JOY Alive in Our Hearts

The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith

Category: Prayer

Conversion / Eucharist / Holy Spirit / Jesus / Prayer / Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story

Testimony: Journeys of Peace

By age twenty-eight, I was knocking on death’s door with my worldly lifestyle of alcohol and recreational drugs. Being a flower child wasn’t about roses. In fact, it led to a dramatic suicide attempt. grew up in a Philadelphia suburb.

My first true realization of God’s grace was at that time. Deep inside, I desired life—not death. I knew where to turn because of how my parents raised me. I ran back to church, back to Jesus. God’s grace renewed me through a charismatic ministry my parents were a part of, called Jesus Focus. I have since made—or at least desire to make—a regular conscious effort to allow God to work through me and to change me, be it ever so slowly, into the image of his Son.

Catholic family / Evangelization / Holy Spirit / Joy / Prayer / Saints / Scriptures

Prayer Companion: Come, Holy Spirit

“Acquire the Holy Spirit and thousands around you will acquire salvation” – St. Seraphim of Sarov

St. Seraphim dreamed big. Honored by both the Roman Catholic (today) and Orthodox (January 15) calendars, this wonderworker emphasized seeking communion with God as the true purpose of life for every Christian. St. Seraphim’s life demonstrated that everything else was merely the means for “acquiring the Holy Spirit.”

Wait! Didn’t we acquire the Holy Spirit at baptism and weren’t we sealed with the gift of the Spirit at Confirmation? Can’t we acquire more of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or receive the Eucharist? A resounding “yes” to all of these.

Holidays / Joy / Living Your Faith / Prayer

The Gate of the Year 2021

 And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

CatholicMom.com / Living Your Faith / Prayer / Sacraments / Scriptures

Prayer Companion: Name Your Battles

One way you can approach your day is to name your battles. The tasks may seem impossible and they may well be—for you. God does the impossible—through you. Because he lives in your heart, every characteristic of his nature is available to your nature.

Circumstances turn on a dime, but what is your constant? What no-matter-what tool do you have? Praise — in all things.

Balance that list of looming battles by listing the characteristics of God you need to help you through today. Then praise him for each attribute. Many were bestowed at your Baptism, Confirmation, or in the sacrament of Matrimony. They increase with every Reconciliation and Eucharist.

Thanksgiving Table (Photo by Richard C MIller - Getty)

Family / Holidays / Hospitality / Joy / Prayer

Thanksgiving Blessings: Edelweiss and the Doxology

Our family tradition for Thanksgiving grace is sung to the tune of  “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music. At the festival, the Von Trapp family performed the forbidden national anthem as they prepared to escape the country.
When we celebrate with the family of one of our married children, they sing the doxology, a familiar hymn to both Protestants and Catholics.
Wherever we are, after dinner we take turns around the table expressing one or two things we are thankful for. This starts out being sentimental and ends up being hilarious. We leave the table laughing.
What are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Catholic family / Coronavirus / Fr. Bob Hilz / Jesus / Living Your Faith / Prayer / Scriptures

Friar’s Corner: Big Rock, little rock

Today’s Matthew 16:18 has two interpretations. One is that Peter is the rock on which the church of Jesus was built. The other is that Jesus, Himself is the Rock of our salvation. Peter is the “little rock” next to Jesus. He was obviously a stabilizing factor within the early church and today. The Catholic papacy has been something of the eye of almost every religious hurricane in the course of Christian controversy.