…bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Conscience demands uncompromising honesty, and that is why it is an integral component of authentic prayer. When we consciously enter the presence of God, it is imperative that we do so as we are, and not with a persona. This means being alert to any sort of self-deception we may bring to prayer, because God […]
“Being watchful is intimately connected with a sustained and disciplined practice of meditation. Taking the time each day to try to discern the movement of the Spirit prepares us to recognize, to intuit God’s presence and respond wholeheartedly. No matter the form your external meditation takes, the fruit of dedicated practice comes in being able […]
Today we liturgically recall great monastic founder and reformer, St Bruno. What we admire and are grateful for in the mission of Bruno is his accent on silence and contemplation in the daily search for the face of God. Pope Benedict offers us a few ideas for meditation. Of course, Benedict few ideas help us […]
I am frequently confused by Christians. They complain they don’t know the tradition, that they don’t know if God exists, they equate faith, belief, church, sacrament as all the the same and don’t seem to be able to make distinctions. A Vincentian Father begins a personal dialogue that may be helpful to you, as it […]
Prayer and fasting, worship and adoration, Scripture and sacraments and sacramentals all provide the weapons of our spiritual warfare. With them we go on the offensive against the Evil One. But the virtues provide our defense armor. As Blessed Pope Paul VI once observed, St. Paul ‘used the armor of a soldier as a symbol […]
There is a very interesting conference being planned for next week that needs our attention even though the meeting is for clergy and related persons to the field of the spiritual life and exorcism only and the conference is closed to new registrations. The Pope Leo XIII Institute is hosting a conference, “The Virgin Mary’s […]
I saw this post the other day, “The Big Three of Lent.” Thought I would share: Fasting is not just a spiritual diet. By denying our bodies, our physical hunger reminds us of the hunger of our souls for God, our longing for a deeper relationship with Our Lord. Almsgiving teaches us to separate ourselves […]
We know that Pope Francis has a devotion to the Mother of God. No doubt strongly influenced by his Argentinian/Italian and Jesuit background. In some ways he’s no different than most faithful Catholics who have a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Francis has become a frequent papal visitor to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major; […]
Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service is reporting that the recent press on the mystical experience of the emeritus pope is untrue. She writes, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, retired Pope Benedict XVI’s longtime personal secretary, said a story about the pope resigning after a “mystical experience” was completely invented. “It was invented from alpha to omega,” […]
All prayer is communion, not only between Christ and me but also between everybody in the Church and myself. All prayer takes us into the communion of saints. Perhaps it would be helpful to think that when I am praying I am closely united with everybody who ever prayed and everybody now praying. I am […]