Mary and the Christian Life is a simple book introducing the reader to Mary: what Scripture reveals about her, what Tradition teaches, and how all of that relates to our lives as disciples of Jesus. Learn about Mary's life, about prayers and devotions inspired by her, and even about plants and interesting places associated with Jesus' mother.
The church basement was flooded, and Elizabeth waded right into it. Not through water, but a sea of plastic eggs, candy wrappers, little bunnies and fluffy stuffed lambs. Pink, green, yellow, ribbons and shiny fake grass covered the floor and tables, and bodies crowded the spaces in between.
It was a crowd, for sure. More than Elizabeth had expected, some she didn’t know. A few she didn’t like much. So true.
Over there on the right, for example – that tight gaggle of snobby, idiotic senior girls who always seemed to end up sitting in front of her at school Masses. They perched and slumped in those old yellow chairs on the gym floor, whispering non-stop during the whole thing, the waistbands of the uniform skirts rolled up tight so that their hems barely covered their rear ends, slinking up to Communion, brushing boys’ shoulders with their fingers as they strolled.
But here they were, ready to serve the God help the poor kids. Nice of them.
Elizabeth ordered herself to stop. Don’t judge, judging hurts, you know that.. The new Mother Teresa might be sitting there, decorating baskets, planning Spring Break in Calcutta. What did she know? What did she know about anything?
Eight more minutes of Mr. Sloan, soft, doughy teacher of American history, pasty pale except for his pink bald head. Droning more ruthlessly than ever this afternoon, trying to smother them in his thick blanket of words.
Elizabeth sat at her desk in the second row by the window, resisting. She would not be smothered by the Constitution today, she would not. She tried to keep her eyes off her watch, but it was hopeless, partly because she did want to know when freedom would arrive, but also because Sloan could be so hard to look at without negativity filling your head - frustration, madness, revulsion. Pity?
Review from Sarah Reinhard : In less than 150 pages, Welborn shares relevant history, devotions, and thoughts on the Blessed Virgin. Her language is so accessible, so real, that I almost feel like she was sitting across the table from me as I drank coffee and devoured the book. If you're unsure about devotion to Mary and why it's important, this is a great book to introduce you to it without hitting you over the head with it. If you're grounded in your Marian approach, pick up this book and find yourself reminded of the beauty of the simple, of the richness of the history, and of the thoughts of great minds before us about Mary.
“The beatification of Carlo Acutis, son of the land of Lombardy, in love with the land of Francis of Assisi, is good news, a strong message that a youth of our time, one like many, was captivated by Christ and became a beacon of light for those who wish to know Him and follow His example. His life is an example, particularly for young people, not to seek gratification only in ephemeral success, but in the perennial values that Jesus suggests in the Gospel, namely: putting God in first place, in life’s large and small circumstances, and serving brothers and sisters, especially the least”. These were the words pronounced by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Pontifical Legate for the Basilicas of Saint Francis and Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi, as he celebrated Mass in Assisi for the Beatification of Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) on Saturday afternoon, 10 October.
In his homily, the Cardinal outlined an effective portrait of the young Acutis who died at the age of 15. His “strength”, Cardinal Vallini said, was in “having a personal, intimate and deep relationship with Jesus” and in “making the Eucharist the loftiest moment of his relationship with God”. He was “an average, simple, spontaneous, likable young man — suffice it to look at his photograph; he loved nature and animals, played soccer, had many friends his age; he was attracted to modern means of social communication, passionate about information technology and taught himself how to build programmes “to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty”, as the Pope recalled in the Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit (n. 105). He also had “the gift to attract and was perceived as an example”, Cardinal Vallini noted. And the secret to his spiritual journey lay in the fact that even “as a boy he felt the need for faith and turned his gaze to Jesus. His love for the Eucharist” — the Cardinal emphasized — “established and kept alive his relationship with God”. He often said, “the Eucharist is my highway to heaven”. He participated in Mass every day and spent a great deal of time in adoration before the Most Holy Sacrament, saying: ‘you go straight to heaven if you approach the Eucharist every day’. For Carlo, Jesus was Friend, Teacher and Saviour; He was his life force and the reason for everything he did”.
