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One of the most insightful questions anyone has ever asked me was this: to which Person of the Trinity do you most frequently turn? Let that question sink in for a minute on this Trinity Sunday. When you pray, do you notice to Whom your prayers are directed? Do you speak to Jesus as a friend? Are you seeking the consolation or protection of the Father? Are you inclined to the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit? Why do you imagine that is? Has it always been that way? What might happen in prayer if you stepped out of your habit and invited God to respond to you from a less familiar place? Let God surprise you  Speaking for myself, this is one of those phrases that is much more palatable embroidered on throw pillows, than in my daily routine. Is it safe to do so? we might wonder. If you have ever read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you might remember Aslan the Lion, who symbolizes God, described not as safe, but good! That is exactly what we have signed up for, as well as the beauty of our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Who is as described by Saint Augustine as ‘beauty ever ancient and ever new.’ Pare it down Anytime I teach religious education, I like to ask students to tell me about how they would explain the topic of the day to their younger brother or sister, or how adults might describe it to a niece or nephew. I find it so helpful for myself and others to pare down to the absolute core, what we know to be true as a foundation to build upon. With a topic like Trinity Sunday, it feels right to begin the same way. Without fail when it comes to the Trinity, the littlest grades will come barreling out of class bearing their coloring sheets describing the Persons of the Trinity: The Father is God, the Son is God, the Spirit is God. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father. All three Persons are distinct, but One. All true, and pretty deep for kindergarten catechesis! {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} Metaphors Further down the hall—others introduce analogies like the three parts of an egg, the leaves on a shamrock, or the sun’s light, heat, and fiery appearance to help simplify this tremendous tenet of our faith—all of which are helpful in some ways but eventually break down.  A more advanced metaphor that I have come to treasure comes from the Greek term  Perichoresis, a word describing the constant movement of the Persons of the Trinity in communion with one another: the constant gift of self the Father offers the Son and the Son offers the Father in return, animated by the Holy Spirit Who proceeds from this mutual self gift. One translation even describes the relationship as a dance. I like the dancing metaphor: beautiful, graceful, creative, embracing, in motion, etc. Important adjectives as we think of the distinctions and unity present in the Persons of the Trinity as manifest in Scripture, as well as in our lives. Today’s Feast While this Sunday stands out in a particular way as a day to recognize and celebrate this pillar of our faith, we reclaim our belief in a Triune God every single Sunday at Mass when we recite the Apostles’ Creed.  I believe in God, the Father Almighty . . .  I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord . . . I believe in the Holy Spirit . . .  As an exercise in prayer, take some time with Scripture verses that you love (or use the examples listed below) that describe each Person of the Trinity. Sit with them in prayer and ask God to reveal something new to you about who God is. Step out in faith and ask the Lord to accompany you and to surprise you this week! // Father …And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18). “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions (Matthew 6:9-13). Son For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5). And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Holy Spirit And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you (John 14:16-17). When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them (Acts 2: 1-3).

It is an easy temptation to turn inward, to procrastinate, to expect and even demand our own instant gratification. Mother Mary is the direct antithesis to our stubborn self-obsession. Gently, through example, she teaches us that turning outward in zealous love for the glory of God brings rejoicing, communion, and conversion.  Today on the Feast of the Visitation, we celebrate Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth. Every year when this Gospel reading is proclaimed, I am struck by the word haste: “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth” (Luke 1:39-40). This past year, I came across a blog post describing Luke’s use of this word. Dominican Brother Benedict Hernandez writes, “Luke uses the word σπουδῆς (spoudēs), which is translated as ‘with haste’ but the word can also mean ‘with zeal.’”  With Energy and Enthusiasm Zeal is defined as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” How beautiful to ponder! Mary, newly pregnant, in her first trimester, zealously, energetically, and enthusiastically travels in pursuit of a cause, an objective—namely, to visit, to impart grace upon, her cousin Elizabeth. Learning the biblical meaning of the word “haste” was a revelation of my own sloth and lack of zeal, my deficient energy and enthusiasm. He Gives Us Grace Upon Grace Yet when God reveals, He doesn’t leave us stuck. The revelations He allows our heart to experience are gifts, and He always couples those revelations with graces. It is up to us to accept the graces He lavishly pours out upon us. Mary’s momentum and zeal are meant to inspire us. Yes, part of that inspiration is self-reflection, yet we are not meant to wallow in despair contemplating our inadequacy. Rather, we are called to learn from the school of Mary and replicate that love in action. First Things First The first thing we must do is ask for the grace. To do this, we must be in a state of grace. On this Feast of the Visitation, let us go in haste to receive the Sacrament of Confession. Our Lady, Spouse of the Spirit, will accompany us. Our Heavenly Father will impart upon us grace upon grace in the confessional.  Actionable Ways To Imitate Mary Then, let us reflect on actionable ways, specific to our unique state in life, in which we can imitate Our Lady’s Visitation to Elizabeth. Here is the list I came up with for myself: Bring a meal to a family once a month. Write a letter to a family member once a week.  FaceTime my grandmother with my son each week. Every morning, consecrate the day to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to overshadow me with His grace, just as He did Our Lady. What would you add to this list? Share in the comment section below!  

