May 2 Sat - 10 Ways you might be letting the Devil slip in without even realizing it

 

May 2 Sat
10 Ways you might be letting the Devil slip in without even realizing it

Here are 10 things considered harmless by many that are ways that the devil has slipped into the culture.

1. Horoscopes. Horoscopes claim a power to know the future that is not from God. It is a pagan practice that goes against the First Commandment.

2. Mediums. Some claim to speak with the dead. Psychics, fortune tellers, mediums, and the like are either swindlers or drawing their power from the devil. The Old Testament in Deut. 18:10-11 and Isaiah 19:3 condemn conjuring up the dead.

3. Paranormal tourism. Visiting ‘haunted houses’ has become popular. The would-be ghost hunters use paranormal equipment that taunts spirits to get a response.

Real haunted houses may be either souls in purgatory in need of prayer or evil spirits. If there are souls in need of prayers, they should be respected, and if there are evil spirits, they should not be visited.

4. Wishing for someone to burn in hell. The devil wants as many souls as possible to spend eternity in hell. Despite how horrible a person is, we should never desire anyone’s damnation since it aligns us with the devil and pits us against God’s will.

5. “Knock on wood” and other superstitions. You may say it in jest. Or not. Rabbit’s feet, good luck charms, and other superstitions may seem harmless, but they seek to use powers not of God. Instead of knocking on wood or making a wish, say a prayer instead.

6. Fortune tellers, palm readers, Tarot card readers, and the like. They seek to manipulate the known world by tapping into a power that is not God. 

7. Consumer products that offer powers. Crystals and essential oils — perfectly good and natural materials — are sometimes used and sold by companies claiming they have supernatural powers. For real power, talk to the Creator of the Universe and receive supernatural graces through the sacraments.

8. Unforgiveness. Jesus told us multiple times to forgive others. Praying for someone and letting go of hatred and anger with the help of God helps to heal the wound. To intentionally hold on to unforgiveness gives a toe-hold to the devil to influence you against God’s will.

9. Pornography. Everything about pornography is from the evil one, yet it has a hold on our culture. Pornography enslaves people and destroys relationships — just as the devil wants.

10. Following apparitions condemned by the Church. The devil uses false apparitions to lure people away from the Church. The Church investigates claims of private revelations cautiously, because the devil can use them to ensnare otherwise serious Catholics. The devil can use a ruse, pretending to encourage them for a time, for the sake of landing his victim in exaggeration and oddities.

This list is not exhaustive, but simply points out ways the devil slips into even Catholic circles as harmless. Yearning for the supernatural is inborn, but entering through the wrong door leads to spiritual harm. The Church and the light of Jesus Christ shine a light onto the darkness to reveal it for what it is — snares of the devil.
    
Excerpts from Patti Maguire Armstrong 

May 1 Fri - Why did God choose Saint Joseph, a worker?

 

May 1 Fri
Why did God choose Saint Joseph, a worker?

Saint Joseph was a conscientious worker. With admirable simplicity, an ancient document from the early Christian era shows that Christians need to work: “If anyone wishes to live amongst you, let him have a job; let him work and thus feed himself. And if he has no job, make provision for him with prudence so that no lazy Christian is in your midst. If he does not want to act in this way, he is a trafficker in Christ. Be on your guard against such people."

A Christian should not be content with keeping himself busy all day long with different activities. He must sanctify everything he does. “If we want to live this way, sanctifying our profession or job, we really must work well, with human and supernatural intensity." This means using our time well, dedicating whatever time may be necessary, and putting to the best use the tools which God has placed in our hands.

The life of Saint Joseph was not spent amongst miracles, but in hard and steady work. “Saint Joseph was not one for easy solutions and little miracles, but a man of perseverance, effort, and, when needed, ingenuity. The Christian knows that God works miracles, that He did them centuries ago, and that He continues doing them now, because 'the Lord's hand is not shortened'. But miracles are a sign of the saving power of God, not a cure for incompetence nor an easy way to avoid effort."

