NEW! Family Consecration Book

St. Faustina Kowalska, the great apostle of Divine Mercy, recorded in her Diary a stunning vision of Jesus she shared with a group of children who were crying out, “Defend us from evil!” Deeply moved, Jesus told Faustina: “You are to defend them from evil.” And yet, like so many Catholic parents and grandparents today, Faustina knew that prayer alone could not  protect these children. Which is why conscientious parents must take the further step of consecrating their children to Jesus through Mary, thereby defending them from evil and paving their way to Heaven. Family Consecration to Jesus through Mary walks you through the simple process of doing just that. Celebrated Catholic author Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle gives you detailed instructions on how to lead your family through the 33 mini-retreat days recommended by the illustrious St. Louis de Montfort. Adapted for the often “less-than-ideal” prayer circumstances of families — particularly those with young children — these 33 brief, stress-free daily spiritual exercises and family activities bring adults and children greater knowledge of Jesus and Mary, and a more fervent love of both. Don’t delay, as this spiritual security is needed now more than ever. There is no book more immediately beneficial than Family Consecration to Jesus through Mary, and no time better than now to bless your family by consecrating their lives to Jesus through Mary. Family Consecration to Jesus through Mary: 33 Days of Preparation with Saint Louis Marie de Montfort by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle Paperback — 336 pages $18.95 BUY NOW Save 25% when you buy two or more with promotion code: 25FC Code expires: 6/23 at midnight. "Family Consecration to Jesus Through Mary is a beautiful, clear, practical guide." Patrick Madrid Host, The Patrick Madrid Show on Relevant Radio "Mary loves families. This book is a wonderful way for families to open themselves to Mary’s love for them, and her deepest desire that they join her in wholeheartedly surrendering to God and doing what Jesus tells them." Dr. Ralph Martin, S.T.D. Director of Graduate Theology Programs in the New Evangelization, Sacred Heart Major Seminary "This book will introduce families to prayer and assist them in handing on the faith to their children. Families together will consecrate themselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who will surely obtain many graces from her Son, as husbands, wives, and children, live out their Consecration and baptismal promises." Fr. Edward Looney Author, A Lenten Journey with Mother Mary "This is a beautiful book which, I hope, will enhance the spiritual lives of many Christian families." Fr. John S. Hogan, OCDS Co-host of EWTN's Forgotten Heritage, Author of 'Thomas Becket: Defender of the Church' Watch author Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle introduce the book: WATCH NOW Order online above, or call 1-800-888-9344 www.SophiaInstitute.com   Invite friends to receive our newsletters and get these books for FREE! LEARN MORE Get one discounted book per month—and never pay shipping! Learn more:

Daily Quote - In the order established by God...

More Wisdom from Takashi Nagai

Unless you have suffered and wept, you really don’t understand what compassion is, nor can you give comfort to someone who is suffering. If you haven’t cried, you can’t dry another’s eyes. Unless you’ve walked in darkness, you can’t help wanderers find the way. Unless you’ve looked into the eyes of menacing death and felt its hot breath, you can’t help another rise from the dead and taste anew the joy of being alive.

— Takashi Nagai from A Song for Nagasaki

Wisdom from Devin Schadt

If you want your children to know who they are and to achieve their identity, teach them to give themselves away unselfishly. In the workshop in Nazareth, Joseph and Jesus crafted the cross of self-giving love. Jesus took all those lessons and ultimately lived them out on Calvary.

— Devin Schadt from 7 Secrets of St. Joseph for Dads

Daily Quote - God, who calls us to Him…

Wisdom from Devin Schadt

What is it about dads that when we buy our first car, or hit our first home run, or bowl a 300 or catch a big fish, or get the right girl, he’s the first one we want to tell? We don’t just want to make our dad proud. We long for our father’s gaze. We long for his approval. We long for him to choose us and take delight in us... because we long for our heavenly Father’s gaze.

— Devin Schadt from 7 Secrets of St. Joseph for Dads

Daily Quote - Christ does not force our will…

Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A June 28, 2020

First Reading
2 Kings 4:8-11,14-16a
Hospitality extended to Elisha will be rewarded.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 89:2-3,16-19
Sing God’s praises forever.

