(Wikipedia/Public Domain)Pope Francis has announced that he will canonize 19-year-old Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio, an Italian teen who lived a life filled with tragic losses and painful health problems, all of which he bore out of love for Jesus Christ.
August 2
“I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done?’"
I almost want to just stop here and let this reading from Jeremiah speak for itself. But, I do want to share a little.
There is nothing that our Lord cannot repair— hearts, bodies, souls, minds... every single bit of us belongs to Him; as the ultimate physician, He can heal anything.
Truth: He is always searching and waiting for us; He meets us EXACTLY where we are. He molds us, shapes us, heals us, fixes us, and completes us. He takes our brokenness and repairs it. He takes our wounds and cleans them. He takes our missing pieces and puts them back together again. He is the potter, we are the clay.
Never think you are too far gone or too wretched. He is always waiting to bring you home and lead you into eternal Happiness and wholeness.
August 2
If you’re frustrated by the direction the world is taking, and believe women’s leadership can make a difference, Catholic Women’s Leadership Studies may be just what you’re looking for!
“Let us always keep before our eyes the fact that here on earth we are on a battlefield and that in paradise we shall receive the crown of victory; that this is a testing-ground and the prize will be awarded up above; that we are now in a land of exile while our true homeland is Heaven to which we must continually aspire.”
-St. Padre Pio
The original Portiuncula is located within the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi (Wikicommons)On the Franciscan calendar, August 2nd marks a very special Marian feast day, one which commemorates the remarkable connection between Our Lady of the Angels and Saint Francis of Assisi. The story behind this connection is well worth telling.
DM asks: "My kids have gone bonkers over Fortnite and it’s becoming a daily war to get them to stop playing. Are other parents experiencing these problems? And is this game really safe for kids?"
This hard-hitting letter by Ralph Martin, president of Renewal Ministries in Ann Arbor, Michigan and director of graduate programs in the new evangelization at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, addresses the fallout from the serious charges that have been leveled against Washington DC's retired Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick. It not only addresses the problem, but offers common-sense advice for everyday Catholics who are struggling to come to terms with this new scandal.
August 1
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.’”
The Gospel of Matthew does an incredible job with imagery, here- treasure, finds, joy, sells all, buys, Heaven, fine pearls, great price. Wow, what a vision! You can picture the Gospel while reading it. // Even more than imagery, the truth underlying this Gospel is so real you can touch it. How often has this been a reality in your own life— that you find something that exceeds everything in your imagination? Not very often, I would guess. That’s because fine pearls and treasure are rare and priceless.
The first thing I think of in a natural sense is marriage. A real, true love is a joy that can’t be found every single day. And when you find it? You give everything you can to hold onto it. You let go of anything that keeps you from becoming all you’re created to be in order to allow Him to work wonders. You don’t squander it, and you know you can’t replace it.
That’s like Heaven. It requires us to find Him again and again, and to never stop searching for the treasures of virtue He places in our midst.
Tonight, thank God for the fine pearls He has put in your life, and ask Him to change your heart ever more in order to prepare you for the ultimate treasure of Heaven.
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