The Spiritual Life

The Long and Eventful History of the Miraculous Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

June 27, 2024

(Fall-Winter, 2005)by Sr. Mary Agatha, CMRI The following is the fascinating story, dating back more than 500 years, of the miraculous icon which the Blessed Virgin herself commanded to be venerated between the churches of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran in Rome. The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is one of the most well-known and loved images of the Blessed Virgin known to Catholics. For many years, a weekly holy hour or novena in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was common in many parish churches all over the world, and indeed, the custom continues in many places to this day. The history of the original icon, which is now enshrined in the Redemptorist Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome, can be traced back to the year 1495, when the image, already considered ancient, was enshrined in a church on the island of Crete. When

To Win Our Grateful Love: Reflections on the Sacred Heart Devotion

June 21, 2024

A Sermon Preached by Very Rev. Fr. Casimir Puskorius, CMRI (Spring, 2016) My Dearly Beloved: Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most beautiful, most rich, and most profound devotions that we have in the Catholic Church and it is absolutely theological and powerful in its meaning. Today as we celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart, we are reminded of so many things. We are reminded, first of all, that God became man. I literally believe that we cannot meditate enough on the dogma that Almighty God — the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity — came down from heaven to earth and became a member of our human race. This shows the incomprehensible love of God for His human creatures. Why would He love His human creatures so much, we who have offended Him and turned our backs on Him? God is in love

To Work for the Reign of the Sacred Heart, We Must First Fully Appreciate and Understand Holy Mass

June 7, 2024

Excerpts From a Conference Given by Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC, at a Benedictine Convent in April, 1944 The great Cardinal Mercier, a saintly man and a great theologian, used to say: “Give me a priest who fully appreciates the gift of his daily Mass, who relishes his Mass at the altar, never rushing, who lives the grace of his Mass, and I say to you, that priest will die one day — not good, not excellent, but a saint to be canonized.” I apply that now to all of you. If you fully realize the doctrine, the theology of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, living, really and truly, the grace of your daily Mass, when you die you will be not simply good, not simply excellent, but worthy of being canonized one day. I am preaching the reign of the Sacred Heart, but the reign of the Sacred Heart

If God Truly Loved Me, Would He Allow Me to Suffer Horribly and Be Tempted to Sin?

May 28, 2024

by Rev. Fr. Dominic Radecki, CMRI (Fall, 2012) The allurements of the world and the lust of the flesh work to keep us from God and lead us to disobey His commandments by tempting us with an apparent good or poisoned pleasure. Our disordered passions and senses are lured by the bait of sinful pleasure to which we so often fall prey. In addition to these spiritual dangers which confront us, we must also wage war against the temptations of the evil spirits who are constantly seeking the ruin of our immortal soul. Our powerful and crafty spiritual enemies continually study our weak points in order to tempt us to sin when we are most vulnerable — either in our moments of weakness or when we are lulled by a false sense of security. In a vision, St. Antony saw the whole world covered with traps set by the evil

How to Develop the Spirit of Silence So That the Soul May Grow in the Virtues of Humility, Charity, and Piety

February 26, 2024

Servus Mariae “Servus Mariae Nunquam Peribit” “Servus Mariae” translates as “the servant of Mary” or “the slave of Mary.” This title reflects the spirituality of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen. That spirit is one of Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, as taught by St. Louis Marie de Montfort. The column title also reflects the motto of CMRI: Servus Mariae nunquam peribit (“The servant of Mary will never perish”). by Rev. Fr. Dominic Radecki, CMRI (Fall, 2016) Using the Gift of Speech as God Intended Speech is defined as “the power of expressing and communicating thoughts by speaking,” while silence is defined as “the absence of sound or noise; stillness, quiet” (New Scholastic Dictionary of American English). Since speech is a gift from God, it is a good thing unless we abuse its purpose. Nowadays, charity and moderation in speech are rare virtues. Even in Christ’s time, St. James

How to Make the Greatest Evil in Our Lives Our Greatest Happiness

January 15, 2024

(Winter-Spring, 2006) by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan, O.P. (E.D.M.) Suffering is the great problem of human life. We all have to suffer. Sometimes small sorrows, sometimes greater ones fall to our share. We shall now tell our readers how to avoid much of this suffering, how to lessen all suffering and how to derive great benefits from every suffering we may have to bear. The reason why suffering appears so hard is that, first of all, we are not taught what suffering is. Secondly, we are not taught how to bear it. Thirdly, we are not taught the priceless value of suffering. This is due to the incomprehensible neglect on the part of our teachers. It is surprising how easily some people bear great sufferings, while others get excited even at the smallest trouble. The simple reason is that some have been taught all about suffering; others have not. Suffering is

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The Long and Eventful History of the Miraculous Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

To Win Our Grateful Love: Reflections on the Sacred Heart Devotion

To Work for the Reign of the Sacred Heart, We Must First Fully Appreciate and Understand Holy Mass

If God Truly Loved Me, Would He Allow Me to Suffer Horribly and Be Tempted to Sin?

How to Develop the Spirit of Silence So That the Soul May Grow in the Virtues of Humility, Charity, and Piety

How to Make the Greatest Evil in Our Lives Our Greatest Happiness

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