 I can barely imagine what slavery was like and, when I get even a glimpse, it freezes my soul. The horrors of the Holocaust became more real to me having read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning (1946) during college. I found the cruelty of the camps unbelievable and yet I was drawn to Frankl’s quest for meaning, even in the face of unimaginable suffering. It was not until 2016, at a conference for missionaries in Cincinnati, Ohio, during a visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center that the savagery of chattel slavery became real to me. Inside the center, there is a restored slave house. Few, small windows. The slaves were always in chains, even inside the house. The children slept upstairs. Since then, I have learned a lot about slavery. I know about cotton, a cash crop that made fortunes for plantation owners, and fed the textile mills of New England, by treating human beings as beasts of burden. Dawn to dusk, picking cotton as quickly as I can to meet my quota and avoid, at least for today, a whipping. I can barely imagine. It freezes my soul. As Americans, any conversation about freedom will evoke some image, some reference, to slavery. Whether we like it or not, it is part of our shared history. The good news is that our history - both personally and collectively - does not determine who we are. There is a freedom that God has given us in and through our conscience that no one - no slave master, no occupying army, no political leader - can take away from us. Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters. (Catechism, 1782) One way to think about freedom is to make a distinction between “freedom from” and “freedom for.” Jesus, famously, said “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). For the people of his day, “freedom from” was from slavery in Egypt. Jesus and his people saw themselves as free people even though their country was occupied by Romans. The most severe slavery was sin. “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” So, what is our “freedom for?” Slavery. Saint Paul explains this in his Letter to the Romans. “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted. Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6: 16-18). Conscience gives us the freedom to totally surrender ourselves to the perfect good, God, and all the other goods that lead us to God. We are free to become slaves of the good. Rather than an examination of conscience, we may need an examination of freedom. The first question is to consider the ways I am held captive. Am I enslaved by a pursuit of wealth, honor, pleasure? Have I said “no” to someone in need because I have put my own passions before them? Perhaps I am blinded by some assumptions about other people. Have I dehumanized whole groups of people because I fear I will lose something? Am I beholden to a political or religious leader because, frankly, I just do not want to do the work of conscience? The second question is “what is ‘the good’ slavery gives me?” Can someone be forced to love me? Can I be forced to love someone? Can I truly love someone unless I am free? What about happiness or joy? Can anyone force me to be happy? Isn’t joy a gift given by loving freely? What about creativity? Can someone force us to be creative? Sure, our creativity can be shut down, even cancelled, but can they truly rob me of the creative impulse, the need to create the good, the beautiful, the true? God has given us the power to know the difference between good and evil. We desire freedom from evil and freedom for the good. Once again, Saint Paul says it best. “But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6: 22-23) Many of us feel we are living in uncertain times. So many things are all happening at once - wars around the world, famine, political unrest, climate change. It is as if there are dark clouds on the horizon and they get darker, and closer, everyday. Once again, we can turn to Saint Paul. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 38-39).
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 These last few months have been an exciting time for the Church as we see the papacy of Pope Leo XIV blossom. There has also been renewed interest in St. Augustine and his spirituality. I found myself learning more about Pope Leo XIV’s episcopal motto and coat of arms. His episcopal motto is, “In Illo uno unum,” which translates to “In the One, we are one.” The pope has frequently remarked how unity and communion are essential to his papacy, akin to the charism of the Order of Saint Augustine. On this feast of St. Augustine, I personally reflect on how we might personalize this motto in our own lives. Focus on What Unites We see and experience division in our society, whether we encounter it in the news, see it in our own community, or personally experience it. The hard reality is that it takes time and work to foster unity and build communion. It is easier to tear something down rather than build something up. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you disagree with someone or find it difficult to get along with another, try to focus on the commonalities. I always hang on to the quote from C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves, “Friendship…is born at the moment when one man says to another ‘What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…” Focusing on what unites opens the doors for relationship-building, particularly listening and understanding. Keep Christ at the Center Focusing on what unites is a path towards reconciliation and building human fraternity. However, our efforts are in vain if in the end we think that the ability to do so or the opportunity came because of our own doing. The soon to be saint, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, once said (writing a letter to his good friend Isidoro Bonin), “By yourself you can do nothing, but if you have God as the center of your every action, then yes, you will reach the goal.” Keeping Christ at the center means believing that Christ is both the reason and the end in our pursuit of goodness and truth. If we only focus inwardly on ourselves, then we lose sight of the “why” of what we are doing. Only through Christ do we come to realize the purpose and significance of our actions. Let Go and Let God This is a phrase I first encountered at a retreat offered through my college campus ministry. Ever since then, I hung on to it. Learning to let go is difficult. For us, it may seem like a sign of defeat, that we have given up or lost to something or someone. It’s not a comfortable feeling. Letting go is hard. Dorothy Day provides a great perspective on learning to let go, taking an excerpt from her book Loaves and Fishes: We can be responsible only for the action of the present moment but can beg for an increase of love in our hearts that will vitalize and transform all our individual actions, and know that God will take them and multiply them, as Jesus multiplied the loaves. Letting go and letting God means doing what we can in the moment and leaving the rest in God’s hands. If the work we do comes from a place of charity, then God will bring it to fruition. On this feast of St. Augustine and personally reflecting on Pope Leo XIV’s episcopal motto, “In the One, we are one,” let us keep in mind three ways to make this motto part of our daily life: focus on what unites, keep Christ at the center, and let go and let God. Amid challenges in our lives, let us focus on what unites and let that be a bridge to better human understanding. In our pursuit of goodness and truth, let us keep Christ at the center so that his light and grace gives meaning and purpose to our actions. Finally, let us challenge ourselves to let go more often and have more confidence in our trust in God, knowing that we have done enough, and that God’s will be done. I’d like to close with “The Prayer of Jesus” from John 17: 9-11: I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.
