Catholic Fire

I enjoy adult coloring books. As a psychologist, I am keenly aware of the healing power of art therapy and how it can help reduce stress and tension and allow the person to focus and to express their emotions and their creativity. When I color, I feel relaxed and youthful again in the sense that I am allowing myself to play, to have fun, and to be like a child again. It is a wonderful escape from the everyday stresses of work, home, and family life. At Play in God’s Creation:An Illuminating Coloring Book  (written by Tara M. Owens and illustrated by Daniel W. Sorenson) is a beautiful coloring book that contains intriguing illustrations of flowers, trees, mountains, valleys, shells, butterflies, animals, oceans, and many scenes from nature. It guides you through arched pathways, intricate mazes, and open fields, providing spiritual direction along the way, with each drawing containing a quote from scripture, the saints, or mystics who guide you on the contemplative journey. ...

Sante Chapelle, Paris The Sainte Chapelle (Holy Chapel) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, France. The Sainte Chapelle is considered among the highest achievements of the Rayonnant period of Gothic architecture. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion relics, including Christ's Crown of Thorns—one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom. Along with the Conciergerie, the Sainte Chapelle is one of the earliest surviving buildings of the Capetian royal palace on the Île de la Cité. Although damaged during the French Revolution, and restored in the 19th century, it has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collection anywhere in the world. Medieval man was able to bring forth amazing faith-inspired works of beauty that organically flourished from a Christ...

Listen to Dr. Peter Kreeft like you've never heard him...with a jazz infused, hip-hop accompaniment . This mash-up borrows from an address Dr. Kreeft gave at Acton University in 2014. His topic was "Good, True, and Beautiful: CS Lewis," but it was so much more. H/T: Brandon Voght

Fr. Barron: If every innate or natural desire we have points to some objective state of affairs that fulfills it, then our innate desire for ultimate joy points to a supernatural source of fulfillment. In other words, if your desire is for the properly unconditioned good, true, and beautiful, then it necessarily orients you toward "God." 

Vatican City, Oct 18, 2013 / 04:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Benefactors of the Vatican Museums who have recently gathered in Rome stressed that art is pivotal in the task of bringing God to secular society. “A message given by the artist which many times is a very strong religious, theological message can then penetrate into the soul,” Fr. Mark Haydu told CNA in an Oct. 17 interview. Fr. Haydu is the international director of the Patrons of the Arts of the Vatican Museums – a worldwide community dedicated to the restoration and conservation of artwork within the Vatican Museums through the financial adoption of various projects. The priest reflected that art and beauty play “an essential role” in evangelization today, because “we live in a very image driven culture, as we know, and a throw away culture, so a lot of what is beautiful lasts over time.” Read more.

Pope Benedict calls on society to reconnect beauty to truth and goodness A world can be immersed in images and yet empty of beauty, Pope Benedict said today in a message sent to the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Literature as it explores the relationship between aesthetics and ethics. When Christians create works that "render glory unto the Father," the Pope continues, they speak of the "goodness and profound truth" that they are portraying, as well as the integrity and sanctity of the artist or author. To this end, Benedict XVI encourages believers to learn how to "communicate with the language of images and symbols ... in order effectively to reach our contemporaries." The Holy Father also mentions how at the Synod on the Bible the bishops noted that knowing how to "read and scrutinize the beauty of works of art inspired by the faith" can lead Christians to discover a "unique path that brings us close to God and His Word." Fin...

May the peace of His presence and the joy of His love fill your heart today!

"What makes the soul stronger in God and fortifies it is love... I live in a state of great langour. Love has done this because the more something is loved, the more one desires that it be possessed. Moreover,...this love generates a great zeal in me... If you keep your eyes fixed on Him, your entire soul will be set ablaze. But, if you are not doing so, strive with all your being to fix your eyes on Him and keep them there." ~ Blessed Angela of Foligno Blessed Angela (+1309) was a wife and mother who later became a Franciscan Tertiary and an esteemed mystical writer. ~ Adapted from the Magnificat, May, 2007 "Keep your eyes fixed on Him who is your guide to the heavenly country, where He is leading you. What does it matter to you whether Jesus wishes to guide you to Heaven by way of the desert or by the meadow, so long as He is always with you and you arrive at the possession of a blessed eternity?" ~ St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina "Look upon the beauty of ...