Every year on August 15, Catholics around the world celebrate one of the Church’s most beautiful feasts: the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Alongside the feasts of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) and Mary, Mother of God (January 1), this is a Holy Day of Obligation, a day when we gather for Mass to honor the Mother of God.
And let’s be clear — we venerate Mary, we do not worship her. All true Marian devotion leads us closer to Jesus. The Church teaches that the mysteries of Mary’s life inseparably connect to the mystery of Christ.
The Assumption celebrates that, at the end of her earthly life, God took Mary up body and soul into heavenly glory. This is not simply a personal privilege for her: it is a sign of what God desires for all of us. The Catechism describes it beautifully: Continue reading →
Editor’s Note: Post originally published on August 9, 2018.
Among the most bizarre, mysterious, and interesting accounts in the New Testament is the event of the Transfiguration of Jesus. The dictionary defines the word transfiguration as “a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state. Common synonyms for transfiguration include: metamorphosis, changeover, transformation, development, adjustment, and even mutation!! Growing up Catholic I have listened to the Gospel telling of this mysterious events many times.
The Transfiguration of Jesus. After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
Foretaste of Heavenly Reality
The primary purpose of the glory of Jesus shown [shone] to Peter, James, and John was meant as a means to prepare them for the glorification of God after the Resurrection and to hint at the beauty of transfigured humanity. According to Saint Pope Saint John Paul II in his 1999 homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration, “In the event of the Transfiguration we contemplate the mysterious encounter between history, which is being built every day, and the blessed inheritance that awaits us in heaven in full union with Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”
Humanity’s Home in Heaven
Similar to the previous point is that fact that man is on a pilgrim journey, a sojourner on Earth—whose ultimate destination is union with God in Heaven. John Paul II echoed this truth as well,
“We, pilgrims on earth, are granted to rejoice in the company of the transfigured Lord when we immerse ourselves in the things of above through prayer and the celebration of the divine mysteries. But, like the disciples, we too must descend from Tabor into daily life where human events challenge our faith. On the mountain we saw; on the paths of life we are asked tirelessly to proclaim the Gospel which illuminates the steps of believers.”
I imagine the incredible letdown the Apostles must have felt in the moments after the dazzling and inexplicable event of the Transfiguration. Going back to following Jesus in an ordinary way, traveling from town to town, learning from him, and assisting the poor certainly did not compare to the splendor they witnessed on Mount Tabor. It definitely would have been challenging to transition back into that routine! Heck, Peter even desired to stay in the holy place when he declared, “If you wish, I will make three tents* here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Let the Holy Spirit Transfigure Your Life
Coming out of Sunday liturgy, I leave with a similar wonder and awe as the inner circle of Jesus received on that original Transfiguration event. Housing the Real Presence of Lord after reception of the Eucharist provides me incredible peace and patient strength. In a way, we all undergo a momentary transfiguration—a foretaste of Heavenly reality in the Mass. Going back to our worldly affairs, we quickly lose sight and memory of our close encounter with God. May we continue to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us with clarity and strength on our pilgrimage toward Heaven!
Lord Jesus Christ, I come before You—broken yet hopeful, wounded yet seeking, fallen yet rising once more.
Through the waters of Baptism, I am Your servant. Through the gift of Your grace, I am Your child. Through the mystery of Your love, I am Yours.
When anxiety floods my heart, when doubt clouds my mind, when despair threatens my soul, I turn to Your Cross.
The Enemy whispers of failure. The Enemy stirs my self-loathing. The Enemy plants seeds of despair. But at the foot of Your Cross, these burdens grow lighter.
Saint Catherine of Sienna wrote, “Every great burden becomes light beneath this most holy yoke of the sweet will of God.” Pour forth Your Holy Spirit upon me:
That I might love myself as Your creation
That I might seek Your will with confidence
That I might offer myself wholly to You
My sins have wounded me deeply. My sins have damaged my earthly relationships. My sins have separated me from You, Most Holy Trinity.
Yet I lift my eyes to Golgotha. I behold You crucified. I witness Love poured out completely.
May Mary Intercede for Us
“It is through the atmosphere of Mary that we truly are able to receive the light of the Son.”
At Calvary’s darkest hour, You spoke words of eternal comfort: “Woman, behold, your son.” “Behold, your mother.”
In Your suffering, You gave us Your mother. In Your pain, You secured our adoption. In Your death, You ensured we would never journey alone.
When failures overwhelm me, I look to Your Cross. When trials surround me, I remember Your suffering. When doubts assail me, I unite myself to Your passion.
