Peace I leave with you

Good morning from Joy Valley! Happy feast of St. Bede the Venerable! Like you, we subscribe to various emails (like this one!) and we learned some great information about St. Bede the Venerable this week through Baraga Radio’s weekly email. Catholic radio is such a blessing! 

We both have been talking lately about having our Faith life permeate every aspect of our day. Whether you have a cell phone case with the Blessed Mother on it or you listen to Catholic radio in the car or you pray every time you hear the sirens of emergency vehicles, there are unlimited simple ways to have our Faith mesh into every area of our life! 

These touchstones, serving as little reminders of who we are and the God we worship, bring us peace throughout the day. When moments are stressful and there seems to be more to do than 24 hours will allow, He tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” 

Cause of Our Joy this week will try to offer some simple suggestions for being open to God’s peace- and who couldn’t use more of that?!  (By the way, John David Moe likes the new Cause of Our Joy coffee mug. The first shipment of mugs are being shipped out after Memorial Day.)

Peace in our Day
How often do you get to the end of your day and think, “How is it already evening?!” For some, days go by at unbelievable speeds and you crash into bed only to get up the next morning and run the “rat race” all over again. The good news is that there are ways to bring peace to your hectic life! We found this article from Catholic Gentleman to have some good advice to bring calm into the storm of life. And this article, Three Simple Paths to Interior Peace held a lot of practical wisdom for us– check it out! 

Peace in the Home
In the Vatican II document, Lumen Gentium, the home is referred to as the “domestic church.” A place where the Faith is lived, loved, and passed on every day. A place of charity, peace, and community. For most of us, that sounds well and good, but it’s more of an ideal than a reality. Our friend, Emily Jaminet, wrote a nice article giving 5 suggestions for a more peaceful home that we thought were pretty good! 

On a very practical level, a peaceful home can be helped along with physical changes to the space. Dynamic Catholic, has some extremely practical and easy-to-implement thoughts on how to make your home a more peaceful place! 

Memorial Day
This coming Monday is Memorial Day and we would be remiss if we didn’t express our deep gratitude for all servicemen and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms. We especially pray during this time for all the fallen and commend their souls to the most Merciful Heart of Jesus. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 16:13) 

This video from CatholicVote tells the inspiring story of a priest who was injured in the line of duty while serving in Iraq. And this link tells the story of Fr. Vincent Capodanno, a Navy chaplain who was killed in Vietnam. His story is incredible! Lori’s dad, Bob Smith, co-founder of the Marian Center, served in the Marines during the Vietnam War. Fr. Vincent Capodanno was the chaplain of his battalion. He met Fr. Capodanno on several occasions and was present at his last Mass. 

Padre Pio’s Relics!
If you are in or near the Diocese of Gaylord, we have exciting news for you! On Wednesday, October 9th, the relics of St. Padre Pio will be at the cathedral in Gaylord! More info can be found here! The article about the exhibition and complete list of hosting locations can be found here

Marian Minute
Why is Saturday considered Mary’s day? What connections are there from the early Church to apparitions like Fatima that make Saturday Mary’s day? This article gives a good explanation to those very questions.

Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary have taken place all over the world at various times throughout history. Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe are some of the more well-known visions that the Church has deemed worthy of belief. Pope Francis recently authorized pilgrimages to Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where visions of Our Lady have allegedly taken place since 1981. To learn more about alleged apparitions at Medjugorje, click here

Ideas for Kids
We still have a week left of May, the month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. A great way to honor Mary is by praying the rosary with your family. Here is a super cute idea to make a rosary holder

Tonight at the Marian Center we are having a class on how to paint a saint peg doll. These dolls are a great way to teach the little ones about Jesus, Mary and the Saints. If you aren’t able to join us, perhaps you could try to make them on your own with a little help from Catholic Icing

Saint Spotlight
As we mentioned above, today is the feast of St. Bede the Venerable. During his life, he made prayer, fasting, and charitable hospitality the priorities of his day. He was quite the intellect and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899. His story can be found here

Sunday’s Readings
The readings for this Sunday can be found here. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that He will not be with them long, that the Father will send the Holy Spirit in His name. He also tells them that He will give them peace and to not let their hearts be troubled or afraid. Scott Hahn has a reflection on the readings and Gospel. 

If you have time, Bishop Robert Barron also has an excellent homily for this Sunday, which is around 14 minutes long. 

Marian Center Update
This evening, May 25th, from 6-8 the Center is hosting a “Paint a Saint” peg doll painting class. These dolls make great non-toxic toys that help teach little ones about the Faith. It’s not too late to join! Email us at joy@mariancenter.org for more details!

May 30th – Marian Consecration class #1 from 7-8:15 p.m. at the Center 

June- August – Eucharistic Miracles of the World Exhibit at the Center with guided tours at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00. 

June 8th – Eucharistic Retreat with Fr. Peter Wigton from 10-2 at the Center 

To Christ Through Mary, 

Katie Moe and Lori Mercer

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