Do we make God’s name holy in the Lord’s Prayer?
on 05/17/24
When we say, "Hallowed by thy Name," are we the ones who are "making" God's name holy? Or do the words mean something else?
In the English language, we recite the Lord’s prayer by saying the following words, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
Even though we live in the 21st century, Catholics still use the old English word hallow meaning “holy.” It is the same as the word “saint,” which comes from the Latin sanctus.
Most recently the word has become a brand in the Hallow app, which is one of the most downloaded prayer and meditation apps on the app store.
In the context of the Lord’s Prayer, our use of the word can be confusing, as it can appear that we are the ones making God’s name holy.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church helps clarify this phrase in its section on the Lord’s Prayer. The term “to hallow” is to be understood here not primarily in its causative sense (only God hallows, makes holy),…Mais

Will new Vatican norms on apparitions affect Medjugorje?
05/17/24
Many shrines are founded on presumed supernatural phenomena. New Vatican norms aren't intended to apply to them, except in problematic cases such as Medjugorje.
With the Note published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith with the Pope’s assent, the Church has acquired a new instrument to guide the faithful in cases of alleged supernatural phenomena. This will enable it to respond more effectively to questions that may arise concerning an alleged apparition of the Virgin Mary, a purportedly weeping statue of Christ, or the unexplained presence of blood on a host.
Cardinal Victor Fernández, prefect of the dicastery, explained at a press conference in the Vatican that many of the shrines most frequented by the faithful had their origin in phenomena of this type. “In many cases, these phenomena have developed correctly and normally,” he stressed.
The Argentine cardinal cited the case of the Marian shrines of …Mais

viernes, 17 de mayo de 2024 19:15
Misa, en español, en la Capilla de las Apariciones de Fátima

Messages that Our Lady repeats in her apparitions
on 05/17/24
She likes to speak with her sons and daughters of love, repentance, reparation, conversion, grace, and the final triumph of good ...
In the words that the visionaries attribute to the Virgin Mary in her apparitions (in different places and moments of history), there are some messages she repeats over and over. They speak of love, repentance, reparation, conversion, grace, and the final triumph of good. Here are some of them:
You are loved
Every apparition of the Virgin Mary has as its ultimate goal our salvation. What great love God has for us that he sends us his own Mother as his messenger!
Mary, too, shows her love and compassion in the way she addresses the visionaries as her children.
“I will give [God] to the people in all my personal love, in my compassion, in my help, in my protection: because I am truly your merciful Mother” (Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, 1531) Guadalupe’s message is particularly consoling as …Mais

Is heaven a physical place where God lives?
While it can be easy to think of heaven as a physical place where God lives on a throne, the Catholic view of Heaven is much different.
Partially influenced by ancient Roman and Greek mythology, Christians can often think of heaven as a physical location and sometimes point to it in the clouds.
In Western culture its common to imagine heaven as a place where God lives, looking down at us from his white throne.
Yet, the Catholic Church teaches that heaven is not a physical place.
What is heaven?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reflects on the nature of heaven in its section on the Lord’s Prayer:
This biblical expression [Who art in heaven] does not mean a place (“space”), but a way of being; it does not mean that God is distant, but majestic. Our Father is not “elsewhere”: he transcends everything we can conceive of his holiness. It is precisely because he is thrice holy that he is so close to the humble and contrite heart. CCC 2794 …Mais

AND TODAY WE CELEBRATE...SAINT OF THE DAY
Saint of the Day: St. Brendan “the Navigator”
Abbot (ca. 486-575)
His life
+ Brendan was born near Tralee, Ireland, and educated by Erc, the bishop of Kerry.
+ After becoming a monk, Brendan established new dmonasteries in Clonfert, Annadown, Inishadround, and Ardfert. He is also said to have founded abbeys in Scotland and Wales.
+ Saint Brendan died at the abbey of Clonfert in 575 and he became one of the most popular Celtic saints. He is honored as one of the saints known as the “Twelve Apostles of Ireland.”
+ Devotion to Saint Brendan became widespread after the publication of a fantastic tale called The Navigation of Saint Brendan, which tells of a sea voyage Brendan undertook with a group of his monks to an island across the Atlantic Ocean called “the Land of Promise of the Saints.” + Some of the details of The Navigation of Saint Brendan may be based in fact, as it seems that Irish monks did travel to the Faro Islands and to Iceland. For …Mais

