Catholic Fire

Bishop Barron's powerful talk at the 2016 World Youth Day "Night of Mercy" event, hosted by the Knights of Columbus, on July 27, 2016. Over 25,000 young people were present at the Tauron Arena in Kraków, Poland.

Friday, May 13, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, marks the launch of my new book , Learning to Love with the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir . We will be giving away paperback books and sharing reviews from some very talented writers and bloggers. Here is the blog tour schedule: Friday, May 13 -- Ellen Gable Hrkach, Review , Plot, Line, and Sinker     Saturday, May 14 -- Rosemary Bogdan, Review, A Catholic Mother’s Thoughts    Book Giveaway! Sunday, May 15 -- Carolyn Astfalk, Review, My Scribbler’s Heart Blog   Book Giveaway! Monday, May 16 -- Lisa Mladinich, Interview,  Patheos  Tuesday, May 17—Nancy HC Ward, Review, Joy Alive in our Hearts   Book Giveaway! Wednesday, May 18 -- Esther Gefroh., Review, A Catholic Mom in Hawaii  Thursday, May 19 -- Barb Szyszkiewicz, Review, Franciscan Mom      Book Giveaway!  and Catholic Mom    Friday, May 20--Jeannie Ewing, Interview, Love Alone Creates ...

“In Christ ascended into Heaven, the human being has entered into intimacy with God in a new and unheard-of way; man henceforth finds room in God forever.  ‘Heaven’:  this word Heaven does not indicate a place above the stars but something far more daring and sublime:  it indicates Christ himself, the divine Person who welcomes humanity fully and forever, the One in whom God and man are inseparably united forever….  We draw close to Heaven, indeed, we enter Heaven to the extent that we draw close to Jesus and enter into communion with him.” - Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI

The month of June is singled out for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The novena to the Sacred Heart begins on Thursday, June 4, 2015 and ends on Friday, June 12, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request) Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of.......(here name your request) Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and ...

"The Eucharist is the secret of my day.  It gives strength and meaning to all my activities of service to the Church and to the whole world...Let Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament speak to your hearts.  It is he who is the true answer of life that you seek.  He stays here with us.  He is God with us. Seek him without tiring, welcome him without reserve, love him without interruption: today, tomorrow, forever." ~ St. Pope John Paul II, L'Osservatore Romano , 41, October 8, 1997, 7.

Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On this feast, we focus our attention on Jesus truly present in the Holy Eucharist and reflect on God’s unconditional love and boundless mercy as symbolized by His heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has as its dogmatic foundation the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. On account of the hypostatic union, every part of our Lord's Human Nature is worthy of adoration. Hence, therefore, we adore His bodily Heart, beating in His Bosom. We also honor the Heart of Jesus as a reminder, or symbol, of His love for us, and we are moved to make Him a return of love, because He has loved us and He is not loved by men. Love, consecration, and reparation are the characteristic acts of this devotion. In this form it is now solemnly approved by the Church. On the feast of the Sacred Heart celebrated on the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi an act of reparation is prescribed for recitation in every ch...

Pope Francis on Sunday invited the faithful to join him spiritually in prayer for the upcoming Consistory and for the next Synod of Bishops which will focus on the theme of the Family. Celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family on this first Sunday after Christmas, the Pope entrusted the work of the bishops to Jesus, Mary and Joseph and recited this prayer: PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust. Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer,authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth, may families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. Holy Family of Nazareth, may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan. Jesus,...

What a great way to share the Christmas spirit! A mystery diner is changing the lives of some lucky restaurant workers across the country. The customer is leaving huge tips, some as large as $5,000, and signing every one of those checks “Tips for Jesus.” The do-gooder at this point remains anonymous. Across the country, in California, Illinois, and Michigan, all the tabs have been covered by one American Express Black Card.  Based on the types of establishments frequented, it is speculated that he is a college football fan. The owner of the Moon Dogs bar in Washington was shocked when he and his staff received a $5,000 tip on a $576 bar tab. Darryl Baldwin recalled asking the man if he was sure he wanted to leave such a large gratuity. “The guy goes, ‘Absolutely, you know I made a ton of money in my life. This is my way of giving back.’” Via Fox Insider News.

