The parable of the man who went to his friend at night seeking loaves of bread, and whose request was answered not because of their friendship but because of his persistence, shows us how often we approach God as though he were unwilling to help us - but our Lord tells us the God is our loving Father who desires to give us every good gift.
We meditate on the Our Father prayer which Jesus himself taught us, following the commentary of St Teresa of Avila.
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[pre sermon note that Mary of Bethany is Mary Magdalen, the penitent woman of Luke 7]
We discuss the primacy of prayer, for Mary has chosen the "better part." While litanies, and recited prayers (like the Rosary) are very important and necessary, we also must make time for mental prayer and meditation.
In this sermon, we seek to inspire the practice of mental prayer and to show that contemplation is something that is truly possible and necessary for all Christians.
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We see how the parable of the Good Samaritan is the story of salvation history (from the Fall of man to the Incarnation and the establishment of the Catholic Church). Further, we consider how Catholics in the pro life movement are serving as the Good Samaritan to women in crisis pregnancies.
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In this final session of our series on the Kings of the Old Testament, we place the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Exile within the broader context of world history. Especially, we focus on the role of the Persians in world history, and how God used this empire in Biblical History.
Finally, we look to the prophetic books and were they fit within the history of the Kings.
"I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Although St Paul most likely did not receive the visible stigmata (i.e. the impression of the wounds of Christ upon his hands and feet and side), this passage from his Letter to the Galatians is often cited as the biblical foundation for this miraculous gift in the lives of the saints.
Many will be surprised to learn that the first saint to receive the stigmata was St Francis of Assisi in the early 1200s, but that there have been over 400 credible cases of the stigmata since then. Further, most of these (about 70%) are women stigmatists.
We discuss this miraculous gift, and the importance of uniting ourselves to Christ Crucified, carrying our cross daily with the Lord.
Listen online [here]!