Second Reading
Romans 6:3-4,8-11
Through Christ we are dead to sin but alive in God.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 10:37-42
Jesus outlines the costs and rewards of discipleship.

Gospel MT 10:37-42

Jesus said to his apostles:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

"Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple—
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

Background on the Gospel Reading

Today’s Gospel is the conclusion of the instructions and consolations that we have heard Jesus offering to his disciples during the past few weeks. In this passage, Jesus summarizes both the costs of discipleship and its rewards. Once again our understanding of the Gospel is strengthened by considering the context in which it was written and the perspective of Matthew’s audience.

The conditions of discipleship outlined in Matthew’s Gospel may appear harsh. Yet they underline for us a truth—choosing anything with one’s whole heart has consequences. Choosing life with Christ means that every relationship we have must be understood from a new perspective. For many in Matthew’s community, this choice brought division to their family.

Matthew also outlines the reward of hospitality offered to Jesus’ followers. In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the difficulties of discipleship, yet reveals that those who welcome the disciples have also welcomed him.

Today’s Gospel also highlights for us the importance of hospitality in the Christian life. To welcome another in Jesus’ name is to extend hospitality to Jesus himself. We have many opportunities in our daily life to reach out to others, to be a welcoming presence and a sign of God’s love.

Family Connection

One can tell a lot about a family by the way they welcome others into their home. Despite parental efforts to elicit the best behavior from their children, family efforts to entertain guests are sometimes difficult. Practicing a spirit of Christian hospitality within the family can be an occasion to reflect upon the importance of this virtue. A family spirit of hospitality is a sign of faith.

When your family gathers, ask each person to consider the following questions about manners: What does it mean to be a good host? What does it mean to be a good guest? Invite each person to share their thoughts and experiences about being a guest or a host. When they have finished, read aloud today’s Gospel, Matthew 10:37-42.

Ask family members to describe what Jesus says about hospitality extended to his disciples. (Those who receive Jesus’ disciples also receive Jesus himself; hospitality to Jesus’ disciples will be rewarded.) Then encourage family members to talk about what it means to be a good guest or a good host. You might also talk about ways in which your family’s hospitality might be improved upon. Conclude in prayer together that your family grows to be one in which Christian hospitality is experienced by all. Pray together the Lord’s Prayer or today’s Psalm.

Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings

Daily Quote - Our Body is not our own…

More Wisdom from Christopher West

God wants to be one with us in the flesh, in the most intimate manner. He wants to become food, that we can eat his flesh and drink his blood. Before we even thirst for God, he thirsts for us. This bread come down from heaven is the ultimate satisfaction of our wildest desires.

— Christopher West from Satisfying the Hungry Heart

Daily Quote - Every Morning…

Wisdom from Christopher West

I am amazed that the God of all glory and wonder would humble himself to take on the appearance of bread. Not only is this a sign of God’s humility, it is also a sign of his great mercy. It is merciful because if God showed himself to us in all his glory, we would all keel over dead.

— Christopher West from Satisfying the Hungry Heart

Archbishop Gänswien’s defense of Catholic theology

“In a society where relativism and the rejection of religious truths are considered good manners, what is needed is … an alternative concept of the nature of man.” Archbishop Georg Gänswein In his much-anticipated American book debut, Archbishop Georg Gänswein,  Prefect of the Papal household and longtime personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict  XVI, presents a stirring defense of Catholic theology, Church tradition and the primacy of the Catholic Faith. As one of the most distinguished figures in the Catholic Church and the only man to have ever been in daily interaction with two popes simultaneously. . .  . . . Archbishop Gänswein presents an array of profound observations about the state of the Church and its likely future in an increasingly secularized society. He offers a vigorous argument for the indispensability of the Catholic Church as a civilizing force in culture, and how she alone can, and must, serve as a bulwark against the growing cultural totalitarianism seizing the West. Finally, he offers a framework for spiritual renewal, beginning with the personal reform of priests and bishops. To save the Church, the archbishop explains, we need clerics who prioritize and epitomize the proclamation of God’s Word in their own lives and work. The “pastoral approach” of today is important, he points out, but only if it recaptures its original, evangelical dimension. How the Catholic Church Can Restore Our Culture by Archbishop Georg Gänswein Paperback | eBook 224 pages Paperback price: $18.95  Today's Sale Price: $15.99! BUY NOW You May Also Like:     SHOP ALL BOOKS Order online above, or call 1-800-888-9344 www.SophiaInstitute.com   Invite friends to receive our newsletters and get these books for FREE! LEARN MORE Get one discounted book per month—and never pay shipping! Learn more:

Daily Quote - All of you who are steeped in sin...