Are you ready to meet Jesus? Fr. James Kubicki reflects on the Second Coming of Jesus, which we prepare for during the Advent Season.

Debunking the debunker: Reza Aslan's 'Zealot ' vs. the Real Jesus   by Fr. Robert Barron

September 26, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis explained during morning Mass at  Casa Santa Marta that to get to know Jesus, means that you must complicate your life. And that you cannot get to know him by flying “first class” in life. POPE FRANCIS “You cannot know Jesus without getting oneself involved with Him, without betting your life on Him.” The Pope added that there are three languages everyone must speak to get to know Jesus. They are the languages of the heart, the mind, and of action. POPE FRANCIS “Yes, you have to come to know Jesus in the Catechism – but it is not enough to know Him with the mind: it is a step. However, it is necessary to get to know Jesus in dialogue with Him, talking with Him in prayer, kneeling. If you do not pray, if you do not talk with Jesus, you do not know Him. You know things about Jesus, but you do not go with that knowledge, which He gives your heart in prayer. Know Jesus with the mind - the study of the Catechism: know Jesus w...

September 9, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis explained the true meaning of hope, one of the virtues he has continuously referred to during his pontificate. At his Mass homily in Casa Santa Marta he said hope is more than just optimism for Christians. POPE FRANCIS “Jesus, the hope, renews everything. It's a constant miracle. He has not only done miracles of healings: those were only signs, signals of what He's now doing in the Church. The miracle of making everything new: what he does in my life, in your life, in our life. He rebuilds. And what He builds again is precisely the reason of our hope. Christ is the one who renews every wonderful thing of the Creation, He's the reason of our hope. And this hope does not delude because He is faithful. He can't renounce Himself. This is the virtue of hope.” As an example of hope, the Pope reminded all Christians about the Virgin Mary's attitude after her son's death, up until His resurrection on Sunday. EX...

“This is a prayer that we need to say every day: 'Holy Spirit, make my heart open to God's Word so that my heart might be open to good, so that my heart might be open to God's beauty every day.' Let me ask you: how many of you pray to the Holy Spirit every day? It will be few of you, but we must satisfy this desire for Jesus and pray every day to the Holy Spirit that He might open our hearts to Jesus.” ~ Pope Francis in his General Audience on May 15, 2013

April 23, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis celebrated the feast day of St. George, his patron saint, with a Mass as the Pauline Chapel, along with the resident cardinals in Rome. At the start of the ceremony, Cardinal Dean Angelo Sodano congratulated him on behalf of others. During the hour-long ceremony, Pope Francis gave a brief homily similar to the ones he offers at the Casa Santa Marta Chapel. POPE FRANCIS “I also thank all of you who wanted to come today: Thank you. Because I feel welcomed by you. Thank you. I feel good with you, and I like that.” Without written remarks, but basing himself on the Gospel of the day, he spoke about the Church's expansion, starting with the first persecution of Christians. POPE FRANCIS “And this is how the Church moved forward. Whose was this initiative to speak to the Greeks? This was not clear to anyone but the Jews. But ... it was the Holy Spirit, the One who prompted them ever forward ... But some in Jerusalem, when they hear...

April 17, 2013. (Romereports.com) On Wednesday morning, St. Peter's Square was especially busy, during the Pope's general audience. More than 50,000 people came out to the Vatican to hear the Pope's catechesis. But before getting started, the Pope greeted some of the pilgrims, for about 30 minutes, as he made his way in the popemobile. Among the crowds, one pilgrim gave him a 'papal hat' as a gift. The Pope, in return, gave him the one he had on. The Pope talked about the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. As usual, the Pope improvised quite a bit. The Pope said there is no need to fear Jesus, because He is like our personal lawyer. POPE FRANCIS “We have someone who always defends us from the traps of the devil, from ourselves and our sins. Dear brothers and sisters, He is our advocate. We should not be afraid to ask for forgiveness or to ask for blessings, to ask for mercy. He will always forgive us. As our lawyer, He will always defend us. We must not forge...

Angela Miller sang for her church prior to being on this season of American Idol. Watch her lift up beautiful praises to Jesus with this incredible song she wrote and it was all on National television . She COMPLETELY blew the judges away!