“The immensity of it all was so perfectly summed up in the Colosseum; humanity has so much capacity for good, but yet also for evil. Its immensity is beautiful and being there, with the Pope for the Stations of the Cross was so amazing. It was built in 70 A.D. as a killing machine. Uniting the suffering of Christ with dozens of thousands of people there that night, and throughout the world, and history was truly powerful.”
“The best advice I have ever received about discerning my vocation; ‘Pray, and don’t worry.’ I found that God does not need me to place extra pressure on Him to tell me His will. He wants to reveal it to me, more than I want it to be known. I discerned my way into seminary and I am currently studying for the Diocese of Milan.
But I came about this only after realizing my need to be receptive of a call. I began, and often tell people that you must begin by realizing that God needs family, and is family. Most of us are called to form families; this gave me great peace, and a place to start. You must know yourself in order to know what God is asking of you. But it is easier to do this when you start, unafraid of His call. There is no point in becoming anxious about your vocation.”
“So, I am a bit of a thinker, and the Christianity that I was exposed to avoided the difficult aspects of life; it had a limited, shallow consideration for all of my questions. Basically it was like ‘Oh, we arrived, the plane didn’t crash; Praise be to God.’ But what happens when the plane does crash?
I couldn’t reconcile it all and I wanted to get as far as a human can understand it. Poverty, sickness, my cousin died of cancer when he was really young; how do you make sense of all of that? These were the areas that I really needed to dig my teeth into. Challenging my intellectual understanding, reconciling a Jesus who was helping people, suffering with them, has proven very integral for me.”
“I don’t know which one is my favorite. Saint Lawrence! While they cooked him like a rooster on a grill, he was still making jokes.” (With best American accent): “Happy Easter, y’all!!”
“There was only one candle lit, and it was his. I feel really privileged; there were only a few of us outside with the Pope and the Pascal Candle. It was my brother and I and a few other people, while everyone was inside waiting. There was a reason why I was chosen to be able to experience that, and for that I am very grateful. That moment at the heart of the Church will remain with me forever.”
“I am getting flowers for the house with my dad. It’s something that one or both of us try to do almost every Saturday. It is something small, but when you come over after Mass on Sunday for lunch, you find the house illuminated by your previous’ days excursion.”
“It is like what was said in the homily tonight: ‘Mercy will save the world.’ I think that it is so amazing we have a pope who is stressing this recognition of God’s mercy. It’s such an amazing time to be here. The Church was born from the wound that pieced Christ’s side, from out of which, blood and water, love and mercy came out. It wasn’t His death that saved us, it was His love. No matter how much we hate one another, the love of God will always be greater and will continue to be poured out.”
“Our restaurant is named after Saint Joseph, because that’s the name of the church next door. He made a fine dad from what I hear. If Jesus had come here for his last supper, I’m sure he would have enjoyed it.”
“I don’t know the name in English, but in German it’s called, ‘Kreuzweg’. My mother is organizing it. There are several stations you stop at, but it’s when you are walking and you are praying and carrying small crosses. In our area which is Franconia, church bells don’t ring, and we have no advertisements on the radio. It is the Friday before Easter, the day Christ was lead to the cross.”
“I was married to an abusive man, and he was one of the people that I spiritually brought with me on this pilgrimage to the Holy Door [for the Jubilee Year of Mercy]. To me mercy is giving forgiveness, and I continually pray for him. I want what is best for him. Even though he has done things to me that are not great, and he continues to do things that aren’t great, I continue to pray for him. He is the most painful person in my life, but I let his stuff go, otherwise it will weigh me down and I can’t let that happen. Mercy is what strengthens me. I am a very different person than I was when I started this journey. The Holy Door really sealed the deal on my conviction of that.”
(2/2) “Did you hear of the ‘Way of the gods path’ in America? We walk this every day. We will be walking the ‘way of the cross’ on Friday. There isn’t anyway for cars to get back here to us, just horses and our feet. I spend a lot of time thinking; you have all day to think. You think about all kinds of things, a lot goes through your head. You can talk to God. You can talk to the goats, you talk to the people from all over. It is good but I don’t know how much longer we can do this.”
