There is a fundamental spiritual component to our present COVID-19 crisis and the pending arrival of Hurricane Ida. While the landscape of our lives change, we must stand on some simple truths that we’ve repeated all our lives. We must now call upon these truths for strength, peace, and guidance in the midst of the storm.
At the recent meeting of the Catholic Bishops of the United States, there was an enthusiastic discussion about a movement of “Eucharistic Revival” for the Church in our nation. Many people are asking: what does “Eucharistic Revival” really mean? We might think about it in this way. Sometimes when we go through a time in our life when we have faced many challenges, when we have been “running as fast as we can” just to keep up, we find ourselves exhausted, simply burned-out. We may even just collapse. We get so tired that we can hardly move. Our eyes are only half-open as we sink into a sort of stupor. We cannot see what is right in front of us. We cannot recognize who can bring us back to life – who can revive us. [...]
Hotel Hope is currently looking for volunteers ages 21 yrs.+ to be present for various shifts as a concierge at the front desk of the shelter. Click for details.
If Julia Child is not a saint, she is at least a “blessed” in my book. She changed how Americans understand meal sharing, and meal sharing is central to our lives as Catholics. What Julia Child (and the TV chefs she inspired) taught us, of course, was not cooking. What they taught us was the spirituality of dining. We can learn some important principles from these chefs about the importance of family dining and how dining teaches us about Eucharist. Julia Child was famous for stressing the basics. The basics of the Eucharist include four actions: take, bless, break, and share. If the family meal is also centered on those basic actions, it will teach us about Eucharist. [...]
The Catholic Art Showcase is a gallery-style event co-sponsored by Notre Dame Seminary (NDS) and The St. Louis IX Art Society (SL9) in which the local South Louisiana community is invited to meet local Catholic artists and view and appreciate their faith-inspiring work. Click for details.
Racism is evil. The Church’s teaching is clear: “The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.” (CCC #1935) Throughout the centuries, Christians have always been at the forefront of the fight for civil rights. We are quite proud of this as Catholics. But we have always known that how we fight against racism and injustice matters. Choosing to espouse deeply problematic philosophical theories to address social problems, even with the best of intentions, will always make things worse. This is what I believe is happening with the development of Critical Race Theory. [...]
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” - Luke 12:49 Lord Teach Me To Pray invites you to attend a Weekend of Prayer, September 23-26, 2021
Almost every Catholic senior can recount stories of huddling with family members around the radio to listen to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on NBC Radio’s “Catholic Hour.” Many others can recall his top-rated television program, “Life is Worth Living,” viewed by thirty million people each week of all faiths. Still today his voice resonates to Catholics, young and old, through the treasure of audio and video recordings. [...]
This World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly that we are celebrating this Sunday, July 25th, can help us to understand that all of us, young and old, grandparents and grandchildren, whether or not we belong to the same family, are “one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call.” This awareness comforts us and shapes us as a people as we gather around the altar on which the Lord multiplies the bread of life and the Word of our salvation. The elderly − like the young − are important. Without them the body of the Church lacks something. That is why it is necessary for them to have their rightful place within of our parish family. It is crucial that we share in the lives of older people in the same way that the Lord, in giving us His Body and Blood, has made us sharers in His own. [...]
On May 13, 1917, three children named Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta were grazing their family’s flock of sheep when the Virgin Mary appeared to them atop a small oak tree. She came to them with a message: their prayers and sacrifices could help stop World War I and rescue people who were suffering because of their own sins. What a beautiful and hopeful message! [...]
As we leave the month of June, the month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we welcome this month of July which is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of the Lord, Jesus. This seventh month of the year invites us to spend some reflective time in thanking Jesus for the gift of the shedding and offering His blood for our salvation. [...]
On July 4, 1776, in the midst of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia courageously declared the thirteen colonies independent from Great Britain. Today, 245 years later, we celebrate this Declaration. With all our fellow Americans, we celebrate our freedom on Independence Day, the Fourth of July. As Catholics, we especially pray for religious liberty as we conclude our observance of Religious Freedom Week 2021. [...]
The CCRNO Regional Conference begins TONIGHT at Divine Mercy Parish! The theme for this year’s conference is “Reboot, Refresh, and Renew!” As we prepare for this spirit-filled event, it begs the question: What is the Catholic Charismatic Renewal? [...]
This weekend we celebrate Father’s Day. A wonderful tradition that most families will celebrate with a family BBQ, a visit to the parents’ house, and gifts for dad. It is a day we use to say thank you to our fathers for all they do to support us in life. In the midst of growing confusion and chaos in the world, Catholic fathers can help their families, their parishes, and the world find greater peace in Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church. [...]
Back when I was a child, mealtime had a special significance in my family. It was a time to gather around our table to share the news of our day — and some good food. Even when I grew older, gathering as a family around our dinner table to share a meal was not only tradition, but it was almost sacred. You wouldn’t dare take your plate to another room to watch TV because there would be serious consequences. Gathering at the dinner table was the focal point of our day — a very special place and occasion for familial communion and fellowship. [...]
It is through the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith, that we are sustained with the lifegiving nourishment of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Due to the essential spiritual need we have for weekly physical participation in Sunday Mass, the tremendous gift and spiritual nourishment of physically receiving our Lord in Holy Communion is critically important for our spiritual growth and is very much needed right now. [...]
“Si nosotros los hondureños, Salimos de nuestra nación, Llevamos tu nombre grabado muy dentro del corazón.” So goes the song to Our Lady of Suyapa sung by many individuals who have immigrated to the United States from Honduras. For the many Honduran people who migrated to the New Orleans area in recent years, the song’s lyrics, “If we Hondurans leave our country, we carry you engraved in our hearts,” speaks of their undying devotion and love of the Virgin Mary. Each year, more than one million faithful gather to honor the Virgin of Suyapa at the Basílica de la Virgen de Suyapa, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. [...]
All living things have a birthday. The Church is a living organism, and Pentecost is her birthday. Pentecost was a Jewish Feast Day. The author of the Acts of the Apostles identifies the day before the Holy Spirit ever descended. But Semitic Pentecost immediately acquired a new and perennial Christian meaning when the wind swirled and wisps of flame descended upon the heads of the Apostles in the upper room in Jerusalem. In a frightening display of God’s raw and awesome power, the Lord and Giver of Life, as the Nicene Creed defines the Holy Spirit, vivified the nascent Church with fire. The Church is still vivified by that same Spirit which has never left the room. Every living thing has an esprit de corps: there is team spirit, company culture, a platoon’s bravado, an orchestra’s élan, or the country spirit known as patriotism. As a living thing, the Catholic Church has a Spirit too, one which indwells in her more fully than in any other Church. The Holy Spirit stamps Catholicism with a trademark of authenticity. It guarantees the Church’s fidelity to the God who gave her life. [...]
As we mark and celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, the saying, ‘all good things come to an end’ never sounded more suitable and appropriate. Just before the passion and suffering of Jesus, his friends and followers saw Him being betrayed, denied, and condemned. They stood at a distance and watched Him die a very public and humiliating death. Some of them even deserted Him. When they were told by some of the others that they had seen the Lord, they refused to believe them; they doubted. In fact, most of them doubted. [...]