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“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit . . . ” (Acts 2:2-4) Pentecost is the culmination of the 50-day liturgical season of Easter. On this day, we commemorate the day in which the promised Holy Spirit descended upon Mary and the Apostles. Prior to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were uncertain and afraid of what was to come. Even on the day of Pentecost, they remained hidden for fear of death. But as soon as they received the Holy Spirit, a new courage and passion for the faith welled up in their hearts, and it flowed out and covered the entire earth, as they set out to spread the Gospel. “The grace of the Holy Ghost is above all inward, but it ought to have outward effects … The grace of the Holy Ghost … leads us to be proud of our Faith” (Eastertide Day by Day). A Change of Seasons Most of us know the liturgical season that comes after Pentecost as Ordinary Time. However, prior to the changes to the Mass in the late 1960s, the liturgical season after Easter was called the Time After Pentecost. I had never heard of this until three years ago, when my family and I began attending the Traditional Latin Mass, where the season’s name remains unchanged. I noticed the distinction in my missal. And I was drawn to the ancient title of this particular liturgical season. Time After Pentecost I liked the sound of that. And it drew me to contemplate how I can more deeply live out a season of Pentecost. How can an entire season of Pentecost allow me to be more open to the Holy Spirit? How can it allow Christ’s Spirit to expand within my soul to the point where He flows into all corners of my "ordinary" life? What is the Time After Pentecost? This liturgical season obviously begins where the Easter season ends, with the Solemnity of Pentecost. It is the longest liturgical season, taking up most of the second half of the calendar year. The liturgical seasons preceding it (Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter) tell the miraculous story of our redemption. The Time After Pentecost sheds new light on various dogmas of faith and the furtherance of the Christian life (see The Liturgical Year). In other words, this season invites us to root ourselves in the Catholic faith and to allow Christ to shape every aspect of our lives. It gives us opportunities to practice what we proclaim. "Now, it is during the period called, by the Liturgy, The Time after Pentecost, that there is signified and expressed this regenerated life, which is to be spent on the model of Christ's, and under the direction of his Spirit." (The Liturgical Year). Embracing the Mystery A thread of mystery runs throughout our Faith. The concept of the Triune God remains mysterious even to the most learned of theologians. The reality of how Mary conceived the Christ Child is a mystery to behold. And the mystery of transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Holy Eucharist requires us to put our faith and trust in a God who can do the impossible. In order to believe in these mysteries with a faith that surpasses all understanding, we need God to breathe the Holy Spirit into every nook and cranny of our being. “Yes, it was necessary that the Holy Ghost should come, so that he might increase our light, and enkindle a fire within us that should never be quenched. This divine Paraclete came down from heaven; he gave himself to us; he wishes to take up his abode within us, and take our life of regeneration entirely into his own hands.” (The Liturgical Year) {formbuilder:OTk4ODY=} Putting Pentecost into Practice The purpose of this Time After Pentecost is to not just to understand our faith as mystery but to live it as reality. How do we cooperate with God’s purpose for this season? We begin by looking at what this season offers us: days, devotions, and divine readings. Days // Three important feast days are set at the very beginning of this liturgical season. They have much to teach us about Who we believe in and how we practice our faith: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity Feast of Corpus Christi Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus These feasts invite us to dive into the teachings of the Catholic Church. They encourage us to ponder how we pray to a Triune God, how we live a Eucharistic life, and how we find refuge in the very heart of Christ. In addition, the Time After Pentecost includes numerous feast days of Saints. Their lives are a gateway to growing more intimately with Christ through the Holy Spirit, because in their varied life experiences, they show us how to tangibly live out the Paschal Mystery. We can celebrate feast days practically by: Attending a Eucharistic procession Reading the biography of a saint Enthroning our homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotions // Each month of the liturgical year, the Catholic Church gives us a special dedication. These dedications are a beautiful way to focus our prayer time and grow in our devotion. Within the Time After Pentecost, three of these dedications are reserved for Our Lady: August // Immaculate Heart of Mary September // Our Lady of Sorrows October // Holy Rosary This means that throughout the Time After Pentecost, we have several opportunities to contemplate the glories of Mary. We can ponder her fiat and how her yes sustained her during some of the most painful suffering any human has ever endured. In addition, we can grow in our relationship with her, as she leads us ever closer to her Son. On a practical level, we can: Increase our recitation of the Holy Rosary Plant a Mary garden Consecrate our lives to Mary Divine Readings // The sacred Liturgy can have a “sweet and healthy influence” on our souls, when we enter into her rhythm of prayer (The Liturgical Year). Prior to the liturgical changes that took place in 1970, the Scripture readings for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass were prayerfully placed on particular days many centuries ago. But even if we follow the readings of the newer form of the Mass, we can still marvel at how perfectly they fit whatever we may be going through in the present moment. This is because the Word of God is alive and active. It is always moving in the world and stirring in the souls of those who seek the Lord and strive to follow Him. When we pray with the Church’s Liturgy, we become more rooted in the life of Christ and grounded in His Word. What’s even more incredible is that “the Cycle of the Liturgy, with its rays of light and grace for the soul, is not a phenomenon that occurs only once … it returns each year” (The Liturgical Year). What a merciful design of God! For every year, He puts within our reach the most powerful of all means for leading us to Himself. We can practically incorporate divine reading by: Praying with the daily Gospel Pursuing the practice of lectio divina Reading a book on prayer Knowing the importance of this Time After Pentecost, and how the Holy Spirit reigns in a special manner over this second half of the year, how do you plan on living out your Faith as we begin this new liturgical season? HIS WORD CHANGES LIVES God is speaking to you through His Word. In this personal study, you will learn to hear God's voice by reading slowly and praying deeply. BEGIN THE JOURNEY

If there’s one virtue I struggle with, it would be hope. In part because of my melancholic nature, my inner pendulum swings more toward pessimism.  I see the difficulties before they arise, sigh with the weight of anticipated woes, expect disappointment around every corner, and wait for the other shoe to drop. At times, it affects my spiritual life, too.  This is how prayer might go for someone like me:  Lord, I say yes to You. I desire Your Will more than anything, and I lay down (this need, intention, etc) at your feet. Please take this ache in my heart and work it for good. Of course, that probably means you want me to suffer. You know that suffering will purify me, and You know that I need lots of that. So I suppose my desires won’t be fulfilled in this life. Or ever.  Sigh. It’s OK, Lord. You know best. If life is nothing but an ongoing crucifixion and inner dryness, I accept it. I surrender to a life of suffering. All for you, Lord.  There’s a certain amount of truth, of course, to prayers like these. We live in a fallen world, and for our own good God allows a certain amount of suffering to bring about greater glory. St. Ignatius tells us in his rules of discernment to prepare ourselves for desolation even in times of consolation. We can’t expect unremitting bliss—that would be ridiculous.  