Recommends Going Beyond Petition to Prayer of Praise, Thanks

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 20, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that it is normal and beneficial to ask for things from God in prayer, but that we must also remember to praise him and thank him for his many gifts.

The Pope said this today as he continued his series of catechesis on prayer at the general audience.

"Though in itself it is normal for us to ask for something in prayer, it should not exclusively be so. Ther...

February 21, 2012

WASHINGTON—Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), offers “10 Things to Remember for Lent” as the Church prepares to begin the season with Ash Wednesday on February 22:

1. Remember the formula. The Church does a good job capturing certain truths with easy-to-remember lists and formulas: 10 Commandments, 7 sacraments, 3 persons i...

My family went out for a beach picnic with our household friends. Horseshoe Bay is one of Bermuda’s best beaches but for some reason the waves today were peculiarly so high and the rip currents were strong. For an adventurous guy like me, I went ahead and faced the waves. Suddenly my 2 year old son wanted to join me. If there’s one thing I learned about little boys, it’s that they want so much to imitate people, especially their father. So I took him to the shore, just knee ...

I would like toshare a message that I saw in a pictorial cartoon which speaks volumes of thereality of the cross that we carry today. A clever man and his fellowChristians were carrying a cross that was 7 feet long and very heavy. While ontheir way, he somehow cheated, borrowed a chain saw and cut it shorter. Stillfeeling heavy, he cut it so short that the burden was manageable – 4 feetlong. He looked fine upon nearing the finish line, while the others were almostcollapsing because of t...

The daughter of Karl Marx, the founder of Communism, once confessed to a friend that she had never been brought up in any religion and had never been religious. "But," she said, "the other day I came across a beautiful prayer which I very much wish could be true." "And what was that prayer?" she was asked. Slowly the daughter of Karl Marx began repeating in German, "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

Jesus has told us that no one ...

Allow God to Bless You

It was going to be me and my wife’s first cruise ship experience. We were looking for the least number of nights to avoid over consumption of our vacation leaves. The trip was meant to celebrate my birthday and Valentines Day. So we got this Miami-to-Bahamas cruise and got a room with a window overlooking the sea and downtown Bahamas. Before we left Bermuda, we were hesitating to bring Tony...

LOVING

By Father Michael Sehler, S.J.

When I was a freshman at Gonzaga Jesuit High School in Washington D.C., we students were encouraged to read the works of Jesuit Father John Powell. In one of his books, Father Powell wrote: “We should never leave this world without having the people we love know that we love them.”

Now I don’t come from a particu...

Plane Talk

By Father Michael Sehler, S.J.

In June of 2007, I boarded a flight to Chicago from JFK in New York. Luckily, I was bumped up to first class. Usually sandwiched in coach, I was glad for a seat that was shaped more like my body, with leg room and with space enough for my own thoughts, that, I hoped would drift into dreams.

My seatmate however, would have none...

Hi Bros and Sis,

I wanted to share this article from Bro. Bo. It is a very helpful insight especially for those who have lost a lot during the recent typhoons in the Phils. (Ondoy and Pepeng). Everytime I looked at pictures of what happened , can't help but feel so helpless and sad for all our kababayans. Let us continue to pray for everyone who've lost their loved ones, lost their  properties and  those who've lost their own dignity and freedom to live a dec...

God’s Victory: The Lord Reigns In Us

There was a story about a teacher who wanted to proclaim atheism in her class. It was a class full of innocent Grade One pupils. She asked, “Who among you are atheists?” The poor little students, not knowing the meaning of the word just went ahead and raised their hands in the hope of gaining the approval of their teacher. Except for one little girl. The atheist ...