Prayer

Lent: Crush the heads of invisible dragons

From the Melkite weekday services in Lent, known as the Presanctified Liturgy, the closing prayer: ALMIGHTY LORD who created the whole universe in wisdom; who by your ineffable providence and great goodness have brought us to these salutary days for the purification of our souls and bodies, for the control of our passions and for hope…

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I got a guy in Heaven: Feast of the Guardian Angels

It just seems to be human nature that we all want a connection to power.  We want someone “on the inside” who can whisper in the ear of the boss and get things done for us.  Sometimes, we just need a guy that can talk to the boss and things get done. Growing up there…

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How the Local Greeks Commented on the Weeping Icon

I have not found or heard further news on the Icon of St. Michael that had been weeping in Greece. I have found a few comments from Greeks there about the weeping icon. Said the priest at the Church home to the icon:  “it is a message for all of us that we must be…

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Spring a Friend — the All Souls Day way

“Not by weeping,” says St. John Chrysostom, “but by prayer and almsgiving are the dead relieved.”  Know anybody that passed away this past year? Time to visit their grave and pray for them, because you can get a soul out of purgatory today due to that wrinkle which permits a plenary indulgence to be gained for…

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Some People think ‘Losing Their Head’ is the Way to Imitate John the Baptist

Was John the Baptist a mere political activist, speaking truth to power? Why did St. john the Baptist survive death threats when Peter wilted at mere questions from bystanders? How and what can we learn from St. John the Baptist on his feast? What does he tell us about religious liberty?

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Living A Catholic Life: What the Ratzinger Family Can Teach Us

March 1, 2012 saw the publication in English of Msgr. Georg Ratzinger’s new book My Brother, the Pope. Media outlets have widely reported this ultimate insider’s view of Pope Ratzinger and have published excerpts from the book. Of particular interest to this writer was Msgr. Ratzinger’s recollections of his childhood with his younger brother. The…

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