Oct 1 – Feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor, Patroness of Missions Born to a pious middle-class French family of tradesmen, Francoise-Marie Thérèse Martin (1873–1897) was the daughter of Blessed Louis Martin and Blessed Marie-Azelie Guerin Martin, and all four of her sisters became nuns. Her mother died when Francoise-Marie... Continue Reading →
12 September, Saturday — Praying to Our Lady to place us with Jesus
Sep 12 – Most Holy Name of Mary This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (January 3); both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters. The feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary began in Spain in 1513 and, in 1671, was extended... Continue Reading →
8 September, Tuesday — Miracles in Small Places
Sep 8 – Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary The birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary announced joy and the approaching salvation of a lost world. Mary was brought into the world not like other children of Adam, infected with the contagion of sin, but pure, holy, beautiful, and glorious, adorned with... Continue Reading →
29 August, Saturday — Mother is best
Aug 29 – Beheading of St. John the Baptist To endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather it was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward. Since death was ever at hand, such men considered... Continue Reading →
22 August, Saturday — Fulfilling God’s work in us
Aug 22 – Our Lady, Mother and Queen Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth – and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul – let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of Peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is... Continue Reading →
16 August, Sunday — The Inclusive Mercy of God
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 56:1,6-7Mt 15:21-28 “Woman, you have great faith…” Today’s gospel is interesting because we see a side to Jesus that seems uncharacteristic. Despite the Canaanite woman shouting to get his attention, Jesus seems to ignore her pleas, the urgency of her request notwithstanding. She must have heard of his many... Continue Reading →
28 May, Thursday — Humility Revisited
Thursday of Week 8 in Ordinary Time 1 Pet 2:2-5,9-12Mk 10:46-52 “Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.” Today’s readings really spoke to me, especially when I looked at the behaviour of Bartimaeus (which isn’t his name -- 'Bartimaeus' means “the son of Timaeus”) A few years ago at this time, I had been... Continue Reading →
19 March, Thursday — Quiet Obedience
19 Mar – Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary St. Joseph is a descendant of the house of David. A layman and a carpenter, he was the earthly spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and foster and adoptive father of Jesus Christ. He was a visionary who was visited by angels,... Continue Reading →
7 February, Saturday — Wisdom at the Heart of Life and Love
Saturday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 3:4-13Mk 6:30-34 Give your servant a heart to discern between good and evil... We are told in the Christian life to "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). While this maxim or rule... Continue Reading →
1 February, Sunday — A slice of ‘umble pie’
4th Sunday in Ordinary TimeZep 2:3,3:12-131 Cor 1:26-31Mt 5:1-12a …seek humility… Of all the virtues, humility is probably the hardest for me to cultivate -- largely because it is so difficult to define and measure. With other virtues, like patience, I know I am practising it when I restrain my anger instead of lashing out.... Continue Reading →
