Catholic Meme Mondayβ€” Issue 55

Hope you had a blessed weekend! And Happy Halloween (aka All Hallow’s Eve)!!!

Time for another Catholic Meme Monday.

GregORian chant! πŸŽ΅πŸŽΆπŸ˜€πŸ˜†
πŸ˜€πŸ˜†πŸ”
πŸ˜†πŸ˜€πŸ™‚πŸ”πŸ”
But he is so good at helping us find things! πŸ˜€πŸ˜†
This was helping in keeping me calm during some stressful shifts this week. πŸ™πŸ™‚
“So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first.” πŸ₯‡
β€”John 20:3-4
πŸ’ͺπŸ”‘ password indeed!!
Boo (no pun intended…at least initially) to heretics! πŸ™‚πŸ™πŸ˜€
So true!
God’s grace works vertically not linearly. πŸ™πŸ™πŸ™

That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’sΒ Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing toΒ The Simple CatholicΒ blog.

Thank you for sharing!

Saint Judeβ€”Patron of Impossible Causes Pray for us

O most holy apostle, Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus,

the Church honoureth and invoketh thee universally, as the patron of hopeless cases,

and of things almost despaired of.

Pray for me, who am so miserable. Make use, I implore thee, of that particular

privilege accorded to thee, to bring visible and speedy help where help was almost

despaired of.

Come to mine assistance in this great need, that I may receive

the consolation and succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations,

and sufferings, particularly (here make your request) and that I may praise

God with thee and all the elect throughout eternity.

I promise thee, O blessed Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favour,

to always honour thee as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully

encourage devotion to thee.

Amen.

Thank you for sharing!

Some Autumnal Afterthoughts: A Poem

Here’s a poem I wrote in reflection of seeing the beautiful colors on a tree I saw this morning. I’m trying to be more intentional in finding joy in life. I ended up turning around to get a better photo of the amazing fall colors on these trees.
Autumn Trees
Hope you enjoy!
Some Autumnal Afterthoughts
🍁 Beauty is often found in the ordinary.
Yet, it’s not always expected.
🍁 Sometimes you find it by happenchance.
Serendipity. Fate. Perhaps Divine Providence.
🍁 The constant is it’s all around.
Through sight, smell or sound.
🍁 In thought or sharing laughter.
No matter the weatherβ€” winter, summer or fall.
🍁 You will find beauty in all
When you seek beauty you will be free,
🍁To see it in everything, even in something as simple as this tree.
And though the world changes: friendships, ages, even a shift in chlorophyll
🍁 When you are open to beauty and be still
Wonderment begins to color your eyes
🍁 And see life as it is meant to beβ€” free from it’s guise.
Β© 2022 Matthew Chicoine
More Seasonal Content from The Simple Catholic:

Unexpected Joys on a Summer Morn

A Snow Story to Keep Spirits High

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Catholic Meme Mondayβ€” Issue 54

Hope you had a blessed weekend!

Time for another Catholic Meme Monday.

The cloud of witnesses cheering us on. πŸ™‚πŸ˜€πŸ™
Meme credit: They Geekdom Come
Meme I made a few years ago still rings true!
πŸ™‚πŸ˜€
Scary indeed! Good thing one of the precepts of the Church is to receive confession at least once a year. πŸ™πŸ™πŸ™
Ratzinger gonna throw down theological facts.
πŸ™‚πŸ˜€πŸ˜†
The Holy Spirit does this often for me. πŸ•ŠοΈπŸ”₯πŸ™
#facts #nicenecreed
This quote reminds me of the Saint Teresa of Avila prayer. Trust in God!
Like the Ratzinger meme but honestly I’m more afraid of Mother Angelica. πŸ˜†πŸ˜€πŸ™‚πŸ™
Fear not for I am a sandwich of the Lord!
πŸ˜€πŸ˜†πŸ‘ΌπŸ₯ͺ

That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’sΒ Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing toΒ The Simple CatholicΒ blog.

Thank you for sharing!

Re-Gaining a Sense of Voyage in Life


Editor’s Note: Article originally published in October 18, 2018.


As a child I had a fascination with maps, geography, and the idea of being on a quest. My favorite books to read as a kid included the famous Greek epic The Odyssey and the Redwall Series by English author Brian Jacques. Both included a sense of adventure whereby the main character(s) trekked across dangerous terrain and met obstacles to overcome (external and internal struggles) before arriving at their destination towards the end of the story. The word odyssey means journey, pilgrimage, or trek.