 “Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist. Only He gives the fullness of life to humanity!” – Pope Benedict XVI, Address to Young People, Apostolic Journey to Cologne on the Occasion of the 20th World Youth Day Growing up as a cradle Catholic, it was always easy to take the Eucharist for granted. Even though I recognized the true presence, it was tempting to see Holy Communion, adoration, and Jesus being present in the tabernacle as a bonus to the faith and not the foundation of the way I lived my life. Now that I serve in youth ministry, I see that this line of thinking too often becomes the norm for young Catholics. But what happens when young Catholics live a life centered around the Eucharist, when they allow themselves to be consumed by Christ, finding complete freedom in complete surrender? They begin to live in their identity as beloved sons and daughters. I got to witness this transformation firsthand this summer serving as a missionary with Catholic Youth Summer Camp. Every week, I watched middle school and high school students meet Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time, experiencing His love and feeling the truth of their identity in a real, tangible way. And every week after these experiences, there was a shift in the way these kids lived their lives. It was as if they were no longer afraid of being judged or not accepted by the teenagers around them; instead, they were confident in the sufficiency of the love they felt from God. When the campers started to recognize and feel the truth of their identity as sons and daughters, when they realized that they can look into Jesus in the Eucharist and physically see that truth, they no longer cared about the opinions of the people around them and would do whatever brought them joy. This often looked like the small but life-changing steps of fully entering into the Mass and worship, taking times of prayer seriously, and having childlike fun and joy throughout the day. Throughout the summer, I began to realize that the experience that these teenagers had in their first moment of encounter with Jesus, the childlike joy and freedom they experienced, is not an experience for them—or for children—alone. All of us, including You and I, are all seen by the Father as His beloved daughters and sons, and He desires to show us that truth and the love He holds for us in a real, tangible way through the Eucharist. Every time we receive Jesus into our bodies, every time we spend time gazing into His face in adoration, we give Him the opportunity to remind us of how unconditionally loved we are, how we belong with Him and nothing else. These truths give us the freedom to not fear what waits in the world, nor fear the chains of sin or worldliness. They help us recognize that there is no fear in the perfect love we experience living in Jesus Christ, and the only thing we have to worry about is following His will. When the world is not something to fear, we can recognize creation as the gift that it is and receive what the Lord has waiting for us. The next time you go to Mass or adoration, recognize that Love Incarnate is entering you in order to prove just how far He’ll go to show that you belong with Him. Allow that truth of His unconditional love and your belonging in it to shape the way you live your life, embracing the freedom He has won and given to us. *This blog was originally published on February 7, 2023.* AuthorDanielle is a graduate from the Catholic University of America.