And we do need to surrender, to die to ourselves. This is the way to holiness. Experience tells us that love is sometimes, maybe even often, painful.  But - Hope. Hope is buoyant. Hope lifts our eyes to heavenly things rippling over all of our lives—even in the here and now, bright pockets of paradise turned inside-out over our days and tasting of splendor.  Hope is the antidote to pessimism, depression, and a listless sort of defeatism.  Hope reminds us that we live in New Testament times, and that the eternal covenant wrought by Jesus on the Cross and the Coming of the Holy Spirit means that even now eternity has begun—that “everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31) is meant for us in this very moment. And so surrendering doesn’t just mean allowing something to give way— it means making space for Someone. And when He comes, everything changes. When I was a teenager, I noticed a new book on my parent’s bookshelf: Let the Fire Fall by Father Michael Scanlan. I pulled it down and read it in a single afternoon, lost in his story of conversion, vocation, and baptism in the Holy Spirit. A new world, a world of vibrancy and faith and healing and power opened up for me between those pages and almost immediately, I decided I want that, too. I knew that the college he’d transformed into an oasis of renewal, Franciscan University of Steubenville, would be my next home.  While studying there, I attended a Life in the Spirit Seminar—not once, but twice—and was baptized in the Holy Spirit (which is really nothing other than giving a deeper yes to God and a petition for Him to release the graces we’ve already received in our baptism in a fuller way). And what I experienced is what we were all meant to know: that life lived with the Holy Spirit is a breathtaking adventure. The pessimistic girl was lifted on her heavenly Father’s shoulders and shown a new vista where His presence could be seen around every corner. It was as if Someone opened the blinds in my heart. With the Spirit, light is more luminous. Colors are brighter. Joy is sweeter. Life is richer. From the first moments after Pentecost, Christians have known what it is to suddenly be awakened to the breathtaking presence of God even in the ordinariness of things.  Even a cup, a chair, or a brown dress Could draw their tears with the great loveliness That wrote tremendous secrets every place. —Jessica Powers, “The First Pentecost” Pentecost is my favorite time in the Church year, a new opportunity for a greater release of the Spirit’s gifts in our lives. It is a time to believe with fervor that life really is beautiful now, that God’s gaze is never turned from us and that His countenance splashes radiance everywhere. That He wants us to know joy and fulfillment here and taste eternity even in this present moment. “Time,” said St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, “is eternity begun and still in progress.” When we live this life with God, she said, “we realize His divine dream.” And that dream is full of wonders. What if, then, surrender and self-sacrifice means more than suffering? What if it also means making space for miracles? For becoming more of ourselves, in Christ? For new opportunities and resurrections and divine, Spirit-inspired dreams? What if it’s wonderful?  Someone who knew hope and lived it well was Pope John Paul II. His words to youth in the Czech Republic are powerful reminders to us in these days leading up to Pentecost: "Do not be afraid! Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure. He alone can give full meaning to life, He alone is the center of history. Live by Him! With Mary! With your saints! Ask Christ for the gift of the Spirit. For it is precisely He, the Spirit, the Divine Person who has the task of healing, purifying, sanctifying men's consciences, and thus renewing the face of the earth. With all my heart I want this to happen to you, to your nation... and to the people of the whole world. May the words proclaimed so powerfully by the Church in today's liturgy be fulfilled in you: Veni Santce Spiritus, Come, Holy Spirit! In You is the source of light and life, in You the flame of eternal love; in You the secret of Hope that never disappoints. Come, Holy Spirit! Amen.” This week as we approach Pentecost, let’s lift our hearts in a posture of receptivity to the One who not only gave us life but promised it in abundance. Let’s ask for a greater outpouring of His own life within us, the life that gives everything meaning. Let’s ask for more of Him.  And let’s expect it to be wonderful. ** Want to find more hope? Pope Benedict XVI called prayer “a school of hope” in his encyclical Spe Salvi. To learn more about prayer, hope, and a life lived in relationship with the persons of the Holy Trinity—including the Holy Spirit—consider joining a group for The Well Mentorship, Blessed is She’s 8-week spiritual mentorship program and rediscover the vibrancy of a life firm in identity and rich in intimacy. Registration is open now for sessions beginning the week of June 5! Sign Up for The Well

Does anyone remember the books in the series Chicken Soup for the Soul? I’m probably dating myself here but I often binge read the Chicken Soup for the Soul books from my local library as an adolescent. I can’t help but think about the personal essays from that series when I read Crystalina Evert’s book, Women Made New!—and see that craft carried out through a Catholic lens.   It’s not so much about the storytelling but the writers’ experiences and lives themselves that make this book a treasury of wisdom. The chapters are set up in a very easy format, making it very manageable to read, unlike other books that make you feel like you have to crawl to the end of a lengthy chapter. There were moments when I couldn’t put the book down because I was so enthralled with one of the writer’s stories. Other chapters invited me to pause and put the book down so I could really process what I was reading. It’s not the type of book that you can read in one sitting (at least for me it wasn’t). It is meant to help you open your eyes for the first time or even third time to areas of your life that need freedom through the Divine Physician’s healing, forgiveness from others and yourself, and awakening to the person God created you to be.  So much of our pilgrimage on this earth can feel like a backed-up gutter. Leaves piling up from old wounds, trauma, fear, doubt, and worry—but God in His divine providence never created us to live that way. Women Made New! allows the reader to begin working towards cleaning out that gutter little by little. Through sixteen chapters of stories from various writers and EWTN personalities, the book covers a wide range of topics from sorrow, what happens when we fall prey to the noise of the world, the feminine genius, living enslaved by past wounds or trauma, to letting go of generational wounds from divorce, as well as many others.  Each chapter begins and ends with quotes by Mother Angelica, whose voice I can hear saying them with the delightful wit and flavor that she was known to have. {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} It was refreshing to read the stories of longtime EWTN personalities and get to read their work on a more personal level, rather than watching them behind the television screen interviewing others.  I enjoyed that there wasn’t just one theme throughout the whole book but a slew of stories that we as women can relate to and bond over. Even if there was one chapter you couldn’t completely relate to, there was still something you could walk away with, or someone you know who had walked a similar path and can now understand a little better, or someone to whom you can offer compassion and support.  Women Made New! is a book that should be shared among other women. Once you have read it, you can easily let someone else borrow it regardless of where they are on their faith journey.  Even with all of its positive features, I would have liked the book to include more diversity. The Church is so wide and far-reaching; whenever there is an opportunity to include various voices, it adds to the symphony of the Church. The voices of minority women would have enhanced what was already a good book and improved it further.  Overall, this is a great book to ask for as a gift, read with a prayer partner, or give to a friend who may not be practicing their faith right now or may be going through a trying time. Women Made New! meets women where they are and encourages the reader to step boldly into the light of Christ and use their own journey as a means of helping others. 