“The 'miracle' which God asks of you is to persevere in your Christian and divine vocation, sanctifying each day's work: the miracle of turning the prose of each day into heroic verse by the love you put into your ordinary work. God waits for you there. He expects you to be a responsible person, with the zeal of an apostle and the competence of a good worker."

Serious work goes united to prayer – Saint Joseph knew how to listen to God, and to talk to Him. He had Him, as a Man, right there, at home, in the workshop. This is prayer.

“Every day we should set aside time especially for speaking with God, but without forgetting that our prayer must be constant, like the beating of our heart: aspirations, acts of love, acts of thanksgiving, acts of reparation, spiritual communions. When we walk along the street, when we close or open a door, when we see a church bell-tower in the distance, when we begin and end our tasks, and while we are carrying them out, we direct everything to God. We are obliged to make a continual prayer of our ordinary life, for we are contemplative souls along all the pathways of the world.”

“Thank you, Father, for conferring on me the passion and courage with which I must fulfill your will, like St. Joseph. I humbly beseech You to increase my faith and my hope.
Lord, I ask that I may not reject your Love, that I may always be close to You as the little hatchlings to the hen. May my freedom be always to choose You." 

Apr 30 Thu - Why do we give peace to one another before Communion?

 

 Apr 30 Thu
Why do we give peace to one another before Communion?

During the Last Supper, our Lord made his disciples aware of the importance of peace, the fruit of charity. Many times, He spoke of unity, of the spirit of service, of humility, of charity. These are virtues and dispositions of the soul that can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace. 

Jesus then made a gesture of profound humility: “He got up from the table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel.” 

The Lord’s action and attire were those of a slave. He himself explained the meaning of this act of humility: “If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.” 

We, his disciples, are invited to love and serve others and not be afraid of placing ourselves last. In the Eucharist, the sacrament of love, the Lord gives himself to us in sacrifice. His love impels him to lay down his life for us. We receive from this sacrament the strength to commit ourselves to a life of service and dedication to others, to spread the peace and love of God. 

Humility, charity, and spirit of service are virtues and dispositions of the soul that can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples and, to make this point clear, greeted them, “Peace be with you.” 

The early Christians lived well this point of their spirit. St. Paul bore witness to their charity and unity, at times greeting them with the symbolic kiss of peace. And so, it entered the ancient liturgy. 

Initially, the rite of peace was set before the Offertory. It followed the Prayer of the Faithful and, at that point, could be seen as a sign of love before the gifts were offered. Perhaps, it was placed there in remembrance of this passage in the Gospel: 

If you are bringing your offering to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering.

Often, the significance of this gesture is not fully understood. Some may think that it is an occasion to give a high-five to friends. Rather, while one is preparing for Communion in an atmosphere of inner recollection, the sign of peace is a way of saying to the person beside you that the peace of Christ, really present on the altar, is also with each of us.

Later, this rite became an obligatory prelude to Communion.

We feel our souls flooded with peace; that is the consequence of our divine filiation and a fraternity well lived, centered in Christ. Men lose their peace when they lack filiation and fraternity. “I realize I am a son of God; if the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear?”
Pic: Coptic illustration of the Last Supper

Apr 29 Wed - Why should I love the Church?

 

Apr 29 Wed
Why should I love the Church?

Today is the feast of Saint Catherine of Sienna; her life was an outpouring of love and service for the Roman Pontiff. She loved the Church of God and the Roman Pontiff truly and with deeds.

The Church is holy in herself, and holy also in her life, of which all-too-evident tokens are being provided continually by the Spirit of God, because Jesus Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that He might sanctify her... that He might present the Church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish. 

The Church is holy in her origin: Christ is her holy Founder and head. 
The Church is also holy in her internal principle of life: the Holy Spirit. 
Her aim is holy—namely, God’s glory and man’s sanctification. 
The means that she uses are holy: Christ’s teaching, his moral precepts and counsels, the forms of worship, the sacraments, and the gifts of grace. 
The Church is holy in many of her members, as there have always been, and will always be, saints whose holiness has been proven and proclaimed by the Church.

