When you hear the feast of the Immaculate Conception mentioned, what do you picture in your mind? What are the first thoughts? For many Catholics, they mistakenly think of the conception of Jesus as the Immaculate Conception. While He of course is Immaculate and without any blemish whatsoever, the feast is referred to his mother Mary’s conception.
Why is this important?
God chose Mary – long before her existence – to be the
one to bring Jesus into the
world the way every human
enters the world – through
childbirth. But, just like the
tabernacle of the Jewish
people which carried the Ten Commandments
had to be holy, so to must be the one who
brings Jesus into the world. That is, she must be...
St. Faustina loved to pray. She loved it so much she joined a convent in Warsaw, Poland, when she was 20 years old. She reported to her spiritual advisors that she saw visions of Jesus and even had discussions with Him. Her advisor suggested she record her visions and discussions in a journal. In 1935 she received a vision of an angel sent by God to punish a particular city. Faustina prayed hard for mercy, but her prayers were powerless over the angel. A second vision of the Holy Trinity appeared and the power of Jesus's grace flowed through her...
by Angela Lano
March 25th is an
important day on the
Catholic calendar. It’s
the feast day of the
Annunciation of our
Lord. It is also known
as the first Joyful
mystery of the Rosary.
Mary, the Blessed
Mother, said yes when
the angel Gabriel
delivered God’s
message asking her to
be the mother of Jesus.
The Annunciation is the
beginning point of
Christianity. It helps us
Catholics remember the
significance of this
event. When you pray
the Hail Mary prayer,
think about the angel’s
greeting. He said, “Hail
Mary full of grace, the
Lord is with thee.”
As Catholics, we pray the Rosary, a common devotion used today. While praying, we focus on the mysteries including the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and more recently Luminous mysteries. There are many fruits to praying the Rosary. For instance, it opens the door for us to connect deeper with God as well as for the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts. So how long have we had the Rosary? Read on to learn about the history, the 15 promises, the mysteries, and get a graphic in this Complete Guide to the Rosary. Also available in our Debut Issue.
A Glorious Feast
The Solemnity of Christ the King, is a relatively new celebration. We celebrate it on the last Sunday in Ordinary Time before Advent. It was officially declared in 1925 by Pope Pius XI at a time when the world rejected Jesus...
St. Nicholas was a bishop in the third century who was known for his kindness and generosity. His parents died when he was young but left him a big inheritance. St. Nicholas came from a prayerful family who took their faith very seriously. When his parents died, St. Nicholas reflected on Jesus’ words of “Give everything you have to the poor”. Inspired by this, he gave away everything he had to help the poor, sick, and needy. There are many stories attributed to him which contributed to him being known as the patron saint of children. Here is one of them...
