Archive for March, 2015

Seven Things that are (Way) Better as a Catholic
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Seven Things that are (Way) Better as a Catholic

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by on Mar 24, 2015 in Contraception & Abortion, Disability, Sickness & Suffering, Evangelization, Featured, Live in Christ, Marriage, Men, Parenting, Women
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Having spent most of my life as an atheist (I converted just 13 years ago), I have a good basis of comparison for the difference between Catholic and non-Catholic life. And without a doubt, these seven things are WAY better now that I’m Catholic! Reprinted with permission from CatholicSistas.com.   1. WEEKENDS My husband and I spent three […]

St. Simon, Martyr
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St. Simon, Martyr

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by on Mar 24, 2015 in Saint of the Day - Ex Form
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“HAIL, flowers of the martyrs!” the Church sings in her Office of the Holy Innocents, who were the first to die for Christ; and in every age mere children and infants have gloriously confessed His name. In 1472 the Jews in the city of Trent determined to vent their hate against the Crucified by slaying […]

Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of the Gospel
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Front Row With Francis: The Joy of Youth

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by on Mar 23, 2015 in Catechesis, Featured, Learn & Live the Faith, The Shepherd's Voice
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In raising children, we rediscover the wealth in youth. On the most basic level, we re-learn the nursery rhymes, we re-memorize Dr. Seuss, and we are fascinated by door-knobs and blue skies and dandelion seeds. There is more to it than this, however. As Pope Francis notes, children are a gift because they witness to […]

St. Turibius of Mongrovejo
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St. Turibius of Mongrovejo

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by on Mar 23, 2015 in Saint of the Day
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TURIBIUS ALPHONSUS MOGROBEJO, whose feast the Church honors on March 23, was born on the 6th of November, 1538, at Mayorga in the kingdom of Leon in Spain. Brought up in a pious family where devotion was hereditary, his youth was a model to all who knew him. All his leisure was given to devotion […]

Sts. Victorian and Others, Martyrs
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Sts. Victorian and Others, Martyrs

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by on Mar 23, 2015 in Saint of the Day - Ex Form
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HUNERIC, the Arian king of the Vandals in Africa, succeeded his father Genseric in 477. He behaved himself at first with moderation towards the Catholics, but in 480 he began a grievous persecution of the clergy and holy virgins, which in 484 became general, and vast numbers of Catholics were put to death. Victorian, one […]

5th Sunday of Lent
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5th Sunday of Lent

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by on Mar 22, 2015 in Saint of the Day
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St. Catharine of Sweden, Virgin
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St. Catharine of Sweden, Virgin

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by on Mar 22, 2015 in Saint of the Day - Ex Form
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ST. CATHARINE was daughter of Ulpho, Prince of Nericia in Sweden, and of St. Bridget. At seven years of age she was placed in the nunnery of Risburgh, and educated in piety under the care of the holy abbess of that house. Being very beautiful, she was, by her father, contracted in marriage to Eggard, […]

Hebrews and the Obedience of Christ
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Hebrews and the Obedience of Christ

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by on Mar 21, 2015 in Catechesis, Columnists, Featured, Learn & Live the Faith, Sunday Reflections
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Heb 5:7-9 Christ learned obedience and became the source of eternal salvation The Letter to the Hebrews is a singular spiritual work, one of the most unique books in the Christian Scriptures. For centuries church fathers believed Hebrews to have been written by the Apostle Paul, the great epistoleer of the New Testament, though modern […]

Free to Love: Marriage Vows
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Free to Love: Marriage Vows

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by on Mar 21, 2015 in Catechesis, Evangelization, Featured, Live in Christ, Marriage
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Our marriage vows reflect the fidelity of God’s love for us. The obligations of the marriage covenant – fidelity, love open to new life, and lifelong sexual exclusivity – ask a lot of another as it assumes a lot about ourselves. Too often we make promises we don’t keep, overextend our commitments, or intend fidelity […]

Unless the Grain of Wheat
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Unless the Grain of Wheat

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by on Mar 21, 2015 in Catechesis, Columnists, Featured, Learn & Live the Faith, Sunday Reflections
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All of us want the very best for those we love. But as we pursue it, we often have a rude awakening. The best turns out to be quite expensive, whether you are dealing with homes, cars, or colleges. To get it will cost much time and money, maybe even some blood, sweat, and tears. […]

St. Benedict, Abbot
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St. Benedict, Abbot

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by on Mar 21, 2015 in Saint of the Day - Ex Form
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ST. BENEDICT, blessed by grace and in name, was born of a noble Italian family about 480. When a boy he was sent to Rome, and there placed in the public schools. Frightened by the licentiousness of the Roman youth, he fled to the desert mountains of Subiaco, and was directed by the Holy Spirit […]

Egg Trafficking and Rented Wombs: UN Learns How Not to Make Babies
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Egg Trafficking and Rented Wombs: UN Learns How Not to Make Babies

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by on Mar 20, 2015 in Featured, Reproductive Technology
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Every seat in the UN auditorium was filled, with a waiting line outside, to hear about making babies. “Online baby making, buying and selling eggs, renting wombs,” said Jennifer Lahl. “We no longer beget our children, we make our children, we build our families.” Lahl is a pediatric nurse turned film director. Her documentaries explore […]