(1/2) ”I get up and start work at six, and then I never know what time it is after that. Each day is 12, 13, sometimes 14-hour days herding our goats. This type of work will soon no longer be around though. I am twenty-eight, my family has been shepherding in this region for at least five or six generations. No one from Naples wants to do this. They look at me and they think, ‘he’s crazy’. But then again, at least I’m not the one letting my 8 year old and 10 year old walk around all day staring at their phone, bumping into walls. The world is moving further and further apart. Two neighbors in the city living right next to each other don’t even know the other person’s name.”
“I am stubborn. So I am like Saint Peter in that.”
“It’s the little things that aren’t big, like my dad always getting us flowers on Easter or being able to read at the Vigil Mass. I realized it on Palm Sunday; I miss being able to be home and celebrate Holy Week with my entire family. But I think that’s what it’s all about, it’s letting go and putting it in God’s hands. We have been able to be spontaneous and it has worked out well for us so far.” “I really like that quote on beauty. Just don’t use it on us with our picture after traveling.”
(1/2) “Well, first off you need to be born in Switzerland and to be a practicing Catholic. All of us do our service through the Swiss Army and then we can apply. I am the tenth of my family’s name to become a Swiss Guard. It has been a tradition in my family since 1873.”
(2/2) “I am happy to serve the Pope and I am very fortunate to do so. It has not always been my dream to do this, and I tried fighting that tradition early on, but I am glad that I am. This type of service is very rewarding. There are many who apply, but only about 30 or so brought in each year. Even my brother now wishes that he would have joined, but he feels the process will take too long; now he is 26 and wants to make money. Please excuse me, we are making a change.”
- (1/2) “I walk through five locked doors everyday. I didn’t even know my job existed a year ago. I didn’t even know it was a thing people do. The fact that God called me to it and that I get to meet these amazing people that are so broken and so hurting and willing to grow once they are loved and affirmed is so incredible.”
- (2/2) “This has been a great experience. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The homeless surprise me. I’m amazed all the time by how resilient they are. They’re all good people. I wish the whole world knew what the homeless were really like. But they’re stereotyped. There are some bad apples but 99% are really great. I would like to work here forever. Maybe if there’s a homeless shelter in heaven God will make me the Chaplain. That’d be a lot of people. But I could do it.”
- (1/2) “When Samaritan House opened I was asked to come and be the Chaplain. I didn’t want to come at the time. It was about 30 years ago then. I was about 15 years old. I turned it down. And I’m glad I did because I needed to grow up and mature and learn more about life. Years later I was asked to come again and then I was ready. I’ve been here 20 years this year. And I hope to put in another 20 or 30.”
- “I had a nervous breakdown and spent nine months in a mental hospital. After 15 years of suicidal depression, I traveled to Medjugorje where I overcame my mental sickness. While there, I had a vivid dream with St. Joseph, the Blessed Mother, and the little baby Jesus. In the dream, baby Jesus came to me out of the tabernacle and held his heart out to me; just like the image shows. That’s why I carry this picture, because that’s how He appeared to me. That’s how He saved my life.”
- (2/2) “After college I was offered a position as a youth minister. I wasn’t sure I wanted it to be my career, but, I wanted to follow Christ wholeheartedly and it seemed like He was opening the door for me. It’s been 4 years and I’m still doing it. I’ve thought about quitting a couple times. The church is messy and it’s not like you get paid that much (I could barely afford these boots (see 1st post)) And sometimes my pride makes me want to quit so I can have a more “successful” job. But, at the end of the day - all I care about is telling people about this Jesus I’ve met, and so I’ll keep doing it as long as he asks me to. So long as I can keep the boots.”
- (1/2) “These are new boots. In college we used to make fun of the sorority girls and how excited they got about boot season. But, truth be told - I was in a sorority, and I really do love boot season too. I’m not ashamed to say it. In college, while I was in that sorority, a light-switch turned on for me about the faith. All of the sudden, it made so much sense to me, and I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to give my whole life to this man, to this Jesus, I had come to know.”
