My third and final installment of “What Must I Do to Be Saved” will come next week. As we are only a few days from the month of June, here is an earlier Ad Rem that might make for timely … Continue reading
Category: Spiritual Life
Joseph of Genesis and the Mystery of Christian Forgiveness
Quotes Worth Contemplating for Eastertide Short of murder, it would be difficult for someone to show better how much he hated his little brother than by selling him into slavery. Which was exactly what Joseph’s brothers did to him. It would … Continue reading
At the Foot of the Cross: Mary’s Sorrows and the Helplessness of Her Love
Part Two of an Adapted Excerpt from The Crucifixion Mary became our Mother just when She lost Jesus. Since She had already had such a love of souls, and since that love had already been immensely increased by the events … Continue reading
At the Foot of the Cross: Mary’s Sorrows and the Test of Her Faith
An Adapted Excerpt from The Crucifixion Mary had stood through at the foot of the Cross, the entire Three Hours, though She had had a sleepless night, and the morning had been crowded full with terrible happenings. In the strength … Continue reading
A Death in Lent (RIP, John Wassmer)
Blessed Abbot Columba Marmion, O.S.B., wrote that “Christianity is a mystery of life and death.” By virtue of our Baptism and Eucharistic Communion with Jesus Christ, our life and death, and our new life after death, are intimately bound up … Continue reading
Cinderella — A True Story
Once upon a time there was a wretched, little soul, covered with the dirtiness of sin and clothed in the rags of fallen human nature. Her wicked step-angels despised her and laughed at her miserable condition. They sought by their name calling … Continue reading
Why Does God Desire Our Sacrifices?
Quotes Worth Contemplating for Lent There is no question that sacrifices, little acts of self-denial, voluntary mortifications, etc., are an integral part of Catholic spirituality. Our Lord told Bl. Anna Maria Tiagi, “Those who wish to follow My way must … Continue reading
Five Things You Can Know about the Holy Trinity
Some time before Vatican II, a certain prelate in a major U.S. archdiocese gave the invocation at an interfaith meeting at which Jews were present. So as not to offend, he began his prayer thus: “In the name of God. … Continue reading
St. Francis de Sales: Great Soul, Little Soul, or ‘Middle Soul’?
In my article, “On Great Souls and Little Souls,” I tried to show the very tangible criteria by which we may safely see Little Souls like St. Therese, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and Servant of God Marcel Van as … Continue reading
Mary and the Holy Ghost at Christmastime
True to his intense devotion to the Incarnation and the divine economy flowing from that great Mystery, Saint Francis of Assisi gave the Church the first living Nativity scene, in order to show, in a vivid and very present manner, … Continue reading
Sister Talk: When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Mary: Five Secrets of Catholic Battle Joy
In this powerful talk, our own Sister Marie Gabrielle breaks open the idea of Catholic battle joy — the supernatural joy that comes from fighting for God, for the Faith, and for souls, under the banner of Our Lady, the … Continue reading
Sister Talk: ‘Blessed Are the Helpless’ — The Story of St. Eustace & the Gift of Suffering
When life feels out of control and completely helpless, God is often closer than ever. In this powerful Catholic conference talk by Sister Marie Gabrielle, M.I.C.M., we follow the dramatic life of St. Eustace — a Roman general who loses … Continue reading
Theresian ‘Littleness’ — What Is It Really?
It is impossible to read The Story of a Soul and not be struck by St. Therese’s marked predilection for the word littleness. She likes to compare herself to a little toy or a little ball belonging to the Infant … Continue reading
Human Love: How Much Is Too Much?
“You are so deeply engraved on my heart that the more I realize how truly you love me from the depths of your soul, the more incapable I am of forgetting you, and the more constantly you are in my … Continue reading
On the Boy Jesus and the Doctors of the Law
Saint Luke, the only Gentile author of the New Testament, and the “historian of Christ’s meekness” (as Dante styles him), narrates several episodes in the life of Jesus that no other evangelist writes of, including the second, fourth, and fifth … Continue reading
