Happy New Year, dear readers! Today Catholic’s celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary in her most important role – Mother of God. Mother – is there any sweeter title in all the world?! Motherhood is the sublime calling for all women, without exception. Spiritually, biologically – maternity is, Alice von Hildebrand writes, the very soul of a woman. May all pregnant … Read More
TOB Tuesday: The Word Made Flesh
Because we are still in the Christmas season and because it is so significant, I want to re-post some of what I posted last week from Steve Pokorny’s Catholic Exchange article on the REAL meaning of Christmas: Have you ever really listened to “Oh come, all ye faithful?” Check out the third verse: Yea, Lord, we greet Thee Born this … Read More
TOB Tuesday: The REAL Meaning of Christmas
Steve Pokorny writes at Catholic Exchange: Have you ever really listened to “Oh come, all ye faithful?” Check out the third verse: Yea, Lord, we greet Thee Born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing. GLORY In the public square, the Second Person of the Trinity was proclaimed by … Read More
No Pain, No Gain
That is the message of this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mk 10:32-45). James and John asked Jesus: “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” And Jesus replied: “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with … Read More
TOB Tuesday: Pray for Priests!
Since today is the feast of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, let’s again take this time to thank God and pray for those men who have answered the call to freely renounce the gift of self to another person that they might give themselves totally to Christ “for the kingdom of heaven.” I should have noticed today’s … Read More
TOB Tuesday: A Protestant Perspective
Theology of the Body is not just for Catholics! For all my protestant readers here is part of what sounds like an excellent a talk from Glenn Stanton from Focus on the Family. In it he mentions that Focus has talked about using the TOB in their ministry – how cool is that?!: You can order the complete talk on … Read More
The Couple That Prays Together…
In the first reading for this Thursday’s Mass we heard the beautiful wedding night prayer of Tobias and Sarah: When the girl’s parents left the bedroom and closed the door behind them, Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, “My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant … Read More
TOB Tuesday: The Virgin Mary And Theology of the Body
As the month of Mary draws to a close, I want to draw your attention to a book that has been on my (very lengthy) “to read” list for quite some time. A compilation of 10 essays by some of the world’s foremost Mariologists and experts on the Theology of the Body, The Virgin Mary and the Theology of the … Read More
TOB Tuesday: What is Marriage?
A few years ago Pope Benedict said: There are some who believe that it is legitimate to destroy human life in its earliest or final stages. Equally troubling is the growing crisis of the family, which is the fundamental nucleus of society based on the indissoluble bond of marriage between a man and a woman. Experience has shown that when … Read More
Rejoice in the Risen Lord!
Happy Easter everyone! May you all encounter our living and true God and experience His infinite mercy and love. image: “He is Risen” by Greg Olsen