Have you ever had a "lightning bolt" moment in your spiritual life? This "lightning moment" might be exactly like it sounds: a striking, unmistakable moment of enlightenment. Conversion of St. Augustine It could be a line from a book that strikes you to the core and becomes imprinted on your heart, as happened with St. Au[...]

"Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, give us miserable ones the grace to do for You alone what we know you want us to do and always to desire what pleases You. Inwardly cleansed, interiorly enlightened and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, may we be able to follow in the footsteps of Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus[...]

Most people think that Christmas is over on December 26th. But for the Catholic Church, the celebration has just begun. There is a reason why Christmas is called a season. It does not last for a single day. We have been preparing for it for four weeks, and the Church couldn't possibly start and end its celebration of Christ's bi[...]

"O Almighty God, gracious provider and giver of life, we anxiously await the celebration of your birth. Like the people of long ago, our ancestors in faith, we, too, are in need of light, in need of direction, in need of your Word, to show us the way. Our busy lives and the consumerism that surrounds us make it difficult to reco[...]

Even a simple glance at St. John’s poetry reveals a depth and richness that can be understood only by living the reality spoken of. It was in St. John’s darkest time that Our Lord drew him close and gifted him with words to poignantly describe the journey of the soul, and the path to God that inevitably passes through darkness.

  Con constelaciones doradas en su manto y la luna bajo sus pies, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe sigue capturando corazones hoy tanto como aquel día en la colina de Tepeyac en 1531. La tilma milagrosa contiene innumerables signos y símbolos místicos, todos comunicando verdades profundas a sus prime[...]

O holy, patient, and loving God, in this season of grace-filled longing, we await the coming of your Son and our Savior. It is difficult for us to remember that this is a holy time. There are many distractions: commitments seem to pile up, and expectations are high. In the midst of our busy world, our busy lives, we need your he[...]

The Church dedicates the month of September to Our Lady of Sorrows. It's a devotion that has become a favorite of mine. As a convert, it took me a while to become comfortable with Mary and to trust her to bring my cares and sufferings to Her Son.

Over the centuries, as the saints and theologians reflected on what it means for Our Lady to have pondered and treasured the sacred events from the life of Jesus in her heart, as attested in Scripture, Mary's heart began to be recognized as something to be imitated in daily practice. Devotion to Mary's holy heart then developed,[...]

St. Lawrence (d. 258 A.D.) was likely a Spaniard by birth who lived in Rome while Christianity was outlawed under pain of death. He was appointed by Pope St. Sixtus II as archdeacon over the seven deacons of Rome, and held the sacred duty of tending to the Church's wealth and distributing alms to the poor.