(The tomb of St. Catherine of Siena in Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome)

"St. Catherine being once in ecstasy saw and clearly understood that the Lord God, Who is Supreme Goodness, created man out of His ineffable charity, and that in the same charity and burning love, He permits to happen, or gives to man, both consolations and tribulation with no other aim than to provide for his salvation. Those are, therefore, very blind and foolish who find fault with the works or the judgments of God, and murmur against Him, being scandalized and disturbed by the things which come to pass. But blessed are those, who, understanding and believing in the holy Providence of God, humbly receive all things from His Hand, as the best that could happen to them, give thanks, and always hope and trust firmly in the Lord."

~ from Consoling Revelations from the Writings of 

SS. Gertrude, Mechtild, Bridget and Catherine of Siena 

collected by The Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius.

(The village of Eyries on the Beara Peninsula, southwestern Ireland)

Have you been making time in 2018 for spiritual reading? The spiritual writers recommend 15-20 minutes a day of spiritual reading...and there is an embarrassment of riches nowadays when it comes to spiritual books. Books on the virtues, books on the saints, books on the lives of Our Lord and Our Lady, abound. We can find them in hardcover, softcover, ebook (Kindle, Nook, etc.), or even have them read to us on CD or Audible! One book my father especially enjoyed years ago was This Tremendous Lover by Fr. M. Eugene Boylan, O.C.R.. Today's quote regarding reading is from that book;

"Regular reading of a suitable sort plays a more important part in the life of Catholics today, and for the educated at least, is well nigh essential for their progress if not also for their salvation. This practice ranks equally with mental prayer and the other exercises of devotion in importance and in fact it is so closely connected with these other exercises, especially the essential one of mental prayer, that without it -- unless one finds some substitute -- there is no possibility of advancing in the spiritual life; even perseverance therein is rendered very doubtful."

I posted the above rainy-day picture of a colorful village in Ireland today because I was thinking about St. Kentigern. His feastday passed those of us in the States without a glance (it was this past weekend). But when I was in the little village of Eyries a few years ago, I visited the small local church and found this sign:

The history of our holy Catholic Faith, beginning with the birth of Our Lord, and continuing down through the millenia, is fascinating to read. Because of this saint, a beautiful cliff near Eyeries is still referred to as "Kilcatherine Point." And, as we flew past the ruin of the Kilcatherine Monastery at dusk in the rain, I snapped this photo:

Okay, so it's not my best photographic moment, 😀but at least it triggers the memory. See, through the *reading* of the sign about St. Kentigern, I learned about a new heavenly friend. May our reading bring us to a closer relationship with Our Lord, His Mother and all the Saints!

St. Kentigern, pray for us!

Pike's Peak, Colorado

January of each new year brings lots of resolutions, lots of inspirational and motivational talks, podcasts, emails and posts that are supposed to bring us closer to success. But what kind of success? Financial success? Success in popularity? Success in the entertainment industry? Career success? The ultimate success is the salvation of our immortal souls.

That's not to say that I don't make New Year's resolutions in various areas of my life - on the contrary, I do! We all should better ourselves. But if things don't go the way we had planned, let us remember this encouraging quote of St. Vincent de Paul:

"A single act of resignation to the Divine Will in what it ordains contrary to our desires, is of more value than a hundred thousand successes conformable to our will and taste."

A Crucifixion scene in Segovia Cathedral, Spain

As Our Lord suffered on the Cross, He continued to put the needs of others before His own...His Mother's future, the forgiveness of His persecutors, the redemption of the Good Thief. Our Lord said to St. Gertrude:
"The certain confidence anyone puts in Me, in virtue of which he believes that I have truly the power, the knowledge and the will to stand faithfully by him in all things, pierces My Heart, and does such violence to My loving kindness, that I can in no wise abandon or fail him."

~ from Consoling Revelations from the Writings of 

Saints Gertrude, Mechtild, Bridget and Catherine of Siena 

collected by The Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius.

Likewise, if we have this kind of confidence, He will never abandon us. People don't lose their souls because God gives up on them; they go to Hell because they lose confidence in God - in His love, His power, His forgiveness.

Beauty After a Blizzard

Have you every complained about the weather? "It's too hot...it's too cold...it's too snowy...it's too rainy...it's too dry"... I know I have.

Today, I'd like to share this quote of St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, which applies to more than just the weather. It applies to everything in my life!

"There are many things which seem to us misfortunes and which we call such; but if we understood the designs of God we would call them graces."

"To me nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass.... It is not a mere form of words -- it is a great action, the greatest action that can be on earth." 

~ John Henry Newman

(Fr. Richard Boyle offering Mass on the mountain path to the Cave of St. Mary Magdalen in France)

God is the only One to Whom word is action. With Him, to will it is to see it happen. When He says, "Let there be light," light is there. Remember the leper who said to Him, "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean"? And Our Lord touched him and said, "I will, be thou made clean." And St. Matthew, in chapter eight, tells us, "And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed." 

This is our thought for the day...the beautiful, consoling truth of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The true one...the Mass of the ages. The Mass that made thousands of saints. 

When He says, "This is My Body", the bread changes into His Flesh. Transubstantiation. The Word is made Flesh, and dwells amongst us.

A Prayer for the Conversion of America

"Dear God, bring the Faith to our beloved country. It was once a virgin land wherein the only praise was that of the murmur of the Mass on the shores, the hills and the prairies. Zealous priests and explorers claimed it for Thee, giving Thy Holy Name to its rivers, lakes and cities. From east to west they traveled, from mission to mission, from Mass to Mass until the land was encircled by prayer and gave of its bounty to Thy glory. And now it is dedicated to Thy Immaculate Mother. May she find America again, as she once found the lost Child Jesus in the Temple. May she touch the hearts of our people, disposing them to receive the ancient faith, and thus showing them the things that are to their peace. We ask this of Thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Happy New Year, everyone! I came across this prayer last night, with no author, source, date or publisher listed. Isn't it encouraging to think of the many Masses that have been offered in America since the first priests landed here with the explorers? Let us pray for our country!