Fear and Natural Family Planning
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Fear and Natural Family Planning

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by on Mar 20, 2015 in Catechesis, Contraception & Abortion, Featured
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As far back as I can remember, heights have posed an unwelcomed challenge. I was the kid who scaled the jungle-gym only to become paralyzed at the summit and tearfully beg for rescue. Ferris wheels are totally off-limits and even today escalators require a mental strategy. I never dreamed of spending my days balancing atop […]

CL3 - hbratton notxt
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St. Wulfran, Bishop

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by on Mar 20, 2015 in Saint of the Day - Ex Form
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His father was an officer in the armies of King Dagobert, and the Saint spent some years in the court of King Clotaire III and of his mother, St. Bathildes. But Wulfran occupied his heart only with God, despising worldly greatness as empty and dangerous, and daily advancing in virtue. His estate of Maurilly he bestowed […]

Ite ad Joseph
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Ite ad Joseph

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by on Mar 19, 2015 in Contraception & Abortion, Disability, Sickness & Suffering, Featured, Live in Christ, Men, Parenting
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Ite ad Joseph! (Go to Joseph!) It’s the great Latin admonition of the Church, to seek the intercession of the Patron Saint of the Church, and a powerful intercessor at that. Against the backdrop of the new aggressive eugenics that has taken solid root in American medicine, and against the war on the Catholic Church […]

Two Josephs, Both Alike in Chastity
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Two Josephs, Both Alike in Chastity

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by on Mar 19, 2015 in Apologetics, Featured, Men
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With our attention upon St. Joseph today, it might be good to look back at the Old Testament figure for whom Mary’s chaste spouse was most likely named. That would be Joseph, son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac, and great-grandson of Abraham. Joseph is a popular name for Jewish boys precisely as a memorial of this […]

Lover of Poverty
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Lover of Poverty

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by on Mar 19, 2015 in Featured, Live in Christ, MyChurchParish.com
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Today is the Feast of St. Joseph. He is special to us because he was special to Jesus. I would like to reflect on a title from the Litany of St. Joseph: Lover of Poverty. As Catholics, Jesus teaches that we are to be poor in spirit. St. Joseph is a wonderful example of this […]

<em>LUCY</em> and the Longing of the Heart for More
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LUCY and the Longing of the Heart for More

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by on Mar 19, 2015 in Featured, On TV and Movies
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I was a young boy in the 1970’s and 80’s, coming of age in the early days of the movie magic of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. of galaxies far, far away, of Close Encounters, and hidden mysteries, of Lost Arks and great adventures. I can honestly say my formation and invitation into wonder and transcendence was assisted, however […]

Challenging Children to Chastity
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Challenging Children to Chastity

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by on Mar 18, 2015 in Education, Featured, Parenting
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The title of this article is also the name of an extremely valuable online booklet by the late Father Henry V. Sattler, CSsR (1917-1999), yet it is also an assignment for today’s parents. Our children and grandchildren are bombarded daily with messages that contradict common sense and put their very lives in jeopardy. It is […]

St. Cyril of Jerusalem
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St. Cyril of Jerusalem

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by on Mar 18, 2015 in Saint of the Day, Saint of the Day - Ex Form
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CYRIL was born at or near the city of Jerusalem, about the year 315. He was ordained priest by St. Maximus, who gave him the important charge of instructing and preparing the candidates for Baptism. This charge he held for several years, and we still have one series of his instructions, given c. 347. They […]

Another Step in a Spiritual Journey
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Another Step in a Spiritual Journey

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by on Mar 17, 2015 in Evangelization, Featured, Men, Parenting, Vocations
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God guided me into the next step of my spiritual journey recently. I was accepted into formation with the St. Louis, Mo., group of the Secular Carmelites. I’m excited. I have my heart and soul open for what might be ahead. I recently completed my year of “aspirancy” with the Secular Carmelites. That stage involved […]

D.C. Snow's Silver Lining
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D.C. Snow’s Silver Lining

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by on Mar 17, 2015 in Featured, Government & Politics, Humor
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I admit it: I love the snow and the cold. I love to be outside, gazing up at the stars on cold, crisp evenings. I love how the snow blankets my hillsides. And most of all, I love how snow disrupts daily life — particularly in Washington, D.C. I lived in Washington for nearly eight […]

What I Told My Bishop About the Synod
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What I Told My Bishop About the Synod

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by on Mar 17, 2015 in Catechesis, Featured, Marriage
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Last week was the final deadline to submit comments to our local bishop about the agenda for the upcoming Synod on the Family, to be reconvened this October at the Vatican. The Synod’s working document, or lineamenta, asked 46 questions about the pastoral care of the family, which the laypeople of our diocese were encouraged […]

Reflections for Sunday, March 22, 2015
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Reflections for Sunday, March 22, 2015

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by on Mar 17, 2015 in Catechesis, Featured, Learn & Live the Faith, Sunday Reflections
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Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading:      Jeremiah 31:31-34 2nd Reading      Hebrews 5:7-9 Responsorial:    Psalm 51:3-4, 12-15 Gospel:              John 12:20-33 Welcoming Others into the Church and the Family of God Whoever serves me must follow me. (John 12:26)   You might wonder whether Jesus is giving the cold shoulder to […]