Our love for the Church and the Roman Pontiff has to be shown in the reality of our prayer, in the joy of our obedience, in the vibrancy of our concrete acts of service. St. Josemaría: “This is the way followed by the Pope, the sweet Christ on earth, the Vice-God, as I like to call him, who says of himself that he is the servant of the servants of God. And if the Supreme Pontiff is a servant, my daughters and sons, it is intolerable for there to be Catholics who do not want to be."

But we cannot forget that, while she is in herself holy, she gathers sinners into her bosom. “The Church, which is divine, is also human, because she is made up of men and we men have defects: All of us men are dust and ashes."

This is a reality that Christian souls have suffered throughout history, and which St Catherine of Siena sorrowfully felt in her heart. No member of the Church on earth is exempt from personal weaknesses. They can all be mistaken in their judgments and err in their behavior. For this reason, the knowledge of the weaknesses that the servants of the Church can have, as St. Josemaría also wrote, “will help you never to get scandalized if you should hear news items of this kind. And it will help you also to grow in love for the Church, the Spouse of Jesus Christ. It will move you, as with the good sons of Noah, to cover over with the cloak of charity and discretion the defects you may observe in persons that form a part of the People of God."

Although we ardently desire all people to be saints, our service to the Church must not be conditioned by the personal sanctity of her members. Our service and our love are directed to the spotless Spouse of Christ. 

Apr 28 Tue - Should I be charitable to everyone?

 

Apr 28 Tue
Should I be charitable to everyone?

Charity embraces everyone, in the right order.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan describes how, about halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho, just beyond the mountains, some robbers came upon a defenseless man who was easy prey. "They stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. A priest and then a Levite passed by; … and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion. The Samaritan didn't placate his conscience with the thought that he owed the wounded man nothing. Rather, he saw himself as indebted to the stranger.

"I cannot love the devil, Saint Josemaría said, but I love all those who are not the devil, everyone without exception. I don't see myself as anyone's enemy. I'm opposed only to the ideas that oppose the faith and morals of Jesus Christ. But we need to understand those who hold these ideas, and pray for them."

Christ taught us to love those who do us harm, to wish everyone well, and to understand even those who fail to understand us. “For Christians, loving means ‘wanting to love’, making up one's mind in Christ to work for the good of souls, without discrimination of any kind; trying to obtain for them, before any other, the greatest good of all, that of knowing Christ and falling in love with him."

"Our Lord spurs us on: ‘Do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute and insult you.’ We might not feel humanly attracted to those who would reject us were we to approach them. But Jesus insists: we must not return evil for evil; we must not waste any opportunities we have of serving them wholeheartedly, even if we find it difficult to do so: we must never cease keeping them in mind in our prayers."

Our charity should be universal and self-sacrificing like the good Samaritan's charity, who did all he could without asking himself who it was he was helping. We too should love in this way, without discrimination of any kind, which would imply small-heartedness. Saint Josemaría helped us with his continual example here. "I welcome everyone, he said. I keep my heart and the doors of our houses always open to everyone, for I couldn't commit the injustice of depriving a single soul of Christ's charity."

Charity expands our hearts to make room for all: "You have enlarged my heart,” sings the Psalm. Charity is a supernatural gift, a work of God, that transcends every human difference. "You have to do things for Christ. It's good for you to have a human heart, but if you do things only for such-and-such a person, that's bad! Though you also do it for that person, do it above all for Christ." 

Apr 27 Mon - What are the priorities in the apostolate of the Church?

 

Apr 27 Mon
What are the priorities in the apostolate of the Church?

In a recent letter, Pope Leo XIV conveyed Easter greetings to the College of Cardinals, with a little bit of business included, together with the prayerful well-wishing and gratitude for their work.

