Catholic Fire

Today is the feast of St.Thérèse of Lisieux , my dear friend and heavenly helper. In honor of the 118th anniversary of St.Thérèse's entrance into eternal life, I would like to share some of her most precious and intimate words about her one and only Love, Jesus. The Kiss of Jesus "How sweet it was, the first kiss of Jesus to my soul! Yes, it was a kiss of Love. I felt I was loved, and I too said: 'I love Thee, I give myself to Thee forever!' Jesus asked nothing of me, demanded no sacrifice. Already for a long time past, He and the little Therese had watched and understood one another... That day our meeting was no longer a simple look but a fusion. No longer were we two: Therese had disappeared as the drop of water which loses itself in the depths of the ocean, Jesus alone remained; the Master, the King! Had not Therese begged Him to take away from her, her liberty? That liberty made her afraid; so weak, so fragile did she feel herself that she longed to be ...

In a recent article published in the online journal “Salon,” philosophy professor John Messerly claims that religion has a "smart-people problem." Is this the case? Fr. Robert Barron responds.

This week, America memorializes the 57 million innocent lives lost to abortion since January 22, 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court imposed abortion on all 50 states through the unjust Roe v. Wade decision. We also remember the many mothers — and fathers — whose lives have been devastated by abortion. In the following video, National Director of 40 Days for Life David Bereit shares the Top Three Reasons to ‎March for Life‬. Be sure to share this with others. Thank you! Here is a listing of all the places 40 Days for Life will be.

By Jean M. Heimann Today is the feast of Our Lady of Loreto. The title Our Lady of Loreto refers to the Holy House of Loreto, the house in which Mary was born, and where the Annunciation occurred, and to an ancient statue of Our Lady which is found there. Mary's home in Nazareth was viewed as a holy place and the Apostles used the residence as a church. After the fall of the Latin Church in Jerusalem in 1291, tradition tells us that a band of angels scooped up the little house from the Holy Land, and transported it first to what is now Croatia. They later carried the home to Italy, where it finally landed in Loreto on December 2, 1295. It was this flight that led to her patronage of people involved in aviation, and the long life of the house that has led to the patronage of builders and construction workers. Loreto is the first shrine of international renown dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and has been known as a Marian center for centuries. Popes have always held the S...

December 4th is the feast of St. John Damascene, Patristic Father and Doctor of the Church. St. John Damascene is the illustrious champion of sacred images. Saint John Damascene (also known as St. John of Damascus) was born In Damascus, Syria around 676 AD into a rich family and spent the early years of his adult life serving as the official representative of the Christian community to the Muslim Caliph. He later abandoned this political task to join the monastery of St. Sabas near Jerusalem where he became a priest and ultimately a bishop. St. John was such a great orator that he was known as Chrysorrhoas ("golden-stream"). St. John Damascene is known as the last of the Greek Fathers of the Church. He was a strong defender of the use of images (icons) in Christian worship against the iconoclasts and is famous for his treatise  Exposition of the Orthodox Faith  that sums up the doctrinal heritage of the earlier Greek Fathers. In this great synthesis, we find a sy...

Here's a beautiful video from Spirit Juice, with aerial shots of Rome:

Related:   Today's Saints: St. Gertrude the Great; St. Margaret of Scotland

I think this little boy is preparing to be a future pope. He is darling! October 31, 2013. (Romereports.com)(ONLY VIDEO) A new star is born! Images of a 6 year old boy who felt 'at home' during a Papal vigil are making their way across the globe. As Pope Francis addressed more than 100,000 people during the Day of the Family, the little boy seemed unphased. He hugged the Pope, sat in the papal chair and even decided to become an improvised 'master of ceremonies.' The Pope's butler tried to sway him away from the Pope, by offering him some candy. The boy took the candy, but then pulled away. The Pope didn't seem bothered by the distractions. The 6-year-old boy is from Colombia, but about a year ago he was adopted by an Italian family with the help of AiBi, 'Amici dei Bambini.' It's an institution that helps abandoned children find a family. With the boy's growing popularity, his mother gave the following statement: “We hope that the ble...

Today is the memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest, and founder of the Society of Jesus. St. Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 in the Basque Country of Northern Spain to parents of distinguished families in that area. He was the youngest of 13 children and was called was called Iñigo. At the age of 15, he served as a page in the court of a local nobleman and later embraced a military career and became a valiant soldier. Wounded in battle by a cannonball , which broke one leg and injured the other, he was taken prisoner by the French, who set his leg and eventually allowed him to go home to Loyola. He spent his time recuperating at the home of his brother. Confined to his sick bed , he was given pious books to read, which he grudgingly accepted. To his surprise, he enjoyed them and began to dream of becoming a "knight for Christ", pursuing the ideals of St. Francis and St. Dominic. He eventually promised to devote his life to being a knight for St. Peter if he re...

Today, July 30, we celebrate the feast of St. Peter Chrysologus, Early Church Father, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church. He was born (380) and died (450) in Imola in northern Italy. Peter's life was full of accomplishments. An adult convert, he became a deacon, then a priest, and finally the Bishop of Ravenna in 433. He fought paganism, enforced reforms, and built several churches in his see. He performed many corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and lovingly guided his flock. As a preacher, he was recognized for his simple, plain, and humble oratorical style—delivering sermons that reached all who listened. His eloquence earned him the name “Chrysologus,” meaning “golden-worded” in Greek. Known as "The Doctor of Homilies," Peter was renowned for his short, but inspired speeches; he is said to have been afraid of boring his audience.  In his homilies, Peter urged frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist, saying, “the Body of the Lord should be the daily food of our...

The FBI has identified two suspects in Monday's the Boston Marathon bombing, releasing photos and video showing them and asking the public to help locate them.

This is an amazing video compiled by Catholic Vote :

Altar of the Chair of St. Peter Today, February 22nd, is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter . The Church has celebrated this occasion since at least the mid-4th century. It is a commemoration of St. Peter, the first pope, and his primacy over the Church as well as an acknowledgment of the primacy of the pope today. Before giving a history of the Chair itself, a little background on St. Peter is necessary. St. Peter St. Peter is consistently shown in the Scriptures to be the head or Vicar of Christ's Church on earth after Christ's Ascension. Peter's primacy over the rest of the apostles is clearly delineated. Peter presided over the election of Matthias as an apostle replacing Judas the traitor. After the Holy Spirit came among the apostles on Pentecost, it was Peter who first went forth to preach to the crowd that day. And it was he who worked the first miracle. In fact, so great was his power that merely his shadow falling upon the sick as he passed by heale...

George Weigel, author of "Evangelical Catholicism", talks about the challenges the next pope will face in reforming the Roman Curia.

The saint of the day for February 21 is St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, who was one of the Church's greatest reformers in the Middle Ages. Peter was the youngest child born to a large family in Ravenna, Italy in 1007. His parents both died when he was young and he was placed in the care of one of his brothers, who treated him like a slave. His oldest brother, a priest in Ravenna, rescued him and sent him away to study. Peter was brilliant and excelled in his studies (theology and cannon law), later returning to Ravena as a professor. Unable to endure the scandals and distractions of university life, he joined a group of Benedictine monks living in northern Italy. There he became a prior at the young age of 36: a position he held unto his death. While at the hermitage, Peter performed austere penances to the extent that he developed near permanent insomnia and was forced to modify them. Although living in the cloister, Peter kept close watch on the Church...