 Encounter, Accompany, Community, Send – these aspects of Christ-centered evangelization are the path to follow if we want to live as missionary disciples or apostles of Christ. We encounter Christ in a variety of settings; the supreme one is in the Eucharist. That encounter needs accompaniment, which is not meandering around, but leads ultimately into the community of faith we call the Church. It is from the Church that we are sent forth to accompany others into their encounter with Christ. These aspects of the journey of evangelization are outlined more fully in the document of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Living as Missionary Disciples, which the Catholic Apostolate Center helped to develop. The choice is ours. We can keep our faith to ourselves or we can share it in word and deed. When we encounter Christ, we need to take action in our lives, not simply within ourselves, but going forth for him. Sometimes, we think this is difficult to do. It is difficult if we think that it is all on us. We are in collaboration with the Holy Spirit who moves us forth in action for Christ. As Pope Leo XIV tells us, “There is a need for renewed zeal in the proclamation and transmission of faith” (Address to Italian Episcopal Conference, June 17, 2025). May we be zealous in sharing our life in Christ. May the charity of Christ urge us on! In God, the Infinite Love, Fr. Frank
 When I look at my faith journey and the twists and turns it has taken, I consider the people who have impacted it the most. Many of these people have come into my life and taught me something about my faith or about myself in one way or another, through positive relationships, prayer, and community. In the past couple of years, I have been blessed to get to know a few Catholic young women who have become a faith support system for me. These women from different walks of life have been living as witnesses of loyalty, honesty, and vulnerability on their individual faith journeys and have stood as role models to me in mine. Their witness of Christ’s enduring love inspires me to be the best Catholic woman I can be. My faith journey has also been inspired by Our Blessed Mother’s “Yes” to God and faithful obedience throughout her life. She, along with many women in the Church, serve as witnesses of faith while living often tumultuous lives on earth. Below is a short summary of five real women with strong characteristics that each can serve as models for us as we move forward on our journeys of faith. Saint Maria Goretti is remembered for forgiving, while on her deathbed, the man who stabbed her after she refused his sexual advances at the young age of eleven. This Italian saint it often depicted gazing at the Virgin Mother while clutching a crucifix. Maria shows us a not only an intense love of Christ, but also exemplifies forgiveness. She forgave her attacker, a man who later became a Capuchin lay brother. By following her example, we can learn to forgive those in our lives who have wronged us and maybe learn to be forgiven ourselves, which can help our hearts be pure through the Sacrament of Penance. Saint Clare of Assisi is remembered for her empathy and care for the poor. She was a monastic Benedictine nun who later founded the Order of Poor Ladies in the Franciscan tradition. With a strong devotion to Saint Francis, Clare adopted his faithfulness to the poor and desired to live humbly with her order. Clare shows us how to live in service to others by giving of our time and prayer to people in need. We can imitate her example by donating gently used clothing or volunteering at soup kitchens all year round. Saint Joan of Arc is remembered for her bravery and leadership. She defied secular norms and led soldiers to victory in France. Joan, who is the patron saint of soldiers and France, lived for Christ through her actions. Her bravery can give us courage to persevere through any vocation God has for our lives. She shows us the importance of following God’s call, whether we are preparing to take vows or changing careers. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is remembered for steadfast devotion to Christ after converting to Catholicism and cultivating a desire to live devoutly for God. In the face of adversity within her family (her parents and brother died of smallpox when she was only four years old) and rejection by her Native American community, Kateri stayed true to her heart and had faith in God. Kateri is the first Native American saint and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. Saint Therese of Lisieux is remembered for her undying love for Christ and ongoing cheerfulness until her death at age twenty-four. Known as the “Little Flower,” Therese lived simply and fully in pursuit of a deep and genuine relationship with God. She became the third female and youngest Doctor of the Church in 1997. Therese once said of her life, "It is impossible for me to grow up, so I must bear with myself such as I am with all my imperfections. But I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short and totally new." She shows us how to stay joyful and childlike by fully opening our hearts to Christ and seeking God in our own little ways. These women and countless others served God through their words, actions, and commitment to the Gospel. I invite you to take a moment to consider these female saints and hundreds of others who witness to their faith. How can Christ help you be brave, like St. Joan of Arc, or instill in you a burning devotion to the Gospel, like St. Kateri Tekakwitha? In what ways can you give to the poor or exercise other corporal and spiritual works of mercy, like St. Claire of Assisi? How can you forgive others, like St. Maria Goretti, or remain joyful like St. Therese of Lisieux? Let us look to the saints, pray for strength, and learn to live through faith. *This blog was originally published July 26, 2016*
  Dictum Meum Pactum These words, found on the coat of arms for the prestigious London Stock Exchange, are Latin for “My word is my bond.” Personal responsibility for what we do and say, so desperately needed in our world today - in our personal, political, and religious lives - is one of the many graces of conscience. “Conscience enables one to assume responsibility for acts performed.” (Catechism 1781). Even if we commit an evil act, conscience renders a “just judgement” as a testament to the “universal truth of the good,” the need for forgiveness, the good that must be done, and the virtue that must be “cultivated with the grace of God.” Over the years, I have learned to own what belongs to me and to not take what does not. Rooted in our dignity as human beings created in the image and likeness of God, and so precious in the eyes of God that he sent his only begotten son to die for us, for me, conscience asserts and relies on owning our own agency. I can do good. I can avoid evil. Jesus explores the importance of personal responsibility