Raymond was born at Portella, Catalonia, Spain. He was delivered by caesarean operation when his mother died in childbirth. Hence his name non natus (not born). He joined the Mercedarians under St. Peter Nolasco at Barcelona. He succeeded Peter as chief ransomer and went to Algeria to ransom slaves. He remained as hostage for several slaves when his money ran out and was sentenced to be impaled when the governor learned that he had converted several Mohammedans. He escaped the death sentence …
Author: WebDept ParishAdmin
Prayer of Spouses for Each Other: Prayer of the Day for Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another’s weaknesses and grow from each other’s strengths. Help us to forgive one another’s failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self.
May the love that brought us …
Oh Fickle Human
How fickle human beings are! I know I have seen this behavior in my own actions, and I’m sure you have experienced it in your own as well. One moment everything is roses and the next we feel the world is against us. There is a certain appeal to this pendulum swing. Back and forth we go, never satisfied with one side or the other.
In today’s Gospel, the crowd was first amazed, finding Jesus’ words to be full of truth and graciousness. But, oh human suspicions and doubt. “Is this not the son of Joseph?” How could someone we know be so amazing? Jesus responds, challenging them to consider what they know and to broaden their perspective. They choose the narrow way, seeing only what they could with their eyes.
We have found similar themes in our Sunday readings these past weeks from John 6, The Bread of Life Discourse. Jesus is pushing his followers into a new spiritual space. They are hesitant, resistant even. Who is this man, who tells us we must eat his flesh and drink his blood? Who is this man, who claims to be the fulfillment of Scripture?
Even today, Jesus tells us clearly these same teachings. How do we choose to respond to the mystery before us? Do we accept that the Eucharist is Jesus’ true Body and Blood? Do we firmly believe that He is the Son of God, our Savior and our brother?
God, in His goodness and generosity, knows well the fickle heart of humanity. This is why He never stops seeking us. His patience will outlast the most indecisive, the most changing of hearts.
If you feel you are in a place of spiritual doubt, do not distress. We grow in our faith as we wrestle to understand it more fully. Talk to your pastor, a spiritual director or solid friend. Look to the Catechism and writings of the saints. The saints are especially good company for someone having a difficult time with a mystery of the faith. They have walked our journey and many had similar doubts which they grew through during the course of their life.
And pray. Take your doubts to the Holy Spirit. Do not be like the crowd that struck out in fury and tried to toss Jesus out. Keep your wonder and amazement and admit you still do not understand. He will guide your steps as you grow in wisdom and understanding.
Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at DailyGraces.net.
Feature Image Credit: Josh Sorenson, https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-yellow-arrow-road-signage-977603/
St. Rumon: Saint of the Day for Monday, August 30, 2021
St. Rumon, also known as Ruan, Ronan, and Ruadan, was probably a brother of Bishop St. Tudwal of Trequier, but nothing else is known of him beyond that he was probably an Irish missionary and many churches in Devon and Cornwall in England were named after him. Some authorities believed he is the same as the St. Ronan (June 1) venerated in Brittany and believed consecrated bishop by St. Patrick, but others believe that he and St. Kea were British monks who founded a monastery at Street Somerset. …
Prayer for Protection by the Holy Cross: Prayer of the Day for Monday, August 30, 2021
Assist us, O Lord our God;
and defend us evermore by the might of Thy holy Cross,
in whose honour Thou makest us to rejoice.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
First Fruit
Imagine “nothing.” In the beginning there was nothing. From nothing God brought into existence everything. When I try to imagine what nothing is, I envision complete darkness, but even darkness is something. Nothing is not a thing. This is what God started with and from it he created, he willed into existence, all that we see and know – from the molten core of the earth to the stars in the galaxy; from dirt to trees to rivers to animals. All of it came from the God of lights, the unchanging Creator.
We read today that every perfect gift comes from God and we know from Genesis that everything God created is good. The sand, the rocks, the clouds and the elephants are good. The lions, bees, cows, and plants are good. God’s imagination is boundless and it is all good.
Take a moment to recognize all God created and then reflect on your place in it. Not only are you good by virtue of being a creature of God, but you, according to James, are a first fruit of God’s creation. The first fruit is the fruit of the harvest offered to God in thanksgiving. It’s the best and it’s offered in recognition that God deserves the best.
