Recommends Going Beyond Petition to Prayer of Praise, Thanks

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 20, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that it is normal and beneficial to ask for things from God in prayer, but that we must also remember to praise him and thank him for his many gifts.

The Pope said this today as he continued his series of catechesis on prayer at the general audience.

"Though in itself it is normal for us to ask for something in prayer, it should not exclusively be so. Ther...

Familiar Tune

(Original composition of Arvie Ortega)

It’s been a while that silence is playing

I can only hear, the sound of my breathing

And as I gaze around, I see white and gray

Always the same... day by day

But little do I notice, the colors of spring

Did I just see red, blue and green?

What is this sweet sound, as light as a whisper?

Did I just hear, a music playing?...

February 21, 2012

WASHINGTON—Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), offers “10 Things to Remember for Lent” as the Church prepares to begin the season with Ash Wednesday on February 22:

1. Remember the formula. The Church does a good job capturing certain truths with easy-to-remember lists and formulas: 10 Commandments, 7 sacraments, 3 persons i...

(Original Composition of ARVIE ORTEGA)

I can still feel the breeze, touching my face

As I travel the world, going place to place

Not knowing where, or when this journey ends

It might take a while, might involve a lot of risks

But I'm not quitting, 'till finally in your embrace

Longing for the time, when we finally meet

Are you just the same, wandering on earth

Or someone out there, who patiently waits

Come out, an...

A humbling message from Bo Sanchez (http://bosanchez.ph/do-you-envy/)

Do You Envy? Remember the story of Cain and Abel?

That’s a story of envy. And it’s the story of the entire human race. It’s a story that is replayed over and over again in families, in organizations, in churches, in offices, in schools…

Cain and Abel were brothers. Cain and Abel offered a sacrifice to God and Abel’s sacrifice was accepted an...

My family went out for a beach picnic with our household friends. Horseshoe Bay is one of Bermuda’s best beaches but for some reason the waves today were peculiarly so high and the rip currents were strong. For an adventurous guy like me, I went ahead and faced the waves. Suddenly my 2 year old son wanted to join me. If there’s one thing I learned about little boys, it’s that they want so much to imitate people, especially their father. So I took him to the shore, just knee ...

I would like toshare a message that I saw in a pictorial cartoon which speaks volumes of thereality of the cross that we carry today. A clever man and his fellowChristians were carrying a cross that was 7 feet long and very heavy. While ontheir way, he somehow cheated, borrowed a chain saw and cut it shorter. Stillfeeling heavy, he cut it so short that the burden was manageable – 4 feetlong. He looked fine upon nearing the finish line, while the others were almostcollapsing because of t...

Sirach 3:12-13. Son, take care of your father when he grows old; give him no cause for worry as long as he lives. Be sympathetic even if his mind fails him; don’t look down on him just because you are strong and healthy.

An experience in April 2007 traumatized me in such a way that I dislike looking at the elderly, for the mere site of them could move my heart to weep as memories slowly fill my mind. Memories so clear it seems like yesterday....

The daughter of Karl Marx, the founder of Communism, once confessed to a friend that she had never been brought up in any religion and had never been religious. "But," she said, "the other day I came across a beautiful prayer which I very much wish could be true." "And what was that prayer?" she was asked. Slowly the daughter of Karl Marx began repeating in German, "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

Jesus has told us that no one ...

Allow God to Bless You

It was going to be me and my wife’s first cruise ship experience. We were looking for the least number of nights to avoid over consumption of our vacation leaves. The trip was meant to celebrate my birthday and Valentines Day. So we got this Miami-to-Bahamas cruise and got a room with a window overlooking the sea and downtown Bahamas. Before we left Bermuda, we were hesitating to bring Tony...