Crown of Thorns by Danielle Rose

In honor of St. Therese's upcoming Feast day and her association with roses. <3 This is one of my favorite songs.

World Over - Raymond Arroyo with Fr Robert Barron on Catholicism series

Novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux

In just a few days, I will be joining over 2,900 Catholics to pray the St. Thérèse Novena. I’m excited to pray this with so many faithful Catholics around the world and I thought you’d like to join too! There are thousands of people praying through this novena website and there will be millions praying around the world.

+ Sign up for handy email reminders to get the the novena prayers here: St. Thérèse Novena
+ If you have a website, post about it there!
+ Email your friends and family and get them praying too!

Let’s get all the Catholics we know to pray this novena together to St. Thérèse!

"Holy Mother, Pierce me through, In my heart, each wound renew, of my Savior, Crucified."

Other Posts on Our Lady of Sorrows: Mary's Martyrdom,  Stabat Mater

"We Adore You o Christ and We Bless You, For By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World"

O Cross of Christ, immortal tree
On which our Savior died,
The world is sheltered by your arms
That bore the Crucified.

From bitter death and barren wood
The tree of life is made;
Its branches bear unfailing fruit
And leaves that never fade.

O faithful Cross, you stand unmoved
While ages run their course;
Foundation of the universe,
Creation's binding force.

Give glory to the risen Christ
And to his Cross give praise,
The sign of God's unfathomed love,
The hope of all our days.


By: The Benedictines of Stanbrook Abbey
Hymn, Morning Prayer, LOTH

*See other posts on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross: The Glory of the Cross, Cross is Christ's Glory and Triumph

The Saint That is Just Me

We Remember. And We Pray.

Happy Birthday Blessed Mother!

"Hence the Mother of our Lord is announced. An angel foretells her birth. It was fitting that in this, too, she, who was to be the human Mother of the one true and living God, should be marked out above every one else..."

"In the fullness of time, as the divine apostle says, the angel Gabriel was sent to this true child of God, and saluted her in the words, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Beautiful is the angel's salutation to her who is greater than an angel..."

"...she who was worthy of grace had found it. She found grace who had done the deeds of race, and had reaped its fullness. She found grace who brought forth the source of grace, and was a rich harvest of grace. She found an abyss of grace who kept undefiled her double virginity, her virginal soul no less spotless than her body; hence her perfect virginity."

"Then the messenger of truth answered her: "The Holy Spirit shall come to thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. Therefore He who is born to thee shall be called the Son of God. '...And she, listening in holy reverence to that sacred name, which she had ever desired, signified her obedience in words full of humility and joy: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.'"

~St. John Damascene, Sermon I on the Dormition of Mary

Beginnings of Fall...

Bl. John Paul II on Our Lady - Happy Birthday Mama Mary!

Turning Things Around

"Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." ~Mt 18:18

This line from the Gospel today really struck me. I've always interpreted this line to refer to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, that when our sins are forgiven by God through the Priest, whatever is forgiven in that Sacrament is no longer bound but loosed, and we are forgiven (coming from Mt 16:19 when Jesus gives this authority to St. Peter and successive apostles).

When the Holy Spirit turned on the "light bulb" today, I thought, what if Jesus had a more personal, and literal, interpretation for us? What if He meant that what we bind in our hearts, will be bound in heaven, and what we loose, will be loosed in heaven? This also goes back to the Sacrament of Reconciliation...because we must forgive our neighbor, and in turn, we will be forgiven (as we say in the Our Father). Jesus expects this of us. So we must not "bind" our sins, but "loose" them, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

But, could it go the opposite way? What about those things deep within our hearts that we "bind" to in love? The good within us that we hold on to? How much are we "bound" to God and His love in our hearts right now? What we bind on earth...is bound in heaven.

The same can go for what is loosed within our hearts. All the vices and impurities that we are able to overcome through God's grace. What have we been able to "loose?" What do we yet need to "loose" from our hearts? Whatever is loosed on earth...will be loosed in heaven.

I could be totally off here and just spinning my own incomprehensible jargon. But, perhaps, it's a perspective worth thinking about, and praying about.

Feast of St. Gregory the Great - Pope and Doctor of the Church

Thought this was beautiful and wanted to share it with you all.
~Christina

Hymn for today - Office of Readings - Common of Pastors

The earth is full of the goodness of Christ,
H feeds His lamb and guards His sheep,
He walks abroad as the Shepherd of souls,
And gathers all into His keep

We know the voice of our Pastor, the Lord,
He calls our names eternally,
Our hearts rejoice at the words that He speaks:
"And I know Mine and Mine know Me."

When danger comes all the hirelings will flee,
But Christ remains to guard our sleep,
When evil comes the Good Shepherd of souls
Lays down His life to save His sheep

We shall not want, for our Pastor is Christ,
He makes us lie in fields of Grace,
Where shorn of sin and refreshed by His love,
We gaze in prayer upon His face.


By Michael Gannon