Love of St. Paul: February 2011

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Behind-the-Scenes: To Be Born (Day 2: Baptism, Letter)

This is Day 2 of Behind=the-Scenes footage from the powerful and important film, "To Be Born." I love "Behind-the-Scenes" footage like this where you can see incredibly talented people making an outstanding film, but I'm having a tough time telling what is going to happen in the story. I cannot wait to see this movie! I hope everyone will support the film and the creative geniuses at Spirit Juice Studios!!!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mother Thecla Merlo, Co-Foundress of the Daughters of St. Paul

Mother Thecla Merlo, Co-foundress of the Daughters of St. Paul - the "Media Nuns" who are finalists for their site "Ask a Catholic Nun!" as best Catholic Facebook Page! Don't forget to vote if you haven't already today by following this link. You can vote once a day every day from now through Mach 8th (Mardi Gras)!

http://catholicism.about.com/od/thechurchintheworld/ss/2011-About-Com-Catholicism-Readers-Choice-Awards-Finalists_11.htm

Mother Thecla Merlo, Co-Foundress of the Daughters of St. Paul

http://catholicism.about.com/od/thechurchintheworld/ss/2011-About-Com-Catholicism-Readers-Choice-Awards-Finalists_11.htm

Sunday, February 20, 2011

St. Paul Thought of the Day

Discipleship

"Be imitators of me, just as I imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Friday, February 18, 2011

Morning Prayers (from The Pauline Cooperator's Daily Companion)

Morning Prayers

Jesus Master, Way, and Truth, and Life:

have mercy on us.

Queen of the Apostles: pray for us.

Saint Paul the Apostle: pray for us.

From all sin: deliver us, O Lord.

Morning Offering

Divine Heart of Jesus,

I offer you,

through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Mother of the Church,

in union with the Eucharistic sacrifice,

my prayers, actions,

joys, and sufferings of this day,

in reparation for sins

and for the salvation of all men and women,

according to the special intentions

of the Superior General,

in the grace of the Holy Spirit,

for the glory of the heavenly Father.

I adore you, my God,

and I love you with all my heart.

I thank you for having created me,

made me a Christian,

kept me this night,

and led me into the Pauline Family.

I offer you my actions of this day.

Grant that they all may be according

to your holy will and for your greater glory.

Keep me from sin and all evil.

May your grace be with me always

and with all my dear ones.

Amen.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Evening Prayer (From the Pauline Cooperator's Daily Companion)

Evening Prayer (from The Pauline Cooperator's Daily Companion)

I adore you, my God,
and I love you with all my heart.
I thank you for having created me,
made me a Christian,
and kept me this day.
Forgive me my failings and sins
and accept whatever good I may have done.
Take care of me while I sleep
and deliver me from all danger.
May your grace be always with me
and with all my dear ones. Amen.

(Pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to the Father, and Angel of God.
Make an examination of conscience on the day,
and pray the Act of Contrition.)

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in the hour of my death.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, when I die may I rest in peace with you.
Amen.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Behind-the-Scenes: To Be Born (Day 1: Beach, Park, Zoo)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Vote for "Ask a Catholic Nun!" best Catholic Facebook Page 2011

Many of you know I am a Pauline Cooperator - a Third Order member of the Pauline Family - which includes the Daughters of St. Paul, my awesome Sisters that I'm always bragging about. Their Facebook Page "Ask a Catholic Nun!" is a finalist in the Catholic Reader's Choice Awards for best Catholic Facebook Page.

Please follow this link and vote for "Ask a Catholic Nun!" in Category 10 as the best Catholic Facebook Page of 2011!

Click HERE to vote!

Why?

Why a blog? Why St. Paul? Why do I think I have any business doing this?
We are all on a spiritual journey. We all want that journey to lead us to heaven, to eternity with God. For this journey, we need one another.
The journey so far has led me to read and learn about so many forms of authentic Catholic spirituality - Ignatian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan, etc. My biggest problem was that I came to love each one tremendously. I began reading more and more, spending more and more time at the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore on Watson Road here in St. Louis. Who would have thought my greatest conversion story would take place in a bookstore? Mine was not quite as sudden or dramatic as St. Paul on the road to Damascus, but getting to know the Daughters of St. Paul affected me no less significantly.
The sisters are Eucharistic by nature. The first time I entered the chapel in their bookstore, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and one of the sisters was on her knees, gazing at Christ, with an indescribably beautiful smile on her face. I had a glimpse of heaven. I knelt at one of the other kneelers and noticed on the wall behind the monstrance the words: "Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin." I had that brief moment of absolute certainty that I was on the right path.
Over the last several years I have worked my way through as many books, CD's, DVD's and conversations with the Daughters of St. Paul that time has allowed. Time is at such a premium for all of us. Years ago we were told that with advances in technology we would have much more free time on our hands. We all know this has not been the case. Our lives are busier and more hectic than ever. Even if we are unable to find time to read good books, see enlightening movies or attend lectures and discussions, maybe we could all spend a little time on the internet supporting one another on our faith journeys. Many of you know more about many aspects of Catholic spirituality than I do.
Pope John Paul the Great called us all to a New Evangelization, to share the Gospel with the world. I am hoping we can all be St. Paul in this blog space by sharing Christ with one another and with others. St. Paul travelled to many foreign and often hostile regions to evangelize the world; we are fortunate to be able to use the internet to reach even farther and more quickly.
The idea of using today's means of social communication to spread the Gospel was given to Blessed James Alberione on the night between the centuries (December 31, 1900 - January 1, 1901). He was a 16 year-old seminary student adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament when a special light came to him from the Host. Following this, Blessed James Alberione became the founder of the Society of St. Paul priests, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, and numerous institutes that are also part of the Pauline family.
So what is Pauline spirituality? In my experience, Pauline spirituality encompasses all the teachings of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and love of all the other spiritualities and Saints of the Church. It is the members of the Pauline family who are the happiest people I know! It is loving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with all our hearts and souls, through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and St. Paul.
So why St. Paul? I can relate to St. Paul. We first meet him in the New Testament as a sinner. He has a thorn in his side that God decides is best not to take away. I sometimes wish I knew what that thorn was, but it's probably better I don't know. I like to pretend it is one of my many weaknesses or faults. If St. Paul could go from persecuting Christ and His Church to becoming the person responsible for spreading the Gospel and establishing the Church in foreign lands, the least I can do is start a blog. I have been especially inspired by my two favorite bloggers, Sr. Margaret Charles Kerry, fsp, and a Pauline Cooperator named Rae Stabosz. I believe Sr. Margaret and Rae are doing just what St. Paul and Blessed James Alberione would be doing with the internet.
In future blogs (which will be shorter than this first post!), I would like to share writings of St. Paul, Blessed James Alberione, and many others. I look forward to others sharing writings from other Catholic spiritualities and writers. An especially Pauline way of sharing is to point out to one another what aspects particularly speak to each of us.
Another Pauline trait is to pray for one another. My prayer is that we support one another on our path to holiness. Our goal is to glorify God in all that we do - so let's do it!