Thank You for Christmas Notes and Gifts
I prayed a Hail Mary for you with each envelope I opened. Your kindness is appreciated!
Prayer for My Children’s Conversion (by a Catholic dad)
“Lord Jesus: Open my children’s eyes, hearts, and minds to the wisdom and the saving graces that come from You through the Eucharist and Your Holy Catholic Church, then inspire them to engage well in the Catholic faith for the salvation of their souls
and the souls of those whom they touch. I humbly and earnestly make this request in Your Holy Name together with Your and Your Blessed Mother’s charity and blessing upon my children. Amen.”
Pope Francis on Gossip (December talk to his curia)
“The title of this address is ‘Bless and do not curse’ …Saint Paul, writing to the community in Rome, says, ‘Bless and do not curse’ (Romans 12:14). We can also understand his words as meaning: ‘Speak well and do not speak ill’ of others, in our case, our co-workers, our superiors and colleagues, everyone…”
“I would suggest today, as I did some twenty years ago at a diocesan assembly in Buenos Aires, that all of us, as a way of exercising humility, learn the practice of self-accusation…Those who practice the virtue of self-accusation and do so consistently are gradually liberated from suspicion and distrust, and make room for God, who alone can bond hearts. If everyone makes progress along this path, a community can be born and grow, one in which all are guardians of one another and walk together in humility and charity. When we see a defect in someone, we should only talk about it with three others: with God, with the person in question, or, if that is not possible, with the person in the community who can take care of the situation. No one else…”
“To help us abase ourselves, we can go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This will help us. Each of us can ask: when was the last time I went to confession? En passant, I would like to mention something further. A few times I have spoken about gossip. This is an evil that destroys social life, makes people’s hearts sick and leads to nothing. People say it very well: ‘Gossip is pointless’. Be careful about this…I like to think of the Roman Curia as a great workshop in which there are any number of different jobs, but where everyone works for the same purpose: to bless others, and to spread the blessing of God and Mother Church in the world.”
~Fr Loftus