"The great Saint Teresa of Avila wrote: “Humility is truth. It is becoming aware of and accepting the truth of who we are.” "
"We are marked as Christ’s own, forever. Like Jesus we, too, are God’s own beloved child. Nothing can change that. Nothing! "
"What do I really and most seriously want? Peace. The end of stress in my life. Health for my grandchild. Just one more year for that friend who has terminal cancer"
"I am convinced that it is only by embracing our own suffering and that of our neighbor, as pilgrims, that we will be able to live this new life in the manner of Jesus."
"My experience of accompanying people through the Exercises is that their contemplation on the unspecified events of ages twelve to thirty in Jesus’ life can be invaluable for people who are seeking to grow in more intimate knowledge of Jesus."
"...in the beginning, the full responsibility for the Society came to rest upon Ignatius, and the task of drafting the Constitutions fell to him alone."
Frances reminds us how good politics are at the service of peace.
". . we all received a new relationship to God through the incarnation. "
"It is important for us to realize that the Nativity scene is not meant merely for pious contemplation. It contains a special message.."
This event offers hope to us who are mired in these troubled times.
"One way that God provides His love for us is through the people who brighten our days, encourage our dreams and offer their friendship."
"There are many good things the international community can learn from being in solidarity with South Sudan and South Sudanese women."
"JRS Colombia fully embraces the call of the Holy Father Francisco: to welcome, to protect, to promote, and to integrate migrants, refugees, internally displaced people and victims of violence. "
"Then she stopped and looked at me for a long time with her huge dark eye. “Who are you?” I asked. For I felt a very powerful communication"
" We fail to remember that prayer is having a conversation with God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We can pray anytime and as often as we like."
Bishop Dowd of Montreal shares the story of the death of his younger brother, Chris.
Thomas Hardy's Darkling Thrush with its "blessed hope" offers what is needed at this time.
"During my stay in hospital and since I have been back home, not once have I felt left alone as I knew the Lord was with me and had been all along."
"We need to find our own patterns for showing our love for God. There are as many forms of prayer as there are individuals. My interior life must be mine, not yours."
?Pope Francis has published a new thoughtful document - a letter addressed to all faithful and even to all men and women of good faith - on human fraternity. We asked one of his close collaborators, Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, to tell us about the meaning of this major document".
"How can a pandemic NOT bring out a fear that is re-awakened by fresh recurrences and continuing confusions and failures."
"God’s invitation to the messianic banquet is for all of us, whether or not we have the proper garment, and whether or not we are free from sin and imperfection. "
"What is especially striking about Vatican II was Pope John’s “cordial invitation to the faithful of the separated communities to participate with us in this quest for unity and grace” (p 161), who were urged to send observers. During the council, between fifty and a hundred observers were present f
"“I arrived with nothing. I leave you with nothing, but I leave you with a great treasure, the faith.”"
"It is through the power of God’s grace that we will be changed."
Yom Kippur atones for those who repent and does not atone for those who do not repent.
"Paul is reminding the Philippians to live out the selfless attitude that should arise as a normal response to being rooted and grounded in Christ."
On the feast of the Canadian Martyrs, a reflection from an 8 Day Vocation Discernment Retreat, Martyrs Shrine, 2018.
Why not take some time - as the fall settles in - - to make a weekend retreat?
"God’s people do not return to a better day but move forward to a better day. "
" . . .the reality is that I always have a choice about how I respond to all that happens – the power of the earth, all that happens to my body or a pandemic."
"Great was her love for Jesus, because she had tasted the healing love of forgiveness."
"One of the commonest themes, is the request of the Lord to take up arms against “my enemy.”
"All my life, I have considered myself to be a Christian, a believer; I, however, am discovering there is always more to uncover and experience of the profoundness of God."
"These words are the most comforting for us to ponder on when we find ourselves facing challenging or distressing situations."
""‘joy is a response to having been united’ with whom and what we love.""
"Our trust in His words and in His presence can sustain us through anything! Even Pandemics! "
"The Gospel today offers a great example of persistence."