What are your stumbling blocks to holiness? The emphasis is on your stumbling blocks and not anyone else’s. The thing (or things) that make one person stumble may not be an obstruction to another’s holiness. What matters is what makes you stumble on your path to heaven.
Some folks mistakenly think that this feast refers to our Lord – that he was immaculately conceived, without stain of sin. Well, that’s true, but that’s what the Annunciation is all about, not the Immaculate Conception. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was conceived without original sin.
In Ireland, exceptional hospitality isn’t as much a practiced virtue as it is a matter of course. Hospitality is part of what the Irish people are made of and I was the blessed recipient of that hospitality for eight days.
On November 21, the Church celebrates the memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You might be thinking, “Wait a minute. Didn’t we celebrate that earlier in the year?” We did indeed celebrate a presentation feast day earlier in the year – on February 2, as a matter Read more…
We all experience isolation at times in our lives. Whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, isolation can be hard to cope with and can lead to other problems if left unchecked. Many biblical figures experienced isolation from Abraham, Moses, Job, and Jeremiah to Mary, the Holy Family and Read more…
Petition our Lady of the Rosary for victory in your life. Perhaps you’re battling family discord. Perhaps it’s unemployment or financial distress. Perhaps it’s confusion over vocation or weighty decisions. Whatever you’re battling right now, give it to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask her with all your heart to be victorious.
If the Virgin Mary can, through her intercession, effect a monumental victory on the battlefield, don’t you think she can effect a monumental victory over us? The Star of the Sea seeks constantly to win our hearts for Christ, and she will, if we open our hearts to her.