Receiving inner strength from the Lord’s presence, Carlo had an ardent wish: “to attract as many people to Jesus by proclaiming the Gospel first and foremost with the example of his life”, continued the Papal Legate, indicating that “it was precisely the witness of his faith that impelled him to successfully undertake the tireless work of evangelization in the environments he frequented, touching the hearts of the people he met and fostering in them the desire to change their lives and draw near to God. And he did so spontaneously, by demonstrating the Lord’s love and goodness with his manner of being and behaving. Indeed”, Cardinal Vallini continued, he had an “extraordinary ability to witness to the values he believed in, even at the cost of facing misunderstandings, obstacles and at times even being derided. Carlo felt a powerful need to help people discover that God is near us and that it is beautiful to be with him in order to enjoy his friendship and his grace”.
(The Book of Heroes is organized in sections associated with the virtues. It was a challenge to place figures in various categories, since most exhibited all the virtues in vivid ways, of course.)
Here is Pope John Paul II's homily for Frassati's beatification: 5. Today's celebration invites all of us to receive the message which Pier Giorgio Frassati is sending to the men and women of our day, but especially to you young people, who want to make a concrete contribution to the spiritual renewal of our world, which sometimes seems to be falling apart and wasting away because of a lack of ideals. By his example he proclaims that a life lived in Christ's Spirit, the Spirit of the Beatitudes, is "blessed", and that only the person who becomes a "man or woman of the Beatitudes" can succeed in communicating love and peace to others. He repeats that it is really worth giving up everything to serve the Lord. He testifies that holiness is possible for everyone, and that only the revolution of charity can enkindle the hope of a better future in the hearts of people.
When we think about the difference that love can make, many people very often think of one
person: Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. A tiny woman, just under five feet tall, with no tools except prayer, love, and the unique qualities God had given her, Mother Teresa is probably the most powerful symbol of the virtue of charity for people today.
Mother Teresa wasn’t, of course, born with that name. Her parents named her Agnes—or Gonxha in her own language—when she was born to them in Albania, a country north of Greece.
Agnes was one of four children. Her childhood was a busy, ordinary one. Although Agnes was very interested in missionary work around the world, as a child she didn’t really think about becoming a nun; but when she turned 18, she felt that God was beginning to tug at her heart, to call her, asking her to follow him.
Now Agnes, like all of us, had a choice. She could have ignored the tug on her heart. She could have filled her life up with other things so maybe she wouldn’t hear God’s call. But of course, she didn’t do that. She listened and followed, joining a religious order called the Sisters of Loreto, who were basedin Dublin, Ireland.
I’d heard of this author, and had put her books on my don’t forget these exist and try to read them at some point list because they are comedic academic novels, again, one of my favorite genres. (Examples? Straight Man by Richard Russo, David Lodge’s books such as Small World and Michael Malone’s Foolscap – and many, many others.)
But this popped up, easily grabbed, so I complied. And quite enjoyed it. It’s sharp, cutting and in the end accepting of the mystery of human life – where we came from and where we’re going – and how the weird experiences we have in the present between that past and future have the power to shift our vision and sense of ourselves – for the better, if we’re paying attention.
Jason Fitger may be the last faculty member the dean wants for the job, but he’s the only professor available to chaperone Payne University’s annual “Experience: Abroad” (he has long been on the record objecting to the absurd and gratuitous colon between the words) occurring during the three weeks of winter term. Among his charges are a claustrophobe with a juvenile detention record, a student who erroneously believes he is headed for the Caribbean, a pair of unreconciled lovers, a set of undifferentiated twins, and one young woman who has never been away from her cat before.
Through a sea of troubles—personal, institutional, and international—the gimlet-eyed, acid-tongued Fitger strives to navigate safe passage for all concerned, revealing much about the essential need for human connection and the sometimes surprising places in which it is found.
The clever aspect of the (short) novel is how much of the tale is told through the students’ daily assignments. The revelations are not direct, though. As would be the case, the students’ writings expose the young people sometimes indirectly - even stylistically and even through their mistakes – and sometimes in the unexpected, blunt way a young person expresses himself.