It is, in a certain sense, a program to be followed in relation to the consistory convened for June 2026. In the letter, the Pope acknowledges the importance of centering Christian life on the fundamental tenets of the Faith and promoting a pastoral and missionary conversion to give a new impulse to the evangelization. 

First, he calls for a renewal of faith at the personal level, based on prayer and coherence of life. This perspective challenges the Church at every level. 

On the personal level, Leo says, every baptized person must be aware that they are called to renew their encounter with Christ, moving from a faith merely received to a faith truly lived and experienced. This journey affects the very quality of spiritual life, expressed in the primacy of prayer, in the witness and action that precedes words, and in the coherence between one’s faith and life.

On the community level, he wrote, Now, I wish to focus in particular on what emerged from the groups regarding Evangelii Gaudium, concerning mission and the transmission of the faith.

Communities are to shift from a pastoral approach of maintenance to an attitude of mission. This requires communities to be living agents of the proclamation of the Gospel. 

Leo even gets into specifics on the point: Noting the need to foster “welcoming communities that use accessible language, attentive to the quality of relationships, and are capable of offering places for listening, accompaniment, and healing.”

Thirdly, at the diocesan level, the Pope pointed out, the responsibility of Pastors to resolutely support missionary boldness emerges clearly, ensuring that such boldness is not weighed down or stifled by organizational excesses, but is guided by a discernment that helps us to recognize what is essential.”

“From all this flows a profoundly unified understanding of mission, which is Christ-centered and kerygmatic [based on the fundamental dogmas of the Faith]. A mission that is born of an encounter with Christ that is capable of transforming lives and spreading through attraction rather than conquest.” 

At this diocesan level, there must be, Leo wrote, “an integral mission, holding in balance explicit proclamation, witness, commitment and dialogue, and yielding neither to the temptation of proselytism nor to a merely institutional mentality of preservation or expansion."

“Even when the Church finds herself in a minority,” Leo wrote, “she is called to live with confident courage, as a small flock bringing hope to all, mindful that the aim of mission is not its own survival, but the communication of the love with which God loves the world.”

In sum, there must be, 
- On the personal level, mature faith, prayer, and coherence of life

- On the community level, parishes are to be living agents of the proclamation of the Gospel.

- At the diocesan level, missionary boldness and discernment to recognize what is essential. 

Apr 26 Sun - Should I be docile to the legitimate pastors?

 

Apr 26 Sun
Should I be docile to the legitimate pastors?

Christ is the good shepherd, and we are his sheep.
In this world, there are basically two types of leaders: those who give themselves to others, and those who profit from them.

Among those who make a profit are those leaders who are downright thugs who “steal and slaughter and destroy.”

The thieves and robbers come to take away from us everything we have, including our faith. This perfectly describes the devil and applies to any human being who becomes a predator.

Sheep are docile. They follow and obey a good shepherd and so benefit from him.
Having the virtue of docility means observing, listening to, imitating, and obeying those who know better than we do.

It also means cooperating when someone justly corrects us.

The docile person is humble. He knows he does not know many things and needs a teacher and guide.

The docile person knows there may be others who know his own good better than he does himself.

This is the basic reason why we should listen to teachers, advisors, coaches, guides, and parents.

A docile person avoids the vice of credulity. Credulity means blindly believing what you are told by anyone without reflecting on it. The credulous sheep listens to anyone who passes by and claims to be a shepherd.

The properly docile sheep is prudent enough to run away from a bad shepherd, afraid of how he might harm him.

A docile person also avoids being a know-it-all. A sheep who “knows everything” and so cannot be led or taught is foolish, because in reality, he does not know it all but has cut himself off from help.

A docile person maintains a legitimate doubt about his own biases on debatable matters, especially when those new ideas appear to conflict with Christian values.

