Catholic Fire

Pentecost – the great birthday of the Church is only nine days away! Are you getting excited? If not, you should be. This is a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of the great graces and gifts that the Holy Spirit wants to bestow upon us. Now, more than ever, we need these graces in our lives. We need the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit to stand strong in our faith and to be able to witness to the world. How can you prepare for the feast of Pentecost this year? 1. Pray the novena for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit . These are gifts that will not break or shatter. They are lasting gifts that, when used, will bear much fruit. 2. Gather together as a community (with your family, friends, prayer group, or bible study) in prayer and wait for the promise of the Father to send the Holy Spirit.  Ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Pray, “Come Holy Spirit.” Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our country. Pray specifically for your own persona...

Traditionally, today, June 8 is the Feast of Mary Mediatrix of All Graces . Here is a beautiful Litany to honor her and to ask for her intercession for a specific intention. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us! Mother of God, and our Mother, pray for us! True Mother of the living, pray for us! Mother regenerating men in Christ unto God, pray for us! Mother of piety and of grace, pray for us! Mother of pardon and remission, pray for us! Partner in human redemption, pray for us! Recoverer of a lost world, pray for us! Recoverer of the ages, pray for us! Petitioner of all graces, pray for us! Suppliant all-powerful, pray for us! Advocate with thy Son for thy sons, pray for us! Obtainer ...

By Jean M. Heimann Today is the feast day of St. Maximilian Kolbe, one of my favorite saints. A Conventual Franciscan, "St. Max" graciously assisted me during one of the most difficult times in my life - a dark night of the senses - approximately 14 years ago. The Lord led me to seek spiritual direction from a Conventual Franciscan (much like St. Maximilian Kolbe in that he was self-giving and self-sacrificing) who guided me on the path to a closer relationship with Jesus and His Holy Mother. At the time, family members, who lived thousands of miles away were seriously ill, my husband was unexpectedly laid off for several months, and we were facing serious financial difficulties. I was ill and unable to work outside our home. The Lord was showing me the meaning of true humility and total dependence on Him. This is when St. Maximilian Kolbe entered into my life. St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Russian - occupied Poland on January 7, 1894. His baptismal name was...

Happy Feast of Mary, Help of Christians!  Prayer to Mary, Help of Christians Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, how sweet it is to come to your feet imploring your perpetual help. If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children, how can you, the most loving of all mothers forget me? Grant then to me, I implore you, your perpetual help in all my necessities, in every sorrow, and especially in all my temptations. I ask for your unceasing help for all who are now suffering. Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners. Grant through your intercessions many vocations to the religious life. Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians, that having invoked you on earth we may love and eternally thank you in heaven. ~Saint John Bosco, Franciscan Tertiary and modern Apostle of young people (1815-1888)

Would you like to take part in a wonderful gift-giving party for Our Blessed Mother this month? My dear friend Sarah is hosting the Mary Moments on Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day) at her blog, Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering. The focus will be on parenthood this time around, which doesn't mean you have to be a parent to participate. :) We all have an experience with parenthood, with someone who inspired us and helped us move forward. For more details, check out Sarah's post here.

The title “Mary, Queen of Saints” describes just how holy and powerful our dear Mother is. Mary, Holy Virgin, pure and perfect, gave birth to Jesus Christ and so we revere her above all saints. Because Mary was full of grace, she excelled in every virtue to a greater extent than every other saint. Each of the saints excelled in a particular virtue, but Mary possessed all of the virtues that could be expressed in any creature. Because of the fullness of grace and the splendor of her virtues, she reigns above all the saints as their Queen. She is the holiest of all saints – the best model that we as women - can strive to imitate. We can all seek to follow after our Blessed Mother in a special way in order to bring peace, patience, and prayer into our homes and into every aspect of our daily lives. As women, we are called to imitate Mary, the spouse of the Holy Spirit and the Mother of the Church. This is not an easy task, particularly when we are inundated by constant messages from our c...