- “Some of my favorite Hanukkah memories revolve around food. The smell of fresh challah bread, the sound of the latkes sizzling in the pan and the warm feeling and taste of mazzo ball soup. Food always seems to bring people together and it has always been a beautiful gift to be able to celebrate the Festival of Lights with my family.”
- “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” - C.S. Lewis
- “It has been my experience that art can lend the shoes of the artist to the audience. The observer is able to walk in the perspective of the artist; feel their heart break, their philosophy, and glimpse into their life, into their story. I don’t expect anyone to leave my show to come away thinking the same philosophy or believing the same faith, but I hope they walk away feeling it.”
- “When I think about my story, I think about the saying, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ I have been so blessed and I hope to be able to give with the same love that God has shown me.”
- “I’ve never really been that excited about heaven - that could sound weird I guess, but, it’s just that it’s not a very tangible idea, you know? But, I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently. My mom has a mental illness, and not to be too intense or anything, but, it occurred to me that I’ve never really had the chance to know my mom, like actually KNOW her - the truest version of her. But, in heaven, I realized I’ll get to know her for the first time. And that makes me pretty excited.”
- “I was eleven years old when my father was killed, and justice was not served because we were poor and the murderers were from an influential group. That was when hatred came into my life. As this hatred grew, I enrolled in the college of law because I wanted justice. I joined the Focolare, an Ecclesial Movement, who strives to put into practice the word of God in their daily lives. I then became addicted to this new drug, and it is called: LOVE. I found the essence and true meaning of my life for the first time and that Jesus in the Eucharist was the source of it all. I found how to live Jesus’s word concretely when He said: “Love your enemy”. One day when I was at work, I had met by chance the leader of the group that had killed my father. I spontaneously greeted him with a smile and asked him how his family was doing. And I felt in my heart that the hatred slowly transformed into love. I continued to visit them in their home and tried building this rapport by showing how much God loves them. And it came to a point where a member of those who had killed my father asked for forgiveness for what he had done and in turn he asked for prayers for his family and his health. I knew clearly this experience of forgiveness and healing was the transforming power of Jesus in the Eucharist.”
“Let us turn our faces to Him, let us ask for the grace to understand something of the mystery of His obliteration for our sake; and then, in silence, let us contemplate the mystery of this Week.”
Buckle up everyone!! Holy Week is upon us! Follow along this week as we will be bringing you stories from within the Eternal City
“I went to Confession after a long time and there I truly encountered the Merciful Heart of Jesus. I left the confessional that day with an immense joy and sense of gratitude and a great awareness that so many others have not opened themselves up to the redeeming love of Jesus which flows through that Sacrament. That day a seed was planted in my heart - the seed of a desire to help others come to experience the merciful love of God. That seed began to grow and awaken in me the call to the priesthood. At my first Mass I told the people present that in a sense my vocation was born in the confessional.”
- “All of us want to be deeply and intimately connected with another. For me, Lent is a time to be vulnerable with our strengths and weaknesses and connect with the fulfilling and life-giving Heart of Jesus.”
- “Courage comes from knowing God… Be decisive, and take courage.” - Fr. Ignatius, Cistercian monk for over 70 years
- “For so long our nation has given into a culture of death. We beg of you Lord for the conversion of each and every American, to see the gift of life and to embrace a pro-life stance. Help us to be those who reach out to the women who have had abortions; to comfort them so that they may be able to experience your mercy and forgiveness. We ask all of this in the name of your son Jesus, who is Lord forever and ever, amen.” - Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Archbishop of Denver
- “It’s just become a part of who I am, a part of my heart. I can’t imagine not being here. These people, in reality, have offered me so much more than I could ever offer them, in terms of my nursing care. They show me what true, genuine, and authentic love is. They show me the incredible capacity just to be human and how to live this life together, in solidarity and in service. And I think it’s also a lot of selfish reasons, because as much as I hope I can offer something, I know that here in Pamplona Alta is where I feel most like my authentic self. Just to be able to love and serve completely, whole-heartedly, and without reserve, because these people so freely give their love. And as much as you see the suffering in them, in what they don’t have, what they do have is so much more.”
