Just a Catholic Mom

Saint Joseph the Worker: Feast Day May 1st  Writing this post, during the Year of Saint Joseph, I can't help but reflect upon the importance, dedication, selflessness, and dignity that work provides for people. Saint Joseph, the man whom God entrusted to care for, raise, and protect His only begotten Son and the Blessed Virgin Mary, worked tirelessly to support the Holy Family. He crafted and built with his hands, he had to travel to Egypt and find work in a country with a different culture and with a different language; and all the while, he trusted in the Father's plan without hesitation or question. As the pandemic continues to surround our lives, I can't help but think of work. I think of all those who have lost their jobs and seek the dignity to work and to provide for their families. I think of those who have gone above and beyond putting their own health at risk in order to serve others. I think of those leaving their homes and countries hoping to find work, whatever...

Saint Louis de Montfort: Feast Day April 28th It was three years ago, as I read Father Michael Gaitley’s book,  33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-it-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration , that I first learned of Saint Louis de Montfort. My mother had bought copies of Father Gaitley’s book for my sister and I, and with my second child on the way, I decided to make my Marian consecration that year on May 13th, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. I’d always been intrigued by Our Lady’s message at Fatima, and that year, May 13, 2018, Our Lady of Fatima’s feast day also happened to be on Mother’s Day, which I thought was very beautiful.  Reading Father Gaitley’s book, I become more intrigued by Saint Louis de Montfort's True Devotion to the Blessed Mother, his teachings on Marian consecration, and their influence on saints like Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Pope John Paul II. Hailing from Brittany, France from the late 1600 hundreds through early 17...

Good Shepherd Sunday—Fourth Sunday of Easter: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11) . With these words, Jesus establishes a high expectation and reality not only for what he has come to do—sacrifice His life for mankind so that we may have eternal life with Him—but also for all those who are entrusted with leadership over a flock. As parents, it's easy to sometimes forget that we are shepherds to our children. We have been entrusted with their little souls, and been given the responsibility to guide them in the ways of Christ, the teachings of the Church, and ultimately sacrifice our lives for them. Most of us will not have to physically sacrifice our lives so that our children may live, but as parents, we all must lay down our lives in little ways on a daily basis. We must sacrifice the things we'd rather do instead of changing diapers, washing clothes, and cleaning up toys, and instead give of ourselves so that our children ca...