The Tradition of Praying the Psalms

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For centuries the psalms have been a used to help souls request help from God.  They’ve been used to thank Him, praise Him, and to seek forgiveness.  Jesus Himself used one of the psalms when He called to his heavenly Father from the cross. (Matt 27:46).  The Church uses them everyday during the liturgy of the Mass and for the bulk of the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office). Meditating on the psalms can give us strength and fortitude when we are faced with the obstacles that meet us in our walk through this hostile world.    We can find… Continue Reading →

What IS Known About St. Valentine’s Life and Legend

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  Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️ Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a saint of the third-century celebrated most places on February 14 and usually  associated with “courtly love.”  We don’t know that much about Valentine’s life but that he was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome. In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from the General Roman Calendar, because so little is known about him. However, the church still recognizes him as a saint, listing him in the February 14 spot of Roman Martyrolgy.… Continue Reading →

Keeping a Mary Spirit Throughout a Martha Day

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Keeping a Mary Spirit Throughout a Martha Day – 5 CD set Gleaned from 19 years as a Third Order Carmelite, this is a 3- Day retreat led by Donna at the Palisades Retreat Center in Federal Way, WA. This 5 disc set will help to explode your prayer life. The topics covered are: Disc 1: Desire, Rule of Life, Attachments, Goal of Love, Ora Et Labora, Morning Offering Disc 2: Bonus – A Vision of Heaven Disc 3: Method, Purity of Intention, Meditation, Liturgy of the Hours, Resolutions, Perseverance, Examination of Conscience Disc 4: Neglect of Prayer, Mass, Suffering, Temptations,… Continue Reading →

A Blessing with St Pio’s Glove

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When I went to Medjugorie last month, we made a side trip to San Giovanni Rotundo. One of the ladies I was travelling with knew how to get a blessing with St Pio’s glove. She had made an appointment EARLY in the morning of the day we were to leave. Initially, since I was driving the car, I was just going to drop her off and wait while she ran in to receive her blessing since parking is a nightmare and we were in a hurry. Also, his glove had come me TWICE already in the two months prior to this… Continue Reading →

Prayer, by reason of its nature

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Prayer, by reason of its nature, is the converse and union of man with God, and by reason of its action upholds the world and brings about reconciliation with God; it is…   a bridge over temptations, a wall against afflictions, a crushing of conflicts, future gladness, boundless activity, the source of graces, invisible progress, food of the soul, the enlightening of the mind, an axe for despair, the annulling of sorrow, the reduction of anger, the mirror of progress, the realization of success, a proof of one’s spiritual condition, a revelation of the future, a sign of glory.  … Continue Reading →

People to Pray for Your Intentions

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Below are links to sites where you can request prayers from groups of clergy, religious and laity for your intentions. What you can do is draft one simple request, then copy and paste/post it to as many of these sites as you like. Whole groups of Christians praying for you constitutes the Church herself praying for you; what could be more powerful (except the euCHaRIST, of course)? _____________________ “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man: and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him.Confess therefore your sins one… Continue Reading →

Epiphany – The Feast of God’s Challenge

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Epiphany: The Feast of God’s Challenge In John Paul II’s homily of January 6, 1979, he referred to Epiphany as the feast of God’s challenge. It was such an intriguing way to refer to this day that I thought I would share with you what he said… “Those who have already reached the faith and those who are on the path to finding it share alike in this feast. They participate, giving thanks for the gift of faith, as did the Kings who, filled with gratitude, knelt before the Chil…d. The Church, more aware each year of the vastness of… Continue Reading →

First Sunday of Advent Hymn Meditation

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“Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lowly exile here until the Son of God appear…” This Advent hymn truly captures, with both words and its fittingly wandering tune, the sense of longing that is at the root of the season. After centuries of waiting, the people of God are about to experience a miracle and have their lives changed, irrevocably and forever. We don’t see waiting as positive, do we? When we wait in line at a shop, when we wait for someone to come visit, when we wait for a paycheck to arrive—all… Continue Reading →

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A Catholic Songwriter Hails Henry Wordsworth Longfellow

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Like a deer years for running water

Psalms as poetry Since I’ve been a songwriter for most of my life, I bet you wouldn’t guess that I really don’t enjoy poetry. Actually, I avoid it, it is usually so bad. BUT THIS… I love this! And I’m sure many people would, that’s why Henry Wordworth Longfellow is so famous. Excellence has lasting power. Enjoy! A PSALM OF LIFE by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Tell me not, in mournful NUMBERS, “Life is but an empty dream!” For the soul is dead that slumbers, And, things ARE NOT what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the GRAVE… Continue Reading →

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Praying the Psalms

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HOW DID YOU PRAY TODAY? One of the classical definitions of prayer suggests that “prayer is lifting mind and heart to God”. Our problem is that we don’t always do this when we pray. Rather than lifting up to God what is actually on our minds and in our hearts, we don’t always pinpoint exactly the real truth of our thoughts and feelings. Instead of sharing from the depths of our souls, we tell God what we think God wants to hear – not our vile thoughts, deep resentments, loathing for others, or our disappointment with Him. “But expressing those… Continue Reading →