Family Occasions, Speaking Heart to Heart

  May 9, 2023 Opus Dei: Jesus, What should we do? Hi!   How is each and every one? Thank God it rained last night quite a good lot at least not just a drizzle.   It was enough to cool the super hot day of the day before running through the whole day yesterday.   Thank you, Lord for the blessing.   The earth is also thanking you for quenching its thirst and so do the birds, the plants and trees. Somebody in the house commented it is the first rain in May, is it?   April had several days of rain. First week of May is over and in six days it will be 2 nd Sunday, Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to each and every one!   I have been intentionally planning a pilgrimage with a friend or two to Our Mother Mary in her shrines.   Somehow I have been successful and I am hoping it continues to the end of the month. Some friends started doing the same. Last Sunday I did a pilgrimage with somebody.   She wanted to go to three shrines of Our Lady prayi...

May 2, 2023 Catholic Link Hi!   How is each and every one? I had been thinking how could I spend every day of the month of May with the intention of loving Our Lady at every moment during this month that is dedicated to her?   I have learned from St. Josemaria, Founder of Opus Dei about the May pilgrimages to Our Lady in her different shrines nearby or farther away.   These pilgrimages are characterized by the intention of showing love and devotion towards our Lady. Firstly, by praying her most beloved and recommended prayer, the Holy Rosary in all its four mysteries, Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious. This is preferably done with a friend or a group of them with the intention of bringing one another to Our Lady.   Moreover, there is the mortification of walking to a shrine dedicated to her from a certain distance and back while praying the mysteries. The entire mystery of the day is prayed inside the shrine complete with the litany to the Blessed Virgin Mar...

April 25, 2023 dreamstime.com Hi!  How is each and every one? Once again our faith has been affirmed, confirmed and strengthened by Christ’s Resurrection from the dead as He said so.  We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  He is our model, our brother, our friend, our teacher, our EVERYTHING.  We look up to Him, we do things for Him, BUT always with Him by our side, as you and I can do nothing without Him.   Hence, we need to put standards in place otherwise you and I will have nothing to guide ourselves to the right path you and I want to follow to reach our goal in Jesus Christ and remain close to Him. The following excerpt is a continuation of the previous post on Alertness and Being on gu ard (From Joseph Tissot, How to profit from your faults pp. 96-97). From this first benefit of alertness and being on guard drawn from our mistakes, a second benefit naturally follows:  namely, remaining faithful to those means that help us persev...

April 18, 2023 opusdeitoday.org Hi!  How is each and every one?  Let us continue rejoicing and spreading this joy all around us by professing the Resurrection of Our Lord in our lives.  Life overcame death.  God always wins battles.  Let us be filled with hope while at the same time be on guard always.  And how do we go about this?  Read through the following words of Pope Francis on what we can do to guard our heart from the evil spirit. Holy Father urges to guard one’s heart like a sentinel (from Aleteia) To prevent evil from entering into our hearts, there is an ancient, but very good, practice: the examination of conscience. That was Pope Francis’ message during the morning homily Friday at Santa Marta (Vatican, Radio, October 10, 2014). The Gospel of the day reminds us that the devil always comes back to us; he never stops tempting man. “The devil has patience,” Pope Francis said. “He never leaves that which he wants for himself,” that...

April 11, 2023 Ko-fi Happy Easter blessings to each and every one!  Let us continue rejoicing and even more during this Easter Octave (week).  Let us rejoice with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, and our mother too, as we pray the Regina Coeli instead of Salve Regina , Hail Holy Queen. By praying the Regina Coeli, you and I are joyfully proclaiming with Our Mother, victory of life over death:  for the Lord has truly risen. Let us also thank Jesus for His love and for choosing to redeem us from our sins.  How do you and I manifest our love and gratitude to Him on the other hand?  The following is another excerpt on Love-Sorrow for each and every sin that nailed Jesus on the Cross (From Joseph Tissot, How to profit from your faults pp. 92-93) .   The Saint (St. Francis de Sales) also shows how one should welcome a beaten and despairing penitent:   “If you see him afraid and broken down, and he is doubtful of obtaining pardon for his ...