in the Sermon on the Mount when he teaches his followers about taking oaths (Matthew 5:33-37). People would make an oath before God to emphasize the seriousness of the pledge, the trustworthiness of the oath taker, and evoke God as witness and judge. As we can see in Jesus’ teaching, some modifications were made to soften God’s involvement - an oath taken not in God’s name but by “heaven,” or “earth,” or “Jerusalem.” Oaths were serious business, and people were trying to find a way to hedge their bets. Jesus, however, teaches us, his followers, to “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37) I believe there are three implications for our lives as Catholics in our world today. On a personal level, we cannot hide behind victimhood or authority. If my boss tells me to commit evil, I must avoid it. In a similar way, any evil done to me, or suffering I must endure, does not release me from personal responsibility for my own actions. As human beings, we tend to judge ourselves by the best of our intentions but others by the worse of their actions. We cannot cheat the system because we are poor or lie to our customer because the boss told us to. Politically, we must be truthful and claim the power of the truth. Father Guillermo Trevino, Jr, the pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in West Liberty, Iowa, provides an example of claiming the power of truth. His parishioner, Pascual Pedro, was callously deported to Guatemala. According to the Catholic Review, Pascual, 20, was registered with immigration and was going to his annual check in when ICE agents arrested him on a 7-year-old deportation order when he crossed the border at 13. He was given no due process, and he was quickly deported to Guatemala. Father Guillermo stood up to the powerful politicians who were saying falsehoods about Pascual. The Gazette, a local newspaper, wrote an editorial on July 9, 2025 - Bring Pedro back to make his case. Given the severe tactics being used by ICE agents, more of us may be faced with the challenge to claim the power of truth before elected officials who share our Catholic faith. Finally, we must be truthful and responsible in the Church. Pope Francis called for a Synodal Church. Pope Leo is committed to its implementation. “Synodality is the walking together of Christians with Christ and towards God’s Kingdom, in union with all humanity. (Final Document, 28) Everyone involved in the synodal process must assume their own responsibility, “offering their input honestly, sincerely, with an informed conscience and acting in good conscience.” (Final Document, 93b) For us to be a truly synodal church, where we cherish the blessings of communion, shoulder the responsibility of participation, and discover the fulfillment of mission, we need to trust one another - like soldiers in a fox hole. We need to know each other and trust that we have each other’s back. God’s great gift for us, as we face personal, societal, and religious challenges, is the sanctuary of conscience where we can be “alone with God whose voice echoes” in our depths. (Catechism 1776).
 “Human beings are created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by means of this to save their souls” - Spiritual Exercises These are the words that St. Ignatius of Loyola chose to begin the first week of his famed Spiritual Exercises, where he sought to guide those who read it to be able to better discern what exactly God wanted them to do with their lives. This question--What does God want me to do with my life?— is one that Ignatius wrestled with a lot, but ultimately led to his encounter with Christ and to him becoming one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church. Iñigo de Loyola (later Ignatius) was born in 1491 in a small Basque town in Spain to a noble family. He grew up idolizing the chivalric figures of the Middle Ages, and dreamt of one day becoming a dashing military man with the prestige, wealth, and women that often came with that social status. This dream would later materialize; joining the army at 17, he began to chase after women, move up the nobility social ladder, and fight in battles, one of which would be the turning point of his life. Defending a fortress in Pamplona from a French attack, a cannonball ricocheted into his leg, severely injuring him and requiring multiple attempts to set the bone back in place (something that would leave one of his legs permanently shorter than the other, causing him to limp for the rest of his life). As he recovered in his castle, Iñigo began to read about the life of Christ and the lives of the saints, and was inspired by both. His dream life pulled out from under him, he realized that this life was leaving him empty and chasing after temporary glories and pleasures, while thinking about imitating the life of the saints left him feeling joyful and fulfilled. Now recovered, he decided to go on a journey to find out what exactly God wanted him to do, and that adventure, full of glories and struggles, would eventually lead him to begin what is now known as the Jesuit order with friends he made at the University of Paris. Moments of transition, whether it be finishing school, changing jobs, getting married, and so on, can often be stressful times. There can be a temptation to worry, despair, or seek to take control to prevent anything unknown from hurting us. I myself can relate to this as I come to a close in my time as an undergrad student, not knowing what the future holds for me. But the evil one tempts us with these because he knows transition moments can also be moments full of God’s grace. Moving out of an old way of living to a new one provides an opportunity to encounter God by asking him, perhaps for the first time, what he wants for us in our lives, and entering into that surrender, wherever it may take us. Ignatius became the saint he is partly because of that terrible wound, which crushed both his leg and lifelong dreams. But without it, he would not have been able to have that profound encounter with God that dramatically changed both his life and the history of the world. However, that surrender requires believing that God alone satisfies our deepest desires, and that by him and for him we were made. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it: “Only in God will he [man] find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for” (CCC 27). If God alone gives us the fulfilling happiness we are looking for, then it makes the most sense to do as he wills. Doing so not only makes us happy but also glorifies God, because when our will and the will of God are in sync, wonderful things always happen. Seasons of transition ought then not to be viewed with fear and trepidation, but instead welcomed as opportunities to get closer to God and to better understand what his will for our life is, always keeping in mind the words of our Lord, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete”.