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Our “yes” to the Lord changes our lives forever. And what God has planned for us is greater and more beautiful than we could ever imagine. This truth convicted my heart even more after hearing the extraordinary story of Sister Clare Crockett. Born in Ireland with dreams of becoming a movie star, Sister Clare astonished the world with her complete abandonment to God’s will in her life. So, who was she? A millennial, Sister Clare was born in Derry, North Ireland, in 1982. Clare was a witness to much violence and strife, especially between Catholics and Protestants. Her mother even recalls ducking from bullets and distantly hearing bombs erupt. However, her family fondly recounts how her charming personality and big dreams allowed her to rise above the difficult circumstances. In the documentary All or Nothing, Clare’s biological sisters remember her acting talent, as she was often the lead in school plays. From a young age, Clare had insatiable dreams of being famous. At one point, she was even recruited to film a movie. By her teenage years, Clare was well on the way to stardom, riches, and fame. This all changed on Good Friday in 2000. Clare arrived in Spain, on a trip she was invited to by a friend, to smoke and sunbathe. However, she quickly realized she may have been duped—the trip was actually a pilgrimage. The group was staying at the main house of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. Although Clare was uninterested at first, a friend eventually persuaded her to attend the liturgy of Good Friday. Clare resignedly sat in the last pew. However, everything shifted when she got up to reverence the cross. As she gently kissed the feet of Jesus, the realization that her sins nailed Him there came upon her. A religious sister came to her in the back pew to find Clare weeping and saying, “He died for me, He loves me!” Although Clare had experienced a profound encounter with the Lord, like many of us, she reverted to her old life of partying and superficiality upon her return to Ireland. After becoming violently sick from a night of drinking, Clare once again heard the gentle voice of Jesus, and He enquired, “Why do you keep hurting Me?” After that, Clare was ready to give her all to the Lord. She entered the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother at age 18, in 2001. Eventually, Sister Clare was sent out on different assignments. She had a noted zeal for the Eucharist and passion for the youth. The documentary of her life has many interviews with former students lovingly remembering the after-school Rosary club she began, or the ways she instilled in them a love of Our Eucharistic Lord. {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} In 2010, Sister Clare of the Trinity and of the Heart of Mary made her final vows. She was the only one that year to profess final vows, causing the priest, Father Rafael, to say, “Your motto shall be this: Alone, for Christ alone.” From there, Sister Clare was sent on many missions, evangelizing and loving anywhere from the youth in Guayaquil to the people in the small villages of Puyo. Guitar in hand and armed with her joyful voice, Sister Clare would make up songs with the children or teach music to those who surrounded her. Sister Clare was so joyful and obedient in everything she did, that one fellow sister noted, “I still do not know what things she liked to do and what things were hard for her. I could never tell. And when I would ask her to do something, her answer was always, ‘Of course!’ And on top of that, she was always observing to see what was needed and so offered to help. At the end of that year I thought to myself, ‘I want to learn how to obey like her.’” Sister Clare spent her last years in Playa Preita, Ecuador, where she and her other sisters taught in their Catholic school. On the day of her death, they had just finished a week of cleaning the entire school from the results of the recent floods. Layers of mud had been washed away, chairs and desks restored, and Sister Clare and a few young students had gathered to play guitar and say the Rosary. Sister Clare had previously said, “Why should I be afraid of death if I’m going to go with the One I have longed to be with my whole life?” A heavy quake began, and the school collapsed on Sister Clare and five other young girls. They later recovered their bodies amidst the rubble. What can we learn from Sister Clare? Sister Clare was on her way to fame and fortune early on in her life. However, once she encountered Love Himself, her entire life was changed. She had found the Person who could satisfy her every desire. In response to that call, she lived her life entirely for Christ. Sister Clare’s life was modeled on total obedience and surrender to the Lord. May we, too, strive to surrender all for the One we love. Sister Clare of the Trinity and of the Heart of Mary died at age 33, on April 16th, 2016. *This information was derived from both the documentary All or Nothing: Sister Clare Crockett and the website www.sisterclare.com.   Maggie Agra is a junior Theology major at Franciscan University of Steubenville. She enjoys learning all things Theology, especially Theology of the Body. When not weightlifting or watercoloring, you can find her enjoying a cup of coffee with friends or trying something new and adventurous.

