Hope you had a blessed Sunday! 🙏
Time for another Catholic Meme Monday.
That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’s Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing to The Simple Catholic blog.
P.S. If you prefer receiving quality Catholic humor in daily doses follow me on Instagram @thesimplecatholic.
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Over 50k Catholics were in attendance across the United States. Eucharistic Adoration, daily Mass and a line-up of speakers headed by Fr. Mike Schmitz and Bishop Robert Barron were the highlights (but to be honest the entire week was a highlight).
The experience was truly transformative, filled with moments of profound joy and palpable movements of the Holy Spirit. As I reflect on those days, I’d like to share some of the most impactful insights I gained.
One of the first things that struck me was the overwhelming sense of joy that permeated the entire event. As I sat in the conference hall during supper, I couldn’t help but notice the many small groups of two or three people scattered throughout the room. In those moments, I felt certain that Jesus was present among them, fulfilling His promise: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).
While waiting in line for the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit (a popular attraction with over an hour and a half wait), I had a life-changing encounter. I met Emilio, a gentleman from California, whose story deeply moved me. Emilio shared how he had been involved in gang activity from a young age and had even taken a life at 22, resulting in a life sentence. Eventually, a combination of legal changes and Emilio’s profound spiritual transformation led to his release.
His journey of repentance and renewal in prison led him to give his life to Jesus. Emilio’s wife, who accompanied him, emphasized that she felt the Eucharistic Congress was specifically for him. This reminded me that while we were blessed to attend, the Eucharistic Revival is for all baptized Catholics – we are all called to share the Gospel and live sacramentally.
Another powerful realization came during Dr. Mary Healy’s talk on healing and prayer. The healing service she conducted with Fr. Mathias Thelen felt biblical in its intensity, reminiscent of Jesus’ own ministry. During this service, I experienced firsthand the power of prayer and the name of Jesus.
Despite initial doubts about whether my relatively minor headache was worthy of divine intervention, I prayed, “Lord, help my unbelief” – echoing the father in Mark 9:24. To my amazement, as the service concluded, I realized my headache had disappeared. This experience reinforced the truth that Jesus has the power to heal us physically, mentally, and spiritually – just as He did in biblical times. Jesus is the Divine Physician and He desires to heal all our wounds.
A recurring theme throughout the Congress was the significance of repentance. According to Fr. Mike Schmitz, “If this is going to be a revival, if it’s going to be a real revival, here’s the reality. In the history of Christianity, you can never have a revival without repentance.”
To fully receive the graces available in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we must approach it with hearts open to God’s mercy. But this mercy is not forced upon us. We have to repent of our sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way, “Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (CCC 1427).
This emphasis on repentance serves as a powerful reminder of our continual need for God’s mercy and our call to ongoing conversion.
The National Eucharistic Congress was a profound reminder of the living presence of Christ in our midst, particularly in the Eucharist. It reinforced the power of community, the importance of personal testimony, the reality of divine healing, and the necessity of repentance in our spiritual lives.
As we move forward in this Eucharistic Revival, may we all be renewed in our commitment to Christ, open to His healing power, and ready to share His love with the world. The revival is not just for those who attended the Congress – it’s for every baptized Catholic. We are all called to live out our faith in a sacramental way, drawing strength from the Eucharist and sharing the Good News with those around us. I will see you all in the Eucharist!
These testimonials offer just a glimpse of the countless ways Jesus touched hearts during the Congress. If you attended the National Eucharistic Congress, I invite you to continue this chain of witness:
Take a moment to reflect on your experience. How did you encounter Jesus during the Congress? What moment stands out as particularly meaningful or transformative?
I encourage you to write a short paragraph (100-200 words) sharing your personal encounter with Jesus at the Congress. You might consider:
Hope you had a blessed Sunday! 🙏
Time for another Catholic Meme Monday. Today we will have a mega-sized issue to celebrate the big 1-5-0 and the National Eucharistic Congress that ended yesterday. 🍞🍷☀️✝️
That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’s Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing to The Simple Catholic blog.
P.S. If you prefer receiving quality Catholic humor in daily doses follow me on Instagram @thesimplecatholic.
I will see you in the Eucharist! 🍞🍷🙏✝️
Editor’s Note: Post originally published on July 15, 2022.
Incredible saints have come from the Carmelite religious order: Saints John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and Therese of Lisieux represent this Catholic spirituality. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Spiritual Mother of the Carmelites.
The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16th. During the late 14th century, St. Simon Stock received a vision of Mary who advised him to wear a scapular as a sign of her protection.