As a father of four [one is in utero!], I am able to reacquaint myself with the sense of life as a voyage. Frequently, I lose sight of reality as the flood of daily temptations, confusion, and struggles assail me. My 5-year-old daughter definitely got her penchant for atlases from me. Almost every day, she asks me, β€œDaddy! Can you please get me paper and markers for me to make a map?!” Cartography reigns supreme in my householdβ€”especially on rainy days!

Life is a Journey

The other day I read an article online that referenced the importance of returning to a sense of voyage. A quote from St. ThΓ©rΓ¨se of Lisieux stuck in my mind after I went on with the rest of my day. The Doctor of the Church wrote, β€œThe symbol of a ship always delights me and helps me to bear the exile of this life.”

Her words convey a truth that something about sea travel points to a higher reality. Perhaps it is because we named our child Noah, named after the Old Testament figure who crafted the ark, that I tend to have boats on the mindβ€”at least subconsciously. Or maybe, there is something innate in each of us that desires the continual movement that travel affords us. St. Augustine famously declared, β€œOur hearts are restless, until they rest in you [God].”

Here is a well-written and easy to understand article on the connection between Noah’s Ark and its prefiguring of the Catholic Church: Ten Ways Noah’s Ark Prefigured the Church. Just as the giant boat housed the holy individuals of Noah and his family, so too, does the Catholic Church safeguard individuals striving for holiness against the dangers of the deluge of temptations!

Catholic Church is New Ark

Hope on the Heavenly Horizon

Another important point that stands out regarding the maritime theme is that life is bearable when we look to the Promised Landβ€”Heavenβ€”as our destination. When times get tough, during the turbulence of life we look beyond our vehicle, and outside of ourselves toward the horizonβ€”toward the rising of the Sun [Son]!

Every quest involves dead-ends, treacherous terrain, and wild beasts [physical and/or spiritual]. Fellowship is essential for any journeyβ€”just ask Frodo the Hobbit!

Knowing life is a voyage helped remind me I’m not alone in the journey. God send you helpmates along the way!

Family. Friends. Saints.

When life gets your down and despair sets in, please be reminded that you still have a road ahead. You have the ability to pick the road on this pilgrimage of life. Make life more joyful by following the witnesses of the holy ones before us!

Related Links

An Unexpected Journey- How September 21st, 2017 Became the New Start to My Spiritual Life

3 Lessons from St. Therese of Liseuxβ€”Changing Lives One Day at a Time

Why Jesus is the true Noah and how his cross is the new β€œark”


P.S. Congratulations on finishing your latest (reading) voyage!

If you enjoyed learning about Saint ThΓ©rΓ¨se or simply want to learn more about the journey of the Catholic life become an email subscriber. Enter your email address in the Subscribe to Blog Via EmailΒ box and hit theΒ SubscribeΒ button. It’s that easy! Soon you will be receiving cool, inspiring, and orthodox Catholic content in your inbox.

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Catholic Meme Mondayβ€” Issue 53

Hope you had a blessed weekend!

Time for another Catholic Meme Monday.

πŸ˜†πŸ˜†πŸ˜†
Christmas gift idea. πŸ™‚πŸ˜†πŸ˜€
An early Saint Nick meme…because it’s never too early for such memes. πŸ™‚
πŸ˜€πŸ˜†πŸ₯Ί
Gives a new meaning to “wrestling with God”!
Swap out Mary with Saint Michael to make this meme even more accurate!! πŸ™‚πŸ˜€πŸ™
#catholicpickuplines
“Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.” β€”John 20:29
Image credit: Catholicmemequeen
This was an incredible Mass to attend. πŸ™β™₯οΈπŸ˜€πŸ™‚

That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’sΒ Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing toΒ The Simple CatholicΒ blog.

Thank you for sharing!

Saint Teresa of Avila Pray for Us!

Saint Teresa of Avila

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among my favorite saints is the Spanish Carmelite nun Teresa of Avila. Her spirituals works bring peace and comfort to my life. I discovered a simple, but powerful prayer, a poem Saint Teresa wrote, that brings comfort in distressing times.


Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.


We thank God for the wonder witness of the life of Saint Teresa of Avila. May we look to her as a faithful spiritual toward Jesus Christ. St. Teresa pray for us!

Related Links

How Saint Teresa of Avila Cut Through My Exterior with Her Interior Castle

Spiritual Surgeonsβ€” Clean Out the Wounds of Your Soul with Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila: Catholic Miracles

Thank you for sharing!