Hey there, Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind but now I see I’m sure those words are familiar ... they open one of the most beloved hymns of all time, Amazing Grace. It’s estimated to be performed more than 10 million times every year and appears on over 11,000 albums ... a testament to its universal message of …
Understanding Purgatory And Our Relationship With The Holy Souls
Hey there, As Catholics we share a common goal to go to heaven. And we understand that when our time on Earth is finished, we likely will spend time in an interim transition called purgatory before we enter heaven. This is a good time to look at purgatory because November is four days away. It’s the month the Catholic Church dedicates to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. We will celebrate All …
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Following Your Guardian Angel’s Lead
Hey there, When someone tells you to “Follow my lead,” you understand they want you to do what they do … or do what they tell you to do. And if you trust that person, you’ll follow their lead. And expect the best outcome. So if I were to tell you that God has given you your own personal angel whose sole job is to lead you to heaven … wouldn’t you want to follow his lead? The trick of …
The Road to Our Salvation Goes Through Reparation
Hey there, There is so much we work on as Catholics to try to ensure our salvation. Prayer, attending Mass, Reconciliation, good deeds, and trying to keep the Commandments. We have the lives of the Saints we can model, the teachings in Scripture, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But one often overlooked and rarely discussed subject is reparation. Merriam-Webster defines …
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Fasting: It’s Not Just For Lent
Hey there, Whenever discussion turns to the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan’s name comes up. But did you know he didn’t make his high school Varsity basketball team the first time he tried out? It’s true. He ran home, locked himself in his room, and cried … and then he went to work. Talking about that JV year, Jordan said, “Whenever I was working out and got tired …
Celebrating The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary
Hey there, On Friday, August 15th, Catholics around the world will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Well, some Eastern Catholics will celebrate something slightly different ... more on that below. It’s not always a Holy Day of Obligation, depending on the day of the week it falls on. But this year it is a Holy Day of Obligation. I ran across this …
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Turning Obligations Into Opportunities
Hey there, Any self-help guru will tell you there are several keys to achieve a goal: Clearly define the goal Break the goal down into smaller, achievable accomplishments Do a little everyday towards the goal We have been applying these techniques throughout our lives. When we were in school and working to graduate. In our professions to get that dream job … or …
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Why Our Salvation is a Process … And Isn’t Guaranteed
Hey there, There once was a minister who died and was waiting in line at the pearly gates. Ahead of him was a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. Saint Peter addressed this guy, "Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?" The guy replied, "I'm Joe Cohen, taxi driver, of Noo Yawk City." Saint Peter consulted his list. …
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Refreshing Your Perspective on Miracles
Hey there, Catholicism is filled with miracles, going back to the early days of the Old Testament. There are miracles throughout the New Testament and even today, Saints are being Canonized with the evidence of miracles they’ve worked. Miracles are all around us. But do we really know what the Catholic Church considers a miracle? And do we recognize them in our own lives? I had a friend …
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Uncovering The Mystery of The Magisterium
Hey there, I’ve learned a lot about Catholicism since I began Genuflect. As a cradle Catholic who attended Catholic school, you’d think I wouldn’t have had that much to learn. But it’s not unusual as I’m researching one topic, for another topic to jump out at me. That’s what happened in the case of the magisterium. The magi-what? That’s right. I had never heard of the magisterium …
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Encountering The Angels Among us
Hey there, We see representations of angels all around us. Who can forget the angel Clarence in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” who earns his wings by helping George Bailey. Or John Travolta’s cigarette smoking, dancing version of the Archangel in “Michael.” Whether in movies, books, music, or art, we’re presented with all kinds of images of angels. Images that tend to stick with us. But …
How The Immaculate Heart of Mary Will Lead You to Heaven
Hey there, Bless your heart! Heart and soul. Broken heart. Bleeding heart. Heartburn. We talk a lot about our hearts. And why not .... the heart is a powerful organ. It pumps our lifeblood throughout our body, keeping us alive. And we attribute the heart to our emotional lifeblood … our love. Just as deadly as a heart attack, we hear about someone dying of a broken heart. Of …
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