Just a Catholic Mom

Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Feast Day July 16th On July 16th, 1251, the Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Simon Stock, as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. When she appeared to him, she gave him the scapular, and told him that anyone who  died while wearing the scapular “would not suffer eternal fire.” Once just worn by those in the Carmelite Order, now the scapular can be worn by everyone. I recently read the book entitled, Mary at the Crossroads of History , by Father Francis J. Hoffman (a.k.a. Father "Rocky" from Relevant Radio), and in this wonderful book, Father Rocky discusses various Marian apparitions that have occurred at pivotal points in history. How amazing it must have been to be Saint Simon Stock, Saint Bernadette, Saint Francisco, Saint Jacinta, Blessed Sister Lucia, and so many others. Yet even though we are not these saints, through their encounters with the Blessed Mother we have the opportunity to benefit from her words and the methods she gave these saints for graces...

Saint Augustine Zhao Rong & Companions: Feast Day July 9th  "Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..." (Matthew 5:10) Writing this blog today, I cannot help but feel sad. As I reflect upon Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his 120 companions, who were martyred for their Catholic faith in China between 1648-1930, I am acutely aware of the persecuted Church in China that is still occurring today. Just as recent as May 2021, officials of the Chinese communist party arrested a Vatican appointed bishop, priests, and seminarians who were not adhering to their "government sanctioned church." So yes, today we celebrate and remember Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his fellow martyred companions, but I ask you to also remember our brothers and sisters in Christ and the Holy Church that continues to be persecuted today in China. Various scripture verses come to mind as I contemplate the Chinese martyrs:   "If ...

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist: Feast Day June 24th Did you know that the Church only celebrates three birthdays on the liturgical calendar? Christmas—the Lord's birthday, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sept. 8th), and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24th). When we think about this, we are reminded that Jesus said, “All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John” (Matthew 11:13). Saint John the Baptist is the last great prophet, the prophet to come before the Lord. We hear John the Baptist proclaim, "He must increase; I must decrease" (John 3:30). As we celebrate the birthday of Saint John the Baptist today, let’s reflect on his boldness, yet even more his humility. John the Baptist was bold in proclaiming the word of God and preparing people for the coming of Jesus, yet I believe his humility is even more powerful. Everything he did, he did for the glory of God, not for his own glory. He had a growing following, he was known thr...

Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions: Feast Day June 3rd Would you have the courage to profess your Christian faith, refusing to renounce it, if you knew professing your faith would mean your death? For those of us in countries where Christianity is the prominent faith, we might feel too far removed from this question. But like Saint Charles Lwanga, a Christian page in Uganda who continued to profess his Catholic faith and was condemned to death by King Mwanga and burned alive, this question is a reality for our Christian brothers and sisters in China, the Middle East, and other countries and regions of the world where Christian minorities are persecuted. In modern times, we like to think that Christian martyrdom is something of the past, that surely, with all of civilization's advancements, we have long moved away from such barbarities. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case. Not only is it true that the physical martyrdom of Christians still takes place throughout the world ...

Mary Mother of the Church: Feast Day the Day After Pentecost  Tucked inside my copy of 33 Days to Morning Glory , among other treasured mementos, is a folded newspaper clipping that reads: "New Feast Emphasizes Mary as Mother." The Catholic Church has long taught that the Blessed Virgin Mary is our spiritual mother, and that she is the mother of the church, but it wasn't until 2018 that this beautiful feast day was added to the official liturgical calendar to be celebrated annually the day after Pentecost. Writing this blog post today, on my birthday, I can't help but smile as I hold the newspaper clipping in my hand, because the first time the feast of Mary Mother of the Church was celebrated in 2018 was May 21st, my birthday! When I reflect back on 2018, it's amazing to see how my faith journey and seeing the Blessed Virgin Mary as my spiritual mother was growing even if I didn't quite see it myself. May 13th, 2018 was the day I made my Marian consecration, ...

Invite Your Parish Priest Over for Dinner: Four months after moving into our new house, my husband and I decided to invite our parish priest over for dinner and to bless our new home. We still had piles of unpacked boxes, our toddlers were bouncing off the walls with excitement, and my husband and I were a little nervous. Was our home clean enough? Would we be able to engage in good conversations with our guest? When the doorbell rang, our children raced to the door, and began bouncing around, welcoming Father inside. During dinner, we found that the conversations flowed easily. We shared stories about where we grew up, our families, and various other details as we got to know one another outside of church. We laughed as our daughter spilled the beans that my husband and I were expecting our third child, and when we shared our due date, our priest began enthusiastically sharing all sorts of common, as well as some crazy sounding, saint names for days on and near our due date.  Afte...

Make a Rosary Garden—Planting Flowers and the Seeds of Prayer:  On the lawn outside of my family's parish, there is a stepping-stone Marian-Rosary garden. Often, after attending daily Mass, on warm or non rainy days, my children love to run around the rosary stones, encircling the statue of Mary, and sit upon the garden's benches. The days when they would run around, only able to exclaim the words, "Hail, Mary! Hail, Mary! Hail Mary!" for each stone, are precious treasured memories I hold within my heart. When we entered the pandemic shutdown, in the spring of 2020, I didn't realize just how much I missed the rosary garden tradition my children and I had after Mass. When my husband and I scheduled confession with our pastor, twelve days into the shutdown, we took turns waiting with our children and letting them play and pray in the rosary garden, while we participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I'd always desired to make a Mary/Rosary garden in our ba...