This pilgrim journey toward holiness is not walked alone. We stumble together. We rise together. We move toward You together—finding unexpected joy and surpassing peace even in our suffering.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Jose Pulido via phone call on March 7th and 14th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
Your personal journey from being a “staunch, articulate atheist” to Catholic evangelist is fascinating. Could you share more about that mystical encounter with the Holy Family that changed your life?
Absolutely, it was December 24, 2011. Christmas Eve The Gothic Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. In my Colombian tradition, it was tough to celebrate together with my family. My sister and mother were back home. My brother and father were with me in Spain but decided not to come to Mass. I was wandering the city and was talking to the poor and offered them prayers since I didn’t have money on me. I heard the Mass bells ringing and I entered the church and started making my way to the front. Looking back on this experience, it was an exercise of spiritual poverty and grace. I thought I was going to be with my family during Christmas Eve Mass. The Spanish used at Mass was a different dialect (Cataline) that I wasn’t used to speaking so I only understood every tenth word. This wasn’t what I wanted at that moment because I felt down and like I failed.
Very clearly I heard the voice of Satan. He was gloating about how he separated my family and that I lost and that I would never have a whole family.
I oriented my heart toward the Lord during this time to help from not having a breakdown. During this time, the Blessed Virgin Mary spoke to me telling me that I have always been part of the Holy Family and that I alway had the perfect family. This experience happened to me while I was still in Mass. During the collection, I had two coins and Satan came back telling me that I didn’t have the right offering and was a sinner. How could I be a member of the perfect family if I was imperfect? I felt this weight again and went back to the Lord. I felt consolation from Mary and Joseph.
They again encouraged me that I have an inheritance and have the right to ask for the graces.
This was a pretty emotional experience, I had tears and snot, I was not attractive at the moment. Again, Satan tempted me telling me that while the Holy Family might accept me that the Church wouldn’t. I felt crushed again.
I again felt Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in my heart encourage me to give this Church a chance. During the sign of Peace, there was a lady who still gave me the sign of peace despite my appearance. So Satan went away.
The next message I was sent was that Jesus was present in the Eucharist. On the way back to the hotel, I received the fifth message, I was coming down with traveler’s sickness. The person who was taking care of me was my dad. I came to this realization that in order for me to experience the love of Saint Joseph and Mary that you need to go to your parents. Some people think the Holy Family is a replacement for your family and parents. And maybe that is in extraordinary circumstances like Saint John Paul II, but in most ordinary cases you need to love your parents to find the love of the Holy Family.
In your book, you mention combining Sacred Tradition with modern behavioral science. How do these two seemingly different approaches work together to create effective evangelization methods?
Many Catholics feel intimidated or unprepared when it comes to sharing their faith.
What’s one common misconception about evangelization that you’d like to dispel?
That evangelization has to be awful or a fight. Evangelization can be joyful and loving! There’s no contradiction between joyfulness and truth.
You’ve taught thousands of people through workshops across North America. What’s the most surprising transformation you’ve witnessed in someone applying your evangelization techniques?
The most surprising thing is the upside up transformation. Adult children go from not wanting to go to Mass to now volunteering with their mom with local religious orders.
I was coaching this mom and she and her daughter were yelling at each other about the faith. After one coaching session and three weeks later, they were going to Mass and hugging each other.
When you approach it with a craftsmanship of love. For example, grandma’s cookies aren’t great because she is perfect, it is because she has developed her craft of baking over decades. And that is how my work has been effective, not because I’m perfect but because I took the time to learn this craft with love.
And we have this language used by the Holy Family, found in Scripture. It feels good to evangelize, it’s kind of controversial to say, but it should feel good to evangelize our faith. It is the work of the Holy Spirit!
We always talk about the evangelizee, but never the evangelizer. This book is about how parties thrive. We have to love ourselves (not just the person we are evangelizing or just ourselves). It is both/and.
Your background includes Ivy League education and corporate experience. How has your secular professional background influenced your approach to Catholic evangelization?
Mass is unboring…bring your coworker to daily Mass this month!
Immensely! In two ways. The first way it really opened my eyes to ways of what was possible with evangelization. Routinely, I would bring my colleagues to daily Mass.
The second ways was uncovering the means to accomplish this good. I had various companies talking about religion during the lunch hour. It wasn’t because I was unique, it was because I really wanted to evangelize and I developed this craft. Anybody can learn this. The craft is to dream like Joseph, talk like Mary, and to make all things new like Jesus. We all have an inheritance to claim those things. We must be our shoulder to the wheel. The doctor must read the Scripture to found how faith and reason interact. The accountant must read Scripture and attend Mass to see how faith and reason interact. Like one of the core principles for the Marines which is “Every Marine, a rifleman”, in the Catholic space it should be similar: “Every Catholic, an evangelist.” Just like how the Marines are successful with great training, so too Catholics in order to be successful need great training.
