Have I ever told you how much I love St. John Henry Newman? He is a Doctor of the Church now! (If you know me, you’re probably thinking, “Yes, Carey, you’re always talking about how much you love Newman.” lol!) It takes a little time to get the knack for reading his work, but once you do, I think you’ll agree that his sermons, meditations, and poems are rich with truth, goodness, and beauty. They…
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out: “To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever.” – Revelation 5:12 Imagine the loudest sound you can dream up: a volcano erupting, a rocket launch, standing next to the speakers at a rock concert! Now multiply that…
And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. – Luke 17:15 How can we thank God for all that He has done for us? What could we possibly have to offer Him? Our first reading and Gospel passage offer us two parallel examples to consider. Naaman, who was healed from leprosy, wanted to give Elisha a…
God has done so much for us. We can ask ourselves if we truly give thanks each and every day for all that God has given us. Like the leper in today’s Gospel reading who returned to give thanks to God for his healing, the first step of gratitude is simply to notice how God cares for us. Each of us has so much to be thankful for. We’ve received small, everyday gifts and large,…
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I shall say it again: rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Over and over, Scripture exhorts us to rejoice in our Lord. The Psalms, especially, are full of calls to worship God, praise His holy name, and sing of His glory: “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy” (Ps 66: 1). Rejoicing is a joyful cry of the heart. When we worship—especially when we sing from our hearts at…