Wisdom from Paul Glynn

All of us will have to render an account of our lives when we die. God will not be interested in who or what we were. No, only in this: how did we live? That will be the sole matter for judgment. A company director won’t be able to pull rank on a waiter, and a fisherman’s wife will be on a par with a millionaire’s wife. Ships’ officers will receive no preference over ships’ cooks. All will be judged by exactly the same measure: did we use our talents well and for his glory?

— Takashi Nagai from A Song for Nagasaki

More Wisdom from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Freedom, we can say, is a springboard from which to dive into the infinite sea of divine goodness, but it can also become a tilted plane on which to slide toward the abyss of sin and evil and thus also to lose freedom and our dignity.

— Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) from Signs of New Life

Daily Quote - The Effects of Holy Communion

Wisdom from Joseph Ratzinger

Man is willed by the Creator as a relational being, as someone who is not sufficient unto himself but, rather, needs relationship, who is supposed to live with another and for another. Only in this relatedness to the other and for the other can he fulfill God’s will.

— Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) from Signs of New Life

A Catholic scientist proves God exists

“I don’t believe in God; I believe in science.”  How many times have you heard that non-sequitur? The reality is that scientific progress does not moot religious faith. In fact, it is drawing us closer and closer to God. Challenging today’s accepted “wisdom,” Catholic scientist Gerard Verschuuren, Ph.D., cuts through the pablum and gets to the heart of the matter. Just as a microscope cannot reveal the square root of sixteen, scientific analysis cannot detect or quantify Divine Love. Nor can it tell us why the universe exists. Here Dr. Verschuuren shows that it is reason that gives us access to both scientific discovery and the existence of God. When we use our reason to investigate God’s existence, we encounter proofs that are more powerful, by far, than any that science could ever provide. Yes, Verschuuren is a Catholic; but he’s also a long-standing scientist, schooled in using reason alone to draw forth from evidence the proofs to which it necessarily leads. Among the many truths that Verschuuren evinces here by reason alone are the following:   Why science is not qualified to speak about the existence, or nonexistence, of God   The many ways we can know for certain that God exists   How we know that God is all-perfect   How God can be all-knowing   How we know He is all-powerful   What it means to say that He is “all-present”   Why the same God cannot be the God of all religions   And much more that reveals the enormous power of reason — and the even greater power of God! Verschuuren’s stunning proofs for God’s existence — based on evidence alone — will open your eyes, stir your heart and, more importantly, deepen your faith in the wondrous Creator of Heaven and earth! A Catholic Scientist Proves God Exists by Dr. Gerard Verschuuren Paperback — 176 pages List Price:  $18.95  Today's Sale Price: $15.99! BUY NOW Continue cultivating your gift of reason with wisdom from Aquinas. Now comes Kevin Vost, the best-selling author of The One-Minute Aquinas, armed with a recently rediscovered letter by St. Thomas himself. The brief letter offered a young monk sage advice about how to study, think, and even live. Written almost 800 years ago, the letter reveals St. Thomas’s unique powers of reason and will, and explains how anyone can fathom and explain even the loftiest truths. Vost and St. Thomas will teach you how to dissect logical fallacies, heresies, and half-truths that continue to pollute our world with distorted thinking. Best of all, you’ll find a fully-illustrated set of exercises to improve your intellectual powers of memory, understanding, logical reasoning, shrewdness, foresight, circumspection, and practical wisdom. You’ll also learn:  The four steps to training your memory   How to know your mental powers – and their limits   Why critical thinking alone is insufficient for reaching the truth   Twenty common fallacies – and how to spot them   The key to effectively reading any book   How to set your intellect free by avoiding worldly entanglements   How to commit key truths to memory   Get BOTH  books for only $24.99! BUY NOW Order online above, or call 1-800-888-9344 www.SophiaInstitute.com   Invite friends to receive our newsletters and get these books for FREE! LEARN MORE Get one discounted book per month—and never pay shipping! Learn more: