Learning to be Quick to Listen

There’s an ancient, and often forgotten, prayer that's been a source of comfort and strength for centuries. Known as the Jesus Prayer , its roots trace back to the fifth century , with early versions found etched in caves across the Egyptian desert . The prayer itself is a simple yet profound petition: " Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner ." It's a way to align our minds and hearts with the very name of Jesus, a name that St. Paul says is "above every name." This powerful repetition can become a deeply personal practice, one that aims to match the rhythm of our breathing, turning prayer from something we merely do into a part of who we are. This simple act of repetition can also be a quiet form of self-denial—a hidden martyrdom that helps us stay present and focused on God throughout our day. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through our phones at a red light, we can use that moment to breathe in the awareness of God’s presence. The ...

The Church teaches that the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian Faith. But how much do you know about this mystery? The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way: The Church expresses her Trinitarian faith by professing a belief in the oneness of God in whom there are three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three divine Persons are only one God because each of them equally possesses the fullness of the one and indivisible divine nature. They are really distinct from each other by reason of the relations which place them in correspondence to each other. The Father generates the Son; the Son is generated by the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.  The Holy Family, and subsequently, our families are based on the Trinitarian model. The love generated between the Father and Son is expressed in the Holy Spirit. As Jesus was returning to His Father’s side in Heaven, the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and...