We should be docile to our good shepherds, especially the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Always go to our priest brothers. We should do so especially when something in our soul makes us feel ashamed. “You will open wide your heart - a rotten heart, if it is rotten! - sincerely, with a deep desire to be healed. If not, that rottenness would never be cured. If we went to a person who could only treat our wound superficially, it would be because we were cowards. We were not good sheep, because we wanted to hide the truth, to our own harm.” 

“Don't be ashamed of being wretched, if sometimes you are. Don't panic because you find the bad leaven of sin in your heart. Don't be afraid of anything. Be truly faithful! Sincere! Be sincere! Let's have the common sense and the supernatural spirit. In exchange, you will experience greater effectiveness in your life, in the work of your sanctification and the sanctification of so many souls, and the Church."

Now is the time for us to ask ourselves, in the intimacy of our own hearts: Do I go to sacramental Confession punctually? Do I accept this means of personal sanctification with gratitude and in the desire to make good use of it? 

Apr 25 Sat - For a Christian to be an apostle, what does it involve?

 

Apr 25 Sat
For a Christian to be an apostle, what does it involve?

Saint Mark did not belong to the group of the Apostles, but he was a disciple of the first hour. Our Lord places in his apostles’ hearts a pure and generous desire to serve, a true zeal that makes them willing to undertake any sacrifice, working quietly for the Church without seeking any earthly compensation.

Apostles are Christians who know that they are grafted onto Christ, identified with Christ, through Baptism; enabled to fight for Christ, through Confirmation; called to serve God with their activity in the world, to guide others to God, to teach them the truth of the Gospel, and to co-redeem them through their prayer and their expiation.

“It's not a matter of doing our own thing, of fulfilling our personal ambitions. Rather, it's a matter of being useful to Christ, so that He may act; and also, being useful to others, because Christ came not to be served but to serve."

“We have to ask God our Lord to increase our hunger to serve."

Once and for all, we need to get rid of whatever separates us from, or even slightly hinders, our way as apostles. We can never forget that only when apostles are ready to sacrifice their own lives, through continuous self-denial in the service of others for God, will they be truly united to Jesus' work of redemption. Only then can their apostolate be fruitful.

“Far from discouraging us, the difficulties we meet have to spur us on to mature as Christians. We must take his advice to heart: If any man has a mind to come my way, let him renounce self, and take up his cross, and follow me."

“Take a nail, for instance. If you meet no resistance when you hammer it into a wall, what can you expect to hang on it? Likewise, if we do not let God toughen us through sacrifice, we will never become our Lord's instruments. On the other hand, if we decide to accept difficulties gladly and make use of them for the love of God, then in the face of what is difficult and unpleasant, when things are hard and uncomfortable, we will be able to exclaim with the Apostles James and John: Yes, we can!"

Jesus had announced that in the world his followers would have tribulation. And they overcame all kinds of difficulties and dangers to carry out the mission entrusted to them by our Lord.

Without personal sacrifice, there will be no fruit. “The Cross is present in everything, and it comes when one least expects it. But don't forget that normally, the Cross comes when you start to be effective."

Even though we are of the earth, we must allow Jesus to raise us to the level of divine life. Then, we shall have a divine way of thinking: our Faith, and a divine way of loving: our Charity. Let us allow him to transform us, while we correspond to his grace. 

“Let us serve, then, because apostolate consists of nothing else. Through our own efforts, we cannot achieve anything in the supernatural realm; but by allowing ourselves to become God's instruments, we can do everything." 

Apr 24 Fri - How many times is “The Lord be with you” repeated in the Mass?

 

Apr 24 Fri
How many times is “The Lord be with you” repeated in the Mass?

In the Roman Rite, the priest says “The Lord be with you” (Dominus vobiscum) five times:

1. At the start of Mass (Introductory Rites), the priest greets the entire Church with “The Lord be with you.”

The priest declares to us that the Lord is present.
This greeting expresses the mystery of the gathered Church, which is present even when we are just a few persons in the room. We are going to participate and offer to God the Father the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, present here in a real, sacramental manner. 