In developing the craft in my classes it is always about how to apply this to sharing the faith.
You mention teaching people to “dream like Saint Joseph” and “speak like Our Lady.” Could you explain what these spiritual practices look like in everyday conversations with non-believers?
To dream like Joseph you have to see everything and everyone (including yourself) as God sees.
To speak like Mary you have to be willing to express yourself regarding the faith. You have to be willing to talk about your personal connection to the faith.
For Catholics who feel they’ve tried everything to reach loved ones who have left the faith, what hope or fresh perspective does your approach offer them?
Great evangelization should be life giving for the evangelist, at least a lot of the time. The Lord says the summary of faith is to love God with all your heart and love others as yourself.
It is necessary to love others as yourself. The gift of love must go both ways. In order to love others as yourself we must first love ourselves. When the Lord looks at the Rich Young Man in the Gospel of Mark, it says that the Lord looked at him and loved him. If the Lord looks at us and loves us, then when we look in the mirror at ourselves should we not also love ourselves?
Where is the best place for my audience to learn more about you?
On Instagram at @share.faith.now
About Jose:
Jose M. Pulido draws from 15+ years of experience evangelizing in various secular settings to inspire and equip others to share Christ.
His experience includes evangelizing at universities, Fortune 500 companies, and various non-profits (in the US, Latin America, and Asia).
He’s also advised numerous organizations and parishes on evangelization and catechesis through staff trainings, public workshops, & retreats. He started evangelizing for the Lord at George Washington University’s Newman Center, where he was the first disciple of FOCUS when they joined the campus. He’s worked with Georgetown University on Young Adult Latino Ministry, having founded Catholic Latino Leadership Initiative, while working as a young adult in Washington, DC. He is a spokesman for The Mary Foundation – A non-profit dedicated to the distribution of sacramentals and evangelization materials (www.catholicity.com). He has appeared on ESNE TV, doing a three-part series on Evangelization for the segment Mujeres De Encuentro. He is also a Senior Advisor at Omnia Catholic, a social media ministry aimed at supporting young adult ministries. Jose Pulido is a member of the Catholic Speakers Organization. This is the leading resource for faith-based speakers. He is a frequent presenter on the University Series in Ventura County, a series aimed at supporting faith formation for adult Catholics. He is also a member of Fruitful Futures Project, a non-profit dedicated to helping others find fruitfulness in their callings. He is part of the leadership team for That Man Is You (TMIY) at his parish.
He has a Masters from Yale University and a Bachelors from George Washington University. He speaks English, Spanish, Japanese, and is hilarious in Korean & Tagalog.
He is most relaxed when reading Sacred Scripture, doing origami, going for a nice walk, or showing others how to engage in life-giving evangelization.
The church door closed with a soft click. Empty pews stretched toward the altar. A single candle flickered near the monstrance, its flame steady. Sunlight filtered through stained glass, casting colored patterns that moved slowly across the floor. The air felt still.
An elderly woman sat in the third pew on the left, rosary beads sliding between weathered fingers. She didn’t look up.
The wooden kneeler creaked. Silence filled the space, not empty but full. The gold of the monstrance caught the light once, then didn’t again. A car passed outside, then nothing.
The clock on the wall ticked. The Host remained unchanged, white against gold. Minutes stretched. The elderly woman shifted slightly, then returned to stillness.
Somewhere, a heating system hummed briefly, then quieted. The colored light on the floor had moved an inch. The candle flame didn’t waver.
God Waits
Saint Alphonsus Liguori proclaimed, “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.”
Yet God doesn’t need our love—He wants it.
The Blessed Sacrament doesn’t demand attention with bright lights or loud sounds. It waits. The miracle sits in plain sight, ordinary and extraordinary at once. Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity behind the appearance of bread.
A Different Kind of Time
In Eucharistic Adoration, time changes. Not faster or slower—different.
St. Mother Teresa understood this: “When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.”
Now. Present tense.
The elderly woman with the rosary knew this. Her weekly visit wasn’t obligation—it was appointment. Her same pew each Wednesday, surrounded by familiar silence, enveloped in His unchanging Presence.
What Happens in Adoration?
St. Clare of Assisi said simply: “Gaze upon him, consider him, contemplate him, as you desire to imitate him.”
