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Saint Francis and the Value of Poverty

Saint Francis and the Value of Poverty

I spent many of my formative years during college and beyond under the guidance of priests and brothers from a Franciscan community in New York City. On Friday mornings I...
October 04, 2023
Jacinta and Francisco // Models of Consolation and Reparation

Jacinta and Francisco // Models of Consolation and Reparation

In the room that I shared with my sister while we were growing up, we had a small, glow-in-the-dark statue of Our Lady of Fatima with three little children kneeling...
February 20, 2023
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 15

Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 15

“Give me a drink.” (John 4:7) These are the words of the Lord to us this day as we come to rest with Him and spend precious time with Him in prayer. He is the One who invites us to this rendezvous. 
January 15, 2023
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 14

Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 14

One might be tempted to think that it must have been easy for Mother Teresa to be united to the Lord. There were even occasions when “the Voice” (Come Be My Light, 85) spoke to her interiorly. Jesus communicated Himself in a very intimate way with her. If that was the case for us, we might argue, how easy things would be!
January 14, 2023
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 13

Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 13

After my time as a missionary in a foreign country had come to an end and the convent life before that was already only a memory, I returned to the US with many questions and a lot to unload.
January 13, 2023
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 12

Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 12

Mother Teresa spent hours each day in prayer before the start of her service to the poor and at the end of a long day. She did not use her work, immense physical labor, or fatigue as an excuse to forgo time with her Lover and Intimate Friend.
January 12, 2023
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 11

Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 11

Most of us have seen some romantic comedies—whether as teenagers, in our hopeless college years, or perhaps even later on in life. Who doesn’t like a good, sappy romance movie...
January 11, 2023
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 10

Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 10

The first time I was “stopped in my tracks” by Mother Teresa was when I was a teenager. I sat next to my mom to watch a documentary about her...
January 10, 2023
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 9

Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 9

Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her… And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you...
January 09, 2023
How to Live the Mass More Fully

How to Live the Mass More Fully

What if we could live the Mass as our highest prayer no matter the circumstance? The stress from work, the drama with friends, the exams nearing at school, the list...
December 01, 2022
name blessed mother

The Holy Name of Mary

I always had a problem with my name growing up. I wondered why my parents didn’t give me an easy-to-pronounce name. Rocio, although beautiful when pronounced rightly in Spanish, felt...
September 12, 2022
saint bartholomew nathaniel

On Saint Bartholomew

In the tradition of the Church, Bartholomew and Nathaniel are the same person. Think of Nathaniel as his first name and Bartholomew as his last name, since it designates his...
August 24, 2022