“Do we live with this same hope? Do we have this proper perspective on eternity?” “You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever.” The first reading for this Sunday is part of the stunning story of the martyrdom of a mother and her […]
Between the Sundays
A Blog by Joannie Watson
Our Future Feast Day
“The question about being a saint really starts with: Do you want to be happy?” Today is a day of great hope. Today is a reminder that heaven is worth all of this. No matter what life has handed you today—good things or bad things, tragedies, suffering, injustice, or great joy—today is a reminder that heaven is worth it all. […]
The Sign of the Cross
“This simple gesture expresses the deepest mysteries of our Faith: the Trinity and the Paschal Mystery.” As a cradle Catholic, there are many things I never questioned about the Catholic Faith or thought twice about doing as a Catholic. Things like May Crownings and Stations of the Cross were just part of the culture when I was growing up. Our […]
Praying the Word of God
“Allow the Word of God to help you fall in love with God and change your life.” I was blessed to study Scripture under Dr. Scott Hahn at Franciscan University of Steubenville and doubly blessed to work for him at the same time. In those years, I devoured everything I could to learn more about the Word of God – […]
Leaven for the Kingdom
“As members of Christ’s Mystical Body, we must work to make His Kingdom present in the world.” As we finish up looking at our mission as baptized members of the Church, we must remember—baptism doesn’t just make us members of the Church. It incorporates us into Christ. We become part of His Mystical Body, and so we are called to […]
Prophets in the World
kj “Prophecy is not always about telling the future. It’s about telling the truth.” Last week, I began looking at the three-fold office or mission of the People of God. We receive this mission as our baptism, when we are incorporated into the Body of Christ and given a share in Christ’s office of priest, prophet and king. In the […]
The Priesthood of the Faithful
“As priests, we are united to Christ and His sacrifice in the offering we make of ourselves and our daily lives.” Over the next three weeks, I want to look at our baptismal call as Christians. There are many effects of the sacrament of Baptism – the forgiveness of all sin (original and personal) and the infusion of God’s life […]
Why do we call it Mass?
“The dismissal of Mass marks the beginning of our mission.” Have you ever wondered why we call what we do on Sunday “Mass”? We aren’t referring to a large amount of something nor to a scientific measure. It doesn’t matter how massive the crowd is, either. We get the word “Mass” from the very end of the liturgy, when the […]
Loving Him More
“The measure of our prayer life is not the feeling we have when we pray, but the way we live our lives.” My pastor used to lead our youth group in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, having us repeat after him: “Jesus, I love you. Help me to love you more.” Help me to love you more. It’s […]
Uncomfortable Christianity
“It’s time to recognize that Christianity is not a comfortable religion. The doctrines we profess are stumbling blocks, and the demands are uncomfortable.” We have gotten too comfortable. Walking around as baptized Christians, we probably don’t often think about what that means. Christianity is radical. If we really profess what Christianity professes and live what Christianity demands, we will not […]