Born on October 16 1890 in Corinaldo, in the Ancona Province in Italy, her farmworker father moved his family to Ferrier di Conca, near Anzio. When he died of malaria, Maria’s mother had to struggle to feed her children.
Maria’s mother, brothers, and sisters worked in the fields while she cooked, sewed, kept the house clean, and watched her youngest sister Teresa. Though the family’s circumstances were extremely difficult, they were very close and loved God.
On July 5, 1902, Maria was sitting …
Glory be to the Father,
Who by His almighty power and love created me,
making me in the image and likeness of God.
Glory be to the Son,
Who by His Precious Blood delivered me from hell,
and opened for me the gates of heaven.
Glory be to the Holy Spirit,
Who has sanctified me in the sacrament of Baptism,
and continues to sanctify me
by the graces I receive daily from His bounty.
Glory be to the Three adorable Persons of the Holy Trinity,
now and forever.
Amen.
One of the more insidious pitfalls in the spiritual life is the desire to make our own rules. I suppose it can be considered an offshoot of pride, but the idea that I always know what is best, or that I can follow God’s instructions selectively, never works out well in the end. The Old Testament is full of examples of God’s people choosing their own way over God’s explicit way, the negative consequences that followed, and God’s mercy despite their disobedience.
The Pharisees seemed to follow this dysfunctional pattern. They were leaders who lacked leadership. They set difficult rules for the people and didn’t follow those rules themselves. They decided their way was the right way and blinded themselves to the truth to such an extent that they literally couldn’t recognize God in their midst.
While it’s easy to point fingers at the Pharisees and their prideful stubbornness, they reflect the fallen nature in all of us. We, too, insist our way is better and fail to see God with every sinful word and action.
So today I must ask myself: in what ways do I insist that my way is better than God’s? Am I open to God’s will even if it comes in an unexpected or humbling form? Do I set an example for those around me, or are there ways I lead others astray?
Una de las trampas más insidiosas en la vida espiritual es el deseo de hacer nuestras propias reglas. Supongo que se puede considerar una rama del orgullo, pero la idea de que siempre sé lo que es mejor, o que puedo seguir las instrucciones de Dios de manera selectiva, nunca funciona bien al final. El Antiguo Testamento está lleno de ejemplos del pueblo de Dios eligiendo su propio camino sobre el camino explícito de Dios, las consecuencias negativas que siguieron y la misericordia de Dios a pesar de su desobediencia.
Los fariseos parecían seguir este patrón disfuncional. Eran líderes que carecían de liderazgo. Establecieron reglas difíciles para la gente que ellos mismos no siguieron. Decidieron que su camino era el correcto y se cegaron a la verdad hasta tal punto que literalmente no pudieron reconocer a Dios en medio de ellos.
Si bien es fácil señalar con el dedo a los fariseos y su terquedad orgullosa, ellos reflejan la naturaleza caída en todos nosotros. Nosotros también insistimos en que nuestro camino es mejor y fallamos en ver a Dios con cada palabra y acción pecaminosa.
Así que hoy debo preguntarme: ¿de cuál forma insisto que mi manera es mejor que la de Dios? ¿Estoy abierto a la voluntad de Dios incluso si se presenta de forma inesperada o humillante? ¿Son un ejemplo para los que me rodean, o hay formas en que desvío a otros?
J.M. Pallas has had a lifelong love of Scriptures. When she is not busy with her vocation as a wife and mother to her “1 Samuel 1” son, or her vocation as a public health educator, you may find her at her parish women’s bible study, affectionately known as “The Bible Chicks.”
Feature Image Credit: Beth Macdonald, unsplash.com/photos/P3rS8J1THi4
Cofounder of the Barnabites. Born in 1502 in Cremona, Italy, Anthony became a medical doctor. In 1528 he was ordained a priest and cofounded the Barnabites, the religious congregation so called because it was headquartered in St. Barnabas Monastery in Milan. The Barnabites occupied the monastery in 1538, having been approved in 1533. Anthony popularized the forty-hour prayer ceremony, promoted the use of altar sacraments, and introduced the ringing of church bells on Friday. He is depicted in …
O Jesus, who hast loved us with such exceeding great love
as to give us the ineffable gift of the Holy Eucharist,
inflame us with a burning zeal to promote Thy glory
by preparing worthily the little children
who are to approach Thy holy table for the first time.
Protect, O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
these young souls from the assaults of evil,
strengthen their faith,
increase their love and endow them
with all the virtues that will make them worthy to receive Thee. …
In today’s Gospel, we hear two instances of Jesus restoring life. In both cases, it is through proximity, through closeness to Jesus that the person is healed.