“Come back to me with all your heart. Don’t let fear keep us apart.”  The famous Christian hymn “Hosea (Come Back to Me)” always touched my heart in many ways. Feeling as if my faith life has been a constant back-and-forth between denying the Lord and urgently running back to Him, these lyrics have reminded me time and time again that He always finds a way to bring me back Home. I remember two years ago taking part in Blessed is She’s Desert Day. The priest giving his talk at the time focused on a certain passage from the Bible in the book of Hosea that immediately brought me back to this song: “Therefore, I will allure her now; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her” (Hosea 2:14). This Scripture verse spoke to me throughout the retreat, my eyes watering at the truth, beauty, and goodness of Him who never gives up on us,  no matter what. Years later, I found myself in a spiritual desert—angry all the time for no reason, not able to pray or connect with my Lord deeply, and generally displeased with my current state of life. Here He seemed so distant, and life seemed so dry, that I started to question what the Lord was doing—if He was even here at all while I wandered, lost and exhausted. Out of the blue, the words of Hosea that once spoke encouragement to me began to fall flat. Praying over these same words, the Lord seemed to be saying this time, I need you here in this wilderness for just a little longer. I responded to Him by pleading, What? Why can’t you lead me out? I don’t want to be spoken to tenderly; I want to get out! But His words stayed relentless. {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} “Through the cracks, you break through . . . That’s when I superbloom”—“Superbloom” by MisterWives One of the ways the Lord chooses to speak tenderly to me—something I didn’t realize until of late—is through music. On Spotify, I love listening to pre-curated playlists that match my emotions of the day or lift up my spirits. On this specific day, however, I chose the latter, picking a mix based off my favorite Taylor Swift album. The first song that played was “Superbloom” by MisterWives, an answer to a prayer. This indie-pop band sang to me about the natural phenomenon that takes place in the desert after an enormous amount of rainfall. In desert landscapes across the U.S. Southwest, flowers of purple, pink, yellow, and white will blossom out of the dirt when gifted with a good rain year and the necessary climate conditions. All of a sudden, what was once barren and dehydrated is flourishing and abundant with life and color. MisterWives uses their lyrics to perfectly describe a superbloom as their own personal experience, how they themselves “never thought that [they’d] survive” in this desert, yet they did. In this song, I heard God speaking to me in my own desert-like heart through these lyrics: “Never rained in the desert ‘til I picked me for the very first time. It’s darkest before the sunrise, that’s when I superbloom.” Tears streaming down my face, my heart a spring in the drought, I finally felt seen by Him who was always there speaking to me in my desert—I just needed Him to talk a little louder, and He always does. Suddenly I understood that the desert wasn’t meant to destroy me, but to strengthen me. He wasn’t ignoring my suffering but helping me grow and bloom within it so I could become closer to the person He needs me to be. In the desert, through these lyrics, I finally heard Him clearly and better than I ever had before. He saw me, He never left me, and He was leading me home. Things didn’t immediately change, but my spiritual life was renewed and filled with effervescent joy. Praying became easier, I was able to better control my attitude about and throughout my hardships, and I could handle the hurdles He put before me with gratitude for what I now knew He was doing. Eventually, because of where He led me, I could finally superbloom into someone holier, more beautiful, more patient, and more myself than before. My heart had grown from a dry desert into a verdant flowerbed, and after that, He said it was finally time to leave the desert and to come home. I urge you, my sisters in Christ, to humbly look where the Lord is leading you into desert-like struggle and to be open to the ways in which He wants to create a superbloom in your heart. Feeling lost and tired does not mean He is giving up on you, but rather, the Lord is growing your roots and preparing you to be the beautiful and thriving woman He needs you to be. Lord who once led me to the desert, create a superbloom in my heart that will last forever. Amen.   Liz Homick is a second-year graduate student pursuing her M.S. in Library and Information Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. When she isn’t writing or studying to be a professional guardian of books, her friends and family can usually find her making puns, reading thirty books at once, or watching Disney movies on repeat. Liz swears by the oxford comma, Times New Roman font, spring daffodils, and unconditional kindness. HIS WORD CHANGES LIVES God is speaking to you through His Word. In this personal study, you will learn to hear God's voice by reading slowly and praying deeply. BEGIN THE JOURNEY

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Growing up with a mom who loved being a wife and a mother was a blessing and a privilege. Most of everything I know comes from this amazing, unselfish woman who got married to my dad at age nineteen and had her first baby before the age of twenty, followed by ten other children.  As you can imagine, my mom was very busy caring for her large family. Looking back, it seems like she was always in the kitchen preparing the next meal for us. My love for cooking most definitely came from her.  From a young age, I realized that the best place for me to spend quality time with my mom was in the kitchen. I took full advantage of my sisters not enjoying this task and became my mom’s helper. She taught me not only this very important skill of cooking, but also so many other lessons as we spent time together in the kitchen.  One of those lessons had to do with the true meaning of beauty. Brazil is known for its beautiful women. Famous supermodels like Gisele Bündchen, Adriana Lima, and Alessandra Ambrosio were all born there. I, too, was born and raised in Brazil, and in my personal experience, the emphasis in that country on outer beauty borders on obsessiveness.  It’s not so different here in the United States. The unrealistic standard of beauty puts a tremendous amount of pressure on women to look perfect. In Brazil, it is very common to hear of women going under the knife after having babies to get breast implants and tummy tucks.  I will never forget the day, back when I was twelve or thirteen and becoming a young lady, when I decided to ask my very humble and selfless mom if she would ever consider having one of these procedures. Keep in mind, my mom had eleven babies in less than fifteen years! Looking back, I realize how laughable that question must have been to a selfless woman like her.  My mom simply looked at me, smiled, and said, “Oh honey, no, I wouldn’t do that. What kind of message would I be sending to you and your sisters? Someday you’ll understand.” {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} Falling for the Lies  That “someday” came twenty-three years later when I was married to my husband and living in South Florida, a place also known for its beautiful women. I was in my mid-thirties and had just given birth to our second daughter, my precious Bree. Some of my friends and neighbors were getting plastic surgery, changing things on their bodies they considered to be “wrong.” Because my faith wasn’t as strong as it is today, I considered having a procedure or two myself.  One night, I confided to my husband that after we were done having kids, I wanted to invest in a few physical “enhancements.” I was clearly falling into the word’s trap of thinking there was something wrong with my post-baby body. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, my mom’s words of wisdom came flooding back, and I suddenly realized what she had meant all those years ago. I was the mother of two precious baby girls who would grow up to be women looking to me as their first role model. This world may want us to believe that our moms are not supposed to be our role models, but my mom is and always will be one for me.  Fast-forward to today. My daughters are now in their late teens, and I thank God I remembered my mom’s words of wisdom during that confusing time when I was bombarded with so many cultural lies. My daughters have enough pressure coming from the outside world telling them they need to look perfect.  I want my daughters and all women to know that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with our post-baby bodies. Our sons also need to grow up knowing that women are so much more than body parts and to never put any pressure on the women they love to “enhance” their bodies.  Unfortunately, our modern society is very intent on making us feel unworthy if we don’t look a certain way. And the biggest lie is the one that says we will be less loved if we don’t look perfect on the outside. We fail to remember that the most important beauty is the one that shines from within us.  Looking to Mary as Our Perfect Example  Imagine our beautiful Blessed Mother feeling pressure to undergo one of those procedures after giving birth to Jesus—that’s absolutely ridiculous! She knew God had chosen her to be the vessel to bring salvation into the world, and I’m sure she didn’t think any less of her body afterward.  On the contrary, I’m sure she was in awe of the entire experience and couldn't stop thanking God for it! Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty said it best: “Mothers are closer to God the creator than all other creatures. God joins forces with mothers in performing his act of creation. What on God’s good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?”  Let us not be fooled by these worldly lies that try so hard to demean a mother’s position of being chosen by God. We need to pray for the strength and courage necessary to be honest with ourselves and help each other by sharing our stories.  My hope is that if you or someone you know is contemplating changing their physical appearance because of the societal pressures placed on women, maybe, just maybe, this story will help guide your decision-making.  Prayer  Dear Lord, teach us how to shift our focus from our physical appearance and instead place more emphasis on our heart and soul. Amen.

