"Faith lifts the staggering soul on one side, Hope supports it on the other. Experience says it must be, and love says let it be." - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

"Let not your heart be disturbed... Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything. 

Am I not here, your mother?"

- Our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego

"Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the Immaculata who is queen even of God's heart." Saint Maximilian Kolbe

We have entered the “joyful” week of lent!  The fourth Sunday, which in our house is affectionately called, “PINK Sunday!”  Of course, we know that it is Laetare Sunday, but I have a lot of priest friends and I am married to a deacon, and they loudly proclaim that they are wearing rose, NOT pink.  (Of course, I disagree and chalk it up to them being color blind 😊)

“Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving God who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. God will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.” - St Francis de Sales

I like this quote because it addresses two big spiritual temptations that I always struggle with. 

A little over fifty years ago, Pope Paul VI wrote a document that forever changed the world entitled Humanae Vitae. It may be one of the most controversial documents ever written to date, but it is also one of the most prophetic.This document stated that the Catholic Church, in a time when hormonal birth control was growing in popularity, would stand firm on our teaching that it simply was not acceptable. The Catholic Church stood alone.

Christmas Day is right around the corner.  For many of us, it’ll be quieter and smaller than normal, but the beauty of the Church’s feasts is that they’re fundamentally the same in gatherings of one or one hundred and in America, China, or anywhere you may find yourself.