Before I go further, I have to clarify something to avoid getting a ticket from the grammar police. I am aware I misspelled Carmel in the title (who hasn’t said caramel in place of carmel 😊 at least once?). I did not know much about the Brown Scapular (or any for that matter—there is blue, green, and white too!) until a few years ago. This Catholic devotion provides a sweet win over sin. However, God planted many hints of this devotion in my childhood.
Before my son’s First Communion earlier this summer, we showed him some sacramentals I received for my First Communion and on the top right of the felt-laden box was a brown scapular. My mother also made it a point to frequent the local Carmelite monastery when Mass was open to the public.
The Brown Scapular is not a talisman—it does not bestow magical protection for the wearer. According to the Catholic of the Catholic Church paragraph 1677, “Sacramentals are sacred signs instituted by the Church. They prepare men (and women) to receive the fruit of the sacraments and sanctify different circumstances of life.”
While Mary promised protection (and salvation) to all wearing the Brown Scapular upon death, the sacramental is a sign pointing at sacramental living. I had a priest bless my Brown Scapular. It is suggested you make a consecration to Mary as well.
Initially, Marian consecration seemed excessive (I already pray the Rosary). But the more I petition Our Spiritual Mother for guidance the closer I am to Her Son. St. Louis de Montfort wrote, “We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek—Jesus, her Son.”
I have learned that the more a person learns about a subject or person there exists a direct correlation in an increased amount of titles or synonyms to describe them. For example, I had a lot of nicknames as an infant and toddler because of my parent’s love toward me. I have inherited that same knack to create multiple monikers for my children as well.
Within the Catholic Church, our honor toward Mary, the Mother of God, lends itself to a burgeoning of titles to reference her too. She has over 2,000 titles! Her title Our Lady of Mount Carmel reminds us that closeness to Mary is closeness to Jesus. Mary’s promised Simon Stock, “Whosoever dies in this garment shall not suffer eternal fire.” Again, the Brown Scapular is not a lucky charm or talisman. Instead, it is an outward sign of an interior lifestyle. The principles of Carmelite spirituality include:
Another interesting fact about the Carmelites is Mount Carmel is the same mountain where the Old Testament prophet Elijah challenged 450 prophets of Ba’al. Elijah lived during a time when Israel succumbed to idol worship. His complete trust in God allowed him to be an instrument for God’s power and majesty (1 Kings 18: 20-39).
Our Lady of Mount Carmel testifies to the power of God in an even better way than Elijah. Mary’s total obedience to God the Father’s will led the birth of Jesus Christ—our savior. The Blessed Mother of God leads us to the Son. You will battle sin all your life. Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel protects us and leads us to victory (through trusting in Jesus) over sin.
History of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Editor’s Note: Post originally published on July 9, 2019.
By: Theresa Zoe Williams
“He who dwells in Heaven is laughing at their threats; the Lord makes light of them.” (Ps. 2:4)
We laugh because we have the hope of the Lord. Laughter is an integral part of a healthy spiritual life for just this reason. We have been delivered, so while salvation and our souls are very serious matters, we need not worry. Worry can lead to all sorts of vices like scrupulosity and even anger. But we were not delivered from death just so that we could worry ourselves out of friendship with God. He is a loving and merciful God! As such, the more we laugh, in good cheer and faith, the closer we can come to Him.
G.K. Chesterton once wrote in Orthodoxy that “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.” What he meant by that was that angels are so secure in the love and friendship of God that they are burdened by nothing. And what happens when you are unburdened? You can fly! “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Chesterton elaborated on his above statement very thoroughly. He said,
“The tattered cloak of the beggar will bear him up like the rayed plumes of the angels. But the kings in their heavy gold and the proud in their robes of purple will all of their nature sink downwards, for pride cannot rise to levity or levitation. Pride is the downward drag of all things into an easy solemnity. One ‘settles down’ into a sort of selfish seriousness; but one has to rise to a gay self-forgetfulness. A man ‘falls’ into a brown study; he reaches up at a blue sky.
Seriousness is not a virtue. It would be a heresy, but a much more sensible heresy, to say that seriousness is a vice. It is really a natural trend or lapse into taking one’s self gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. It is much easier to write a good Times leading article than a good joke in Punch. For solemnity flows out of men naturally; but laughter is a leap. It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. Satan fell by the force of gravity.”
Don’t let this serious picture of Saint Philip Neri fool you. He loved playing practical jokes. He once shaved half his beard to be funny!
Laughter is a leap of faith. It takes faith and hope to know that you are good and truly saved. Laughter says, I do not fear death or destruction. I laugh because God has saved me. Life is not meant to be all seriousness. Life is meant to be full of joy and what is a better sign of joy than laughter!
