Lisa H.

Catholic Wife & Mom. A living paradox. Aspiring to be bold, brave, loving, and fearless; and learning to let go...but not necessarily in that order.

[Lisa H. @herli_3]

"Midlife is not a crisis. Midlife is an unraveling."

[Raymond Arroyo @RaymondArroyo]

This is all so true. In the end nothing really matters but this… and passing it along. It’s all a blessing. A fleeting one.

[Sachin Jose @Sachinettiyil]

Fr. Jim Craig, who was ordained to the Catholic priesthood this week for the diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas, has a sister, Rachel, who is a nun.

Image: SOLT Sisters

[Lisa H. @herli_3]

District of the USA https://t.co/Y57AD2oK2A

[Sachin Jose @Sachinettiyil]

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

[Bishop J. Strickland @BishStrickland]

Rejoice always that…no matter what the day brings Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, yesterday, today and forever. May the saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary always inspire us to return to Christ no matter how we may wander into darkness. Jesus is Light from Light.

[Catholic Sat @CatholicSat]

Right now in Fatima, Portugal

[Orthodox Faith @since33]

Every autumn a huge golden cross appears in the forests of County Donegal, Ireland. 3000 Japanese larch trees were planted amongst pine trees in such a way that a cross pattern is created when the larch trees turn yellow.

[Lisa H. @herli_3]

@joelmorin Freedom from addiction for J; O’s conversion and return to the faith; conversion of family; all other special intentions. Thank you 🙏

[Memento Mori @TempusFugit4016]

"Commend your children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When parents pray the Rosary, at the end of each decade they should hold the Rosary aloft and say to her: "With these beads bind my children to your Immaculate Heart!" She will attend to their souls." - St. Louise Marillac

[MrCasey @MrCasey62]

Why didn’t Mary die of a broken heart?

1) Cells pass from every unborn child to the mother
2) Some of these cells are stem cells
3) These stem cells from Christ, having settled in her Heart, went to work there to prevent her from dying of what’s known as “Broken heart syndrome”.

[Fr. Dwight Longenecker @dlongenecker1]

Ad orientem celebration of the Mass is not "the priest turning his back to me" but "the priest praying in the same direction as me" and therefore with me and leading me in prayer rather than performing a prayer for me to watch.

[Lisa H. @herli_3]

Cancer Treatment Support for Tina Garcia https://t.co/2aSa60eawB

[Rorate Caeli @RorateCaeli]

Cardinal Sarah in his new book:

"All rejection and exclusion of the brother labeled as a traditionalist is the work of the devil."

[Father V @father_rmv]

“Tolerance is an attitude of reasoned patience toward evil … a forbearance that restrains us from showing anger or inflicting punishment. Tolerance applies only to persons … never to truth. Tolerance applies to the erring, intolerance to the error … Architects are as intolerant about sand as foundations for skyscrapers as doctors are intolerant about germs in the laboratory. Tolerance does not apply to truth or principles. About these things we must be intolerant, and for this kind of intolerance, so much needed to rouse us from sentimental gush, I make a plea. Intolerance of this kind is the foundation of all stability.” (Ven. Fulton J. Sheen)

[Father V @father_rmv]

Cardinal Raymond Burke: “The faithful have never needed more than today priests who announce to them the truth, who bring them Christ, above all, in the Sacraments, and who guide and govern them in the way of Christ.” https://t.co/8BYDlBI8wX

[Latin Mass Society @latinmassuk]

Resurrexit sicut dixit, Alleluia!

[Father V @father_rmv]

Ven. Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan of Vietnam:

I was in prison for 13 years, 9 of which in solitary confinement. Two guards watched me but never spoke to me; just yes and no.

But I knew that after all, they were my brothers and I had to be kind to them. I had no gift to offer as a prisoner. I had nothing at all, nothing to please them. What to do? One night, a thought came. "You are still very rich. You have the love of Christ in your heart. Love them as Jesus loves you".

The next day I set to work, first, by showing gladness and by smiling. I began to tell stories about my journeys in countries where people live in freedom and enjoy their culture and great technical progress. That stimulated their curiosity and they asked many, many questions. Slowly, very slowly, we became friends. They wanted to learn foreign languages. My guards became my disciples! The atmosphere of the prison changed considerably. The quality of our relationship changed for the better.

At that time, in another part of the area, a group of twenty people were learning Latin to be able to read Church documents. Their teacher was a former catechist. One of my guards was in the Latin class, and one day he asked me if I could teach him songs in Latin.

"There are so many", I replied, "And they are all so beautiful".

"You sing and I’ll choose", he retorted.

And so I sang Salve Regina, Salve Mater, Lauda Sion, Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella - You’ll never guess the song he chose. The Veni Creator!

I can’t begin to tell you how moving it is to be in a Communist prison and hear your guard, coming down the stairs at 7 AM every morning, on his way to the gymnastics yard for physical exercises, singing the Veni Creator!

I will speak one language: Charity.

In another prison in Hanoi, I became friends with my guard and was able to request a piece of metal wire. He was terrified. "I studied in the University of Police that when someone wants electric wire, he wants to kill himself!" he cried. I explained that Christians, and most of all priests, do not commit suicide.

"And so what are you going to do with electric wire?" he asked.

"I need a chain to wear my cross."

"But how can you make a chain from wire?"

"If you bring me two little pincers, I’ll show you."

"Much too dangerous!"

"But we’re friends!"

He hesitated and finally said, "It’s too hard to refuse. Tonight at 7 PM we’ll do it. But we have to finish before 11. I’ll have my companion take the evening off. If he knew, he’d denounce the both of us."

That evening, with the tools he brought, we cut and shaped and worked together to make my chain and we finished it before 11 PM!

This cross and chain are not only my souvenir of captivity, as precious as that may seem. They are a constant reminder that only Christian charity can bring about a change of heart. Not arms, not threats, not the media. It was very hard for my guards to understand when I spoke about loving our enemies, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

"Do you really love us?"

"Yes, I really love you."

"Even when we cause you pain? When you suffer because you’re in prison without trial?"

"Look at all the years we’ve spent together. Of course, I love you!"

"And when you get out, will you tell your people to find us and beat us and hurt our families?"

"I’ll continue to love you even if you wish to kill me."

"But why?"

"Because Jesus taught us to love always; if we don’t, we are no longer worthy to be called Christians."

There is not enough time to tell you all the other moving stories which are proof of the liberating power of the love of Jesus.

You wear one uniform and speak one language—Charity.

Charity is the sign by which you will be recognized as one of our Lord’s disciples. It is a badge which costs little but is most difficult to find. Charity is the most important language. Saint Paul regarded it as far more important than being able "to speak the languages of men and even of angels".

[Catholic Sat @CatholicSat]

Today is the Solemnity the Epiphany of Our Lord, when the Church commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child and the manifestation of the Incarnation to the Gentiles.