Pentecost Prayer May 31, 2009

Waiting
for the promised Paraclete,
the apostles prayed ardently with Jesus’ Mother.
Then came the Pentecost day.
Flames of fire
descended upon them,
enlightening
and bringing them
apostolic fervor,
the courage of martyrs,
wisdom,
and the gift of tongues.
Come, Holy Spirit,
Comforter and Confirmer,
come down upon us.
We are waiting for you.
We are asking for you.
We are praying for you
Come and renew us,
come and revive our nation.
Bring us
all [...]

“Mary Save Us” May 26, 2009

This past weekend I was in San Antonio and I stopped at Christ the King bookstore and found a little booklet called Mary Save Us published by Our Sunday Visitor. The title seemed overly provocative to my former Southern Baptist eyes. I couldn’t read in it to see what it was about, but I was too curious to pass it up. So I shelled out $5.95 plus tax to purchase it. I do not regret it.

The Angelic Salutation October 5, 2008

From Baltimore Catechism No. 4:
Hail, Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Next in beauty to the Lord’s Prayer comes this prayer. [...]

Paul and the Virgin Mary September 27, 2008

In this year of Saint Paul, I want to answer the question I’ve been asked many times: if Mary is so important, why doesn’t the Bible, especially St. Paul, say more about her?
The question has a bad presupposition: that a subject’s importance can be judged by how often it is mentioned in the Bible.
So let’s [...]

A response to two comments August 26, 2008

Last July, during my unwanted hiatus from this blog, I received two comments which I never got around to responding to.
The first was on Hatred of the Virgin Mary, and the second on Do Protestants hate Mary?
Hey
I am a Lutheran, and I understand that when catholics ‘pray’ to saints, they are asking the saints to [...]

Praying to [with] the saints May 28, 2008

Before I say anything, I wish to say something to Catholic apologists who insist on saying that we pray with rather than to the Saints. I understand where you are coming from. For Protestants, worship and prayer are synonymous; one is unable to pray without worshiping. Thus, some of you deny the charge that we [...]

Consecration to Mary Part 2 May 27, 2008

From the Militia of the Immaculata:
Consecration means setting yourself aside for service to God. The Church has always advocated consecrating yourself to Jesus Christ through the Blessed Virgin, the perfect model of discipleship.
Perhaps the best known advocate of Marian consecration is St. Louis de Montfort (d. 1716). Modern day promoters include Pope John Paul II, [...]

The Rosary & The Eucharist May 24, 2008

Romanus the Melodist May 22, 2008

For quite a while now, the topic of Pope Benedict’s Wednesday Audience has been the Church Fathers. Yesterday, he discussed the little-known Romanus the Melodist.
Translated by Teresa Benedetta

Dear brothers and sisters,
In the series of catecheses on the Fathers of the Church, I wish to speak today about a little-known figure: Romanus the Melodist, born [...]

Peace May 13, 2008

From A Moment with Mary, daily Marian reflections in your email:
” Sister Lucia herself told us of the first apparition of Our Lady on May 13, 1917:
“…In the Cova da Iria….we saw what seemed to be a flash of lightning. (…) There before us on a small oak tree, we beheld a Lady all dressed [...]