Saint Philip Neri is called the patron saint of humor because he often told jokes and played practical jokes. He would walk into meetings with half of his beard shaved off and other such shenanigans. Once, a follower asked Neri if he could wear a hairshirt as penance and Neri replied, “Only inside out and over your cassock.” Faith can be taken seriously while laughing.
Laughter reminds us of all that is good in the world. St. Neri said, “A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one,” and “Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life; wherefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits.” We have been given so much and we should be happy for it! A joyful heart can be made more perfect because it knows the goodness of God and that there is so much more to explore and learn. Even some self-deprecating humor, like St. Neri showed, can lead us to holiness! It is certainly one way to ground ourselves in humility, recognizing that we are not everything but that we are good, all the same.
Venerable Fulton Sheen has even weighed in on the topic, saying, “A divine sense of humor belongs to poets and saints because they have been richly endowed with a sense of the invisible, and can look out upon the same phenomena that other mortals take seriously and see in them something of the divine.”
This is something that I, personally, try to live in every moment of my life. It’s not about where to look but how to look. It is easy to see God everywhere and in everything, if you know how to look. The goodness of God is as in the delicate flower as it is in thick eyebrows and we should rejoice in both the same. You merely have to look around to see the goodness of God everywhere, even when people fail.
So it is good to laugh! It is good to be entertained by the world around us and by comedians and poets and the class clown. It is good to laugh at yourself when you trip or make a silly mistake. It is good for comedians to tell jokes and for writers to write bits that will make an audience laugh. This is the work of God just as much as teaching the Faith or working directly for the Church are. Sometimes that’s hard to remember.
It is easy to think humor is a lesser good, not as important, and to belittle the efforts of those who are called to this because joy is hard to accept. But we must remember what Chesterton said, “It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light.” Don’t choose the easy path! Be light! Be so light that your soul simply floats up to the highest heavens to be with God. “God save us from gloomy saints!” St. Teresa of Avila said and isn’t it true.
Mother Angelica, who had a quick wit, too, once said, “I try to laugh a lot, because life is funny, and everybody today is too serious. The only tragedy in the world, my friend, is sin.” The only tragedy in life is sin. Look around a little bit and see what is there to rejoice in and laugh at. I promise you, there’s so much. Laugh at the butterfly in flight or the bunny hopping to its burrow. Laugh at the baby delighting in a spoon for the first time or dancing to music. Laugh at yourself when you look in the mirror, knowing that you are so good and made in so much love and dignity. Shave half of your head! Whatever it is, laugh and laugh a lot.
Theresa is an author and entertainer who has contributed to two books, hosts a comedy podcast Up Too Late, and is working on two books of her own. You can find her on Twitter @TheresaZoe.
Hope you had a blessed Sunday! 🙏
Time for another Catholic Meme Monday.
That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’s Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing to The Simple Catholic blog.
Editor’s Note: Post originally published on April 10, 2017.
As a cradle Catholic, I was baptized when I was just a week old. My education journey included attending Catholic elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as college. I furthered my studies at a Catholic graduate school as well. Interestingly, it is at my secular workplace that I have taken the virtues I acquired in Catholic schooling and deepened them. I give you three reasons why my secular job has made me a better Catholic.
The major difference between my Catholic cradle upbringing and my daily work today is summed up in a single word—perspective. I have learned to see relationships, problems, daily tasks, and even conversations from a different perspective. I used to view the world in a dichotomous manner. There is black or white. I still view the world largely in this manner, but I have learned that sometimes there is gray in the world. Sometimes both people may be right in workplace conflict. It just depends on my perspective. This ability that I am daily improving upon is not hampering my Catholic identity, rather enhancing it. By taking a different perspective on things, I acquired a tool to combat the sin of judgmental thinking.
Similar to viewing things from different perspectives, I have learned in my job that change is inevitable. Increasingly patient in my secular workplace, I firmly believe God has blessed me with my job to foster the virtues of patience and understanding. There is still a long way to go, but I can see significant progress in my spiritual journey as I learn to embrace change, despite its occasional challenges.
Jesus urged his followers to be “the salt of the Earth” in his Sermon on the Mount Discourse (Matthew 5:13). The purpose of salt is two-fold: preserve and season food. I believe that I the reason that I thrive in a non-Christian environment is for those same reasons. God wants me to act as a preservative of Truth against this worldly culture which promotes the self. Secondly, God gave me the gift to evangelize in a special way to non-Catholics. I need to continue to pray for God to reveal his graces to me on how exactly He wants me to add “flavor” or joy to my workplace.
How may you be the salt of the Earth? Everyone is valued and God has you placed in your current job for a reason. Ask Him for guidance in knowing your purpose.