paul II