Originally posted on March 30, 2011
Finding peace in troubled times may seem difficult, but it’s certainly not impossible. However, before we find that peace, first we have to search for it. And in order to search for it we first have to be in a peaceful place within our own hearts. Offering a sign of peace, in whatever form that may be, is a perfect gesture of kindness and love when it is genuine and coming from the heart. But if we are to offer peace, we first have to possess it ourselves. After all, you can’t give away what you don’t already have.
If we are to search for, find and promote peace in troubled times we first have to recognize that without humility, there is no peace. I’ve read that Saint Francis de Sales said that peace is born of humility. He said that the only things that really trouble us are pride and the esteem we … [Read More...]
Tomorrow, March 26th, is the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. (The Annunciation is typically celebrated on March 25th, unless that day falls on a Sunday during Lent.) On this day of the Annunciation, we celebrate the angel Gabriel’s appearance to the Virgin Mary when he announced that the Blessed Virgin was chosen by God to be the Mother of the Lord. We also celebrate Mary’s fiat, which was her willingness to accept God’s holy plan.
The Angelus (latin for “angel”) is a prayer that may be recited in memory of the Incarnation. It was traditionally recited in Roman Catholic churches, convents and monasteries three times a day at 6:00 am, 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Some Anglican and Lutheran churches also use this devotion.
The Angelus
V. The angel spoke God’s message to Mary,
R. and she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail, Mary. . . .
V. ”I am the lowly servant of the … [Read More...]
Note: Please read Young Americans in a Spiritual Crisis – Part One (and Part Two which follows it) before continuing on to this one, which is Part Three.
The Spiritual Dangers of Metal Music
Father Esper mentions an Italian psychiatrist named Dr. Simone Morabito who equates “Satanic rock music” to a slow-acting, highly effective poison. And Dr. Morabito goes on to say that according to the psychiatrists’ medical journal, in recent years there have been 5,000 young people in the United States who have committed suicide. Dr. Morabito is convinced that one of the main causes of these suicides is “satanic rock music that promotes the taking of one’s life.”
Besides the self-destructive lyrics found in certain songs, there is another kind of danger attached to heavy metal music which involves the extreme volume (110 decibels or more) of the music, combined with stroboscopic lights and the used of drugs or alcohol which can, because of the excessive stimulation of the … [Read More...]
Please take a few moments to read the prayer requests below. And be sure to visit the category on the sidebar titled Prayer Requests if you’d like to read the previous posts on this topic. Also, please let me know if I accidentally neglected to include your request and I will be sure to include it in next week’s post. Thank you for your prayers and for sharing your time.
Prayer Request from Joy:
Dear God,
Help me to straighten out my financial problems. I place this need before You knowing that You will guide me to a good solution. Please grant me the patience and tolerance necessary to calm my spirit and help me to remember that You have everything under Your control and I have nothing to fear or worry. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer Request from Michelle Triska:
please pray that god heals my hiatus hernia, and stomach medical problems, pray that god restores my body back … [Read More...]
Note: Please read Young Americans in a Spiritual Crisis – Part One before continuing on to this one, which is Part Two.
More Spiritual Insights on the Harry Potter Phenomenon
Clare McGrath Merkle was a New Age “healer” and advanced yoga practitioner who has since returned to the Catholic faith. Father Esper quotes her in his book:
Many of the delightfully described magical arts in the Harry Potter series were pretty standard fare in training courses I mastered to some degree or another, including telepathy, divination, energy-work, necromancy, geomancy and time-travel, to name but a few. . . A close reading of one of the books in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. . . by the eyes of a former occultist like myself, reveals her [Rowling's] more than cursory familiarity with the occult. (Clare McGrath Merkle, “Harry Potter and the Lost Generations.” www.crossveil.org/potter.html.)
Father Esper goes on to point out another writer’s words with regard … [Read More...]
I’m reading a book called Spiritual Dangers of the 21st Century by Rev. Joseph M. Esper. Father Esper has appeared on Women of Grace, which is hosted by Johnnette Benkovic and airs on the EWTN network. In fact, it was on that program where I first heard him promoting Spiritual Dangers of the 21st Century.
In this book, Father Esper has dedicated a whole chapter to the ways in which the young people of our nation are – to quote directly from his book - “growing up in the most spiritually and morally dangerous era in human history.” Since for obvious reasons I cannot quote the whole chapter in this post, I thought I’d instead provide a condensed version sort of outline as to the major highlights of the chapter, along with Father Esper’s examples of how the youth are being spiritually assaulted and his suggestions as to what can be done about this alarming situation that, … [Read More...]
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Hello, my name is Margo. When I was 23 years old and working as a part-time nanny in New York City I had the pleasure of caring for a little 5-year-old boy named Alexander. One day I had been overcome with sadness and in a weak moment, I found myself confiding to this little boy about a friend I couldn't find because he was lost. Alexander, quickly responded without missing a beat, “Follow a trail!” [