The Good Samaritan


August 3

“A Good Samaritan is one who brings help in suffering, whatever its nature may be…He puts his whole heart into it, nor does he spare material means.  We can say that he gives himself, his very “I,” opening this “I” to the other person.  Here we touch upon one of the key points of all Christian anthropology.  Man cannot “fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself”.  A Good Samaritan is the person capable of exactly such a gift of self.”
-St. John Paul II

Italian Teen to be Canonized During Youth Synod

                                                                                                                        (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.

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He Tried Again


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.

Sunship Earth and New Age Environmental Programs for Children

MJ asks: “What can you tell me about Sunship Earth, a program for middle school pupils? How does it extol New Age concepts? The program has a funeral for a leaf and one to become a squirrel that loses its habitat. What New Age objective is fulfilled in this type of activity?”

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Prayer


August 2

“Prayer is not one occupation among many, but is at the center of our life in Christ.  It turns our attention away from ourselves and directs it to the Lord.  Prayer fills the mind with truth and gives hope to the heart.  Without a deep experience of prayer, growth in the moral life will be shallow.”
-St. John Paul II

Women’s Leadership Can Change the World!

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!

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The Battlefield of Life

“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

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Saint Francis of Assisi Meets Our Lady of the Angels

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.

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Letter to Catholics Troubled by McCarrick Affair

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. 

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