On His way to heal a young girl who has died, a woman suffering hemorrhages touches Jesus’ cloak in the hope of being healed of her ailment. He tells the woman, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” Imagine you are the one seeking healing from an ailment–be it physical or spiritual–and that Christ is saying that directly to you. “Courage, John/Jessica/Katie/Aaron! Your faith has saved you.” That’s powerful! Faith is powerful! That’s exactly what we are being told in this Gospel. When we feel weak and we authentically and faithfully seek out Christ to help us through that weakness, He answers our prayers.
This Gospel also shows us the power of intercession. In the healing of the young girl, it is the faith of her father that brings her back from the dead. It is her father who appeals to Christ and it is because of his faith that Jesus grants healing to the young girl. How often are we asked by those around us–family, friends, people on social media, our parish community–to pray for someone in need? How often do we say “of course I’ll pray for them!” and then not follow through with those prayers? I know I’ve done that more times that I would care to admit. This Gospel hopefully teaches us the importance of praying on behalf of others and shows us the power of those prayers.
Even though we cannot physically touch Jesus as the young girl and the woman suffering hemorrhages could, we can grow close in relationship to Him. Through prayer and through the sacraments we can stay close to Christ.
May we continue to grow in relationship with Christ for the sake of ourselves and of others.
En el Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos dos instancias donde Jesús restaura la vida. En ambos casos, es por la proximidad, por la cercanía a Jesús que la persona se cura.
Mientras está en camino a curar a una joven que ha fallecido, una mujer que sufre hemorragias toca el manto de Jesús con la esperanza de ser sanada de su dolencia. Le dice a la mujer: “¡Ánimo, hija! Tu fe te ha salvado.” Imagina que tú eres eras la persona que busca la curación de una dolencia, ya que sea física o espiritual, y que Cristo te diga directamente. “¡Ánimo, Juan/Yesica/Katalina/Aarón! Tu fe te ha salvado.” ¡Eso es poderoso! ¡La fe es poderosa! Eso es exactamente lo que dice este Evangelio. Cuando nos sentimos débiles y buscamos a Cristo auténtica y fielmente para que nos ayude a superar esa debilidad, Él responde a nuestras oraciones.
Este Evangelio también nos muestra el poder de la intercesión. En la curación de la joven, es la fe de su padre que la resucita de entre los muertos. Es su padre quien apela a Cristo y es por su fe que Jesús cura a la joven. ¿Con qué frecuencia los que nos rodean (familia, amigos, personas en las redes sociales, nuestra comunidad parroquial) nos piden que oremos por alguien que lo necesita? ¿Con qué frecuencia decimos “¡por supuesto que voy a rezar por ellos!” y luego no damos seguimiento con la oración? Sé que yo lo he hecho más veces de las que me gustaría admitir. Esperamos que este Evangelio nos enseñe la importancia de orar en nombre de los demás y nos muestre el poder de esas oraciones.
Aunque no podemos tocar físicamente a Jesús como la jovencita y la mujer que sufría hemorragias, podemos acercarnos más a Él. A través de la oración y a través de los sacramentos podemos permanecer cerca a Cristo.
Que sigamos creciendo en nuestra relación con Cristo por el bien de nosotros mismos y el bien de los demás.
Dakota lives in Denver, CO with her husband, Ralph, and their two sons, Alfie & Theophilus. She is the Dean of Enrollment Management for Bishop Machebeuf High School where her husband also teaches. You can find Dakota at the zoo or a brewery with her family or with her nose in a book at home. For more of Dakota’s writing check out https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com/
Feature Image Credit: Gera Juarez, www.cathopic.com/photo/15891-sagrado-corazon
Elizabeth was a Spanish princess who was given in marriage to King Denis of Portugal at the age of twelve. She was very beautiful and very lovable. She was also very devout, and went to Mass every day. Elizabeth was a holy wife, but although her husband was fond of her at first, he soon began to cause her great suffering. Though a good ruler, he did not imitate his wife’s love of prayer and other virtues. In fact, his sins of impurity gave great scandle to the people. Later, to make matters …
Immaculate Mary, most Holy Mother of God
and of Our Lord and SavioUr Jesus Christ,
we the people of the United States of America
at this historic moment stand before you
in a humbled condition of love,
loyalty, affection, and thankfulness.
To your Immaculate Heart we recommit and dedicate ourselves
throughout the entire American nation.
To your Son Jesus Christ we pledge to serve His teaching,
His church, and to work for His kingdom on earth.
O Mary, to you do we flee for …
We most closely image God when we are in union with one another. It is together, in the giving and receiving of love, that we image God and give others a glimpse of His great love.
Today the Old Testament gives us also the imagery of Jerusalem as a nursing mother. The Church is the new Jerusalem and Mother Church feeds the world when we, within the Church, share of our very selves. But we cannot share what we don’t have, this is why we must practice our faith. Practice in the same way we use the word when we talk about practicing a skill. I am not saying faith is a skill, but living out our faith is made more fruitful when we stretch our “faith muscles” and that happens with practice.