It’s interesting to me how an author can make you care about a character. I didn’t care a bit about the characters in Help Wanted, but there was no way I wouldn’t finish The English Experience, hoping to see how these kids – and their professor – came out of it all. Which is interesting, because the Help Wanted crew was, in a sense more “realistic,” and probably even closely based on real people Waldman met during her time working. The English Experience characters are certainly figures you possibly might meet somewhere, but they are also more exaggerated, verging on types. So – the struggling writer wonders and settles down to figure out – why do I care more about the wacky, slightly exaggerated characters than the solemnly realistic?
Don’t worry about what Dennis Monk did when he was drinking. He’s sober now, ready to rejoin the world of leases and paychecks, reciprocal friendships and healthy romances—if only the world would agree to take him back. When his working-stiff parents kick him out of their suburban home, mere months into his frangible sobriety, the 26-year-old spends his first dry summer couch surfing through South Philadelphia, struggling to find a place for himself in the throng of adulthood.
Monk’s haphazard pilgrimage leads him through a city in flux: growing, gentrifying, haunted by its history and its unrealized potential. Everyone he knew from college seems to be doing better than him—and most of them aren’t even doing that well. His run-ins with former classmates, estranged drinking buddies, and prospective lovers challenge his version of events past and present, revealing that recovery is not the happy ending he’d expected, only a fraught next chapter.
This was my favorite of the five. Some reader reviews critique it for being episodic – a novel in stories, really – but that’s fine. That’s this character’s life, and it’s not as if his character doesn’t remain consistent.
The writing was sharp, knowing and funny. And – guess what – as we approach the end, yes, there’s a Catholic element. A couple, in fact. I won’t say what they are, but one of them is related to a big Catholic event that occurred in Philadelphia over the past decade.
Early Sobrieties was a novel about addiction and recovery, yes, but even if that’s not your issue, directly or indirectly, Monk’s journey is applicable. For even if our past actions and our memories of those actions were not warped and wiped out by substances, who doesn’t look back at the past and wonder, why in the world did I do that? Who was that person? Because that sure doesn’t feel as if it’s me. And can I fix it? Can I atone?
Monk finds an answer to that question, I think, and the answer begins in an understanding of shared, broken, seeking humanity that’s revealed in an experience in the context of ritual, and encounter that seems mostly horizontal, but is probably more, the intuitive response to that encounter, which is another ritual, now an ancient one of atonement, and the final response, left open, but one which is implied to be centered in a response of care, agape, love – not across time, which is impossible, not across the sea, which is dramatic, but right where we are, which is probably the most we can do – to no longer seek escape, but settle into loving presence, right where we are.
Phoebe is in her early 40's. Her husband has left her for a colleague, a colleague who has a baby, and Phoebe has, after years of trying and fertility treatments, not been able to have that: a baby. She's also an adjunct professor of English literature whose specialty is the Victorian marriage novel, but who has, after ten years of work, not managed to finish writing a book.
So Phoebe arrives at an inn in Newport, RI, having never seen the ocean (she's from St. Louis), with a goal: in this most beautiful place, a "happy place" of her imagination, she's going to commit suicide.
In her way: the wedding people.
For this inn has been completely booked for a week-long wedding celebration. Completely booked, that is, but for the one room - a penthouse suite, no less - that is open, at $800/night, for Phoebe's intended one-night stay.
It's not spoiling much to tell you that no, Phoebe does not succeed in her goal, and ends up staying the entire week, her stay paid for by Lila, the bride-to-be, who immediately and almost inexplicably befriends Phoebe after an elevator mishap. Perhaps she senses a connection, perhaps she's relieved to have someone to talk (and talk and talk) to who's not in the wedding party, and perhaps she's also determined that this Phoebe person Will.Not. Ruin. Her. Wedding.
But Lila talks without end, without clear transitions from topic to topic, assuming that Phoebe, a total stranger who has already announced multiple times that se wants to die, is interested in hearing every detail about her personal life. Phoebe can't tell if it's the most appalling or most impressive display she's ever witnessed.
...
And so it goes, a sly reworking of the Marriage Plot, surprises, accidental (or not) encounters, repressed feelings, unexpected connections, feeling trapped and finding release from that trap and all. The writing is just so sharp and knowing and it's very, very funny.
