The Birth of St. John the Baptist, (Nascita di San Giovanni Battista), ca. 1635; Oil on canvas, 112 1/4 × 77 1/2 in.; Parrocchia Sant’Antonio di Padova, Moncalvo, Asti – John the Baptist gazes upon the Virgin Mary For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. Luke 1:44 I was struck the other day by how much in Scripture names have deep meaning. What does God speak behind the name? I thought of John the Baptist, the one to whom his neighbors and relatives were amazed that his name was to be John instead of Zechariah like his father. –On the eighth day t ..read more

Raphael – Christ’s Charge to Peter 1515 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John 21:3 Years ago, I had a scene play out in my mind while in prayer. I was in the old chapel at my parish and I was battling it out with a demon. It was an epic battle and I was being tossed and flung about. Finally, the demon lifted me in the air and slammed me on the ground. I lay as if dead on the ground exhausted and beaten. The demon reached into my chest and ripped out my heart. As he h ..read more

Michaelangelo’s Pieta When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” Luke 2:48 These past few months have been difficult. I am not sure how to even explain it. Now that mom has passed, of course there’s grief, and also relief, but this has been more than that. I felt paralyzed and unmotivated to do anything, even church. It’s as if all the years on DEFCON 1 caring for mom and dad along with a pandemic and the other things of life, all while the enemy rel ..read more

Padre Pio August 19, 1919 Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17 There is an obvious tension in the air these days between left and right, liberal and conservative. And it isn’t enough for the Catholic to view these things through a purely political lens. Jesus doesn’t fit into our boxes, no matter how we may try to make Him. Traditionally speaking, to conserve, meaning “with service”, actually protects, it is a good thing. A liberal usually is one who has been open and who respects the other, at least in the pa ..read more

Alaskan Bald Eagle – Wiki Commons “Truly, the virtue of humility consists in this, that one keep himself within his own limits; he does not stretch himself to what is above him, but he subjects himself to his superior. Saint Thomas Aquinas A Journey to Humility Humility often comes in the form of humiliation. At the beginning of the spiritual journey the Lord sent many consolations and gifts. It was generous and sweet. As I journeyed further these seemed to be taken away. I cried out to the Lord, asked if I did something wrong. I had grown weary. I felt abandoned. But the desire and love for t ..read more

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.  This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you. John 14:15-17 Now is the time of prayer. I have felt this of late. Less and less has the Lord poured words over me as he did in the past. I feel compelled towards the Rosary often. As the world spirals into the ways of destruction, it is as if we are to ..read more

American Bald Eagle in free flight – by Mary Josephine Green Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.  This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Proverbs 3:7 I went last night to the Good Friday Veneration of the Cross and I was struck by the second reading from Hebrews. In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.  Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he s ..read more

The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12 Mary Josephine Carr Green June 3, 1940 – March 25, 2024 My mom passed away this morning. Please pray for the repose of her soul. I will be updating this post later in the day, but for now, please pray for my family and the soul of my mom ..read more

Carrivagio – The Calling of Saint Matthew Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20 I apologize I hav ..read more

Mary Magdalene (c. 1598) by Domenico Tintoretto, depicting her as a penitent “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Job 7:11 I came across a German Mystic named Anne Marie Lindmayr the other day. She was a 17th Century Carmelite nun who is known as a Purgatory Mystic. She stated of purgatory that, “the types of souls that dwell the least amount of time in purgatory are those that willingly accept death.” In hearing this quote, it was like a light bulb went off in my head. “Of course,” I thought ..read more