At first glance, it may seem odd to look at the scripture of the woman at the well in conjunction with celebrating our angels. But combined with a homily from St. John Chrysostom, and the help of our Guardian angel, we too can accept the transforming love of God.
Pondering the nativity of Mary brings forth the truth that with God nothing, is insignificant.
False visionaries abound in these difficult times. Imagine God standing before you with arms full of presents and offering for you to take any that you wish, as many as you wish. Yet you say to Him “not now God, I want to read this seer’s blog first” and turn away from the Creator and Sustainer of your very existence! What could be more offensive than that?
Like any of our saints, Anne was a real person who now enjoys being in the presence of God in Heaven (Beatific Vision) and whom God has given to us to mentor, guide and protect. But of all the saints, she (and Mary) were likely the only ones to have cleaned Jesus’ nappy, and there’s got to be something special in that.
The feast day of St. Mary Magdalene is upon us. Mary Magdalene is named in all four Gospels of the bible and is known to be the woman referred to at other times when not named. In comparison, the only other woman named so frequently is our Holy Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary. What does the Holy Spirit want us to learn from the Magdala?
This saintly royal gave of herself tirelessly to bring God’s love to others. Friend of the poor, the prostitutes, the clergy and the saints of her time, her prayer for conversion of lost souls is timely for us today.
Jesus took on all of humanity’s offenses against God past, present and future, and atoned for us by His horrendous crucifixion. By His resurrection and ascension, He was enthroned as King over all of creation and brought our humanity, wounds and all, into the Trinitarian mystery. And now He wants to personally perfect each of us individually so as to join in union with God, which has always been our destiny.
The Feast of the Precious blood of Jesus was established for all of Christendom to be the first Sunday in July by Pope Pius IX. However, its origin is in the scriptures and devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus goes back to the beginning of our Catholic heritage. The Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus is one of the most common devotions today. It is fruitful to meditate upon each sentence and consider what this means in terms of the personal love each person of the Trinity has for you.
It can be difficult to enter into Jesus’ Passion and death. It’s one thing to know He suffered so much for us. It is another thing to realize He suffered so much because of us. Then to take in that He didn’t need to; He wanted to. It’s simultaneously sobering and consoling. Consoling because, while we aren’t capable of understanding the magnanimity of His unconditional love, our eyes are opened just a little to it.
Praying the stations of the cross privately is one approach that will deepen our relationship with God by entering into His passion. By praying the Passion as St. Ignatius has taught us, we can make Stations of the Cross deeply personal.