Just a Catholic Mom

Saint Rose of Lima: Feast Day August 23 "Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven." These beautiful and thought provoking words, spoken by Saint Rose of Lima, challenge us to recognize and embrace the various crosses that we carry during our lives. As we accept and carry our crosses, we come to realize that during these moments of struggle, we are strengthened by Christ's love and filled with the graces we need to persevere and be molded ever closer into the saints we are meant to become. We learn, through the cross, that love contains pain, suffering and sacrifice, and that love— true love— is a complete and unconditional surrender of self for the love of another. It wasn't until I became a mother, however, that I truly began to understand this reality and grow to this point in my faith journey. Through childbirth, I learned the beauty of pain and sacrifice for love of another and that pain is a gift. Bringing the life of a child i...

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross: Feast Day August 9th Edith Stein, the future Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, was born into a German family and brought up in the Jewish faith. During her adolescence/young adulthood, however, she turned away from her faith and became agnostic. After earning her doctorate degree, Edith Stein was drawn to the Catholic faith and eventually the Discalced Carmelite Order, where she became Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. My daughter and I have been reading C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe , and it occured to me that Saint Teresa Benedicta of the the Cross is somewhat like Susan. When I was a child, I read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, and after reading the last book, The Last Battle — spoiler alert— I was sad and sorry for Susan, because she had not joined the others in Aslan's country, and that she’d been caught up in the world and worldly things. Yet in The Lion the Witch and the Ward...

Saint John Vianney: Feast Day August 4th  Today we celebrate Saint John Vianney, a French priest known as "The Cure d'Ars." During his life, he listened to confessions for hours a day, and through his dedication to hearing confessions, he reminds us just how important the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not only to the laity, but also to priests. As patron saint of priests, he serves as a reminder that priests should not only always have a dedicated time for Reconciliation available for the faithful, but that they should also be available and willing to hear confessions whenever someone approaches them. I feel like the Sacrament of Reconciliation is unfortunately often overlooked. Yet through Saint John Vianney's love and devotion to this sacrament, we are reminded of the graces waiting for us in Reconciliation, and of Jesus' Divine Mercy for us. If you haven't been to Reconciliation in a while, be inspired by Saint John Vianney to go to confession. The burdens...