At its heart, it's an unexpectedly moving novel about discovering that your life does matter a great deal in ways you might not even know. Whether you live or die? Whether you continue to live in the story or not? What part you play in it? Yeah, it matters. And how do you discover that? Through opening up and moving beyond your own bubble and even your own very real pain to listen and connect with the pain of others, and, most importantly extending compassion towards those others - and perhaps asking on the way - why can't I extend this compassion and grace to myself, as well?
Lila, every day this week, you gave me a reason to get up in the morning, to put on a beautiful dress and be part of something, and for that I will always be grateful.
Who am I? What do I want out of life? When did everything get so complicated? Where will I find true happiness? Why do I think that’s even possible? How do I choose what’s right and what’s best in a world with a million different voices trying to get me to listen to – and live by – their answers?
There’s a voice that will always tell you the truth. The voice that belongs to the One who created you. The voice that belongs to the One who loves you the most deeply and who wants nothing but the absolute best for you. The voice that belongs to the One who knows where your personal path to true peace and happiness lies.
Here's a great devotional for all Catholic women, including teachers.
The Catholic Woman's Book of Days by Amy Welborn would be a wonderful gift for any woman - mom, sister, friend. It's a 365-day devotional written for Catholic women - all Catholic women. It is loosely tied to the liturgical year, is a very handy size, and features special devotions for several saints. It is not structured to be tied to any particular year. So it’s sort of perennial.
Remember the format: Left-side page has an illustration and a simple explanation for younger children. Right-side page has a more in-depth explanation for older students. This entry is in the section entitled, "At Home."
For centuries people learned about the Christian faith through paintings, sculptures, objects, and gestures. Simple images still convey deep messages if we learn how to see and understand them. Award-winning children’s author Amy Welborn has created a friendly and fascinating sourcebook on the signs and symbols of the Catholic faith. The exquisite illustrations throughout will inspire conversation and prayerful reflection for readers of all ages. Each image appears with a brief, child-friendly explanation coupled with a more detailed description on the opposite page.
From the sign of the fish to the Stations of the Cross, from the palm branch to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols will enable children and adults to experience faith with curiosity and wonder.
He's in the Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn
If you are a catechist looking for resources to help you teach children about the saints...here you go: The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints
Over 40 saints' lives,written at a middle-school reading level.
I. Saints are People Who Love Children St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla Saints Are People Who Love Their Families St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,
Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena
Saints Are People Who Create St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro
Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort
Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio
Saints Are People Who Travel From Home St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
Saints Are People Who Are Strong Leaders St. Helena, St. Leo the Great, St. Wenceslaus, St. John Neumann
Saints Are People Who Tell The Truth St. Polycarp, St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas More, Blessed Titus Brandsma
Saints Are People Who Help Us Understand God St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Jerome, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein
Saints Are People Who Change Their Lives for God St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Katharine Drexel
Saints Are People Who Are Brave St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, St. George, St. Margaret Clitherow, St. Isaac Jogues, The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, St. Maximilian Kolbe
Saints Are People Who Help the Poor and Sick St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Martin de Porres, Blessed Joseph de Veuster
Saints Are People Who Help In Ordinary Ways St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard of Montjoux
Saints Are People Who Come From All Over the World Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Maria Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta
We may not all be mothers, as Monica was, but we all have had one. Our relationships with our mothers might be terrible or beautiful, or somewhere in an in-between place: bewildering, regretful and hopeful. Desire lies at the heart of our mistakes and successes as parents, caretakers and children. Monica desired her son Augustine's salvation, and Augustine yearned for a love that would not die. Around and around they went. What is it I desire for others? Is it that, above all, they find authentic, lasting joy?Lord, may I be a help to others as we journey to you.