 What does the story of Martha and Mary have to do with the 3rd commandment? When Jesus tells Martha “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things” (Lk. 10:41, NAB), it reminds me of how many of us live our lives and how useful it is to take a day of rest. Many of us are worried and anxious about a wide variety of things. These things could include work, money, politics or even family. We find that it is often difficult to pause, take a breath, and enjoy life without having to be worried or anxious. Luckily, Catholics around the world have a day of the week where we are encouraged to rest. How often do we actually rest on the sabbath? As a college student living in the Washington DC area, I witness firsthand the busyness of everyday life. Perpetual traffic on the capital beltway, sports, after school activities, networking, and dinner plans are all examples of things that constantly pull at my attention. In countries I’ve visited in Europe and Latin America, most places close on Sundays, encouraging real rest. In the U.S., everything stays open, making it even harder to slow down, even when we want to. In our culture, we confuse busyness with worth and productivity with purpose. This leads to many problems in our culture today such as anxiety and burnout. The Sabbath is a gift; it allows us to pause, slow down the pace of life for a day, and glorify God. Bishop Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington in his July 6th article writes “ When we keep the Sabbath holy and sanctify it to the rest God desires for us, we practice a leisure which is active and fruitful. The Lord’s Day is not simply a break from work but a time to lift our hearts to God in worship, to contemplate his goodness, and to rest in his love.” Perhaps this summer, when the sun is out and the weather is nice, we can take advantage of the excellent opportunity to go outside and rest. It gives us a much needed dose of vitamin D, allows us to rest the strain from our eyes from staring at screens and books for long periods of time, and a breath of fresh air. It also allows us to come into contact with God’s creation, which can be a powerful tool in prayer. The beauty of being surrounded by his creation aids us in prayer because true beauty is one of his attributes. In his article, Bishop Burbidge recommends praying the rosary or doing spiritual reading this summer. Both are excellent ideas. While they can be done just about anywhere, consider doing them outside, maybe in the shade or by the pool or a lake as a way to refresh yourself more thoroughly. I believe that if Martha devoted more time to leisure, she would not have been so anxious when she welcomed Jesus into her home. In conclusion, the story of Martha and Mary serves as a reminder of the importance of keeping holy the sabbath. Like Martha, many of us are caught up in the busyness and anxieties of daily life, often forgetting to pause and focus on what truly matters. The Third Commandment calls us to do just that—to set aside one day a week for rest, worship, and renewal. It’s not merely about avoiding work, but about reconnecting with God, ourselves, and the beauty of His creation. As Bishop Burbidge reminds us, true Sabbath rest is active, meaningful, and rooted in God’s love. This summer, let’s take this advice to heart: pray, reflect, enjoy nature, and truly rest. By doing so, we not only honor God’s commandment but also nourish our souls in a world that rarely slows down.
 I have often heard homilies and talks that recount people recognizing something different in Christians. Strangers or friends are drawn in by a sense of joy that can radiate from a Christian. This joy can puzzle or confuse people. We live in complicated times and we each carry our own struggles. Yet the message of Christianity is that our joy begins deep below the surface. Our joy is nothing less than Jesus Christ: God became man who suffered and died for our sins and rose again on the third day. Now, this all sounds nice, but I know it can be difficult to actually feel this joy in the midst of life. More than once when I’ve heard these homilies I’ve thought to myself, “Is that me? Do I feel and radiate that joy?” Mary Magdalene is, I think, a perfect friend and example to turn to when these questions arise. One of my favorite lines in the Bible comes from the account of her leaving the tomb after Jesus’ resurrection: Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples (Matthew 28:8). Mary had just barely buried Jesus and now she is hearing that he has returned. Even with her deep trust in him, I can imagine this was hard to believe and left her puzzling over what would come next. Yet she didn’t remain in the fear and confusion; she allowed herself the excitement of his resurrection too. As I was reflecting on Mary’s life, it occurred to me that this probably wasn’t the first time Jesus had left Mary feeling these juxtaposed emotions of fear and joy either. Our first introduction to Mary Magdalene is in Luke’s Gospel. As Jesus continues his public ministry we hear that he is accompanied by the twelve apostles “and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out” (Luke 8:2). The specifics of her healing are left to our imagination. However, I think we can safely assume that this interaction left her with ample amounts of fear and joy, with thoughts like, “I can’t believe I’m finally cured of this! But is it too good to be true? How do I live now?” Prior to encountering Jesus, Mary had very much lost her way. She would have grown up learning the psalms, aware of God’s deep care for her and the Jewish people, but one decision led to another and she was no longer living in that covenant of love. Today, in big and small ways, we can also find ourselves straying or getting pulled from the path of holiness. It is an unfortunate part of nature that in these moments we may feel like we’ve gone too far and there is no turning back. However, if we look to Mary Magdalene we see a woman who was able to receive Jesus’ healing love and overcome the obstacles that had been put in front of her. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis said, “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Jesus joy is constantly born anew” (EG 1). Mary Magdalene was able to experience this joy because of the hope she had in Jesus. He had touched and changed her life, and her trust in him gave her confidence that he would continuously fulfil his promises. In our own lives, our Christian joy doesn’t mean that we have lived perfect lives or that we go through life with a constant cheery disposition. It means we are confident that despite our weaknesses and the setbacks we encounter, we too can always seek and hope in the good providence of our Lord. Whatever the shape or cause of our fear, there can always remain a joy that Jesus is with us in it. As Catechism 30 reminds us, “Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness.” Our joy is found in the knowledge that no matter what is happening within and around us, God always remains with us. AuthorErin Donn is a campus minister at an all-girls Catholic high school and lives in Washington, DC.
