Oblate Program at Belmont Abbey, NC

Tag: sacrifice

A Millennial’s Guide to Lent

Maybe our sacrifices won’t be heroic, but let’s at least make ’em hurt Growing up Catholic in the 1980s and ’90s, I was taught to do one thing during Lent: give up sweets. For most of my life, that is what I did each year, and I thought nothing about it. However, I began to… Read More ›

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7 Spiritual Themes to Look for in Star Wars VII

The Force Awakens can help us appreciate anew our religious heritage and the stories that guide our choices George Lucas wanted Star Wars to be a new mythology that teaches a new generation about spirituality, good and evil. He deliberately used common themes in biblical stories and various religions in his movies. Here are seven… Read More ›

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The Lord does not take a holiday.

Though we may go on vacation, the Lord does not take a holiday. His day is Sunday. He wants it kept, not profaned in any case, both for His own external respect and for our own interest. When I say “His day,” I don’t mean only that fragment of a day spent hearing Mass. The… Read More ›

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Corruption is Greater Evil than Sin

Vatican City, 23 October 2014 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received delegates from the International Association of Penal Law (AIDP), addressing them with a speech focusing on the issues in their subject area that have recourse to the Church in her mission of evangelization and the promotion of the human person. The Pope began… Read More ›

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Invisible people

I have talked with people, who tell me that they often feel taken for granted by pretty much everyone. They are nice, do their jobs perfectly and are always available when others are in need. Often making great sacrifices in order to do so, yet they feel unappreciated. I had a talk with a woman… Read More ›

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The great forgiving

There are some who tell me that they love Holy Week, who am I to disagree with them if that is so, in my opinion they are lucky to have that feeling, for me however, all I can say if truth be told, is I hate Holy Week, my soul feels like lead, heavy, perhaps… Read More ›

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Even the tiniest Lenten sacrifice is valuable

The Catholic Herald (28/2/14): . . .There was a time when the concept of penance was widely understood even if the practice of it was in decline but that was also the time when biblical literacy was prevalent and there was some corresponding understanding of the concepts of sin, judgment and offending Infinite Goodness. Yet… Read More ›

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Real love is stronger than death

The Apostles could not watch one hour with their suffering Lord. Their spirit was good, but their flesh was weak. For this reason He seemed to condone their failure to keep Him company. How like to them we often are! We find it so hard to keep our minds on our few brief prayers, to… Read More ›

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Offer her the throne of our hearts and minds

4. God the Father, rich in mercy, has given his earthly children an Immaculate Mother: the Mother of Jesus. As we heard in the Gospel, high on the Cross, the supreme seat of love and sacrifice, Jesus speaks to his Mother and to the disciple. To his Mother he said: “Woman, behold, your son!”. He… Read More ›

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Triumph of the Cross

“The Son of Man must be lifted up”, says Jesus to Nicodemus. And he says this with a view to his crucifixion: The Son of Man must be lifted up on the Cross. Whoever believes in him, whoever sees in this Cross and in the Crucified One the Redeemer of the world, whoever looks with… Read More ›

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