What is Marian Consecration?  What is the role the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives?  How can this bring us even more fully into the heart of Divine Mercy? What a joy to talk with Fr. Michael Gaitley, who serves as director of the Association of Marian Helpers, about   “33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration”.  He answers the above the questions above and so much more.

[powerpress]

The goal of the retreat contained in the book is to learn how to ponder more deeply in our hearts what it means to enter into Marian consecration.  With the help of not only St. Louis de Montfort, but also St. Maximilian Kolbe, Bl. John Paul II, and Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Fr. Gaitley reveals to us the great connection between the heart of Mary and beautiful depth of Divine Mercy…and the key to it all is…TRUST.

 

Find the book here

 

To learn more about the “All Hearts A Fire” parish programs that Fr. Michael spoke of  click here

 

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff offers a 90 day challenge!  The object of Lent and the Easter season is to become more and more transformed into Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit we may glorify the Father through our honor and praise and obeying his Divine will, through the intercession of Mary and all the Saints, for the salvation of the World.  But instead of 40 days, but to set our sights on 90 days…all the way to Pentecost.  To become a 90 Day Wonder!

 

Remember the object is union with Jesus Christ.  It’s not about a 40 yard dash, but a 24/7 marathon.  What are some of the challenges that might arise, what are the remedies?

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building A Kingdom of Love”

Pray the Liturgy of Hours

Morning PrayerMid-morningPrayerMid-dayPrayerAfternoon PrayerEvening PrayerNight PrayerOffice of Readings

Here is the book for Lent (and any other time of the year for that matter), “Simplifying Your Soul:  Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit” is “simply” wonderful!  Paula Huston has such a gentle way of helping us to  penetrate into what our hearts so we can draw closer to what we truly long for…a deeper relationship with God…the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  A benedictine oblate, Paula, draws from the best of the monastic traditions and helps us to apply those practices in our modern day circumstances.  I have to believe that Sts. Benedict and Scholastic would be overjoyed how this 21 century daughter of the church as responded to their initial teachings  offered so a long ago.  NOT TO BE MISSED…HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[powerpress]

You can find it here

 

“Too often thought of as simply a season of sacrifice, Lent is revealed here as something far richer–a privileged time to experience God in your everyday life, to open yourself to conversion, and to savor God’s transforming love.”–Rev. James Martin, S.J., Author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything

 

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff teaches the importance of the Liturgical year and in particular the season of Lent.  He also shares his experience of fasting in a desert found in Peru. From this he learned the importance of FASTING and PRAYER.  Msgr. Esseff challenges us to discern what the Father in Heaven is asking us to do this Lent through fasting, so we can purely and perfectly follow His Holy Will.  And he describes ALMSGIVING, and story from an experience he had with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity Sisters.

The Church prepares a spiritual retreat for all of us during Lent.  The Holy Spirit is transforming you in a radical way so that you become more like Jesus Christ…the day by day exercise of Morning Prayer, the Eucharist and Evening Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving, and the other moments of contemplative prayer aids in the transformation…our ego decreases and Jesus increases in our minds and in our hearts.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building A Kingdom of Love”

Pray the Liturgy of Hours

Morning PrayerMid-morningPrayerMid-dayPrayerAfternoon PrayerEvening PrayerNight PrayerOffice of Readings

“The Work of Mercy: Being the Hands and Heart of Christ” is the latest from  Mark Shea.  There’s no one who articulates Catholic teaching quite the way Mark does…it’s clear, engaging, entertaining and targeted to challenge the lukewarm heart.  His new book is an important contribution to our understanding of Catholic Social Teaching as expressed through the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy….EXCELLENT. Highly recommended!

[powerpress]

You can find the book here

Brings the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy into the 21st century. —JOHN MICHAEL TALBOT, musician and author

In this engaging, entertaining book, Mark Shea helps us rediscover what Christians have practiced for centuries–the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. —JIMMY AIKIN, senior apologist, Catholic Answers

Visit Mark’s blog at “Catholic and Enjoying It“

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff teaches the importance of the Liturgy of Hours. He breaks open each portion of Morning Prayer. The Hymn, the psalm, the canticle, again the psalm … we sing praise to God with this section of Morning Prayer. Then God speaks to us in the reading. Then we respond to with the a short psalm. Then he helps us to appreciate the power of the Benedictus. That is followed by the intentions of the Church. Concluding with the great Our Father. We then bless the Lord and give Him thanks. Jesus unites the world in our prayer of praise to the Father when we enter into the Divine Office.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building A Kingdom of Love”