Blessed Mother. Our Lady. Stella Maris. Theotokos. Mama Mary. Our Lady of Victories.  Each of these are just a few of many different titles for the mother of our Lord.  One cathedral that we now mourn and long to be traditionally rebuilt is Notre-Dame de Paris. I used to think that whenever people referred to “Notre-Dame” it meant the Notre-Dame. The gorgeous French Gothic cathedral with the rose window, located on the Seine. But what I found when traveling, is that in France, almost every city has their own Notre-Dame. Notre-Dame de Reims, Notre-Dame de Beaune, etc. It’s spectacular, really. Notre-Dame simply means “Our Lady” and almost everyone wants to honor her in the naming of their cathedral or basilica.  Our Lady of Victories Stepping into the Basilica of Notre-Dame des Victoires, “Our Lady of Victories,” in Paris, I especially felt the warmth of the Catholic faith. The foundations of the church were blessed on December 8, 1629, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and her presence and intercession are evident. In this special church stands the statue of Our Lady of Victories. She stands surrounded by literally tens of thousands of ex-votos left at the basilica. This church used to be on the route of the Camino de Santiago, and devotional pieces have been left in thanksgiving to Mary’s intercession for prayers being answered. Wherever you stand in this church, symbols of hearts bursting with gratitude are all around you.  A Family Devotion There is a chapel dedicated to Saints Louis & Zélie Martin in the back of the church, and it is the first chapel in France under their patronage. This wasn’t done without meaning, as the Martin family had a very special devotion to Our Lady of Victories. Louis implored her intercession while discerning his vocation and later, while living in his vocation as husband and father, he wrote to his wife Zélie,  “I had the happiness of receiving communion at Notre-Dame de Victoires, which is like a little earthly paradise. I also lit a candle for the whole family.”  Zélie too sought her intercession, making a written Christmas request to her brother: “...you live very close to Notre-Dame des Victoires. Well! Enter it only once a day to say an Ave Maria to the Blessed Virgin”.  Their daughter Saint Thérèse of Lisieux shared in this devotion as well. While on pilgrimage in Rome to ask the Pope for permission to enter Carmel, her father and sister stopped inside the basilica. As she lay before the statue of Our Lady, she thought,  “Notre-Dame des Victoires. Ah! What I felt at her feet, I could not say…The graces she granted me moved me so deeply…I understood that she was watching over me, that I was her child, so I could only give her the name of Mom.”  {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} Mama Mary (Header) No matter where you pray, Our Lady of Victories wants to pray for you. She is waiting for you to call upon her. She hears you, and she hopes that you will consider her your own mother, just as little Saint Thérèse did.  In the Dogmatic Constitution, Lumen Gentium, on the Church, promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI, there is a section written specifically on Mary as the Mother of Grace. Paul VI invites us to call upon her intercession, because through her we will experience her accompaniment and great maternal love:  The “motherhood of Mary in the economy of grace continues without interruption until the final consummation . . . In fact, after the Assumption into heaven, her role in salvation is not interrupted . . . Her maternal love makes her attentive to the brothers of her Son whose pilgrimage is not complete, and who find themselves engaged in perils and trials until they reach their promised homeland.”  Sisters. Our pilgrimage is not complete. While we hope for a smooth journey, perils and trials may come our way, and this is right where Mary wants to meet us. When we find ourselves at the foot of the cross, she is right there with us, just as she was with her Son, Jesus. It is her mother’s promise that she will continue to be with us each and every day:  In the suffering, the joys, and the simple moments of everyday life.  In the words of Saint Mother Teresa, “If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our Lady, just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’ I must admit, this prayer has never failed me.” How do you experience Mother Mary as your own mother?

Leprosy has a long history in Scripture and beyond. If you are familiar with the story of Jesus’ encounter with the leper (Luke 5:12-16), or the story of the ten lepers that we hear around Thanksgiving (Luke 17:11-19), you can picture the scene. Lepers in Jesus’ time were required to announce themselves ‘unclean’ to provide fair warning to friends and strangers to keep their distance from their contagious disease. To have been diagnosed with leprosy in Biblical times was a social and emotional death sentence with no hope for physical reprieve.  So it is no wonder why the leperous man is bold in his request to be healed of his infirmity: ‘“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately. (Luke 5:12-13) In both encounters with the lepers in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus’ proximity to those who had been infected was scandalous! In a culture that took purity laws very seriously, this was no small thing. Fast forward almost two millennia, and things hadn’t changed all that much An outbreak of leprosy had gotten so bad in Hawaii, that by 1866 the island of Moloka'i was designated as a leper colony. Those suffering from the disease were arrested and sent to live a life separate from society. Several times a year, boats would dock to deliver persons as young as 13 to the colony (without their consent), for the protection of others. In total, nearly 8,000 people were sent to Kalaupapa leper colony, as it later came to be known. Model of Saint Damian? Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, Jozef de Veuster of Belgium was in formation as a priest in the order of the congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, where he took the name, Damien. Around the same time, the order received a request for priests to serve the people of the Hawaiian islands. Damien’s brother had been selected to serve in this way but due to an illness acquired before departing on this mission, Damien was chosen to go in his place. Damien arrived in Hawaii in the spring of 1864 and was ordained two months later. His first several years were spent catechizing and building churches—having no connection at all to the leper colony. It wasn’t until 1873 that Father Damien was among those asked to serve the colony of lepers. As providence would have it, he was the first to volunteer for the dangerous assignment.  {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} ‘My fellow lepers’ At the beginning of his assignment, he was encouraged not to touch or eat with the men and women he served, advice that he did not follow for long. There had been discussion of rotating priests so that no one was exposed to the disease for any length of time. Instead, Father Damien trusted that the Lord would protect him from the disease of leprosy as long as the Lord needed him, aware of course that his loss of health would immediately affect the work of the mission. As it turned out, Father Damien faithfully served the lepers of Kalaupapa for eleven years before contracting the disease himself. One account of his response to this surprising turn of events was that rather than addressing his congregation at Mass as ‘My dear lepers,’ he greeted them instead as, ‘My fellow lepers.’ Father Damien did what many feared to do, and suffered the consequences that many feared he would. However, he did it with the same mercy and tenderness that we see in Jesus’ encounter with the lepers. Not keeping them at arm's length out of self-protection, but living among them, making the Sacraments available, and ultimately dignifying their lives (and deaths) in ways that the world around him was not accustomed to doing. ‘Look for the sources’ While many have critiqued Saint Damien’s motives for serving the leper colony, Mahatma Gandhi had this to say of him: "The political and journalistic world can boast of very few heroes who compare with Father Damien of Moloka'i. It is worthwhile to look for the sources of such heroism." Gandhi was deeply moved by the life and solidarity that Saint Damien lived while serving in the leper colony (M.S. Mehendale’s 1971 account, Gandhi Looks at Leprosy). Look for the source, indeed! The source of Father Damien’s great tenderness toward the lepers is clear. Not only did his ministry shape the care of those suffering from leprosy worldwide, but his care for those who had been removed from everything they knew and loved, to suffer physical effects in isolation, was compassionate. His example to enter into the suffering of the people he loved was Christ-like. Passing the baton By the time Father Damien was too ill to serve, he was accompanied by a group of Franciscan women from Syracuse, New York, who had also accepted a call to serve the lepers of Moloka'i. Among these women was Sister Marianne Cope. She accompanied Father Damien as he died, and afterward the Franciscans took up his banner and carried on the work he had begun. Despite her many years of service to the people living on Moloka'i, Sister Marianne never contracted the disease. Saint Marianne Cope was canonized in 2012, making her the eleventh American to be named a saint. Both are deeply honored by the Church and the country for the self-sacrificing nature of their work serving the ‘untouchables’ of Hawaii during a time of need and great fear. Saints Damien and Marianne of Moloka'i, pray for us!

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We are at Saturday evening vigil Mass, outside our normal routine so we can accommodate some rare Sunday morning plans. Despite a heavy plying with snacks before church, both kids grow hungry as dinner time approaches. They’re also a bit fidgety as this post-nap period is typically full of play, not reverent silence. That said, they’re one and two years old and are mostly quiet as we sit in one of the last pews in an almost empty church. My two-year-old is softly narrating parts of the Mass: “Mama, he is blessing the bread. Oh and now the wine!” My one-year-old is rolling his matchbox car along the kneeler. The car falls a few inches onto the floor and quietly rattles. The lady in front of us, with three middle-school aged children, turns and glares. She’s not the first. When I was a new mom, I spent many Masses tucked away in the cry room so I wouldn’t trouble the folks around us in the pews. I was hyper aware if my newborn was cooing or fussing too loud, if she wanted to nurse at a reverential time, or if my rustling through the diaper bag was noisy and distracting. But when churches reopened after the Covid-19 pandemic, our church kept the cry room locked, citing sanitation concerns. By that point, I had a second baby, and nowhere to take him other than outside in the middle of winter. And so, we learned to mitigate from the pew, and occasionally from the back of church or outside. Since then, my kids have grown accustomed to weekly Mass attendance, but they are just that, kids. Kids wiggle and flail. Their attempts at whispering are rarely successful. They grow bored and distracted easily. They drop things and trip and occasionally make a commotion. That’s what kids do. We mitigate as best as we can, involving them in the Mass, summarizing the readings and Gospels, pointing to the stained glass or stations of the cross, offering toys, but there are times our efforts are null, and our children have a moment where they behave like children. I can’t imagine it was different in Jesus’ time. I don’t believe children then were angelic, nor free from the desire to play and understand and question and participate alongside the adults. And yet, Jesus still invited them to join him. {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} In the Gospel of Matthew, while Jesus is in Judea, people bring their children to Jesus so he can pray over them, but the disciples prove less than welcoming, even rebuking the crowds. “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matthew 19:14). At least by this telling, Jesus did not request for the parents to first quiet their children. He welcomed not just the well-behaved children, not just the obedient ones, not just the well-kempt or quiet or tidy ones. He repeatedly reminds us that Heaven belongs to those with childlike faith. Childlike, in all the mess and chaos and curiosity that comes with it. Perhaps if our neighbors in the pews could see past their distraction and frustration and could hear the wonder in my child’s voice as she asks why we ring bells during the consecration, or her curiosity as she wonders why Jesus had to sleep in a manger instead of a crib, or her anticipation while she fidgets and asks how much longer until she can go up the aisle for her blessing, then maybe they, and I too, would have a richer understanding of the type of faith Jesus prescribed for us all. So too would we better enter into the synodality that is underway in the universal Church. If synodality is the life and mission of the Church as God’s people journey together, shouldn’t we also welcome the small, noisy, and sticky ones? If our goal in this three-year synod is to discern our way forward, aren’t the next generation of believers a critical part of that path? Still, I’ll do my best to keep things quiet each Sunday. I’ll proffer Cheerios and stuffed rosaries and Bible stories to keep the chaos at bay. But in the moments where childhood overcomes maturity, sideways glances aside, mama knows Jesus is happy they’re here. Tara Hunt McMullen is a freelance writer, military spouse and mom of two. Her family frequently moves, but is currently based in the Florida panhandle. WANT TO DEEPEN YOUR PRAYER? Get ready to be radically changed by the Lord and His presence. Be drawn into intimacy with the Lord by way of weekly videos, a community within the Blessed is She app, and invitations into reading scripture in a whole new way. BEGIN THE WELL: ABIDE

