“I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to the glorious St. Joseph, for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God. I do not remember that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant.“
– St. Teresa of Avila

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

Just as Jesus and Mary looked to St. Joseph for spiritual guidance and intercession, so should we. He was the foster father of Jesus, the most Chaste Spouse of Mother Mary, and he is our greatest intercessor after his Wife and Son. Let us heed the saintly advice of one of the greatest Doctors of the Church, St. Teresa of Avila, and ask St. Joseph for something spiritually significant as we approach the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st.

If you haven’t yet joined our 30 day Novena to St. Joseph, it’s not too late! You can start praying it today and enroll for reminder emails here.

Dr. Miravalle is a world-renowned Mariologist and is a professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He will be featured in the all new year of TMIY, All Things New, coming this fall.

“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.“
– Ephesians 3:20-21

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

Incredible things can happen when we simply say “Yes” to God. We see this truth most profoundly in the life of Jesus, in Mary’s fiat, and in the lives of the saints like St. Francis who chose to abandon his own will and say “Yes” to the will of God. The Lord calls all of us to sainthood and is surely asking you to take that next step in your relationship with Him. Take some in prayer to discern what God is calling you to in your life, and ask for the grace through the intercession of Our Lady and St. Francis, to say “Yes” to God’s call.

“You are my hope, Lord; my trust, God, from my youth. On you I have depended since birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength; my hope in you never wavers.“
– Psalm 71:5-6

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

As the world is coping with a global pandemic and economic hardship, it is easy to become discouraged. Though we may be discouraged, we cannot lose our hope, for our hope is in the Lord. Christ and his Church are bigger than any sickness or suffering, pain or sorrow. Let us put our whole trust in Him and ask for the grace of hope in this difficult time.

Mary, comforter of the afflicted, pray for us!

“Know this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear,
slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work
the righteousness of God.“
– James 1:19-20

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

As men, we can sometimes let our anger and frustration manifest in ugly ways towards our families which can be damaging to our relationships with them. This is an area of our lives that can often go overlooked in our prayer, but make no mistake, a short fuse, a lack of patience, and a lack of discipline in how we express ourselves can be, and often are, vices.

As the feast of St. Joseph approaches (March 19th), let us look to him for intercession in the Litany of St. Joseph, that he might obtain for us the grace to be patient and slow to anger, as he was.

St. Joseph, Mirror of Patience, pray for us!

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because
you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore
the world hates you.“
– John 15: 18-19

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

“How does anybody know you’re Catholic without you telling them? It’s by the life that you live.”

Certainly our families are our first priority in this life. But part of caring for our families is providing for them through our work, and the people in our workplace need to hear the truth of the Gospel as well.

It can be uncomfortable and awkward to talk about Jesus with our coworkers, but we can share the gospel in more than one way. St. Paul said that they would know that we are Christians by our love. Let us pray for the grace and courage to be examples of Christ’s love to everyone in our lives including our coworkers.

John Sablan is a featured speaker in TMIY  Year 5 – The Fight of Faith. Available now.

“…I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.“
– Jeremiah 31:3

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

We all love our spouses and children, but often we fail to properly express our love. It may seem like a slight distinction, but there can be a very different meaning between saying “I love you, but…” and “I love you, and…“.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, let us seek to be more mindful about the ways in which we speak to our loved ones, and let us ask God for the grace to convey the fullness of our love to them more effectively.

“Very grave trials await the Church. What we have suffered so far is almost nothing compared to what is going to happen. The enemies of the Church are symbolized by the ships which strive their utmost to sink the flagship. Only two things can save us in such a grave hour: devotion to Mary and frequent Communion. Let us do our very best to use these two means and have others use them everywhere.“
– St. John Bosco

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

Take some time to contemplate the vision of St. John Bosco and what it means for the Church and for your own ‘domestic Church’. As we approach the feast of St. John Bosco (January 31st), ask for his intercession to help you center your life on a devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Holy Eucharist.

St. John Bosco, pray for us!

“But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the Good Fight of the Faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
– 1 Timothy 6:11

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

As Catholics, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. Every morning we have to get up and make a decision to choose the good despite the temptations that the Devil seeks to destroy us with. Knowing that we are engaged in this battle, it would be foolish to enter it without a battle plan. Take some advice from John Sablan and form your own personal battle plan to grow in virtue and combat vice.

John Sablan is a featured speaker in TMIY Year 5 – The Fight of Faith. Available now.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
– John 15:5

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

We simply cannot hope to grow in virtue and holiness by relying solely upon ourselves. Often times we aren’t even aware what virtues we should be growing in. Let us look to the Holy Spirit for the grace and guidance to make small changes toward virtue in our lives.

At the dawn of this new year and decade, make a solemn resolution to do this at the beginning of each month: Ask the Holy Spirit in prayer, “What is one small change You are giving me the grace to make, that will have the biggest positive impact on my life this month?” Make this commitment to abide in the Holy Spirit and seek the wisdom of God, and you will surely grow in virtue.

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
– Proverbs 27:17

Live the Faith! Tip of the Week:

Living a life of virtue and holiness is not easy to do on our own. We need, of course, to rely first upon God and then upon our families, but we also need community in brotherhood. As brothers we can support one another, hold each other accountable, and inspire one another toward being saintly men of Christ.

How can you strengthen the bonds of Christian brotherhood in your life and at your parish? Seek, this week, to reunite with your own brotherhood and call one another on toward holiness.

Paco Gavrilides is a featured speaker in TMIY  Year 5 – The Fight of Faith. Available now.