This morning I got up early enough to pray and then exercise before my son woke up. Each time I exercise, I listen to the same playlist on an app on my phone. Usually I don’t pay much attention to the lyrics of the songs, not just because I am really fit and always very much into my workouts (note: intense sarcasm) but mostly because I am used to the same songs that repeatedly play.
Today, a new song came on and the moment the singer began, it was as if the lyrics grabbed hold of me. The song is “Starving” and it was the Ed Sheeran cover from the original by Hailee Steinfeld, Grey. The song immediately made me think of Jesus Christ. It was if this song was made for me to Him. I listened intently to the lyrics.
The verse that really stuck out to me was: “I didn't know that I was starving till I tasted you.”
From a secular point of view this song can be quite inappropriate but to me, a follower of Christ, a daughter of a King, it is perfect. Honestly, I had to hold back tears (okay, sobs) when I heard this. Prior to coming back home to Catholicism, I had no idea how much I needed Jesus Christ and how empty my life was without Him.
Symbolically, these lyrics perfectly explain how I did not realize how much I need to be with Jesus not only at Mass and receive His forgiveness at the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but how I desperately need to follow Him and place Him at the center of my life in everything and in every day.
Literally, each time I receive the Eucharist, I receive Him and tasting and consuming the Body of Christ has not only restored me entirely but it has roused parts of me that I never knew existed. This isn’t the first time that I have had this experience with music. Since coming back to the Catholic Church several years ago, I have started to notice that there are certain secular songs that now make me contemplate my relationship with Jesus Christ.
Another great lyric is “Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole [dang] zoo.”
Lately, I have been feeling the temptation to sin. Not in major ways but in ways that would eventually derail me from my desired path to holiness. This lyric was a great reminder that the “butterflies” that the world has to offer is nothing in comparison to the “zoo” that Our Lord promises us. Has a song ever made you think of your relationship with Jesus Christ? Please share with us on Facebook! As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!
Ed Sheeran - 'Starving' (Hailee Steinfeld, Grey Cover) (Capital Live Session) Explicit Lyrics
0 Comments
May 8th is the feast of Our Lady of Pompeii, or La Madonna di Pompei.
The history behind Our Lady of Pompeii is quite rich and fascinating. The image of Our Lady of Pompeii is widely known thanks, in part, to Blessed Bartolo Longo who is the perfect example of a sinner made into an (almost!) saint.
Bartolo Longo, who is also known as the “Man of the Madonna” and the “Apostle of the Rosary,” lived in Naples, Italy in the 19th century. While he was raised Catholic, he fell away from the faith while in college and became a “priest of Satan.”
Eventually Bartolo came back to the Catholic faith and with the help of his friend, a Dominican priest, Bartolo developed a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. After visiting Pompeii and seeing its poverty and lack of faith he heard a voice say to him “if you seek salvation, you must promote the rosary.” He listened and began to spread the Catholic faith in Pompeii by establishing a “Confraternity of the Rosary” and teaching people how to pray the Rosary. Bartolo sought out a painting of Our Lady so that people could gather before it while praying. He was given an old canvas with the image of Our Lady of the Rosary by a convent. Bartolo had it restored due to its poor quality. The image shows our Lady holding baby Jesus as they present rosaries to Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine of Siena.
After it was restored in 1875 (one of the many times) it was displayed to the public for veneration. The same day it was displayed a 12-year old girl, Clorinda Lucarelli, received the first miracle through the intercession of Our Lady of Pompeii. Then, in 1884, another miracle occurred where a terminally ill young girl named Fortunatina was healed. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the young girl and said, “When you call Me by the name of the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii, which is closer to Me than all the others, I cannot reject you.”
Prayer to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O August Queen of Victories, O Sovereign of Heaven and Earth, at whose name the heavens rejoice and the abyss trembles. O Glorious Queen of the Rosary, we your devoted children, assembled in your Temple of Pompeii, pour out the affection of our heart and with filial confidence express our miseries to You. From the Throne of clemency where You are seated as Queen, turn, O Mary, your merciful gaze on us, on our families, on Italy, on Europe, on the whole world. Have compassion on the sorrow and cares which embitter our lives. See, O Mother, how many dangers of body and soul, how many calamities and afflictions press upon us. O Mother, implore for us the mercy of your Divine Son and conquer with clemency the hearts of sinners. They are our brothers and your children who cause the heart of our sweet Jesus to bleed and who sadden your most sensitive Heart. Show all what you are, the Queen of Peace and of Pardon. Click here for the entire prayer to Our Lady Of Pompeii
Our Lady of Pompeii, pray for us!
La Madonna di Pompeii, prega per noi! As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! If you haven’t connected with us on Facebook, please like and share our page. Thank you!
Sources:
“Pray With Us.” The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, ourladyofpompeii.org/pray Fongemie, Pauly. “Our Lady of the Rosary: Pompeii.” The Order of Melchisedech, catholictradition.org/Mary/pompeii “Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii.” The Story of Blessed Bartolo Longo and Our Lady of Pompeii, queenoftheholyrosaryofpompeii.blogspot.com/2016/08/about
May 1st is the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Saint Joseph has two feast days on the liturgical calendar. His first feast day is March 19th, which is Saint Joseph, the Husband of Mary and his second feast day is May 1st, Saint Joseph the Worker.
Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955 to extend “the long relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers in both Catholic faith and devotion.” The feast was also a response to “May Day” celebrations that were sponsored by the Communists.
For our family, Saint Joseph and both of his feast days are very important. First, our little love is named after this great, silent Saint, who cared and watched over the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus and now watches over the Catholic Church.
Saint Joseph was a carpenter by trade. Before Jesus pursued His ministry as preacher and healer, he, too, was a carpenter and learned the trade from Saint Joseph.
"No worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by [the spirit] than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work,” ~Pope Pius XII
Celebrating Saint Joseph the Worker
This past March, 2018, I attended the Diocese of Providence’s 51st Annual Diocesan Faith Formation Convocation. One of the workshops that I attended, Our Family Prays: Fostering Prayer in the Home, was presented by Mary Sellars Malloy, Senior Editor of RCL Benziger Publishing, LLC, a Roman Catholic book publishing house offering services and resources for Catholic parishes and schools. Mary gave us a wonderful activity to celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. The activity is called “Saint Joseph’s Table.”
![]()
Sources:
“Litany of Saint Joseph.” EWTN, www.ewtn.com/devotionals/litanies/joseph.htm “Catholic Community Service | RCL Benziger.” www.rclbenziger.com Franciscan Media. “Saint Joseph the Worker.” 27 Apr. 2018, www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-joseph-the-worker Images: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo: The Holy Family with a Bird, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Gerard van Honthorst: Childhood of Christ, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Georges de La Tour: Joseph the Carpenter, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Alonso Miguel de Tovar: San José y el Niño Jesús, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2020
Categories |