 "Remember that the Christian life is one of action; not of speech and daydreams. Let there be few words and many deeds, and let them be done well." – St Vincent Pallotti We are called to go forth, not wait for others to do it. St. Vincent Pallotti was clear about this through his understanding that all followers of Christ are also apostles. We are sent by Christ into a world in need of deeds of faith and charity. Growing in holiness is not easy, we need the grace of Christ, assistance of the Church, and willingness to strive to be a saint. Similar to the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), it does not matter when you begin working for the Lord. The important thing is that we do for him, that we live his mission to go forth proclaiming the Good News and being his healing presence to others. The owner of the vineyard, Jesus Christ, invites us to labor for him there. He tells us that he will give us “what is just” (Matthew 20:4). He offers us the opportunity for eternal life with him. St. Vincent Pallotti understood this well, not only for his own life, but for the lives of all. Some people talk a good talk or dream about doing something someday. Neither of these are what Christ is asking of us. He is asking for action and deeds on our part, not for ourselves, but for him. May the charity of Christ urge us on! In God, the Infinite Love, Fr. Frank
 Summertime is here and with the change in schedules and weather, people make plans for vacations or simply enjoy a more relaxed routine. Our family vacations over the years were full of outdoor adventures in the mountains or at the beach visiting our extended families. Wherever you choose to vacation – even if it’s a staycation in your hometown – can be a beautiful time full of spiritual refreshment. Years ago, when I was in the trenches with six kids aged 18 to newborn, I read a book called Sanity in the Summertime: The Complete Summer Survival Handbook for Moms by Claudia Arp and Linda Dillow. I adopted many of their great ideas and incorporated some of my own to bring more of the richness of our Catholic heritage into our family life. This time of refreshment is a wonderful time to renew your relationship with the Lord and to help those in your family to cultivate their individual faith life. I have compiled a list of the things that we incorporated into our vacation and summertime routines over the years. This list is just a beginning and the potential for summertime recreation is limitless based on your family’s personalities and interests.
The beauty of vacation time or a more relaxed summer schedule involves soaking up the blessings of the time and intentionally bringing Jesus into the season to enrich your faith life and discover the creative ways God is moving in our lives. He has given us everything. When we can slow down and change the pace and the environment for a little bit, we can see more clearly His love and provision for us. This clearer vision of our communion with God enables us to deepen our relationship with Him and to answer His call. Let this song be our mission in our vacationing: “Day by day, Day by day, O dear Lord Three things I pray: To see Thee more clearly, Love Thee more dearly, Follow Thee more nearly- Day by day” Lyrics by Robin Lamont *This blog is reposted and originally published June 29, 2021.*
  It’s hard to believe that the 350th anniversary of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary concluded this past week. Communities within the Church were keen to observe this occasion, such as the Knights of Columbus through their Pilgrim Icon Program. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is special in my own spiritual life, a devotion that I share with my best friend. I started this particular devotion when I was in seminary, studying to be a priest at a previous point in my life. The Sacred Heart is Jesus' invitation to return to the heart, to the center of who we are as a person. The heart is the core of our being, where we can encounter the divine love of Jesus. It is at the heart where Jesus was moved to compassion whenever he encountered those suffering and afflicted, as we hear in the gospels. In his last encyclical, Dilexis Nos (He Loved Us), Pope Francis reminded us that the heart is the pulse of humanity and we need to return to the heart in order to remember who we are: God’s beloved. “The heart of Christ is ‘ecstasy’, openness, gift and encounter. In that heart, we learn to relate to one another in wholesome and happy ways and to build up in this world God’s kingdom of love and justice. Our hearts, united with the heart of Christ, are capable of working this social miracle,” (no. 28). The Sacred Heart has a unifying effect when embraced. During the Jubilee of the 350th anniversary, my family welcomed the Sacred Heart of Jesus through a Sacred Heart Enthronement. I came across this beautiful tradition through the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network, a nonprofit based out of Columbus, OH that was established to help others live out and promote Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through their outreach apostolate, Welcome His Heart, individuals have the opportunity to fulfill that devotion through the home enthronement process. A home enthronement can be carried out in five easy steps:
My family chose to do a Sacred Heart Enthronement this past Sunday, June 22nd, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This was a great occasion to commemorate the conclusion of the National Eucharistic Revival and the Jubilee of the 350th anniversary. There is a beautiful relationship between the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart, particularly through the First Friday Devotion where the faithful are invited to seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation, attend Mass, and receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month to make reparation to the Sacred Heart. As Pilgrims of Hope during this Jubilee Year of Hope, I invite you to consider welcoming the Sacred Heart of Jesus into your home. Make this beautiful tradition a part of your own family tradition. When Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary, he spoke of 12 promises to those who honor his sacred heart. Two of those promises include Jesus giving us the necessary graces for their state in life and giving us peace in our families. At a time when peace is desperately needed in our world, let us start with our families and welcome the Sacred Heart of Jesus into our home!
