Jul 4 – Memorial for St. Elizabeth of Portugal Elizabeth (1271-1336) was a princess with a pious upbringing, who became Queen of Portugal before she was a teenager. Elizabeth suffered through years of her husband’s abuse and adultery, praying all the while for his conversion, and working with the poor and sick. She rode onto... Continue Reading →
2 July, Thursday — The Power of Forgiveness
Thursday of Week 13 in Ordinary Time Amos 7:10-17Mt 9:1-8 “Now, which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? In 2011, StoryCorps – a non-profit project that records short stories of everyday people – released one of its recordings: an interview between a mother who had... Continue Reading →
1 July, Wednesday — Obedience
Wednesday of Week 13 in Ordinary Time Amos 5:14-15, 21-24Mt 8:28-34 “Seek good and not evil so that you may live; and that the Lord, God of Hosts, may really be with you as you claim he is.” As a parent of a preschooler, I find that I (as most preschooler parents do I’m... Continue Reading →
2 May, Saturday — Defending Your Faith
May 2 – Memorial for St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor Athanasius (c. 295) studied the classics and theology in Alexandria, Egypt. He was a deacon, secretary, and student of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria. He attended the Council of Nicaea in 325, where he fought for the defeat of Arianism and the acceptance of the divinity of... Continue Reading →
1 May, Friday — Spiritual Blindness
May 1 – Feast of St. Joseph the Worker Joseph (d. 1st century) was a descendant of the House of David. He was a layman, a builder by trade; traditionally a carpenter, but may have been a stone worker. He was the earthly spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the foster and adoptive father... Continue Reading →
30 April, Thursday — Right Teaching
30 Apr – Memorial for St. Pius V, pope Antonio Ghislieri (1504-1572) was born to impoverished Italian nobility, the son of Paolo Ghislieri and Domenica Augeria. He worked as a shepherd as a boy, and received an excellent education in piety and holiness, including a scholastic education from a Dominican friar. He joined the Order... Continue Reading →
29 April, Wednesday — Finding Purpose in Dark Times
29 Apr – Memorial for St. Catherine of Siena, virgin & doctor Catherine (1347-1380) was the youngest child in a large family. At the age of six, she had a vision in which Jesus appeared and blessed her. Her parents wanted her to marry, but she became a Dominican tertiary. She was a mystic and... Continue Reading →