Originally posted on March 12, 2011
This is the time of year when we should be remembering what Our Lord told Saint Maria Faustina regarding The Divine Mercy. He said that the Chaplet can be prayed anytime, but He specifically asked that it be recited as a novena, especially on the nine days before the Feast of Mercy. He promised, “By this Novena (of Chaplets) I will grant every possible grace to souls” (Diary,796).
As you can see, I’m doing a lot of linking back to two previous posts I wrote on this topic a while back. Please refer to those posts for a thorough explanation of The Divine Mercy and/or additional information about its purpose, the Chaplet, etc. I’m going to dedicate this post to the Novena to The Divine Mercy and include the first three of the nine days of prayers. The bold font are the words of Our Lord as He instructed Saint Faustina where … [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...]
Yesterday I went to my church to visit the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. I wanted to thank Him for so many things and (I admit) ask for so many more. I wanted to get away from all the problems I’ve been experiencing in my house and I knew I’d be “safe” there. It just felt like the right thing to do yesterday afternoon. It was around 1:30 pm when I walked through the door of the Perpetual Adoration chapel. A woman who is frequently at the chapel was getting ready to leave and the sign-in sheet outside the door indicated that she’d arrived an hour earlier. She is usually there for even longer than that. I’ve seen her sit for hours and hours some days. It makes up for the many people who don’t visit. Ever.
The Real Presence of Christ. . . .Where Is Everyone?
I went to the front of the room and … [Read More...]
Lately I’d been wanting to write something about the moral decline of America, and then the other day a friend of mine directed me to an article from the New York Post that was written on July 1, 2011 by Bill O’Reilly. I tried to access the article online and link to it, but for some reason (maybe because it’s a few weeks old now) I am not able to find it. Fortunately, my friend had mailed me a hard copy of the article and so I am able to copy it into this post, word for word.
Moral Decline of America in Bill O’Reilly’s Words
ONE NATION, UNDER DECLINE
by Bill O’Reilly
Over the July 4 weekend, many Americans take some time out to think about their country. This year, those thoughts might not be as festive as in the past because the United States is in decline.
A new Associated Press poll says that 80 percent of … [Read More...]
A while back I wrote a post called Catholic Church Scandals and the following two paragraphs are part of that post.
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 the media pertaining to the Catholic Church happens to be the hot topic of conversation. Rather than rally together to support the Church and promote praying for the person or people who are the focus of such a topic, instead they choose to use the news piece as a way in which to create a comment war between their readers. I suppose these people don’t stop for a moment and think about the fact that they are quite possibly contributing to an even larger, more dangerous Catholic Church scandal than any of the other … [Read More...]
There is a certain question that tends to plague Catholics and non-Catholics alike: Why does God allow bad things to happen?
Father John Corapi has addressed this issue over and over again throughout the years in his countless talks and sermons and the answer he gives to that question is always the same: God allows bad things to happen in order to bring about the greater good. And yet, wouldn’t we expect a bit more profundity in the answer? How can it be that simple?
There have been numerous weather catastrophes, especially in recent years, with record-breaking devastation causing homes and lives to be lost; there have been worldwide terror attacks and widespread violence involving issues ranging from politics to schoolyard bullying; there is talk of economic collapse and the next Great Depression. So where is God in all of this? And what are we supposed to do? I like to reflect upon the Fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary… [Read More...]
I have a prayer request from one of our readers. Please read the request which is in blue font below:
Hi Margo,
I recently received some very disturbing news that I wanted to share with you and your readers in hopes of getting a large prayer chain together to provide intercession. My sister who is a happily married faithful Catholic mother of 7 young childern just discovered that her husband Rob has Stage III Melanoma. Rob is a very faithful husband and hardworking loving father. They are both quite close to their chuch, community and to the catholic school. They recently organized a charity event helping to raising approximately 300 thousand dollars for their local Catholic school. My sister and her husband are understandably very concerned.
I ask during this lenten season that you and your readers pray that Our Lord strengthen thier faith and give our entire family and all their many freinds, and loved ones the grace … [Read More...]
This is the time of year when we should be remembering what Our Lord told Saint Maria Faustina regarding The Divine Mercy. He said that the Chaplet can be prayed anytime, but He specifically asked that it be recited as a novena, especially on the nine days before the Feast of Mercy. He promised, “By this Novena (of Chaplets) I will grant every possible grace to souls” (Diary,796).
As you can see, I’m doing a lot of linking back to two previous posts I wrote on this topic a while back. Please refer to those posts for a thorough explanation of The Divine Mercy and/or additional information about its purpose, the Chaplet, etc. I’m going to dedicate this post to the Novena to The Divine Mercy and include the first three of the nine days of prayers. The bold font are the words of Our Lord as He instructed Saint Faustina where to direct that particular day of … [Read More...]
Through this blog, I had the pleasure of hearing from a person who created one of the most beautiful Catholic websites I’ve ever seen called Catholic Devotions. His site features all of the important prayers and devotions that Catholics need in order to grow in their faith and love for Our Lord and His Blessed Mother. You will find everything on there from the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy to the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are lovely images and descriptions to go along with the prayers and devotions, complete with narration and soft music.
One of my favorite features of Catholic Devotions is the Rosary movies. These movies are absolutely beautiful! It’s one thing to pray the Holy Rosary in the silence of one’s heart, but Catholic Devotions adds a visual and audio dimension to it which truly captures the full essence of what Our Lady’s prayer of predilection is all … [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!” [