It’s easy to do good things in fair weather.
Look at these two men in the parable of the house on the rock.
Notice: they both built houses!
Up until the storm, both these men appeared to be living good lives.
They built good things, they did good work, their outward actions seemed to be the same.
But there was something very different about their two lives…
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While the kids watched a movie, my husband and I both took the opportunity to relax in our own preferred ways – he with a few episodes of his favorite show, me in a nice hot bath.
As I soaked in the tub, I heard the movie end and the kids begin to get rowdy.
I waited for a minute or two, hoping my husband would corral them and start the bedtime routine, but he didn’t.
So I got angry.
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Virtues are the building blocks of a holy life. They’re the characteristics of how our relationship with Jesus is played out daily.
Virtue is tied up in our spiritual life.
So, don’t try to be virtuous for the sake of self-improvement.
Instead, try to practice virtue for the sake of growing closer to Christ, for the sake of being more like Him, whom we’re made in the image of.
“The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.”
– CCC 1803 quoting St. Gregory of Nyssa
Here’s the deal… I’m not a pro at virtue. I love studying them because I desire so much to grow in them.
So today, I’m going to introduce you to each of the theological and cardinal virtues, but I’m also going to draw on the wisdom of other bloggers who’ve been so amazing to share their knowledge and experience with us!
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Another confession, another life-changing piece of advice.
I’m going to open up with you about a struggle I brought up in confession just this weekend – that I think many of us deal with.
Distraction.
The internet.
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What if we could see the spiritual realm?
Look around you for a minute and see with your natural eyes. What are you surrounded by?
Four walls. People. Objects. Trees and plants, roads and buildings.
And space. Open space filled with invisible air.
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I have a new friend who is a Byzantine Catholic.
And I know, I’m butchering the terminology from line one, but I’m just figuring this whole Catholic rites thing out so gimme a break!
Anyways, I went to Mass on a recent Saturday and noticed it was the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
That Solemnity isn’t a Holy Day of Obligation for me (Latin Rite) but I happened to know (don’t ask me how) that it was a Holy Day of Obligation for my Byzantine friend.
So I got to wondering how she would fulfill her Holy Day of Obligation, since her Byzantine church is kinda far away.
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#MyMassTakeaway for June 23, 2019, Corpus Christi. Cover photo by For the Taking Photography.
Do you have one of those phrases that pumps you up every time you hear it? I do.
In the liturgy of baptism, after the parents profess the baptismal vows, the priest prays, “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen.
There’s something about the string of I do’s followed by the simple phrase “This is the faith” that rocks me to my core.
I want to stand up and clap and cheer and shout and hoot and holler.
It’s hard to explain.
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We play Catholic Trivia over on Instagram each month. These are the questions and answers to this month’s #4thFridayTrivia game.
What’s more familiar to us than the year?
We live it every day, every week, every month, year-in and year-out. You’d think we would know it like the back of our hand.
The liturgical year is packed full of amazing feast days and celebrations. And those feast days and celebrations are surrounded by traditions, customs, symbolism, history, debate, and meanings you may not know they had.
Let’s see how much you know about the liturgical calendar!
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#MyMassTakeaway for the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time. This post contains amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through the links, I make a small percentage at no extra cost to you.
First of all, could these planks and splinters not be sticking out of eyes please? Cringe-city over here.
It doesn’t matter what size the wood is – if it’s in your EYE we have a major problem.
And for that matter, you shouldn’t by trying to take a sliver out of your friend’s eye, regardless of what’s in your own. Keep your tweezers away from my eye-splinters, thank you very much.
That job is for a qualified surgeon.
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#MyMassTakeaway for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Just imagine the world as a place where people were quick to extend mercy and slow to pass judgment. Where forgiveness prevailed over condemnation. Where enemies loved each other.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says,
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