Here, James is positing that humans are the first fruits of creation – the best. This includes all of us. By his will he created you just as you are and you are a first fruit. It’s hard to remember this. It’s easy to find fault with ourselves. When I look in the mirror I see what’s wrong more often than what’s right. When I reflect on my actions, I see where I could have done better instead of what I did well. I forget that by nature of being willed by God that I am good. He made me as I am and he loves me as I am. To tell myself otherwise is an insult to the One who made me because he only makes good.
I am a first fruit. As are you. We are good. We are loved. We are enough.
Why?
Because God made us that way.
Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.
Feature Image Credit: silviarita, https://pixabay.com/photos/fresh-fruits-bowls-fruit-bowls-2305192/
St. Sabina: Saint of the Day for Sunday, August 29, 2021
St. Sabina’s feast day is August 29th. We know St. Sabina only through legend, and there is some question as to it’s trustworthiness. Even the century in which she lived is unknown. Supposedly Sabina was converted to Christianity by her Syrian servant Serapia. During the persecution of Emperor Hadrian, Serapia suffered martyrdom for her Christian Faith. It is believed that St. Sabina was murdered for the Faith about a month later. The reknowned basilica on the Aventine in Rome is dedicated to …
Prayer for Charity: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, August 29, 2021
O my Jesus, Thou who art very Love,
enkindle in my heart that Divine Fire
which consumes the Saints and transforms them into Thee.
O Lord our God,
we offer Thee our hearts
united in the strongest and most sincere love of brotherhood;
we pray that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
may be the daily food of our souls and bodies;
that Jesus may be established as the center of our affections,
even as He was for Mary and Joseph.
Finally, O Lord, may sin never disturb our …
Lend Your Talents to God’s Kingdom
The parable of the talents can sometimes be a difficult Gospel to wrap our heads around … but it doesn’t have to be. I think that some people can get hung up on the fact that this Gospel passage is actually about money but it can be easily applied to our natural gifts and talents as well.
I’m going to ask you to do something slightly uncomfortable right now. Stop for a moment, close your eyes, take a deep breath and identify what your God-given gifts are. This can be an uncomfortable practice because some of us (myself included) have trouble seeing what our gifts and talents are for a variety of different reasons. However, it is a necessary practice as each of us works to build up the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Okay, so, deep breath. I am … Fill in the blank with your gifts and talents. Here’s a few of my own, since I know I need more practice identifying my gifts: I am a strong writer. I am organized. I am a good listener. Keep your list going as long as possible. And, if you are having trouble coming up with different gifts and talents (I know I did), don’t be afraid to invite the Holy Spirit into a moment of prayer, asking him for help in seeing your gifts the way that he sees them.
Now, reflect on each individual talent that you listed. How does this gift help me to build up the Kingdom of God? For example, I am able to use my gift of writing to build up the Kingdom of God by writing different blogs like this to share the truths of the Gospel and our faith. I can also use this gift to the benefit of my parish by writing reflections for our bulletin and for editing different publications that we might put out.
Finally, let’s reflect on our gifts and talents in light of today’s Gospel. How can we be like the first two servants who took their five and two talents, respectively, and made an additional five and two talents? In other words, how can we use our current gifts and talents and build upon them in order to further our work of building the Kingdom of God? This might take some time to discern but I encourage you – do not be afraid of the possibilities! Through the grace of God and with the power of the Holy Spirit, our gifts can do great things in the world.
Erin Madden is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is passionate about the Lord Jesus, all things college sports and telling stories and she is blessed enough to get paid for all three of her passions. You can catch her on old episodes of the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter@erinmadden2016.
Feature Image Credit: Etienne Girardet, https://unsplash.com/photos/-ktUX4KHlU8
St. Augustine of Hippo: Saint of the Day for Saturday, August 28, 2021
St. Augustine of Hippo is the patron of brewers because of his conversion from a former life of loose living, which included parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions. His complete turnaround and conversion has been an inspiration to many who struggle with a particular vice or habit they long to break.
This famous son of St. Monica was born in Africa and spent many years of his life in wicked living and in false beliefs. Though he was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived …