Catholic Fire

Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe -- one of my favorite Marian feast days. Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, brings hope into our lives. She covers us in the folds of her heavenly mantle and cradles us. She is the Mother who tenderly consoles us and protects us from evil. She is the one who carries Divine Life within her and crushed the head of the wicked serpent. She brings us life and love; hope and healing. She brought conversion to Mexico and will renew the Americas again if we pray for her intercession. History Five centuries ago, in the country now known as Mexico, senseless human sacrifices were performed. Between 20,000 and 50,000 human beings were murdered a year in the Aztec empire. Most of them were slaves and included men, as well as women, and children. An early Mexican historian estimated that one out of every five children in Mexico was sacrificed to the gods. The climax of these ritualistic killings came in 1487 when a new...

June 12, 2013. (Romereports.com) During his daily Mass at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis explained that the Beatitudes are God's 'new law' for mankind. The Pope also added that it is the Holy Spirit who helps humanity meet the will of God. But, he explained that mankind fears the Lord's will, and sometimes it's tempted to take a step backwards. POPE FRANCIS “This is the temptation to go backwards, because we are 'safer' going back: but total security is in the Holy Spirit that brings you forward, which gives us this trust - as Paul says - which is more demanding because Jesus tells us: “Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law”. It is more demanding! But it does not give us that human security. We cannot control the Holy Spirit: that is the problem! This is a temptation.” The Mass was concelebrated by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz and attended ...

On Mary's birthday I want to give her something special this year -- not just something for today, but for the entire year. But what do you give to a Mother who has everything? She truly has it all -- She's in Heaven with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. She has no sin on her soul, and possesses a glorified body. She's beautiful, intelligent, and wise and possesses every virtue anyone could ever desire. She has no need for material things. Of course, she has my heart. Several years ago, I made my Consecration to Mary, entrusting my heart to her. Then, when I made my Oblature with the Community of St. John a few years ago, I offered up my life to Jesus through Mary, making promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience. So what's left? Well, I am certainly far from being perfect and have miles to go before I could ever begin to love her Son and others the way she loves them. I can't ever expect to acquire the level of holiness that she has, but I can do my bes...

Communion is at the heart of the mystery of our humanity. It means accepting the presence of another inside oneself, as well as accepting the reciprocal call to enter into another. Communion, which implies the security and insecurity of trust, is a constant struggle against all the powers of fear and selfishness in us, as well as the seemingly resilient human need to control another person. ~ Jean Vanier , Becoming Human, pp. 28-29