I Will Wait: Mumford & Sons and Purity

I know the band Mumford & Sons has been sweeping across the globe getting a cultic following by many people across the world.  I have to say they have quite some sweet tunes myself.  Check out their new song "I Will Wait" it is quite nice.  Lifeteen Blogger Christina Mead wrote up this great article about how this song has so much to do with our daily life in living purity and the beauty of waiting for the ones we love.  CLICK HERE to see her super sweet article on Mumford & Sons new song. 

Mary The Queen of Heaven & Earth!

So today is one of my favorite feast days of the church, "The Coronation of Mary."  Exactly one week ago we celebrated the Assumption of Mary Body & Soul into Heaven.  Now just one week later we are celebrating The Blessed Virgin Mary's Queenship of both Heaven & Earth. 

Here is some information to help show us why Mary's Coronation of Queen of Heaven is shown throughout the entire Bible.  

Check out this Meditation on the Rosary.

The Coronation of Mary sets Mary up as your Queen who distributes many gifts, especially the gift of peace.

It is helpful to look at a picture of the Coronation of Mary which is the last of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary when Mary, Mother of Jesus was crowned queen of heaven and earth. Keep these events in mind as well as the fruit of the mystery which is trust in Mary's intercession as you pray the Rosary prayers.
Also, keep the following story in mind while you meditate on this glorious event and repeat in your heart this greeting to Mary: "Hail Holy Queen"...

After Jesus took Mary, body and soul into heaven, He crowned her Queen of heaven and earth.

By her very relationship as the mother of Jesus, Mary is queen because Jesus is King. Who is a king's mother?

A queen of course. And Mary is the greatest queen ever for she is the mother of the King of Kings and the Prince of Peace, Jesus.

The Angel Gabriel declared this to be true...

"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end." -Luke 1:32-33

Not only is Mary the mother of the King, she is the most highly favored daughter of God the Father and the Spouse of God the Holy Spirit.

She always obeyed God and was humble before Him.

Mary received the promised "never fading crown of glory" because her life so perfectly resembled that of her Son's and because she shared in all His sufferings. -1Peter 5:4

As a reward for her holiness and perfection of virtues, Jesus gave her dominion over the Angels and the Saints as their queen.

Evil spirits fear Mary more than any other human because they never had any power over her for she was conceived in her mother's womb without the blemish of original sin.

Jesus could only enter this world through a spotless woman, one created as Adam and Eve were created, perfect in the eyes of God.

So Take Time Today To Meditate On The Importance Of Mary In The Church & How She Can Become More Active In Your Own Life Through Prayer.

How To Love In Marriage

After having such an awesome response to our Theology the Body speaker last Monday evening with Evan Lemoine. Here is an amazing video called Crucifixion Type Love. This is how marriage should be between a husband and wife. It shows the reality of the true sacrifice that a marriage takes; instead of the media portrayed of "AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER" or "WHY NOT JUST FIND ANOTHER SPOUSE." Maybe if we had more people giving a sacrificial love to their spouses in marriage the focus would be less on themselves and on the betterment of their spouse/families.

 When we think of crucifixion we think of the ultimate sacrifice. That is the type of sacrifice that spouses should be giving one another. So check this out. It might give you a new look on the reality of dating and what you need and are looking for from your future spouse if the Lord calls you to the vocation of marriage.

St. Maximillian Kolbe Feast Day!

So as everyone knows I always talk about my "Fav 5 Saints" quite a bit and today is a wonderful day on the Church calendar.  It is one of there feast days.  St. Maximilian Kolbe Here Is To You!  It is an awesome testament of how Christ chooses the weak to lead the strong when he chose St. Maximilian Kolbe a frail priest from Poland to stand up against the Nazi Germany Movement and would later give his life for it. 

Here is some info on him so that you can have a better understanding of why he is AMAZING!  Maximilian was born in 1894 in Poland and became a Franciscan. He contracted tuberculosis and, though he recovered, he remained frail all his life. Before his ordination as a priest, Maximilian founded the Immaculata Movement devoted to Our Lady.  He spread the Movement through a magazine entitled "The Knight of the Immaculata" and helped form a community of 800 men, the largest in the world.  Maximilian went to Japan where he built a comparable monastery and then on to India where he furthered the Movement. In 1936, he returned home because of ill health. After the Nazi invasion in 1939, he was imprisoned and released for a time. But in 1941, he was arrested again and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz and branded as prisoner 16670. He was assigned to a special work group staffed by priests and supervised by especially vicious and abusive guards. His calm dedication to the faith brought him the worst jobs available, and more beatings than anyone else. At one point he was beaten, lashed, and left for dead. The prisoners managed to smuggle him into the camp hospital where he spent his recovery time hearing confessions. When he returned to the camp, Maximilian ministered to other prisoners, including conducting Mass and delivering communion using smuggled bread and wine.  On July 31, 1941, there was an escape from the camp. Camp protocol, designed to make the prisoners guard each other, required that ten men be slaughtered in retribution for each escaped prisoner. Francis Gajowniczek, a married man with young children was chosen to die for the escape. Maximilian volunteered to take his place, and died as he had always wished - in service.  He was killed by lethal injection after enduring 3 weeks of starvation and dehydration. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1982. His feast day is today August 14th.  

Favorite Quotes

"For Jesus Christ I Am Prepared To Suffer Still More"

"Greater Love Has No Man Than This, That He Would Lay Down His Life For His Friends" 

YOUTH 2000 RETREAT!

YOUTH 2000, an international spiritual initiative, organizes and directs Eucharistic centered retreats for young people. Begun in 1990, YOUTH 2000 is a response to the challenge of Pope John Paul II to "become shining heralds of the reevangelization and generous architects of the civilization of love." YOUTH 2000 promotes, organizes, and directs retreats based on the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 6, "I am the Bread of Life." The focus on the Eucharist shows young people that Christ must be at the center of their lives. The format of each retreat, which includes the Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, prayer, talks, music and fellowship, provides a means to help young people develop a deep and lasting personal relationship with Jesus Christ, especially in the Eucharist, "the source and summit of Christian life" (Lumen gentium 11).

Its the weekend of August 24-26 in Lake Charles, LA.  Let me know if you are interested in going it is going to be awesome. The Franciscan Friars run the retreat and will be there with brothers and sisters. So it is great exposure to other religious orders. Let me know if you are interested in going. I have to have numbers worked out by the end of the week. Pax Christi, Matt

YOLO!!!

HERE IS THE SKINNY FOR ALL YOU YOLO FANATICS OUT THEIR! So over recent time I have been noticing how much I have been seeing YOLO everywhere. It struck my interest some time ago. I managed to look it up and found out that it mean "You Only Live Once." I thought of what a great phrase this is, but how today's culture many times takes this out of context in using it as an excuse to make irrational decisions. Click on the link and check out this article by Lifeteen on how to truly live YOLO!

Junior High Youth Group Kick Off

I am starting to work on our upcoming Junior High Kick Off on Friday, August 17 from 6:30-8:30pm. Let me know if you can help out.

MP3- Viva Christo Rey

MP3- Viva Christo Rey on Saturday August 18th. It's going down. Let me know if you want to go. Early registration=Free Tshirt! Click on Picture for more info.