There many other things that can be said about Divine consolations, especially about the reasons why God decides to give them to us in the first place, but I believe that the most essential treatment that needs to be made here concerns how we ought to respond to them. I say that because Divine consolations will come to many us for whatever reason God deigns, but it is how we respond to them is what is most crucial to know.

A Sacred Story is exactly that – it’s our story about the time we uniquely entered into sacred space and the impact that event had on us.. Sacred Scripture informs us that there are only three things we ought to do when we have a sacred encounter with those; that is, (1) Discern it; (2) Share it for the rest of your life; and (3) Revisit it often to measure and correct your path.

Traditionally, Christians have approached Lent as a time to ‘give something up’ , but in conjunction to that it might be beneficial for you to examine your life to see where you could ‘give some more’, because that is precisely what Jesus Christ did – gave more – gave all of Himself. Therefore, let’s imitate Him more fully this Lent!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today’s Gospel Reading at Mass comes from Matthew (15:21-28): At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is [...]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today’s first reading at Mass comes from Isaiah (55:1-3): Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty,come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your [...]

Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the [...]

Historical Background The feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, was instituted by Pope Pius VII. By order of Napoleon I of France, Pius VII was arrested on June 5, 1808, and detained a prisoner for three years at Savona, and then at Fontainebleau. In [...]

We Catholics in English, Spanish, and Italian speaking countries do experience some forms of persecution, but what we go through yearly is nothing compared to what our brothers and sisters are going through on a daily basis nearly everywhere else in the world. We don’t [...]

I recently spoke with a woman who hated the fact that she always seemed to get caught up in gossiping about other people. Because she is in the entertainment industry and usually around people who have no interest in becoming saints, she finds herself in [...]

No matter what the test or trial, or consolation or blessing – we never stop walking towards God. We never deviate from the narrow way. We never take a detour into sin. On the contrary, we press forward towards God one step at a time, and that is what eventually gets us there. Even if we fall, even if we get off course; we get up with grace, we redirect or whole self to Heaven and start taking those steps again.

The feeling of being spiritually desolate is one of the most natural of the unnatural states that the soul can experience in this life. I say ‘natural’ because it is one of the most important tools that God uses to draw us ever so deeply [...]

Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility. Remember this Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God’s graces flow into humble souls.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saint Augustine’s Confessions was a difficult read for me. I found it to be much less interesting than his City of God, which I could hardly put down after I began reading it. For my part, the most interesting part of Confessions were the [...]