I recently spoke at the Deliverance Ministry Workshop, hosted by the Missionaries of the New Evangelization in Castle Rock, Colorado, and was explaining why the very non-Christian version of the Day of the Dead featured in the Disney movie, Coco, was a non-starter for both kids and parents. Afterward, a Hispanic man schooled me on exactly why this this feast is okay when celebrated the Christian way.
Yearly Archives: 2019
New Low for Planned Parenthood: Playing “Bra Pong” to Raise Money
Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
The organization that claims to be fighting for women stooped to a new low last week when it hosted a “Bras and Brews” event in Texas to raise money for cancer research, an event that featured “bra pong” and a chance to meet “your favorite Planned Parenthood Texas Votes cuties.”
Whole life
October 29
“Into [the Rosary] one may take his whole life – joys and sorrows, men and things, everything – as he would take it to someone whose presence he finds restful, not to find out how he might act with more success,
but to put everything into a proper light.”
-Romano Guardini
For Reflection:
Do I bring the whole of my life to the Rosary when I pray? What is the difference between going to pray searching for an answer and going to prayer seeking wisdom? Which is the greater gift? How can the Rosary help me to attain it?
St. John Paul II: Doctor of the Church?
Pope John Paul II at Yankee Stadium, NY, 1979 (WikiCommons)
The Polish Bishops’ Conference has sent a request to Pope Francis, asking him to consider naming St. John Paul II a patron of Europe and doctor of the Church.
Delivered from sin
October 28
“The immense good which this noble devotion (the Rosary) has done to the world is well known. How many, by its means, have been delivered from sin! How many led to live a holy life! How many to a good death,
and are now saved!”
-St. Alphonsus Liguori
For Reflection:
Do I know anyone who needs to be delivered from serious sin? Who is living a life lacking in holiness? Who is now confronting his or her death? Today, I will use the weapon of the Rosary to fight for them through my prayers.
Household of Nazareth
October 27
“The family that recites the Rosary together reproduces something of the atmosphere of the household of Nazareth: its members place Jesus at the center; they share his joys and sorrows; they place their needs and their plans in his hands; they draw from him the hope and strength to go on.”
-St. John Paul II
For Reflection:
What about my home and my homelife reflect the household of Nazareth? What about it does not? How can I help my family enter into the mysteries of the Rosary so that Jesus is at the center of all we do and say?
Do People Give Off Negative or Positive Energies?
JA asks: “My sil was telling me as a fact, that when you meet someone, they give off an ‘energy.’ I have heard of this in the past, like someone who would have a personality type, say negative, joyful, friendly, grumpy, etc. Now it seems the wording is changing to reflect the new age code word of ‘energy.’ Is this de-sensitizing people to the new age? Is it in direct conflict with Christianity to assume people give off energy?”
Pray with children
October 26
“To pray the Rosary for children, and even more, with children, training them from their earliest years to experience this daily ‘pause for prayer’ with the family, is admittedly not the solution to every problem, but it is a spiritual aid which should not be underestimated.”
-St. John Paul II
For Reflection:
Does my family “pause for prayer” together? What problem is assailing my family today, cultural or otherwise? Can we begin, if we haven’t already begun, to pray the Rosary together for a solution? What is one way I can initiate this effort or what is one way I can increase my family’s prayer of it?
Should You Be Concerned About Tonight’s Spell Casting on Trump & His Supporters?
Thousands of witches and sundry “magical thinkers” are planning to cast a spell tonight on President Donald J. Trump and “those who abet him.” Will this affect those who voted for him?
Family rosary
October 25
“The Holy Rosary, by age-old tradition, has shown itself particularly effective as a prayer which brings the family together.”
-St. John Paul II
For Reflection:
The attack against the family today is great. List some ways this assault is being waged by the secular culture. How can the family Rosary help to safeguard our family?
