This morning I received the following email request from Fr. Benedict Groeschel's 
community, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. They have asked for special prayers, through the intercession of Venerable Solanus Casey, for his recovery and healing. I hope that you will join me in praying.
Yours in Christ, Johnnette
During the conference, I was interviewed by Billy Atwell of the Diocese of Raleigh. We discussed one of my absolute favorite topics, authentic femininity, and how God is using women to transform the world.
Thank you to the women of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church and all who made this event a huge success. Here are some pictures that were shared with us by the local team.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rjwitch/sets/72157646488568586/
Frequent arguments with partners, relatives, or neighbors may boost the risk of death from any cause in middle age, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. (See Science Daily for full article)
Are you a fan of Jesus, but not a follower? Do you hold anything back from Jesus? Do you find Mass boring and you try going, but it’s still boring to you? Do you like vampires or zombies or do you know a young person who does?
If you answered yes to one of these, oh boy do you need to listen to this show. Johnnette Benkovic invites Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers to talk about the impending meaning of new evangelization. Deacon Harold is the founder and director of Dynamic Deacon and a preacher on the go. Together, they share pearls of wisdom for us to get to know who Jesus really is. Going back to the Bible means finding your true masculinity and femininity and when you find who you really are, you can be all God is calling you to be. God’s grace is infinite for you. This show catches on fire so listen now and be inspired, affirmed and encouraged. It’s all here on EWTN Radio’s Women of Grace, Friday, May 2 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.
Traditionally, the beginning of the New Year is a time for resolutions.However, fewer and fewer people are engaging in this age-old custom. Perhaps most feel the effort is useless. How many resolutions have we made throughout our lives only to find we break them within the first few weeks of their institution? Indeed, Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said that “Resolutions, like the good, die young.”
Every time we profess the Nicene Creed, we affirm our belief that Jesus Christ is inseparably true God and true man. "For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man."
One of my favorite books for Lectio-Divina (see Week One of the Advent Study) is Divine Intimacy, by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene.This book provides meditations on the interior life for every day of the liturgical year. I have found it to be very efficacious.
One of the meditations offered by Father Gabriel for the fourth week of Advent is entitled, The Call to the Apostolate.
In it, he offers an insightful perspective of the Christian call to evangelization based on the words of St. John the Baptist, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord" (Luke 3: 4). In the end, he tells us that "Jesus has need of us." When I read these words, they infused me with zeal.
Because I found this meditation so spiritually benefiicial, today I'd like to share with you what Father Gabriel presents.
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (St. Edith Stein) wrote, "On the question of relation to our fellow men -- our neighbor's spiritual need transcends every commandment. Everything else we do is a means to an end. But love is an end already, since God is love."These words express a great truth and they should be at the heart of every action we perform for another, especially as we seek to enter more deeply into the very heart of God given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
St. Augustine wrote,"Love has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. This is what love looks like."