We practice when we attend Mass, not from a sense of obligation, but from a desire to open ourselves up further to Jesus Christ. We practice when we extend attending Mass, not just on Sunday but as part of our daily lives. We practice when we receive Jesus Christ, not simply as part of a sacred ritual, but so that He is able to transform us. We practice when we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation so we are better prepared to receive God’s graces. We practice when we take time to be alone with God. We practice when we read Scripture and the Church Fathers. We practice when we pray, write, and listen quietly. The more we practice, the more are we are prepared to do His will.
What’s more, we don’t do these things for our benefit alone. We do them so that like the disciples in today’s Gospel, we are prepared to carry God’s peace and mercy out into the world. We may not perform miracles or cast out demons, but we can lighten another’s load. We can notice those who need our smile or our hand. We can walk alongside those who haven’t yet experienced God’s grace and peace and share what we have received. For those who don’t want that, we shake the dust from our feet and move on so that in all we do we maintain our peace. Then we can rejoice with the original disciples, not because spirits are subject to us, but because our name too will be written in heaven.
After all, isn’t that our goal, to get to heaven and bring along as many people as possible? Let’s practice for that union now and get a glimpse of heaven here on earth.
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Hacemos mejor representación de Dios cuando estamos en unión el un con el otro. Estando juntos, en el dar y recibir amor, reflejamos a Dios y les damos a otros un vistazo de Su gran amor.
Hoy el Antiguo Testamento nos da también la imagen de Jerusalén como madre lactante. La Iglesia es la nueva Jerusalén y la Madre Iglesia alimenta al mundo cuando nosotros, dentro de la Iglesia, compartimos de nosotros mismos. Pero no podemos compartir lo que no tenemos, por eso debemos practicar nuestra fe. Hablo de la práctica de la misma forma cuando hablamos de practicar una habilidad. No estoy diciendo que la fe sea una habilidad, pero vivir nuestra fe se vuelve más fructífero cuando estiramos nuestros “músculos de fe” y eso sucede con la práctica.
Practicamos cuando asistimos a Misa, no por un sentido de obligación, sino por un deseo de abrirnos más a Jesucristo. Practicamos cuando extendemos la asistencia a Misa, no solo los domingos sino como parte de nuestra vida diaria. Practicamos cuando recibimos a Jesucristo, no simplemente como parte de un ritual sagrado, sino para que Él pueda transformarnos. Practicamos cuando recibimos el Sacramento de la Reconciliación para estar mejor preparados para recibir las gracias de Dios. Practicamos cuando tomamos tiempo para estar a solas con Dios. Practicamos cuando leemos las Escrituras y los Padres de la Iglesia. Practicamos cuando oramos, escribimos y escuchamos en silencio. Mientras más practicamos, más preparados estamos para hacer Su voluntad.
Además, no hacemos estas cosas solo para nuestro beneficio. Las hacemos para que, como los discípulos en el Evangelio de hoy, estemos preparados para llevar la paz y la misericordia de Dios al mundo. Puede que no hagamos milagros ni expulsemos demonios, pero podemos aligerar la carga de los demás. Podemos fijarnos en aquellos que necesitan nuestra sonrisa o nuestra mano. Podemos caminar junto a aquellos que aún no han experimentado la gracia y la paz de Dios y compartir lo que hemos recibido. Para los que no quieren eso, nos sacudimos el polvo de los pies y seguimos adelante para que en todo lo que hagamos mantengamos la paz. Entonces podremos regocijarnos con los primeros discípulos, no porque los espíritus estén sujetos a nosotros, sino porque nuestros nombres también estarán escritos en el cielo.
Después de todo, ¿no es ese nuestro objetivo, llegar al cielo y traer a muchas personas con nosotros? Practiquemos para esa unión ahora y echemos un vistazo al cielo aquí en la tierra.
Sheryl is happy to be the number 1 cheerleader and supporter for her husband, Tom who is a candidate for the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. They are so grateful for the opportunity to grow together in this process. Sheryl’s day job is serving her community as the principal for St. Therese Catholic School in Wayland, Michigan. Since every time she thinks she gets life all figured out, she realizes just how far she has to go, St. Rita of Cascia is her go-to Saint for intercession and help. Home includes Carlyn, a very, very goofy Golden Retriever and Lucy, our not-so-little rescue puppy.
Feature Image Credit: amorsanto, www.cathopic.com/photo/5629-compartiendo-fe-comunidad-
St. Thomas was born a Jew and was called to be one of the twelve Apostles. His birth and death dates are unknown, but his feast day is celebrated July 3. He lived before the formal establishment of the Catholic Church but is recognized as the patron saint of architects.
He was a dedicated but impetuous follower of Christ. When Jesus said He was returning to Judea to visit His sick friend Lazarus, Thomas immediately exhorted the other Apostles to accompany Him on the trip which involved certain …