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Love wants to give - as Pope St. John Paul II said, "Love is self-gift." But all we can offer God is so, so small. Luckily when it is united to Jesus' phenomenal self-offering on the Cross and united to Our Lady's love, our tiny gift becomes multiplied and purified, fit for the King!
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Love must be free for it to be authentic. Then how can God command us to love Him? He does so because loving Him is our happiness! We do not always "feel" loving towards God - so how do we love Him if we don't feel it? It's simple - we choose to love Him. If we go all-in and choose Him above all else, we will eventually feel His presence, all in His good time.
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As children of the King, we have a royal dignity that makes us like God. Sin, then, is beneath our dignity - eating from a dumpster while eternal glory awaits. The saints realized this - they knew who they were, and Whose they were - and lived out of this dignity!
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Jesus mysteriously promises, in the Book of Revelation, that those who win the victory "will receive a new name". Our dear St. Jude has a name that could have associated him with the most infamous person in human history - Judas Iscariot. But through his faith in Christ, St. Jude did not allow such an association to keep him down. He was able to live out a new name: Apostle, Martyr, Saint. Jesus Christ can also take your names, the ones we carry with shame, and transform them by His grace!
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The dignity of human life is not merely physical - as a body/soul unity, we must care for both parts. In fact, the body is meant to be given away in love - in this, we find the fulfillment of the human person. How are we supposed to care for both body AND soul, and which one should have primacy?
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The mark of a truly civilized society is how it cares for the most vulnerable. Our society does not excel in this, in large part because we have lost the understanding of human beings made in the Image and Likeness of God. In this election year, when so many human dignity issues are at stake, let us consider our obligation to care for the most vulnerable among us - as we seek to build a truly Christian society.
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As we begin Respect Life Month, we will begin a three-week series about the gift of human life. Today we begin with the insights of Pope St. John Paul II about human dignity, equality, and the sacredness of human life - and how it is applicable to our world today.
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This world thinks very poorly of innocence, and often mocks the idea that we shouldn't taste every evil that presents itself. But Christ makes it clear in the Gospels that innocence is a prerequisite for Heaven. What is innocence, how does it differ from naivete, and how do we cultivate it in our lives and in the lives of our kids and grandkids? Innocence - the great gift of choosing the good!
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All of our readings this weekend feature the theme of envy: "sorrow at another's good fortune." Today we discuss when envy is good and when it is bad, and three profound antidotes to such a deadly sin, so that we can live lives of joy and peace!
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Like salt and pepper, lightning and thunder, Romeo and Juliet, so Faith and Works should always go together. St. James puts it best when he describes a "living faith" - a firm belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior, which is then lived out in lives of holiness. But a living faith often includes the Cross, which is what makes it so challenging!
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When Mary lived on earth, her mind and soul were already in Heaven - desiring God, living holiness. Because of how her desire for God consumed her entire being, it is fitting that her immaculate body would partake of the divine life of Heaven that she so ardently longed for. We, too, while we live on earth, can live with our hearts in Heaven - so to be prepared for our own bodily resurrection at the end of time!
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The radical claim of Christianity is that, through grace, we become adopted sons and daughters of God. But so many of us struggle with family wounds, loneliness, and the alienation of sin. If so, this consoling message of God's Fatherhood should give us courage - we have a good Father in Heaven, a new family in the Catholic Church, and the grace to live as a new creation!
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We hear every week that Jesus died for our sins. But what was crucifixion, really? What made it so horrible? What were the actual, physical sufferings that Jesus endured for us and for our salvation? Understanding the medical reality of Christ's Passion helps us to understand the depths of His love for us - a God who was willing to shed every drop of His blood to save His beloved!
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We've seen the Disney-esque trope: a young person feels stifled by their traditions, and for love or adventure decides to rebel against their parents and their culture. Conflict ensues, but in the end, the parents realize that their offspring were correct: their culture and their traditions prevented their happiness.
Is this what Jesus is criticizing in today's Gospel? Do traditions and rituals forbid authentic expression of faith and love? Are we just too "legalistic" as Catholics? Not so! A deep dive into the historical background of this Gospel helps us realize the entire purpose of Traditions, which are to give an identity to us so that we can more adequately keep the first things first: the love of God and neighbor.
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Some men are called to give it all for Christ, being conformed to Him in a unique manner through the gift of the priesthood. What about those mysterious priests? Learn all about how they are called to image Christ and be a true father to His people!
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Marriage is fantastically difficult. It puts two imperfect people together, for life, with all of their sins and weaknesses and insecurities. What could God have been thinking by concocting such a relationship? Only that it has the immense power to sanctify us and teach us how to love. Even difficult marriages, with all of its suffering and pain, can make us profoundly holy. Hear how our Catholic Faith gives hope to those in difficult marriages - hope that God can bring something beautiful, even out of the Cross!
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Marriage is more than just a natural relationship or a convenient partnership - it is a Sacrament given by Christ, ordered to the procreation of children and the mutual sanctification of spouses. Hear how the graces given in this Sacrament can make you holy!
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The Eucharist can make us saints - so why do so many people receive Him frequently, and still remain unchanged? Perhaps it is because we do not have the right dispositions! What characteristics and virtues should fill our soul to receive Him, not just worthily, but fruitfully? Love, faith, desire, purity, and reverence - these unleash the immense power of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist!
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Before we begin speaking about the beauty of Matrimony or the Priesthood, we need to speak about understanding love. John Paul II left us a beautiful insight on love, called the "Theology of the Body". Here, we break it down into a very easily-understood lesson on the nature of love - what it is, and what it is not. Tune in to hear the life-giving Good News about how God made us for love!
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Every authentic spirituality must be Eucharistic, since the goal of spirituality is union with God - and there is no better way to be united to Him than to receive and worship His Body and Blood. Truly, the Eucharist is the Bread of Life, for if our souls are to be alive, they must feed upon Him Who is the Life!
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