April 7
"Wives, mothers of families, the first educators of the human race in the intimacy of the family circle, pass on to your sons and your daughters the traditions of your fathers at the same time that you prepare them for an unsearchable future. Always remember that by her children a mother belongs to that future which perhaps she will not see..."
-TO WOMEN, VATICAN COUNCIL II CLOSING SPEECHES AND MESSAGES, Pope Paul VI
April 6
"In a wholly singular way she [Mary] cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the work of the Savior in restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is mother to us in the order of grace."
-Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium
April 5
"Holy Spirit, come into my heart. Bring new life to the ancient prayers I learned as a child, and inspire me to voice my innermost thoughts to the God who knows them all. Amen."
-Johnnette Benkovic Williams
LB writes: "I have a relative in my family who is a trained physical therapist. I have noticed that she talks about organs "having certain emotional energy" These energies give way to our illnesses in our bodies. She has even been able to sense that a patient had an abortion years earlier, causing her uterus to retain the trauma inflicted to it. Many people admire her ability to release this negative energy from her patients. I worry that this seems very new age. In all other areas of her life she is an outstanding catholic. She has been trained in cranial sacral therapy, holistic healing, too. Any thoughts?"
April 4
"Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..."
-Ephesians 5:18-20
Interior of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (Photo courtesy of Wikicommons Images, Cezary Piwowarski, CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)In spite of the dismal state of Christianity throughout Europe, new numbers out of France and Belgium are showing an unexpected sharp rise in the number of adolescent and adult baptisms during this Easter season.
April 3
"An invisible power seemed to plunge me wholly into fire...but oh! what fire! what sweetness!"
-St. Thérèse of Lisieux
LD writes: “I often hear you say on Wacky Wednesday that the reason why dead people can’t come back and haunt us isn’t just about religion, but physics. What do you mean by that?”
April 2
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
O Holy Sprit, Soul of my soul I adore Thee.
Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me.
Tell me what I ought to do, then command me to do it.
I promise to be submissive to all that Thou asks of me,
and to accept all that Thou permittest to happen to me,
only show me what is Thy will. Amen.
-Joseph Cardinal Mercier
On Saturday, March 16th, at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a Lenten Morning of Grace was held as an opportunity for women for spiritual growth and holy fellowship.
