Devotions / Faith / Lent and Easter
by Birgit J · Published July 25, 2019 · Last modified July 20, 2019
Historically, practicing meatless Fridays is one of the most obviously Catholic social practices. From school menus to restaurant fare, there is an across the board acknowledgment of this devotion dating back hundreds of years. Yet in tandem with the Second Vatican Council and the liberal direction of the 1960s, this practice is no longer widespread. Unfortunately, this presents a weakening...
Devotions / Mary / Prayer / Virtues
by Birgit J · Published May 20, 2019 · Last modified May 21, 2019
I first began practicing the optional devotion of wearing a veil seven years ago. The post, Lifting the Veil, explains the decision making process. Initially, my adult daughter and I both felt the call and chose to begin on Mother’s Day of that year. One of my more recent posts is entitled Veiling Revisited – Is It Mandatory?. There I...
The readings for Holy Thursday clearly illustrate Jesus’ intent concerning worship for the Catholic Church. We see the Old Covenant fulfilled and that the New Covenant brings an entirely new reality. The first reading, from Exodus provides a glimpse into the Jewish tradition of Passover – a practice Jesus would have participated in with His family. The LORD said to Moses...
Almost seven years ago, I ventured into the hot topic of veiling. As I quickly found, there is quite the cyber skirmish going on concerning this topic as well as the issue of what constitutes modesty. As with many devotions and other disciplines, discussion can get quite contentious. In my post, Devotion: Lifting the Veil…Onto My Head, I shared what...
Devotions / Faith / Family / Prayer / Saints
by Birgit J · Published January 12, 2019 · Last modified January 11, 2019
As a victim of breast cancer, in blessed remission for thirteen years, the fresh diagnosis (or recurrence) of a friend strikes cold fear in my heart. Once you are a part of the cancer club, your life is never quite the same. Fortunately, the grace of faith was given to me. I also have a husband who is part knight...
Chastity / Devotions / Virtues
by Birgit J · Published November 8, 2018 · Last modified November 4, 2018
The devotion of Catholic women veiling is seeing a definite upswing throughout the country. This is evidenced by first time sales by veiling companies as well as the rapid growth of veiling groups in social media. One such group to which I belong, has seen its numbers grow to almost 2,500 actively participating members. Lively discussions, education, and camaraderie...
A resurgence in the optional devotion of wearing a mantilla, or chapel veil, has many people in the pew scratching their heads. Why would women, especially younger women, return to a practice that is described as submissive and subordinate? The answer to this question lies in the motivation leading to the devotion. It may be simpler to address the mistaken...
As arguably one of the favorite among all the saints – among Catholics, Protestants and even non-Christians – Saint Francis has quite the reputation. Yet, to quell rampant secular misrepresentations, wisdom dictates that we take a closer look at this multifaceted saint. At first glance, he holds quite the worldly image as a kind of garden decoration who holds bowls...