Some call it spiritual tanning—basking in the light of the Son. You can’t help but be changed by it. Too much exposure and your sins become visible, uncomfortable. The longer you remain, the more grace accumulates.
The wooden pew feels hard after twenty minutes. The mind wanders. The silence grows deeper. And then, sometimes, a moment arrives that wasn’t there before.
The Invitation
The Church doesn’t merely suggest Adoration—it recognizes our need for it. As the Catechism states, “The Church and the world have great need of Eucharistic adoration. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love.”
He waits.
The church remains mostly empty on weekday afternoons. The Host doesn’t mind. The monstrance holds the miracle whether witnessed by hundreds or just an elderly woman with arthritic hands.
The invitation remains open.
Find fifteen minutes this week. Ask your parish office when Adoration hours are scheduled. Walk in. Sit down. Nothing spectacular may happen.
But the candle will flicker near the monstrance. Sunlight might cast colored patterns across the floor. The silence will be waiting.
According to St. John Paul II, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” Families are a microcosm of society. The breakdown of the family unit is the greatest tragedy of our lifetime.
Living with other people is challenging.
Raising children is a full-time job. It’s an underappreciated and exhausting job. There is no parent manual. Too many unique circumstances exist for a clear-cut black and white rulebook. Right?!
While the details of parenthood can be debatable, there is a blueprint to raising a family with grace and love. This model is found by examining the Holy Family! Jesus. Mary. Joseph.
An analysis of Scripture and Traditional Catholic teaching will show us that the Holy Family’s love, obedience to God’s will, humility, and patience give you an example of how to foster meaningful and lasting relationships with your friends, spouses, children, and neighbors.
Model for the Family
In his Angelus on December 31st, 2006, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI declared, “The Holy Family of Nazareth is truly the “prototype” of every Christian family which, united in the Sacrament of Marriage and nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, is called to carry out the wonderful vocation and mission of being the living cell not only of society but also of the Church, a sign and instrument of unity for the entire human race.
Jesus displayed obedience to his parents. This truth is shown in the tradition of the Catholic Church. The opening Antiphon in the Divine Office for the Feast of the Holy Family is “Come let us worship Christ, the Son of God, who was obedient to Joseph and Mary.” Simple yet profound!
Imagine being God and still able to submit yourself to the authority of your father and mother.
Silence leads to sanctity
Guess how many words of St. Joseph did the Evangelists record in the Gospels? If you guessed a whopping ZERO then you are correct my friend! Though included in the key infancy and adolescent scenes of Jesus’ life the foster father of our Lord said nothing!
The adage “actions speaks louder than words” applies more directly to St. Joseph than arguably any other person in history– as we can only analyze his actions. Cardinal Robert Sarah in The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise plainly stated, “Man must make a choice: God or nothing, silence or noise.” Using Sarah’s logic Joseph not only clearly, but overwhelmingly chose God!
Joseph’s ability to heed the Angel’s message to flee the wrath of King Herod demonstrates a complete trust and dependence on God. The noise of life yanks me in different directions– all away from God. Looking to the silent saint as a role model helps to remind me of the importance of asking the Lord for help.
St. Joseph provides the ideal for what it means to be a kind and loving father and man. More than ever this world needs strong men to be role models for their families and communities.
Humility overcomes Hubris
According to St. Louis de Montfort, “The Son of God became man for our salvation but only in Mary and through Mary.” Mary is honored because of her humility and obedience to the will of God. Her YES to God’s plan was the pathway by which Jesus entered our world.
Like St. Joseph, Mary’s trust in God was evident in her obedience, despite the unique circumstances the Holy Family was in.
Conclusion
Due to Original Sin, humanity suffers a fractured relationship with God. The Mystery of the Incarnation involved God becoming man in the Person of Jesus Christ. Divine Love selected Joseph of Nazareth to be the legal and foster father of Jesus Christ and protector of Mary. Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God.
St. John Paul II closed his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio by saying, “I entrust each family to Him, to Mary, and to Joseph.”
May all men reflect upon the silent, humble, and diligent example of the Holy Family. And may the Holy Spirit grant us opportunities to be holier versions of ourselves!
Secular society hits us with commercialization of Christmas and makes the world weary after December 25th.
The day after the celebration is often spent returning gifts to stores.
Where is the joy in that act?
Shouldn’t we spend the days after the birth of our Savior still reveling in awe of the Incarnation (God becoming man when truly reflected upon brings one to tears, I was leaking joy from my eyes earlier this week).
But Christmas is not a day it’s actually a season.
Jesus saved us from sin and day. The very least we can do is to leave up our Christmas tree for the 12 days of Christmas.