Pray the Liturgy of Hours

Morning PrayerMid-morningPrayerMid-dayPrayerAfternoon PrayerEvening PrayerNight PrayerOffice of Readings

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff offers his second lesson in “Teach Us How To Pray”.  He speaks of the importance of Morning and Evening prayers in our lives.  The Holy Spirit inspires us to pray and the Church teaches prayer through the Liturgy of the Hours.  Msgr. Esseff goes on to teach on the Psalms.  Those who pray the psalms offer powerful praise to the Father. Who actually praises?  In the deepest level of our heart, it’s actually Jesus who praises the Father in us when we pray the Psalms and the Father loves us in return.  What is essential is that we listen to what God says to us in prayer…Listen.

Pray the Liturgy of Hours

Morning PrayerMid-morningPrayerMid-dayPrayerAfternoon PrayerEvening PrayerNight PrayerOffice of ReadingsBe sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website: Building a Kingdom of Love

[powerpress]Prayer is assumed as something we know how to do, but do we? The Church has been constantly teaching her children throughout the ages. The Mass, of course, is our central act of prayer.  But to truly deepen our prayer, even our worship in the Mass, we must appreciate who God is. God is a Trinity, He revealed Himself to us. He is Three Persons in One God. We experience and express their relationship when we pray “Glory be to the Father, Glory be to the Son, Glory be the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end”. When we pray “Glory be to the Father”, He really hears us…He is present, He is truly with you. What does that mean when we pray? It is a relationship. The same is true in relation to the Son and the Holy Spirit. Msgr. Esseff, in this first lesson on prayer, breaks this open in a very deep and important way…the importance of Trinity and presence. Msgr. Esseff also begins an introduction to the importance of the Liturgy of the Hours and the Psalms.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website:  “Building A Kingdom of Love“

“Surrender! The Life Changing Power of Doing God’s Will” is another outstanding offering from Fr. Larry Richards!  From start to finish Fr. Larry  challenges us to place Jesus Christ first  in our lives and in our relationships with others and the world.  Once we can do that, things begin to fall in place.  Then he helps us to recognize the difference between God’s will and our will, and to trust that His will be better for us if we trust, love and….SURRENDER!

[powerpress]

Fr. Larry Richards is an engaging writer, who never fails to keep us hooked through the entire book.  This will be one of those books that you want to purchase at least two copies, because you’ll want to pass it on to another, and you’ll want to keep one for yourself for years to come.

 

You can find the book here

 

 

 

Also check out Fr. Larry’s other Discerning Hearts interview
for his book “Be A Man!”

“The Fulfillment of All Desire:  A Guidebook for the Journey to God based on the Wisdom of the Saints” is one of my all time favorite books…period!  What Ralph Martin accomplishes is extraordinary. He synthesizes the teachings of the great mystical doctors of the Church (St. Augustine, St. Francis De Sales, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, with Blessed John Paul II as an “instructor”) and leads on the path towards heaven.  And the great thing is that it begins today, now…holiness is a universal calling for all of us.  If there was one book I would recommend to have, besides the Bible of course, it is this one first and foremost!  Be sure to visit the Renewal Ministries website.

 

Check out the book here

[powerpress]

“God Wants You Happy – from self-help to God’s help” by Fr. Jonathan Morris challenges the wisdom espoused by New Age self-help experts with the time-tested counsel found in the Bible. Readers who may have sought solace in popular self-help books like Eckart Tolle’s A New Earth, Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret, or Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success will be enthralled by Morris’s moving argument about the enduring spiritual succor awaiting in Scripture. There’s no “secret” here, the Good News proclaims itself loud and clear…check it out!

 

 

Check out Fr. Morris’ book here

[powerpress]

I love the book!  “Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To: Divine Answers to Life’s Most Difficult Problems” by Anthony DeStephano is filled with a bizillion “ah-ha” moments…you knew that but you didn’t know you knew that. Anthony has a wonderful way of breaking down daunting theological questions to easily understood basics in order to nurture a healthy prayer life.  With all the  “driven-life-jabez-easy-answer” books out there, this is the one you should pick up and pass on to friends.  Anthony, who is the executive director of Priest for Life, offers rock solid Catholic perspective, rooted deeply in the Scriptures, to life’s toughest challenges. Take a listen to the podcast and hear for yourself.  Visit the 10 Prayers website

You can pick up the book here

[powerpress]