Want to know what the #1 goal of Lent is? Believe it or not, we don't have to feel the joy of the season to reach it. Instead, we have to focus on living it! Today, Fr. Mike challenges us to go beyond performing our works of penance for selfish reasons but instead to model our prayer, fasting. and almsgiving in a way that helps us become more like Jesus.
Read moreRestlessness in Prayer →
Saint Philip Neri once said, “We must not leave off our prayers because of distraction and restlessness of mind. Although it seems useless to go on with them, he who perseveres with the whole of his accustomed time, gently recalling his mind to the subject of his prayer, merits greatly.”
Jon Leonetti will be the keynote speaker at the Orlando Diocese 2022 Rise Up Men’s Conference at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Altamonte Springs on Saturday March 26, 2022.
Read moreGazing Upon the Face of Christ
We are called to a life completely saturated in God. There is immense transformative power in simply gazing upon the face of Christ.
Lenten Challenge - Jon Leonetti →
Lenten Challenge - Lent is coming in less than a week. Jon’s challenge in this brief video (1:28) is to add some spiritual reading to our Lenten journey.
Read moreWhen the Battle Gets Tough →
When the battle gets tough…. and the battle does get very tough, we are often tempted to return to what feels like a simpler more comfortable way of life. We are tempted to retreat into our old ways. Instead, we need to burn the ships and stay the course. Watch the video to understand.
Read moreGod's Presence in Suffering →
This week, Fr. Mark Toups meditates on the Transfiguration, and how God journeys with us even in the midst of suffering. Suffering is a natural part of life, and each individual’s suffering is completely unique to the person next to them. The evil one likes to tell us that we’re alone during these trials, but the reality is that the Lord is perhaps even closer to us in our suffering than he is to us in good times. We have never been alone: all we have to do is let God in and trust in his glory.
Read morePeace, Be Still: Making the Most of the Storm We Face →
Fear is a mental and spiritual virus. It spreads faster and more efficiently than any airborne disease. Its symptoms are at times anger, aggression, isolation, despair, irrationality, loss of faith, and clouded judgement, among other things. And if there is one emotion that dominates the world at this time, it is a deep and abiding fear.
It is no wonder, for the situation we now face is unprecedented, and that is no exaggeration. Even in times past, when great plagues would strike parts of the earth, they were usually isolated to a specific locale. Even when all of Europe succumbed to the Black Death, it was far from a global pandemic.
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