St. Catherine of Alexandria has a lot to say to such a world as ours. She puts her trust completely in Jesus Christ, and so she trusts in the gifts he has given her, including her femininity. Therefore, she can be as strong as any man, without surrendering her womanhood.
The Power of Love: St. Julia of Corsica
The governor approached Julia directly, offering to free her if only she would sacrifice to the pagan gods. She answered that she was “as free as she desired to be as long as she was allowed to serve Jesus Christ.”
The Church’s First Decision: St. Matthias
The Church's First Decision The Church's first decision (of consequence, anyway) concerned the first successor to the Apostles. That would be the choice of today's saint, St. Matthias, whom the Apostles designated to take the vacant place of Judas among the twelve. How the Apostles came to their decision gives us an enlightening look at … Continue reading The Church’s First Decision: St. Matthias
St. Joseph: Steward of the King
St. Joseph and Joseph Son of Jacob . . . He had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass the word of the LORD tested him. … Continue reading St. Joseph: Steward of the King
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Spiritual Warrior
St. Ignatius urges us to “Find God in All Things”, which is one of the major themes of his Spiritual Exercises and Ignatian Spirituality in general. St. Thérèse, it seems to me, takes that a step further and asks us to then serve God in all things.
Be Sober and Vigilant: You-Know-Who is Prowling
Jesus is not at all hesitant about reminding his followers that discipleship is not a warm and fuzzy business. On the contrary, he says: “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (Matthew 5:11) It’s going to happen.
A Dynamic Trio: St. Augustine, St. Monica & St. Ambrose
St. Monica softened Augustine’s heart, and prepared the ground to receive the seeds of his conversion, but she herself was not able to plant those seeds: she could not convince her son to change his life.
Spiritual Warfare, the Chain of Command, and St. Equitius
"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." -attributed to Leon Trotsky There's a battle raging, and we're all part of it, like it or not. The growing intensity of the Culture War that's engulfing our society is just a surface manifestation of the real war that's been underway since Satan … Continue reading Spiritual Warfare, the Chain of Command, and St. Equitius
Whose Standard? St. Ignatius Loyola
Whose Standard Do You Follow? "Whose Standard?" That is the question posed by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. But first, would I be out of line to say that the Society of Jesus is not what it used to be? I don't want to be a Jebbie basher: I have studied under and … Continue reading Whose Standard? St. Ignatius Loyola
There Are No Dead Ends With God (St. Monegundis)
As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20) There are no dead ends with God. Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, how his … Continue reading There Are No Dead Ends With God (St. Monegundis)