Thursday, May 16, 2024 3:30 pm
Mass, in English, at the Chapel of the Apparitions of Fátima Portugal

miércoles, 15 de mayo de 2024 19:15
Misa, en español, en la Capilla de las Apariciones de Fátima, Portugal

Where did the Brown Scapular of Our Lady come from?
on 05/15/24
Tradition states that the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was given to St. Simon Stock, an English Carmelite monk, in the 13th century.
Many Catholics are familiar with the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a sacramental that is frequently given to children at the time of their First Communion.
However, not everyone is aware of the origin of the Brown Scapular devotion.
What is a scapular?
First of all, its important to explain what a scapular is and how they are connected to religious orders.
The Catholic Encyclopedia explains: “The scapular (from Latin, scapula, shoulder) forms a part, and now the most important part, of the habit of the monastic orders. It is usually worn over the habit or soutane … It consists essentially of a piece of cloth about the width of the breast from one shoulder to the other (i.e. about 14 to 18 inches), and of such a length that it reaches not quite to the feet in …Mais

“Pray the rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.”
(First Apparition of Our Lady of Fátima– May 13, 1917)
Happy Feast Day

Would you like to offer yourselves to God to accept all the sufferings which He may send to you in reparation for the sins by which He is offended and for the conversionof sinners…
Our Lady of Fátima

6 Creative ways to celebrate Pentecost this Sunday
on 05/14/24
The gifts given by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost were unexpected and original. In that spirit, we should try and celebrate the day as creatively as we can.
Several years ago, I was at a bachelorette weekend far from my home on the feast of Pentecost. I went to Mass at the closest Catholic church — which happened to be a church within walking distance of our Airbnb. I can’t point to anything particularly extraordinary or outstanding about the liturgy or the church itself that day, but all I know is the Holy Spirit moved my heart powerfully, and I walked away feeling like a new person.
Ever since that day, I always find myself looking forward to the feast of Pentecost. It is such an important feast in our Church that it deserves celebrating. And in honor of the unexpected and dazzling gifts that the Holy Spirit gave to the Church that day, it seems appropriate that we try to be as creative as possible in our approach.
In that …Mais

martes, 14 de mayo de 2024 19:15
Misa, en español, en la Capilla de las Apariciones de Fátima

Tuesday, May 14, 2024 3:30 pm
Mass, in English, at the Chapel of the Apparitions of Fátima

lunes, 13 de mayo de 2024 19:15
Misa, en español, en la Capilla de las Apariciones de Fátima

Nossa Senhora de Fátima 13 de maio No dia 13 de maio de 1917 as três crianças, Lúcia, Jacinto e Francisca, estavam pastoreando nas colinas, quando sobre uma pequena árvore, surge um clarão e a figura "de uma Senhora vestida de branco, mais brilhante que o sol, reluzindo mais clara e intensa que um copo de cristal cheio de água cristalina, atravessado pelos raios de sol mais ardente". Lúcia, a mais velha, tinha dez anos, e os primos Francisco e Jacinta, nove e sete anos, respectivamente. Os três eram analfabetos. As crianças mudam radicalmente. Passam a rezar e a fazer sacrifícios diários. Relatam aos pais e autoridades religiosas o que se passou. Logo, uma multidão começa a acompanhar o encontro das crianças com Nossa Senhora. As mensagens trazidas por Ela pediam ao povo orações, penitências, conversão e fé. As aparições só começaram a ser reconhecidas oficialmente pela Igreja em 13 de outubro, quando sinais extraordinários e impressionantes foram vistos por todos no céu, principalmente …Mais