An understanding of the ancient role of discipleship is somewhat unknown in the modern world. Disciples were majorly important to the Jewish faith and culture. Their objective was to imitate their teacher so exactly they could preserve and continue his mission after he was gone. It was alway under the rabbi’s authority that they taught. When Jesus called the Twelve, they understood the invitation, and that one day they would carry on His mission. Today marks the feast of two of those Twelve men, Saints Philip and James the Lesser. Due to his extensive ties to the Resurrection and this being the midst of the Easter season, here are 10 things to know about Saint James the Lesser. 1. He is always ranked 9th in the lists of the Apostles in Scripture There are four times in Scripture that the names of all Twelve Apostles are listed. This is more than a simple index of their monikers; it is also a ranking of their hierarchy and an indication of the role they played during Jesus’ ministry. There are minor differences in the numbering from book to book, but in all four places, James is always listed ninth (see Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16, Acts 1:13). This seems to indicate that James’ role among the group was in some ways less significant than those above him (at least during those three years of Jesus’ public ministry). 2. He was either younger or shorter than James the Greater While it is possible that his identifier, “the Lesser” could be in reference to being ranked ninth among the Apostles (a stark contrast to the other James who was a part of Jesus’ inner circle of three), most theologians agree with the stance that this title meant the other James, the son of Zebedee, was either older or taller.  3. His mother was a devout follower of Jesus Scripture tells us of another Mary who was a part of the early group that followed Jesus. She is identified as “Mary, the mother of James.” Since we also know the name of the mother of “Big James” and his brother John, scholars agree that this woman was the mother of James the Lesser. She was present at the crucifixion, and was one of the women who found Jesus’ tomb empty three days after His death. She was among the original witnesses to the Resurrection, and likely her testimony played a vital role within the Early Church—especially for the Evangelists who recorded the Gospels. No doubt it was meaningful for James to hear the Good News from the mouth of his mother. 4. He was Jesus’ legal cousin The father of James was Alphaeus. However, Scripture tells us that Mary (James’ mother) was married to Cleophas. This is not an error and is communicating one of two possibilities. The first is that Alphaeus was the biological father of James but passed away. After his death, Mary was married to Cleophas. The other explanation is that Alphaeus and Cleophas are the same man, as the former is the Greek version of the name and the latter is the Aramaic. It was quite common during the time period for people to go by different names depending on the language being spoken (think Paul/Saul, Matthew/Levi, Jude/Thaddeus, etc).  John’s Gospel tells us that Mary, the wife of Cleophas, was the sister of Jesus’ mother (see John 19:25). It is very unlikely that parents would have had two daughters and given them both the same name to go by, and tradition holds the Blessed Mother to be an only child. For this reason, combined with the fact that the Hebrew language does not have as many specific terms regarding family relations, most scholars believe these women to be sisters-in-law, and that it was Alphaeus/Cleophas and St. Joseph who were biological brothers. Thus, it is very likely that James and Jesus were cousins. 5. He received a personal visit from Jesus after the Resurrection In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul writes to the church reminding them of the importance of the Resurrection. He lists individuals and groups who received visits from Jesus in the forty days before the Ascension. It reads, “... he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). The James noted in this scenario is James the Lesser, not James the Greater. Other than the fact that it transpired, we know nothing else about the event itself. However, we can conclude that Jesus must have had a unique relationship with James that warranted the visit. It is also possible that this visit had something to do with our next point…  {formbuilder:OTk3ODc=} 6. He was the first bishop of Jerusalem After the stoning of Saint Stephen in the book of Acts, the Sanhedrin waged war on the followers of Jesus. As the official Church persecutions began, the Christians who had been living within the city of Jerusalem dispersed and scattered throughout the globe over time. The Apostles followed, not necessarily because of the persecutions, but also because Jesus instructed them to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. As the first bishop of Jerusalem, James the Lesser remained behind. We see him in this role within the Acts of the Apostles; he presides over the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, and Paul sought his authority before beginning his missionary journeys (see Acts 15 and Acts 21). It is unknown as to why James was chosen as bishop of the holy city, but perhaps it was because of what was revealed during his post-Resurrection appearance with Jesus, or because of his familial relationship with our Lord. 7. He wrote the Epistle of James It was James the Less who wrote the controversial epistle of James and not the “Son of Thunder.” Even a quick read of the letter makes it clear that James possessed vast spiritual wisdom. He had clearly understood much of which Jesus taught during His own ministry.  In particular, he must have been profoundly impacted by much of what Jesus said to those people who claimed to be religious but were only “white-washed tombs” (Matthew 23:27) and empty on the inside. In his letter, James makes it clear that “faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). We cannot merely believe in Jesus; we must go and live it out, giving life to ourselves and those around us. 8. He is also known as “James the Just” Historians and Early Church Fathers referred to him as “James the Just” because of his immense virtue. He took Nazarite vows—a yielding of oneself completely to God—and lived accordingly. The Church Fathers claim, "He was always a virgin, and was a Nazarite, or one consecrated to God. In consequence of which he was never shaved, never cut his hair, never drank any wine or other strong liquor; moreover, he never used any bath, or oil to anoint his limbs, and never ate of any living creature except when of precept, as the paschal lamb: he never wore sandals, never used any other clothes than one single linen garment. He prostrated so much in prayer, that the skin of his knees and forehead was hardened like to camels' hoofs." His immense virtue was even noted by the Jewish people, as the priests permitted him to enter the Sanctum (the place in the Temple reserved only for priests). In fact, the Jewish people considered him so holy that they attributed the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in the following decade to the role they played in his death. When combined with his family relation to Saint Joseph, this title becomes rather intriguing. We know that sin begets sin, but virtue also begets virtue. To be just is to give all what they are due. In regards to God, the just man gives God everything. Saint Joseph holds this title of “the just.” How interesting that his nephew was given it as well. 9. Much is Known about His Death Though tradition tells us all the Apostles except for Saint John died the death of a martyr, there are not a lot of written records regarding their deaths. This is not the case regarding James. Of all the Apostles, we probably know the most about his death as it was recorded by both Jewish and Christian historians. To sum it up, he was condemned by a Jewish council for refusing to deny Christ partially out of revenge for Paul’s appeal to Caesar in 60 AD. He was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple, stoned at the bottom, and then clubbed to death. This took place during the week of Passover in the year 62 AD.  10. He shares his feast day with Saint Philip There is no profound reason these two Apostles share their feast. After Pentecost, they did not travel nor minister together. They are not related, not notable friends like Philip and Bartholomew, nor did they die on the same day. Rather, their relics were simply transferred to the same church in Rome, The Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles. In fact, before the establishment of the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955, Saint James’ feast was on May 1.