As many of you know, Women of Grace is consecrated to Our Lord Jesus Christ through the beatitude of the Blessed Mother under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Happy Feast Day, Mother!
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Women of Grace: St. Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582)
St. Teresa of Avila shows us it is never too late to get serious about our prayer life. Born Dona Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada, Teresa was an active child with a big imagination and great sensitivity of heart. Little Teresa and her brother Roderigo were intrigued by the lives of the saints and the martyrs, and often sought to imitate their holy example.
October 13th and the Miracle of the Sun
Eye witnesses to the "Miracle of the Sun."From the earliest times, the history of the Church is studded with appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One such apparition happened when Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in the small hamlet of Cova da Iria in Fatima, Portugal.
Women of Grace: St. Therese of Lisieux
I've always loved St. Thérèse of Lisieux. From the time I heard her story as a child in Catholic grade-school, her story and writings have resonated in my soul. So much did I love our "Little Flower" that I composed a prayer card in her honor when I was eight years old, which you can read below.
Dorothy Day - An Idealist in a Non-Ideal World
During his recent speech to Congress, Pope Francis highlighted Dorothy Day, saying, "In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement,” He continued, “Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.”
St. Gianna Beretta Molla's Legacy
It was a tremendous blessing for me to have the opportunity to meet Dr. Gianna Emmanuela Molla, the daughter of St Gianna Beretta Molla at this week's World Meeting of Families. She was there representing the St. Gianna Physician’s Guild, whose mission is to unite and encourage Catholic physicians, and those in the health care profession, to promote and defend Catholic principles in a public way by word and example, and to inspire sanctification in their lives. Her inner beauty and humility radiates through her as she carries on the legacy of her mother, who was herself a Catholic physician.
An Unwavering Yes
Recently, we celebrated the Feast of St. Charles Lwanga and twenty one Ugandan martyrs. Charles and his young companions converted to Christianity from paganism. Sentenced to death under king Mwanga, who felt threatened because they would not bow to him, make sacrifices to his pagan gods or succumb to his sexual advances, they exhibited the kind of courage, strength, and fortitude necessary to be witnesses for Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in a moment when great sin abounded.
Mary Visits Her Children: Our Lady of Fatima
Nine-year-old Lucia dos Santos looked into the angry face of her mother and wondered if this was what the Beautiful Lady meant when she said Lucia would suffer. Little Lucia had never experienced such fury from her mother, nor had her mother ever called her a liar before. Indeed, her heart was deeply saddened. Yet a warm glow filled her whenever she thought about the Lady from Heaven who had visited her and her younger cousins, Jacinta and Francisco.
The three children had been tending their sheep the day before in the Cova da Iria, a portion of the land owned by Antonio dos Santos, Lucia’s father. Suddenly, something like lightning flashed in the blue sky and frightened them. The children ran for cover. Another flash, very close, and they ran again. When they stopped, there on top of a small evergreen tree was a large ball of light engulfing a beautiful woman, “a Lady of all white, more brilliant than the sun dispensing light…”
More Resources for Your Lenten Journey
Dear Friends,
In addition to those suggested in our slideshow, following is a list of resources that I recommended on Women of Grace Live, Ash Wednesday, March 5. Each of these is structured in such a way that it is perfect for a daily devotional during this Holy Season of Lent. They also are great resources for increasing our life of faith and strengthening our interior life. My prayer is that you find them so useful, you continue to use them once this Holy Season is over. Most of them are available through EWTN Religious Cataglogue or on our website.
Advent Week Four: A Time for Sharing, A Time for Caring
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.