 June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and June 27th— the day after this blog post’s publication — is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was the Lord Himself who revealed the devotion of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in a series of visions between 1673-1675. There is much that can be said about the Sacred Heart, such as the details of its design, the twelve promises, and its rich theological background, which even precedes the visions given to St. Margaret Mary. The Sacred Heart, like all matters of our faith, is not meant to exist as an ethereal theological concept but must be appropriated as a way to encounter the infinite love of God. This heart, we hope, will replace ours so that we can love like God. We should consider some of the ways that God loves, which are the ways we aspire to love. The heart of Jesus is a heart that… 1. Sees the beloved for who they are I must admit, I’ve stolen this from my friend Katie Prejean-McGrady (or I should say that I have taken inspiration from!). At a recent conference, Katie gave a keynote in which she focused on the story of the Rich Young Man from the Gospel of Mark. She keyed in on the words, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him,” and those words have stuck with me in the weeks since. How many people are looking for meaning, for purpose, and to be recognized as good? As a college campus minister, I encounter many young people who are asking these same questions, who are seeking, as John Green often quotes, “to know and be known, to love and be loved.” The Sacred Heart, the same heart which beats within our Lord in this moment in Mark, is one that sees us and loves us. If we are to love like Christ, to do so with His heart, we must look with compassion at every person we encounter, listen to them, journey with them through their questions, and gaze upon them with the gaze of Christ which we have encountered in our own lives. 2. Doesn’t condemn The Sacred Heart is one not of judgment, but of great love. Jesus is very clear in his ministry in the gospels, condemnation is not his goal, but love. In John 3:17 we read, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” We are sinful people, and pride is often at the root of that sinfulness. We encounter people every day with whom we disagree, who are living in a way that perplexes us, and people who distress or frustrate us. But to love with a heart like God’s is not to condemn them, but to will their good. We are called to encounter those we meet, friend and “enemy” alike, with compassion, putting aside our preconceived notions and biases, and offering them a compassionate gaze that can, over time, open both of us to an encounter with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Just a few chapters after John 3, Jesus encounters the woman caught in adultery where the call to withhold condemnation meets its partner. 3. Calls the beloved higher In John 8, as Jesus encounters the woman caught in adultery and the crowd which wishes to stone her, Jesus disbands the crowd by saying, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” The crowd disperses and He says to the woman, “Has no one condemned you?” the woman replied, “No one, sir.” Jesus then responds, “Neither do I condemn you.” But he does not end there. Jesus finishes his statement with, “Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more.” To love with the heart of God means seeing with eyes of compassion, it means not condemning the ones we love, but it also means calling our beloved higher! Jesus, whose love is perfect charity, is not permissive of anything that our broken hearts want, but is a love that always calls us higher. If we love like God, we should call those we love higher, not to meet us eye to eye, but to live a life of communion with God who is love and being itself! We cannot call people higher, though, if they do not trust that we love them, which requires us to accompany them patiently, seeing them with the compassion of Christ. As we close out the month of June, the month of the Sacred Heart, let us ask the Lord to cleanse our hearts and enlarge them so that we might be better vessels of his love. Let us live this love by looking at those we love for who they are with eyes of compassion, by not condemning, and by calling those we love higher. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
 If you’re used to communicating with others via text message, then you’ve probably, at some point, received a message and interpreted it out of context. A curt reply with a period at the end could be misinterpreted as either passive aggressive or as an irritated response. This happens to me occasionally, and I always have to remember that without hearing a person’s message verbally, it can be difficult to understand what they’re really saying or implying. Maya Angelou’s quote rings true here: “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.” Our voices add a unique depth and fullness to our communications by revealing emotions, nuances, and subtle meanings more sharply than words alone can communicate. On this feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, I am struck by St. Augustine’s words from this morning's Office of Readings: “Today we remember that Zechariah’s ‘tongue is loosed because a voice is born.’” St. John the Baptist was born to be the final prophetic voice who proclaimed the Word made flesh. Like the Old Testament prophets, John foretells the coming of the Messiah and calls sinners to repentance with words that cut to the heart (Luke 3:1-29). But, unlike the Old Testament prophets, John identifies the Messiah for the first time in salvation history. John