5th day within the Octave of Christmas 1 Jn 2:3-11Lk 2:22-25 Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord. One of my very dearest Catholic friends and I have a set time early every Friday morning to spend 5-10 minutes in a weekly catch up, and then another 25-40 minutes in our ‘Anchor’ reflecting... Continue Reading →
19 August, Monday — A Richer Exchange
Aug 19 – Memorial for St. John Eudes, priest, religious founder John Eudes (1601-1680) established seminaries, and founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary Eudists to promote virtuous secular parochial clergy not bound by vows, but dedicated to improving the clergy through seminaries and missions. He also founded the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity... Continue Reading →
4 August, Sunday — Right Motives
18th Sunday in Ordinary TimeExo 16:2-4,12-15Jn 6:24-35 ‘…you are not looking for me because you have seen the signs…’ Brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that he is interested in our motives even more than our actions. While the crowds had sought Jesus out by getting into their boats and crossing... Continue Reading →
20 January, Saturday — Crazily in Love
20 Jan – Memorial for St. Fabian, pope and martyr; Memorial for St. Sebastian, martyr Pope St. Fabian (d. 250) was a layman and a farmer. He came into Rome on a day when a new pope was to be elected. A dove flew in and settled on his head. The gathered clergy and laity... Continue Reading →
23 December, Saturday — Me Before You: Faith
Dec 23 – Memorial for St. John of Kanty, presbyter St. John of Kanty (1390-1473) was a Polish country lad. A brilliant student at the University of Krakow, Poland, he became a priest and professor of theology at the University of Krakow, where he was falsely accused and ousted by university rivals. At the age... Continue Reading →
23 October, Monday — Faith in God’s promise
Oct 23 – Memorial for St John of Capistrano, priest John of Capistrano was a Franciscan friar and Catholic priest from the Italian town of Capestrano, Abruzzo. Famous as a preacher, theologian, and inquisitor, he earned himself the nickname ‘the Soldier Saint’ when in 1456 at age 70, he led a Crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade with the Hungarian military commander, John Hunyadi. Elevated to... Continue Reading →
22 August, Tuesday — What absurd suggestion is the Lord making of you?
Aug 22 – Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary 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... Continue Reading →
7 July, Friday — Letting go and letting God lead
Friday of Week 13 in Ordinary Time Gn 23:1-4,19;24:1-8,62-67Mt 9:9-13 …he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. In today’s Gospel passage, Matthew the tax collector was at work, sitting at the customs house, when Jesus walked by and said to him, “Follow me”. And he got up and followed... Continue Reading →
6 June, Tuesday – Rendering to God
Tuesday of Week 9 in Ordinary Time Tob 2:9-14Mark 12: 13-17 "Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar -- and to God what belongs to God." I certainly have heard this verse a lot when I was a young adult, especially in the context of being able to differentiate things that are of 'this... Continue Reading →
1 June, Thursday — Humility Revisited
Jun 1 – Memorial for St. Justin, martyr Justin (c.100–165) was a pagan philosopher who converted at the age of 30 by reading the Scriptures and witnessing the heroism and faith of martyrs. He used his philosophical and oratorial skills to dispute with pagans and explain the faith, becoming one of the first great Christian... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 