Yesterday was a very special day when Pope Francis and the faithful of the world came together spiritually and virtually to beg God’s mercy to stop the coronavirus that has been attacking the world. In a very empty St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis carried out a prayer service which included the reading of the Gospel, after which he gave a very moving homily, followed by a time of Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, as well as an Urbi et Orbi blessing to impart a plenary indulgence (if you are in the proper disposition–no attachment to venial sin). This blessing is usually reserved for Christmas and Easter time.
I knelt on my living room floor for most of that hour, participating in the deep spiritual moments. It was powerful and moving.
The second part of the Lenten discussions that I had with Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. is here below on EWTN’s Sunday Night Prime. The second part offers prayers and tips for families and all those journeying through Lent. It is focused on the teachings of St. John Paul II and Pope Francis. I hope that you enjoy it.
I recently chatted with radio host Elizabeth Reardon on her show “An Engaging Faith.” We talked about my background, my books, my memoir The Kiss of Jesus, the season of Lent, families, Mother Teresa, Pope Francis, the saints, and so much more. You can listen to the archive right here.
A Simple Grace recently interviewed me about the faith, love and prayer. They have used a couple of my responses in their new magazine. The piece is titled, “Author of ‘Bringing Lent Home with Pope Francis’ shares her secret for discovering everyday miracles.”I believe that the full interview is in the hard copy of the magazine.
You can see my response about love, prayer and cleaning a toilet here!
Pope Francis declared an Extraordinary Year of Mercy which officially started on December 8th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. It will end on Nov. 20, 2016, on the feast of Christ the King.
The biblical theme Pope Francis has chosen is “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Traditionally, every 25 years the Pope proclaims a holy year, which features special celebrations and pilgrimages, calls for repentance and conversion, as well as providing special opportunities to experience God’s grace through the sacraments, especially confession. Extraordinary holy years, like the Holy Year of Mercy, are less frequent, but offer the same opportunities for spiritual growth.
Pope Francis said, “Let us not forget that God forgives and God forgives always. Let us never tire of asking for forgiveness.”
Pope Francis continued, “I am convinced that the whole Church — which has much need to receive mercy, because we are sinners — will find in this jubilee the joy to rediscover and render fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time.”
There’s so much that we can say about this great opportunity for grace and there are countless things we can do during this Year of Mercy. Therefore, I decided to do a regular radio show called “Mother Teresa and Mercy.” I’ll discuss practical ways in which we can be merciful and to grow in holiness, basing it on the wisdom of Blessed Mother Teresa with whom I was very blessed to know as my spiritual mother for about ten years. She still mothers me from heaven!
We have just completed our Lenten journey and are now celebrating our Easter JOY!
It might seem odd that I am already speaking about our next Lenten journey. But, I want you to know that I’ve got you covered! I have a brand new family Lenten book (fourth in my series) for you! Here is the book cover image.
I hope you like it. It will be available in early October! As always, for a ridiculously low price of under $3.00.
1) When traveling out-of-state to do some speaking and book signing, I happened to be behind this gentleman at the airport. His shirt caught my eye. It was such a nice sight!
2) When it comes to clean laundry, did you know that white distilled vinegar is supposedly as good or better than bleach?
(My daughter, Chaldea’s artwork above which she sells at her Etsy site.She has illustrated several of my books.)
According to a recent article, “The acetic acid in white distilled vinegar is so mild that it will not harm washable fabrics; yet is strong enough to dissolve residues (alkalies) left by soaps and detergents. Adding just 1/2 cup vinegar to the final rinse will result in brighter, clearer colors.”
I think I will do a load of white laundry later today and try out the vinegar! Check out the article about 10 uses for the white vinegar here.
3) A recent sentiment from Pope Francis caught my eye. “It gave us consolation and hope to see so many large families that welcome children as a true gift of God.” (Pope Francis, Wednesday’s General Audience, Vatican City, (Zenit.org)
4) I just happened to catch an excellent and powerful episode of EWTN’s “The Journey Home” about Steven W. Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute and former Secular Humanist.
It was great show. Steven Mosher is the author of several books including: A Mother’s Ordeal: One Woman’s Fight Against China’s One-Child Policy. Mosher says he had a confrontation with evil in China as he watched late term abortions being performed due to China’s one-child policy. He was an atheist at the time. He soon became an agnostic and later on…well, you will see in this program. He does amazing work. Here is the show right here and his website here.
5) And, finally, just for fun, this short Huff Post news video about longevity caught my eye. A 109 year old woman shares her big secret to her longevity. You might laugh when you learn what she says you should avoid if you’d like to live a long life! Here’s the video.