- Here is a reflection from Santiago, a community leader of a remote village in Costa Rica. They have a priest visit once a month, but still maintain an incredible faith. He shared his wisdom to Anna Steurt over morning coffee. Que es el significado de la vida? “Amor; el significado de la vida es amor-Dio es el origen de este amor.” What is the meaning of all of life? “To Love; the meaning of life is to love. And the origin of this love is God.”
- “It was in adoration. Sometime during the night, I felt the presence of God like no other time before. In that moment I had the realization that God is truly alive. After that night, humbling myself before His presence, I knew I wanted to begin a very strong spiritual life. Soon afterwards I realized my vocation.” Fr. James, DCJM
- “We have been budgeting with cash envelopes since we were 6. My dad gave us all an allowance we had to separate into cash envelopes for the month. He always taught us that 10% of that money didn’t belong to us. So we had a tithe envelope that was untouchable. One time I tried to take my tithe and use it to buy a really sweet toy - my dad found out and made me tithe double that month. He taught us we had to surrender our whole lives including our money. It’s in that surrender that allows the Lord room to show us his face - especially in the areas (such as finances) that are the hardest to surrender. 25 years later the envelopes live on and the Lord’s faithfulness has never disappointed.”
- “The mountains, the snow, the wilderness, they are all amazingly beautiful. But the true beauty I experience is in the friendship and community that is here. God himself lives in relationship in himself and in relationship to all of us. I think that’s why it is so easy to get so passionate about these trips to the backcountry; we taste a bit of the joy of heaven.”
- “My experience working here at this medical mission has really helped me to value the mercy of God. It is a gift. As I reach out to these patients to receive them and help them in whatever way I can, it reminds me how God always does the same for me. He always receives as a good father, he helps me follow the path he wants me to take.”
- “I’m going to mess this up, but I tried explaining this to someone the other day using a quote from Pope Francis. As a writer, artist and manager for a Catholic blog, ‘I prefer a church that is dirty and bruised and on the streets, versus one that is suffocated unto itself.’ We’re too comfortable being prim and proper. What I want is to open a bridge to the world. I want to meet those on the periphery by speaking a language everyone can understand. We aren’t going to do that by turning up our noses to the hard-to-talk-about issues people are facing today. I want to talk about the things people don’t want to talk about. My philosophy is ‘to disturb the comfortable, and comfort the disturbed.’”
- “I would say we have a different approach to youth ministry. We use a much older Catholic version which tries to create culture and community. How does the dodgeball tournament fit in with this vision? Well, you have to remember, every culture has its own recreation. In America, it’s football. In Harry Potter it’s quidditch. For Cabrini, it’s dodgeball.”
- (2/2) “I teach literature and creative writing at a detention center for youth. There was one kid that was looking at possible life in prison when he came in and for a long time we really butted heads. But before he left, something clicked; he sat me down one day and said ‘I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass. You have the same name as my mom and she was terrible to me. You always showed me kindness and you forgave me, and it changed the way that I see people.’ Being loved and cared for by people really transformed his character. These kids constantly surprise me. It’s amazing to see the power that love and mercy have. I love every part of it.”
(2/2) “I teach literature and creative writing at a detention center for youth. There was one kid that was looking at possible life in prison when he came in and for a long time we really butted heads. But before he left, something clicked; he sat me down one day and said ‘I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass. You have the same name as my mom and she was terrible to me. You always showed me kindness and you forgave me, and it changed the way that I see people.’
Being loved and cared for by people really transformed his character. These kids constantly surprise me. It’s amazing to see the power that love and mercy have. I love every part of it.”
“It has been my experience that art can lend the shoes of the artist to the audience. The observer is able to walk in the perspective of the artist; feel their heart break, their philosophy, and glimpse into their life, into their story. I don’t expect anyone to leave my show to come away thinking the same philosophy or believing the same faith, but I hope they walk away feeling it.”