One of the great blessings of Catholic radio is its ability to have a significant impact in the lives of those who listen and, as a program provider for EWTN Global Catholic Radio, I have the opportunity to experience this often.
Take this past Monday's program for example. At the beginning of the program I shared a little about the difference between good fear and morbid fear and the virtue of trust. Apparently, it struck a chord with a lot of our listeners. Following is one email we received. What touched my heart about this woman's experience is that she began to see God making a difference in her life almost immediately.
When you have finished reading the piece you can find additional information about the topic by listening to the podcast of our program (go to the website www.womenofgrace.com) or you can read my post dated 04/28/09.
May God bless you and meet
your deepest need!
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. This prayer, though simple in form, is really a way to take us to the depths of union with God. The following is from
The Women of Grace Foundational Study Guide.
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The Rosary is an ancient prayer form that incorporates all three categories of prayer -- vocal, meditative, and contemplative. Its name is derived from the word
rosarius, meaning a garland or bouquet of roses. This popular devotion has been practiced in teh Chruch for more than a thousand years.
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"
My daughter, be diligent in writing down every sentence I tell you concerning My mercy, because this is meant for a great number of souls who will profit from it."
So said Our Lord Jesus Christ to Sister M. Faustina Kowalska, a religious sister of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. And so began one of the most influential spiritual movements of our day and time -- Divine Mercy.
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Today is the Feast of the Guardian Angels.
Throughout history many poets have found the angels to be a topic of great inspiration and insight. My final post in
this short study on the angels features just such a poem. It is written by J. Corson Miller, an American poet who was born in 1883. The time of his death is unknown.
However, we do know that J. Corson Miller was a devout Catholic of whom one critic wrote, "
Imagination, passion, facility of musical and expressive word and phrase, lyrical tone -- these natural endowments are augmented by education, vision and Catholic faith."
Interestingly and not without note, Miller pledged his life to Our Lady and promised to be her "consecrated knight in deed and song." Many of his poems were written about her and to her.
As you read Miller's poem,
Hymn to the Guardian Angel, look for his profoundly Catholic worldview, his knowledge of the faith, and the imagination and passion he employs to communicate it.
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Today is the Feast Day of St. Therese of Lisieux, one of my favorite saints since childhood.
Since today is her special day and this week of my blog is dedicated to the angels, I am posting a poem St. Therese wrote to her guardian angel.
May it inspire you to seek the intercession of St. Therese and also that of your guardian angel!
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Today's post continues our short study on the angels, a perfect week to consider these marvelous and holy creatures
of God as we celebrate two feast days in their honor. We will be looking at their function and mission. I encourage you to read my earlier two posts on the angels if you haven't done so already.
St. Thomas Aquinas, called the
Angelic Doctor because of his theological and philosophical study of the angels, tells us that the hosts of heaven are divided into three hierarchies of angels with three choirs in each hierarchy. The angel’s hierarchy and choir are directly related to his function and his divine office.
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Happy Feast of the Archangels! Yesterday's post began a short study on the angels. We discussed who the angels are and who the angels are not. Today we are going to take a look at the characteristics of the angels.
Angels are marked by a number of characteristics that are specific to the angelic. First, no two angels are alike. Each of them is a separate and distinct creation, his own species if you will, and each one of them reflects a separate and distinct attribute of God’s divine perfection -- His love, His strength, His goodness. Taken all together, the angels represent the Immensity of God (
St. Michael and the Angels, pg. 12).
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Tomorrow is the Feast of the Archangels (September 29) and Friday is the Feast of the Guardian Angels (October 2). Because of the importance of the angels in God's plan of salvation, their specific intercession for us and the rampant confusion in our day and time regarding them, my blog will offer a short study on the angels for the next couple of days. Each post will close with a suggestion or practical strategy for you to employ. May these posts be a source of clarity and inspiration for you.
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My Dear Friends in Christ,
I am going on retreat for the next eight days. Please keep me in your prayers during this time. I will try to get a blog or two out to you while away, but if not, I will be back with you the week of September 27. May the abundant life of Jesus Christ be yours.
In His Service,
Johnnette
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Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows has its roots back to apostolic times. St. John the Evangelist stood with Mary at the
foot of the cross. He witnessed first hand her holy grief and affliction, but witnessed as well her steadfast devotion to her Son and her maternal entrance into his sufferings.
So profound was Mary's witness that St. John records the event in his Gospel account. It was the fulfillment of Simeon's prophesy of the Infant Jesus in the temple:
"And a sword will pierce you own heart so that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed." You can read about that moment in the second chapter of St. Luke's Gospel.
Theologians tell us that Mary's fiat to God, her yes, at the moment of her annunciation was also her yes to the all of the contradictions and sorrows that would accompany her motherhood. And it was the grace-filled strength of that yes that held her under that tree for three long hours as she watched her Son's agonizing death.
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