“When I celebrate Mass with just one person to help me, the people are present also. I feel that there with me are all Catholics, all believers, and also those who do not believe. All God’s creatures are there—the earth and the sea and the sky, and the animals and plants—the whole of creation giving glory to the Lord." Saint Josemaría. 

In this greeting, the ministerial priest’s special relationship with the Holy Spirit is acknowledged by the faithful, “And with your spirit.” 

2. Before the Gospel, the priest (or deacon) uses the same greeting.
By faith we know that when the Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself is speaking to his people, and Christ, present in his own word, is proclaiming the Gospel. 
Besides his Eucharistic presence, “in another very genuine way, Christ is also present in the Church as she preaches. For the Gospel which she proclaims is the word of God, and it is only in the name of Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, and only by his authority and with his help that it is preached, so that there might be ‘one flock resting secure in one shepherd.’

3. Before the Eucharistic Prayer, in the introduction to the Preface, the priest says, “The Lord be with you.” The Church proclaims that Christ is truly present and acting among the people gathered for worship. The greeting is not like casual small talk; it is a liturgical recognition of a real, spiritual “nearness”—Jesus gathers and stays with those who are assembled in his name, and are about to participate in His sacrifice.

4. Before distributing communion, at the breaking of the Bread, the priest says, “The Peace of the Lord be with you always.” It reminds us of the same greeting the Risen Lord gave to the disciples in the Upper Room. Peace is an essential requirement to live our Christian life, and it is our duty as Christians to be sowers of God’s peace in the world.

5. Before the final blessing, the greeting is now made real in its highest sense: The Lord is with us, especially with those who have received Communion. 
The Mass is finished, we are encouraged to return to our ordinary occupations to love and serve the Lord. We serve the Lord while fulfilling our usual norms of piety, resting, or working in the presence of God. In this way, we constantly keep alive those dispositions we had during the Mass. 

Apr 23 Thu - Why do we pray for peace in the Church?

 

Apr 23 Thu
Why do we pray for peace in the Church?
In the Mass, before we share the same spiritual food, we implore peace and unity for the Church and for the whole human family and offer some sign of our love for one another.

Communion is getting closer, and the liturgy becomes ever more intimate. While all the preceding prayers of the Mass were directed to God the Father, now for the first time, the priest addresses himself directly to Jesus Christ. With his hands extended, he prays for peace: 

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles, Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity, in accordance with your will.

When we pronounce our Amen, we must realize that we are asking not only for our personal peace but also for peace for the whole Church. We know that “every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin; and a household divided against itself collapses.”
What a good moment now to rectify, lest the Lord find us at war with one another under the flimsy excuse of serving him better! 

This is a good moment to exert effort and begin to understand the reasons and attitudes of others, no matter how different they may be from ours; to love pluralism in the non-dogmatic issues; to respect the diverse viewpoints in debatable matters. How often do we try to proffer our personal solution, passing it as the Gospel message, but being really just that: one more private opinion? Here is a reminder from the Second Vatican Council: 

People must remember that no one is allowed to appropriate the Church’s authority for their own opinion in these situations. 

With these good dispositions, we receive the priest’s greeting:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Then, if the opportunity warrants it, the priest may add:
Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

The priest may give the sign of peace to the ministers but always remains within the sanctuary, so as not to disturb the celebration. The celebrant need not make the sign of peace toward the faithful because he has already done so earlier with the words “The peace of the Lord be with you always.”

The priest gives us the greeting of peace while extending and then joining his hands. 
And also with you, we respond.

“Here is a thought that brings peace and that the Holy Spirit provides ready made for those who seek the will of God: ‘The Lord rules me, and I shall want nothing.’
What can upset a soul who sincerely repeats these words?"

And so, we abandon ourselves completely in God’s will:

An act of complete correspondence to the will of God: Is that what you want, Lord?... Then it’s what I want also!

