A Treasure To Be Shared

Caritas Sunday Veritas Monday Bonitas Tuesday Pulchritudo Wednesday Sanctitas Thursday Unitas Friday Haereditas Saturday + + + Charity Sunday Resurrection Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. A heart of love offers the mercy of healing to others. Be ready to accept humiliations. They can hurt terribly but they can help to keep you humble. (Whether trivial or big, accept them). All these can be so many chances to be a little nearer to our Lord. There is nothing to fear if you are near to the Lord and in His Hands. Michael Ramsey, excerpt from  Five Helps for the New Year . Almighty Father, help us to be ever mindful of Thy gift of salvation in Christ Jesus, Thy Son, who died so that we might have life and love Thee for all eternity. May we abide in humility, that we be numbered amongst those within Thine everlasting Kingdom. Grant that we be ever merciful, welcoming others into Thine embrac...

Tertullian (d. ca. 250) In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the Sign of the Cross (De corona, 30). The Sign of the Cross is both a prayer and a ritual blessing. The way in which a worshipper makes the Sign of the Cross can say a lot about a person's intentions and practice of the Faith. Is the gesture deliberate and reverent, or careless and rushed? Is the gesture lazy or haphazard? Does someone look like they're swatting flies? Are some words omitted? Picture any of the above scenarios, but replace ‘Sign of the Cross’ with a loving gesture toward a spouse. Now imagine it as a half-hearted kiss, a limp hug, or even a weak handshake with a friend. The way the gesture is carried out can say a lot about what the other person may or may not be feeling and thinking. What do we want t...

Divine Worship is a form of the Roman Rite celebrated with solemnity, sacred music, and the hallowed cadence of traditional liturgical English. This sacred liturgy is not simply a rite, but a profound encounter with the living God, drawing souls into the mystery of Christ and the worship of the Church through time-honored forms. St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne Catholic Church The Ordinariate Form of the Mass, Divine Worship, is especially rich in symbolism and gesture. Divine Worship: The Missal, approved by the Holy See, draws from the rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the English and Anglican traditions, incorporating elements from the Use of Sarum, various editions of the Book of Common Prayer, and the English and Anglican Missals. Divine Worship is a miraculous assertion of the authentic liturgical renewal desired by the fathers of the Second Vatican Council. Humans can communicate in a variety of beautiful and meaningful ways that capture and orient intention to God. Ritual a...

The Arrival | WGNC Hail Mary!   May the greeting that was first offered to thee by the holy Gabriel, which has been recited and sung by innumerable witnesses who have trusted in thy intercession down through the ages, join my weak plea for thy help, this prayer that reaches out in love and hope toward the Lord our God. O Mary, mother of all Christians, join me in prayer to God for a pure heart, a clear mind, and a ready will, so that this disciple of Jesus the Saviour Whom thou didst bear for man's salvation, may live forever in communion with the Most Holy Trinity. HEAVENLY Father, Almighty and eternal God, hearken to me in my need, and grant an increase of grace to assist me, Thy child, to grow in likeness to Thee and Thy Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, the Redeemer Whom Thou didst send among us; Who with Thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

Scripture tells us that when faced with trials, faithful Jews remembered their story and held on to their identity. Faithful Catholics know their story and retain their identity. Faithless Catholics forget their identity and attempt to manufacture limp narratives that differ little from absurd contemporary ideologies. Saint Stephen held the feet of those judging him to the fire of history and truth. And for that, he was stoned to death. Who is prepared to stand up to those who defy the law of God and accuse others of blasphemy for refusing to cooperate with deadly ideologies? In the first centuries, Romans targeted Christians who refused to burn as little as a single grain of incense to one of the pagan gods. Devotees of contemporary deities are no less determined than their ancient kin to persecute others who refuse to participate in today's dark rituals and sinister programs. In modern temples, policy is prayer, and procedure is ritual. Anyone who resists following inhumane polic...

  Host small informal home gatherings and mix in people who are well-versed in Tradition and the transcendentals -  truth, goodness, and beauty - and who can gently shape conversations toward living the Faith with integrity. Establish the Guild of Saint Stephen for altar servers at your parish. Altar servers can be the leaven that inspires reverent worship of God among parishioners.  https://www.guildofststephen.org/ Conduct Eucharistic processions (Corpus Christi, Marian processions)  to bring the light of faith into a surrounding neighbourhood, to give people permission to live the Faith and celebrate ways of living that are healthier and more beautiful than current societal norms dictate. Ensure the Sacrament of Penance is available every day, if even for only 30 minutes. Forgiveness and reconciliation gives people cause for peace and joy that spreads from one life to another. By purifying the faithful through challenging homilies and by making the Sacrament of Pe...

The light doth now return. 'Tis the season of the Incarnate Word accompanied by the promise of His Second Coming. Here is a brief commentary on three chapters from a work of the English Patrimony. The chapters offer guidance on prayer in the Logos, the Eternal Word, embracing a chosen word, and, trusting in the need for grace, giving that word complete focus and pouring into it genuine intention, to allow in one's heart and mind space for God to speak and act and transform us, guiding us according to His divine will. The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord; he will not desist until the Most High visits him, and does justice for the righteous, and executes judgment. Sirach 35:17 Over the past few decades, many self-proclaimed gurus discovered the Cloud of Unknowing and have tried to reshape it into a Catholic take on Transcendental Meditation, such as Centering Prayer, or have infused it with elements of Buddhist mindfu...