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 …
Continue Reading about Celebrating The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary
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 …
Continue Reading about Turning Obligations Into Opportunities
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. …
Continue Reading about Why Our Salvation is a Process … And Isn’t Guaranteed
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 …
Continue Reading about Refreshing Your Perspective on Miracles
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 …
Continue Reading about Uncovering The Mystery of The Magisterium
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 …
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 …
Continue Reading about How The Immaculate Heart of Mary Will Lead You to Heaven
Hey there, I love a good mystery. Fiction and nonfiction. Police shows, detective stories, murder mysteries. If there’s a whodunit, an unsolved crime ... I’m in. I love learning more as clues are revealed. Tracking down leads. Trying to think of possible solutions. It’s incredibly satisfying when the mystery is solved. I would have made a great detective. But it can get a …
Continue Reading about Investigating The Mystery of The Holy Trinity
Hey there, It’s hard to believe it’s already June! In the Northern Hemisphere, June brings time to enjoy warmer weather, outdoor activities, vacations … And a few celebrations. Like two holidays we celebrate in the US … Flag Day and Father’s Day. Did you know that today is National Hug Your Cat Day? If you’re not into cats, it’s also National Cheese Day. There are also month-long …
Hey there, What do you think of when you hear the word mercy? Mercy me! Have mercy! Beg for mercy. I watch a lot of sports so I think of the ole mercy rule … where a game is stopped when one team scores a lot of runs on the other team. Merriam-Webster defines mercy as: “Compassion or forbearance … shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power.” Whatever comes …
Hey there, We have many ways to communicate with each other. There are newer ways like sending an email or a text message. Posting on someone’s Facebook wall … or sliding into their DMs. Then there are the old school methods … writing a letter, calling on the telephone, or paying a visit. We use different means of communication at different times. But of all the different ways to …
Continue Reading about Meeting Jesus Face-to-Face in Eucharistic Adoration
Hey there, Jesus was standing over the woman caught in adultery and challenged the crowd that “He who is without sin, cast the first stone.” Suddenly, a rock hits the back of his head. Jesus turns and exclaims, “Mom!” Seriously though, it’s nine months until Mary becomes Jesus’s mother on Christmas day … and on March 25th we will celebrate when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked …
Continue Reading about How Mary’s Annunciation Fiat is Key to Our Holiness
