Lenten Journey Day 34

March 19

Remain Serene Even When Misunderstood, Day 2

“In the trials most repugnant to our natural selves, when we are misunderstood, misrepresented, or calumniated, let us be silent and, like Jesus and Mary, make no attempt at justification… The soul that is dead to itself has mastered the fine art of living.”

Saint Joseph: Celebrate Him, Celebrate His Feast!

As a devout Jew and a man of deep faith, Joseph of Nazareth would have been highly familiar with the Scriptural promises of a Messiah. While he surely prayed for His coming, the humble carpenter never could have foreseen the crucial role he himself would play in the daily life of this Messiah for whom he longed.

Read the rest…

Lenten Journey Day 32

March 17

Bear Yourself Toward Others as Mary did, Day 2

“The house of Elizabeth, under the blessed influence of Mary, became a school of perfect sanctity in which everything was said and done from religious principle, thus enabling the mother of the Baptist to progress in holiness and allowing the virtues of Christ’s precursor to develop…”

Lenten Journey Day 31

March 16

Bear Yourself Toward Others as Mary did, Day 1

“Who can estimate the degree of grace conferred on Elizabeth through daily contact with the Mother of God? Bearing in her chaste womb the Creator of men and the Lord of angels, she infused blessings of the highest spiritual order into the soul of her virtuous relative, not only by her words and actions, but, by her mere presence.”

Who Me, Proud?

All human beings come into the world with a few pieces of standard equipment. There’s the built-in fan club, the professional spin-doctor, and the grievance counselor who specializes in taking our side. Should any of this equipment fail and a weakness or two be accidentally revealed, we have an uncanny ability to bury that fault beneath a glittering pile of exaggeration. Insults are automatically sent into our “calculate revenge” circuitry from which few escape unscathed. Where does this fabulous equipment come from?

Read the rest…