However, John the Baptist did not limit himself to teaching repentance or conversion. Instead, in recognizing Jesus as the “Lamb of God” who came to take away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29), he had the profound humility to hold up Jesus as the One sent by God, drawing back so that he might take the lead, and be heard and followed. As his last act the Baptist witnessed with his blood to faithfulness to God’s commandments, without giving in or withdrawing, carrying out his mission to the very end. In the 9th century the Venerable Bede says in one of his Homilies: “St John gave his life for [Christ]. He was not ordered to deny Jesus Christ, but was ordered to keep silent about the truth” (cf. Homily 23: CCL 122, 354). And he did not keep silent about the truth and thus died for Christ who is the Truth. Precisely for love of the truth he did not stoop to compromises and did not fear to address strong words to anyone who had strayed from God’s path.
We see this great figure, this force in the Passion, in resistance to the powerful. We wonder: what gave birth to this life, to this interiority so strong, so upright, so consistent, spent so totally for God in preparing the way for Jesus? The answer is simple: it was born from the relationship with God, from prayer, which was the thread that guided him throughout his existence. ...
...Dear brothers and sisters, celebrating the martyrdom of St John the Baptist reminds us too, Christians of this time, that with love for Christ, for his words and for the Truth, we cannot stoop to compromises.The Truth is Truth; there are no compromises. Christian life demands, so to speak, the “martyrdom” of daily fidelity to the Gospel, the courage, that is, to let Christ grow within us and let him be the One who guides our thought and our actions. However, this can happen in our life only if we have a solid relationship with God.
Prayer is not time wasted, it does not take away time from our activities, even apostolic activities, but exactly the opposite is true: only if we are able to have a faithful, constant and trusting life of prayer will God himself give us the ability and strength to live happily and serenely, to surmount difficulties and to witness courageously to him. St John the Baptist, intercede for us, that we may be ever able to preserve the primacy of God in our life. Thank you.
The Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn contains stories about holy men and women for children, retold in a way to help the reader understand how the saints' journey and struggles might be similar to their own.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York City on August 28, 1774 to a prominent Episcopal family, and lost her mother at the age of three. In 1794, at the age of 19, Elizabeth married William Magee Seton, a wealthy businessman with whom she had five children. William died of tuberculosis in 1803, leaving Elizabeth a young widow. After discovering Catholicism in Italy, where her husband had died, Elizabeth returned to the United States and entered the Catholic Church in 1805 in New York.
After a number of difficult years, Elizabeth moved in 1809 to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, the first community for religious women established in the United States. She also began St. Joseph’s Academy and Free School, planting the seeds of Catholic education in the United States. Her legacy now includes religious congregations in the United States and Canada, whose members work on the unmet needs of people living in poverty in North America and beyond.
The Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn contains stories about holy men and women for children, retold in a way to help the reader understand how the saints' journey and struggles might be similar to their own.
St. Monica was buried at Ostia, and at first seems to have been almost forgotten, though her body was removed during the sixth century to a hidden crypt in the church of St. Aureus. About the thirteenth century, however, the cult of St. Monica began to spread and a feast in her honour was kept on 4 May. In 1430 Martin V ordered the relics to be brought to Rome. Many miracles occurred on the way, and the cultus of St. Monica was definitely established. Later the Archbishop of Rouen, Cardinal d'Estouteville, built a church at Rome in honour of St. Augustine and deposited the relics of St. Monica in a chapel to the left of the high altar. The Office of St. Monica however does not seem to have found a place in the Roman Breviary before the sixteenth century.
Solomon answered: “You have shown great kindness to your servant, David my father, because he walked before you with fidelity, justice, and an upright heart; and you have continued this great kindness toward him today, giving him a son to sit upon his throne.
Now, LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed David my father; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act—
8ou have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, a listening heart to judge your people and to distinguish between good and evil. For who is able to give judgment for this vast people of yours?”
Written by popular Catholic children’s author Amy Welborn, The Loyola Kids Book of Bibles Stories,a beautifully illustrated collection of Bible stories for kids and their families is uniquely arranged according to where the stories fall in the liturgical year and when they are proclaimed at Mass. Divided into five sections—Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter Season, and Ordinary Time—each section is subdivided into Old and New Testament stories. From “the Fall” to St. Paul, from the Exodus of the Israelites to the Ascension of Jesus, Loyola Kids Book of Bible Stories nurtures family and individual reading of the Bible at home, while familiarity with these stories will help children connect far more meaningfully with the liturgy.
Saints Are People Who Love Their Families
