We recently received an email from a PREP catechist who expressed concern about her parish introducing the Alpha program for their eighth grade class. Is this program appropriate for Catholics?
Yearly Archives: 2020
St. Monica: Carrying the Family Cross
The canonized women who are mothers add to our altars a special kind of incense – a two-fold fragrance of motherhood, both natural and spiritual. The very definition of their sainthood reveals that the life of the soul was sacrosanct to them and that while they nurtured the physical life of their children, it was eternal life which they desired to impart above all. Read the rest…
The “Monica” Method: How to Evangelize Your Loved One
The next two days mark the feasts of two great saints of the Church, a mother and a son, whose lives give testimony to a sure-fire method of evangelizing those we love.
St. Monica (August 27) is the mother of St. Augustine (August 28), though Augustine was no saint when Monica began her earnest intercession. At that time he was a pagan and a member of the heretical Manichean sect. He was known to be a carouser who lived with a woman to whom he had fathered a child. A brilliant mind, he was “devoted” to his views and his lifestyle, and had no intention of converting to the Catholic faith.
St. Monica was distraught about her son’s dissolute ways and decided to do something about it. She prayed. And in the end, her prayers won the soul of her son.
What was it that made St. Monica’s prayers so effective? I think five strategies are primarily responsible. Perhaps you can implement them as you seek to evangelize those you love.
A future good
August 27
“An inspiration urging us to give up some true good we
already possess in order to pursue a future good is suspect.”
~St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection:
Sometimes the evil one keeps us in the pursuit of what seems to be a better or a greater good. This is only to keep us from completing that which God has intended for us. Have I fallen victim to this ploy of Satan in the past? Am I being tempted to fall ploy to it now? (See tomorrow’s Grace Line for another tactic the evil one uses to keep us from fulfilling God’s will for us.)
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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The voice of the Spouse
August 26
“The voice of the Spouse, that is, His inspiration, in
no way disturbs or troubles her, but draws her so gently that He causes her soul to melt with delight and, as it were, to flow into Him.”
~St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection:
This quote encourages me to follow only those inspirations that are holy and bring my soul peace. To what extent is this helpful in my current deliberation regarding God’s will for me?
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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We Want God!
“We want God!”
This was the rallying cry of the people of Poland on June 2, 1979. A son of Poland had been elevated to the throne of St. Peter, Pope John Paul II.
Study: Mindfulness Meditation Can Trigger Depression
A new study has found that at least eight percent of persons who practice mindfulness meditation experience a worsening in depression or anxiety, and even an onset of these conditions for the first time.
When God sends his inspirations
August 25
“When God sends his inspirations into a man’s heart, the first one
He gives is that of obedience.”
~St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection:
The first sign if something is not of God is that it is disobedient to His laws or the laws of His Church. Is there something out of order in my life? Have I rationalized it so that I think it is God’s will? Ask for the grace to be set free from the delusion.
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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Should You See a Quantum Neurologist?
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Our ministry was recently asked about Quantum Neurology and whether or not this is a legitimate therapy or just another version of the same-old New Age quackery.
Leave all else alone
August 24
“Let each look to himself and see what God wants of him and attend to this, leaving all else alone.”
~Blessed Henry Suso
For Reflection:
Until I know what God wants of me, I cannot give my whole heart to it. This quote suggests I look to myself and see what God wants. What do I think this means? (The next five Grace Lines will give some guidance in knowing God’s particular will.)
If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
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