Through persevering in prayer, darkness can be dispelled and the path of progress illuminated by the light that comes from the Holy Spirit. This kind of prayer leads us into a life of loving communion with the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit.
Marriage and the family is not an easy way to holiness, as anyone who has lived the vocation can attest, but make no mistake; it is a very real – and wonderful – path to holiness. Through our daily choices, we are invited to learn in the ‘School of Nazareth’ and, in imitation of the Holy Family, become a domestic church.
In Christ, God entered into human history – into time – and opened it to eternity. Love is born today – and in Him, the world is now being recreated anew.
With Christmas just days away, Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, is an invitation to live Christian joy and find the happiness of Heaven – beginning on earth.
Let us build our lives on the Rock of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church, where we can wage war together against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Let us stand strong and welcome others into the only place of real safety, the Catholic Church, which bears Jesus’ Name.
Advent is not a rote custom from the past. Rather, when it is embraced by Christians who are alive in Jesus Christ, it is a gift, helping us to purify ourselves and make a place for the Lord in our lives and in our homes.
The Transfigured Jesus reveals to us His Own glory and shows us who we can become in Him. The Transfiguration encourages us to respond to the invitations of grace in our daily lives in order to be fully transformed into His image and likeness.
The early Church, just like the Church in our day, was sent into paganized cultures, and it was the Christian faith, lifestyle, and practices of those Christians that began to win the hearts of men and women.
The contemporary celebration of Halloween – the vigil of All Saints Day – reflects the waning influence of Christianity in the West, but it also presents an opportunity for Catholics to transform the culture, as they always have done.