Originally posted on April 16, 2011
I’ve noticed that when I Google the words Catholic Church Scandals 6,600 global monthly searches pop up. And yet, when I Google the words Protestant Church Scandals only 46 global monthly searches pop up. Jewish Synagogue Scandals gets 0 (zero) searches, and Muslim Mosque Scandals is also 0 (zero.) I never really stopped to think (until now) about the fact that the Catholic Church scandals are really the only scandals we hear about in anything religion-based. I mean, I suppose there must be other scandals involving other religions, but it’s so weird to me that the Catholic Church scandals are the only ones with an astronomical Google search count.
Catholics Are Creating Catholic Church Scandals
Another thing I’ve taken notice of since starting my blog last June is the way in which some Catholics (many of whom are bloggers) with a significant online presence think nothing of bashing other Catholics whenever something negative in … [Read More...]
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...]
Originally posted on February 24, 2011 (before Father John Corapi’s crisis occurred)
Why am I titling my post “Jesus as Servant” when the earth seems to be on fire with anger and chaos? Shouldn’t I (and you) be up in arms over the moral outrage, violence and bloodshed that is spilling out into every corner of the world these days? Why am I portraying Jesus as servant rather than as the great and almighty God Who must be furious with all of the despair and distress that humanity has brought upon itself?
Here we have earthquakes, riots, moral breakdown, bloodshed, death. And yet I’m presenting an image of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples? How un-debonair.
Jesus as Servant Practiced Humility
I would venture to guess that now more then ever Jesus is still washing the feet of all of His disciples, desiring that humility be practiced; asking that we turn our thoughts and hearts toward holiness and abandon … [Read More...]
A few weeks ago at Mass, on the first Sunday of Advent, they were handing out little books for the parishioners to take home. The books contain daily prayers, Scripture passages, Mass texts and reflections, and are meant to be a helpful resource for people who need a little boost and/or inspiration during this very holy time of year.
I was looking through my book and noticed that each day of Advent has its own reflection, and today’s reflection is all about universal love. The person who wrote this particular reflection is Jean Vanier, and it comes straight from his book called Finding Peace
. Jean Vanier is the founder of L’Arche, an international network of communities for people with intellectual disabilities.
Universal Love
Universal love is something that seems to have been left behind somewhere along the way. There is so much talk of the desire for global peace, prosperity and freedom, the ending of wars and the … [Read More...]
Originally posted on November 21, 2010
One thing that people around the world seem to have in common these days is the search for peace. Our day and time is one of fear and anxiety; everything feels so restless. I can’t really put a finger on exactly what it is that feels different today than 15 or 20 years ago, but things are certainly different, and the world seems angry. I’ve noticed that everyone appears to be longing for a sense of peace and well-being, but I’ve also noticed that many are going about obtaining it in all the wrong ways. Sometimes I feel the urge to find a grassy field or a dark thicket and just get lost in the simplicity of a caterpillar on a blade of grass. It’s either some sort of quiet rebellion against all this noise or it’s my longing for a simpler time. I haven’t quite figured that out yet.
As Christians, we need … [Read More...]
Originally posted on November 23, 2010
Well, as is often the case with my posts, I needed to make a Part Two for my Search for Peace post that I wrote two days ago. In fact, I started Part Two yesterday but wasn’t able to finish it until today. (And there just may have to be a Part Three as well.) As I was writing Search for Peace, I was realizing that there really is so much to say on the topic of peace, simply because peace is at the root of all things good and all that is worthy of God’s favor.
My own personal search for peace began a long time ago, before I’d even realized it. I was young, confused and opening all the wrong doors in order to find whatever it was I thought I was seeking. As I’ve said before, it was my ego that kept getting in the way. Please understand that … [Read More...]
A few nights ago I found a little holy card in my nightstand drawer that I’d almost forgotten about with a picture of the Holy Family on the front, and a prayer for family consecration on the back. (The photo to the left shows the front of the card; the photo below shows the prayer on the back.) I hadn’t laid eyes on it in a while, as it had sort of gotten buried amidst the other things in my drawer. My mother had given me the prayer card years and years ago when I was probably too young to even read. But I held onto it all this time, along with my other holy cards that I used to keep with my childhood collection of books that my mom and I called God books.
Apostolate for Family Consecration
The name of the prayer on this holy card is Consecration of Family, and it occurred to me after reading … [Read More...]
It often seems that the deeper our faith in God grows, the more we fear that our faith is insufficient. The more we tune in to His voice in our lives, the more we seem to feel as though we are losing our footing and slipping from His hold on our hearts. The closer we grow to Him in prayer, the more self-critical we tend to become. Why is this, and what can be done about it?
Today’s post is inspired by a person named Sabrina who left a comment on this blog the other day. Her comment appears under the post titled The Peace of Christ and this is what she wrote:
Margo,
I’m new to the site and new to my faith. There are days I feel so overwhelmed with the need to be perfect for Christ that I break dow. I try so very hard to put behind me what makes me a sinner. I was lastly
… [Read More...]
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and yesterday, August 6th, was not only the Transfiguration of the Lord, but also the first Saturday of this month in which I started my First Saturday Devotion.
What is First Saturday Devotion?
First Saturday Devotion is a devotion of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary which Our Lady gave to Lucia, one of the three children of Fatima, on December 10, 1925, when she and the Child Jesus appeared to her. According to Lucia, the Child Jesus said:
“Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce her at every moment, without there being anyone to make an act of reparation in order to take them away.”
Lucia said that Mary spoke next, saying:
“Look, my daughter, at my heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. … [Read More...]
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, prolifigates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people. For among them are those who make their way into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses, who will listen to anybody and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3: 1-7)
Times of Stress and Father Corapi’s Message
We don’t know if we are living in what Paul refers to as “the last days”, but we certainly can’t deny that these are times of stress. And it’s hard not to get the chills when you read the horrifying descriptions of the … [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!” [