Taking your spiritual life on the road

Last month I spoke with John Morales on Morning Air about the ways we can bring our faith life with us when we travel. From finding out where Mass is ahead of time, to bringing pocket-sized versions of your usual devotions, this is a timely topic as the summer travel season kicks off. You can listen to that conversation here.

I will be joining again this week on Thursday around 8:25 am eastern to discuss: what is family prayer, and how can my family get started? See here where you can listen live.

The little thing your prayer life may be missing

This morning I spoke with John and Glen on Morning Air about the necessity of asking God for peace with what we have. What’s that mean? Well, it’s more than gratitude: it’s perspective, it’s grounding in reality, it’s learning to love like God. You can listen to the conversation here.

As I have written, gratitude is its own prayer. What we were taking about this morning, though, was less about praying with gratitude, and learning HOW to recognize how good our lives are. If you’re reading this in America, chances are, your life is good. Yes, there are tragedies and heartbreaks, but we always think we need more, when really, we often don’t - we just need to learn to appreciate what we have.

A caller called in and talked about some situations that required her to be thankful for all God gives even in the times he takes away. Her perspective was correct, as hard as it can be: be grateful for the extra year with your dying parent, even though you lost them.

There is a strange, powerful philosophical question here about control. When we thank God even for the darkness we experience, it is a way to let go of our sense of control. I used the example of praying for an enemy: if you really mean it, then you’re free from the ill feelings that bind you to them. Likewise, when thanking God, you’re saying He is in control, because what He says, goes. Not what we say.

I also brought up the saying attributed to Blessed Solanus Casey: “Thank God ahead of time.” That means in every circumstance, thank God. I think of saints who willingly underwent great torment - think of St. Maximilian Kolbe. That is thanking God for the situation you are in. Wow!

May: A Great Month

Greeetings readers! It is May 1, which means a great month is getting started. Why is it a great month, you ask? Well, for one thing, because it is under the patronage, you could say, of St. Joseph, and also of Mary. Today, May 1, is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. Did you know St. Joseph is such a significant saint in the Catholic tradition that he has two feast days? The other is on March 19. Technically March is “his” month, but I give him May, too,

As for Mary, in May we can pay special attention to the rosary: praying it, and learning its promises for its pray-ers, and contemplating the mysteries of her life alongside Jesus.

I will also point out that today begins the novena to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, a devotion popularized by Pope Francis during his pontificate. I have been for years - it might even be a decade at this point - using Pray More Novenas to keep on top of celebrating feast days. They email the day’s pray to you each day leading up to the feast day celebration. You can see all they do here and sign up for Our Lady, Undoer of Knots here. The feast day is not actually until September 28, but I am guessing Pray More Novenas is prioritizing this one because ‘tis the month of Mary.

Another good one: May 13 is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Huzzah! May is actually packed full of remembrances of special saints: St. Damian of Molokai (May 10), St. Phillip Neri (May 26), Joan of Arc (May 30), and the Visitation (May 31).

May 25 is also when the 50-day Easter season concludes. So, you are in good spiritual company this month as we move back into “ordinary time,” which, as we know, is just as important as a liturgical celebration. It is in the ordinary time that life really happens.

Lastly, I’ll put in a plug for my next radio appearance, which will be next Thursday, May 7 at about 8:25 am eastern. Find where you can listen here. Topic to be announced.

Have a blessed May!