A determined resolution to fulfill the will of God in the smallest things is the only way we can be truly happy. The relative happiness we can achieve here on earth shall be made complete in heaven. 

Apr 22 Wed - Is it true that Jesus resurrected?

 

Apr 22 Wed
Is it true that Jesus resurrected?
In St. Luke’s Gospel, the evangelist describes how the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. Upon reaching the tomb, they found the stone rolled away. The women were greeted by two men in dazzling garments who spoke to them and informed them that Jesus had been raised.

They then brought word of this to the eleven and the others. After giving us the names of the women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James—the evangelist reports that their story seemed like nonsense, and thus were the women not believed. Their story was ignored by all but Peter, who got up and ran to the tomb.

We believe in the Resurrection not because it is a nice, happy ending to the story of Jesus. And neither do we believe in the Risen Lord because we have sympathy for Him. Something much more profound is at issue concerning the reason for the Paschal Mystery.

Jesus did not go to the Cross because He lied. He went to the Cross because of the truth. “I came into the world to testify to the truth.” Jesus made this known to Pilate, right before the crucifixion. Still, it would be a great underestimation on our part if all we did was acknowledge the truth of the death of the Son of Man. It’s in the Resurrection that there is truth, too!  

Saint John Paul II wrote: “The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the supreme exaltation of the fruitfulness and saving power of a freedom lived out in truth.” Pope Benedict XVI writes that it’s not just truth but freedom that is at issue. “Jesus is the lodestar of human freedom. Without him, freedom loses its focus, for without the knowledge of truth, freedom becomes debased, alienated, and reduced to empty caprice. With him, freedom finds itself.”

It is clear from the Gospels that the very first thing the disciples did upon hearing about the Lord’s Resurrection was to tell others that it’s true. For instance, Mary Magdalene went to the brothers right away at Jesus’ behest, after her own encounter with the Risen Christ. Alas, this was just the beginning. Eventually, all the “telling” gave way to Pentecost and a much wider evangelization.

In the course of that evangelization, and as a result of it, men and women have chosen to die rather than compromise the Faith they embraced in their Baptism. We call these men and women martyrs for the Faith. What in the world would ever inspire the martyrs to risk it all—their hopes and aspirations, their reputations, their very lives? In a word, it is the truth.

And, specifically, in what does that truth consist? Well, how about the truth of the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception until natural death? How about the truth of marriage according to the order of creation? And how about the truth of the Catholic Faith itself amid the pluralism of religions in societies today?

Excerpts from Msgr. Robert Batule 

Apr 21 Tue - How can I live the beatitudes?

 

Apr 21 Tue
How can I live the beatitudes?

St. Teresa of Calcutta gives us tips to live them in the midst of our ordinary occupations.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When you have nothing left but God, you have more than enough to start over. The spiritual poverty of the Western world is far greater than the physical poverty of our people.

2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

When pain and suffering enter your life, remember that pain, sadness, and suffering are nothing more than Jesus' kiss, a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Humility is the mother of all virtues: purity, charity, and obedience. When we try to be humble, our love becomes real, devoted, and ardent. If you are humble, nothing will disturb you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed, you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint, you will not put yourself on a pedestal.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

If you judge people, you don't have time to love them, and I'd prefer that you make mistakes with kindness than work miracles without kindness.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

People are often irrational and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. 
If you're kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. 
If you're honest, people can fool you. Be honest anyway. 
If you find happiness, people might get jealous. Be happy anyway. 
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. 
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. 
You see? In the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

In this life, we can't do great things. We can only do small things with great love.

7. Blessed are those who labor for peace, for they shall be called sons of God.

Peace begins with a smile.

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mother Teresa was admired by many, but she was also persecuted and constantly criticized for doing her work of evangelization. She was also accused of not doing enough to change things.

She said, " Every abortion is the refusal to receive Jesus. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill each other? Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love each other, but to use any kind of violence to get what they want."

We must speak boldly, without seeking praise and without fear of backlash and persecution, but to tell the truth.