points Jesus out and encourages his followers to pursue him (John 1:29-37). He is confident that his cousin is the foretold Christ, and by his proclamation John fulfills the mission of all the prophets as he straddles the boundary of the Old and New Testament. John’s historical mission of giving voice to the Word is also our mission. At our baptism, we were anointed as a priest, prophet, and king. We share uniquely in Jesus’s ministry, and we are called to be lay prophets who proclaim the good news of repentance and redemption. We must, like John the Baptist, spend time coming to know the promises of the Messiah so that we can recognize Him when we see him. And when we see Him present in the sacraments, or when we encounter Him as we are accompanied by a spiritual mentor, or when we experience Him through the fullness of our prayer, we must point Him out for all to see. To fulfill our baptismal call to be prophets of the Gospel of Christ, we must give voice to our experiences of God. John’s words must be our words to the world, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” *This blog is reposted and was originally published June 23, 2020.* AuthorThomas Carani works at a parish in Austin, Texas. He received his B.A. in Theology and Religious Studies from The Catholic University of America. Thomas is also a graduate of the Echo Graduate Service Program at the University of Notre Dame, where he received his Master’s in Theology.
 “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:34-36) We hunger and thirst. This is true of all people, through all time. We need to be nourished: physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Sometimes we are keenly aware of our hunger. We may even know what we need to satisfy it – a meal, a conversation with a friend, a good book, or a moment in prayer. Other times we experience the ache of hunger, but can not necessarily name it as such, let alone pinpoint what it is we need. Underlying all of our earthly hungers is our deep longing for God. Ultimately it is God alone who can satisfy our hunger. The feast of Corpus Christi, or the Solemnity of the Most Precious Body and Blood of Jesus, is a celebration of our hunger being met. In the Eucharist, Jesus meets us intimately and personally. He gives his body, his very self, so that we might be close to him and be satisfied in him. And this total and complete giving is for us, for our strengthening and our sanctification. However, at times our experience of Jesus in the Eucharist can seem to fall short of this. We struggle to comprehend what it means that he is truly present in the Eucharistic elements–Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We forget that Jesus is the Bread of Life and really can satisfy us. We may miss the graces he is pouring out on us through his presence in the Eucharist. Whatever your experiences with the Eucharist may be, there are some practical ways we can continue to know and grow closer to Jesus in the Eucharist. Ask the Lord for Greater Eucharistic Faith and Devotion. While belief is a grace and gift of the Holy Spirit, “it is no less true that believing is an authentically human act.” (CCC 154) It is a profound act of faith simply to ask the Lord for a deeper devotion to the Eucharist. We can ask him to help us trust in his presence and to become more aware of his nourishing grace in the Eucharist. This humble disposition can help us be more receptive to the graces the Lord is pouring out on us when we receive the Blessed Sacrament at Mass and in the power of the Eucharist. Pray to Be Changed by the Eucharist. When we respond “Amen” before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass we are saying, “Yes, I believe this is truly Jesus’ body and blood.” Still, it can be easy to take this for granted or forget about the graces bestowed on us through the sacrament. You may consider offering a prayer before or after receiving Communion in which you call to mind the power in receiving Jesus’ presence sacramentally through the Eucharist. One of my favorite prayers to offer during this time is a private prayer the priest says before receiving the Eucharist himself. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who, by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit, through your Death gave life to the world, free me by this, your most holy Body and Blood, from all my sins and from every evil; keep me always faithful to your commandments, and never let me be parted from you. (Roman Missal, Order of Mass, 131) Spend Time With the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration. Eucharistic adoration gives us a time to sit and be with Jesus. You can take time to exalt and adore him, or just speak with him from your heart. Spending time in quiet prayer can be difficult, but the Lord surely blesses the time we spend with him. I think this is summed up well in the book In Senu Jesu, When Heart Speaks to Heart: The Journal of a Priest at Prayer by A Benedictine Monk, which records words spoken by Jesus and Mary to an Irish Benedictine monk, when Jesus says, “This is what I want of you: time “wasted,” spent in My presence. Time given to Me for My sake.” Even just sitting in Jesus’ Eucharistic presence satisfies some of our longing for him. On this feast of Corpus Christi, let us return to the heart of our faith, which is Jesus’ own self given for us. Whether you are feeling far from or near to the Eucharist, let us reaffirm our plea, “Jesus, give us this bread always,” that we may always be satisfied through, with, and in Jesus. AuthorErin Donn is a campus minister at an all-girls Catholic high school and lives in Washington, DC.
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