Advent 2014 has arrived and just like Lent its a perfect opportunity to study your faith. Particular focus can be spent on study of the arrival of the Messiah. Catholic Scripture Study International has recently released a new study in their growing number of resources. Advent: Preparing for Christ, Cycle B is a four week study to help up us in our Advent reflection this year. As noted in the introduction “Advent is a time to be more intentional in... Read more
Don’t try to limit God God is always beyond the grasp of our reason, as St. Hilary of Poitiers tells us. Yet we can work toward understanding It is the Father to whom all existence owes its origin. In Christ and through Christ he is the source of all. In contrast to all else he is self-existent. He does not draw his being from without, but possesses it from himself and in himself. He is infinite, for nothing contains him... Read more
PETE: Your new book, Grace of Yes, seems to have become a banner holder for a saying yes to God movement. Why is having the grace of yes so important in our lives? LISA HENDEY: Thanks for inviting me into this conversation Pete. The more work that I do around The Grace of Yes, the more I realize that my “Yes” to God is at the heart of my existence. Giving myself fully to God’s will for my life fuels... Read more
Let reason console you for your losses Writing to a widowed noblewoman, Theodoret tells her that reason will be a consolation in her loss. Even the philosophers knew by reason that life is transitory, and we know by revelation that there will be a resurrection. I would have written long before if I had heard of the death of your grace’s honorable husband. I’m not writing now to lull your great sorrow to sleep with soothing words—those are not necessary.... Read more
Loss is only temporary This isn’t the sort of thing we usually hear at a funeral these days, but perhaps it should be. At the funeral of his father, St. Gregory Nazianzen tells his mother that the true Christian bears the loss of a loved one with fortitude because he knows that the separation is only for a short time. Does the feeling of separation cause you pain? Let hope cheer you. Is widowhood sorrowful to you? It is not... Read more
Advent can serve as a season of reflection and enrichment for us all. However, we must focus on “the reason for the season” to do that and not get swept up in the secular hustle and bustle of the world around us. To do that there are a number of resources available and Ave Maria Press has recently released one such resource. Daily Devotions for Advent 2014 (The Living Gospel) is the newest addition to their Living Gospel series. Father Scott... Read more
Work through your grief To a congregation that had lost its pastor, St. Basil sends his condolences. Grief is natural, he says, but we have to work through our grief and do what needs to be done. Following an ancient custom, which has been in force for many years, and at the same time showing you love in God, which is the fruit of the Spirit, I now send this letter to you, my pious friends. I feel with you... Read more
This week publisher Ave Maria Press sponsors the CBB giveaway. One lucky winner will receive one copy of The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living (you can read my review here). I use Rafflecopter to run my giveaways which makes it simple for you and me! Enter below. The contest starts at midnight tonight EST and will end 12AM EST Friday 12/03 with a winner being announced later that day. Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway Read more
Beware of depression Are you feeling gloomy? That’s good if it leads you to repent your sins, says St. John Cassian. Otherwise, depression poisons our spiritual lives. You can know whether it’s the good kind or the bad kind by its fruits. There is another still worse kind of depression, that does not lead the guilty soul to any change of life or correction of faults, but into the most destructive despair—the despair that did not make Cain repent after... Read more
Everyone during their lives is faced with an option. That option is whether we continue to do things for ourselves or we choose to do things for others is adherence to God’s will. In her new book The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living author Lisa Hendey uses examples from her own life to show how we can make the right decision. Her approach is effective and leaves the reader with much to consider. The book consists of eight... Read more
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