The Life of Christian Prayer
Growing in the Theological Virtues – the Witness of Hope
In our quest for spiritual growth, we seek to become the best that we can be by growing in virtue, but our virtue must also moves us out of ourselves and unite us to God and neighbor in selfless love. The theological virtues give us the foundation for a real, lived relationship with God. The…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues – Hope: Avoiding Despair and Presumption
As we’ve seen in this series, spiritual growth requires us to grow in the theological virtues, including the theological virtue of hope, which means to trust God. The alternative to hope is to fall into either despair or presumption. Despair robs the joy out of life. Presumption turns our trust into exploitation. The Error of…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues and Our Hope for Heaven
The theological virtues are necessary for spiritual growth. The theological virtue of hope is very important because trust is the first part of any relationship. While the theological virtue of hope means trust in any promise that God makes us, it is primarily trusting in God’s promise of Heaven. There are three conditions needed to…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues – Hope Means Learning to Trust
Spiritual growth means growth in the theological virtues. Theological virtues are directly related to our relationship with God. God leads us to a relationship with him based on the way that human relationships work. Sure, he could just “zap” us in to intimacy with Him. But he chooses to approach us in ways that are…
Read MoreHow to Pray – True Humility Is the Foundation of Prayer (Do You Have It)?
If you really want to learn how to pray, you always need to start with uniting your heart to God’s. The virtue of humility gives our hearts the right disposition for a relationship of love with God. But too many Catholics misunderstand this important virtue. Most people think of humility as a refusal to acknowledge…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues – Are You Following the Greatest Commandments?
“Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.” Charity is the greatest of the theological virtues. The theological virtues of hope and faith are at the service of the theological virtue of charity. The very purpose ofthe theological virtues of hope – to teach us to trust –…
Read MoreChristian Prayer – What Does it Mean to Pray in the Name of Jesus?
Is there really power in Christian prayer? Because I go to the Father: and whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do: that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask me anything in my name, that I will do (John 14:13-14). Jesus makes a powerful…
Read MoreDaily Reading: Walk Humbly With Your God
Today’s Readings for the Holy Mass In today’s first reading the prophet Micah tells us that what God really wants from us is our hearts. That doesn’t mean that religious practices, such as sacrifices in the Old Testament or liturgy in the Church today, aren’t necessary. It means that the purpose of every religious practice is…
Read MoreCatholic Prayer: How Sacramentals Tie your Prayer to the Sacraments
Sacraments are the fonts of grace that Jesus gave us to draw us into the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. But from that font springs other outpourings of grace from our loving Lord. The sacramentals are one of those smaller fonts of grace. These are ceremonies, rites, or blessed objects instituted by the Church for private…
Read MoreWhy Do We Pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary?
One question I get most often form non-Catholics, but also sometimes from Catholics, is why we pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the saints. Redeemed Into the Family of God The simple but really, really important answer is this: we pray to Mary and the saints because we are all the Family of…
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