For centuries Catholic priests, monks and nuns sanctified their days by praying the Psalms. This practice was inherited from the Jews, who prayed at set times in the temple. The Western Church was largely influenced by the Benedictine monks, who immersed themselves in the Psalms seven times each day, in addition to Mass and private prayer.
The Church today encourages the laity to pray a shorter form of this called the “Liturgy of the Hours.” The two major parts of this are called morning prayer and evening prayer, and there are also readings for each day corresponding to the seasons of the Church’s liturgical calendar.
Praying the Liturgy of the Hours can be a powerful tool. It helps us acquire the discipline of regular prayer and fills our hearts and minds with Scripture as we go about our days. I once heard a priest say every single one of the priests he knew who had left the priesthood had stopped praying their daily office of prayer.
For more info talk to your priest or Catholic bookstore, and cover your household in spiritual protection each day with Mass, rosary, and the Liturgy of the Hours
What great fun and an outstanding resource all in one fantastic book. I love Jane Austen…I love this book. Elizabeth Kantor gets it so right! The book description says it best:
Women today are settling for less than we want when it comes to men, relationships, sex, and marriage. But we don’t have to, argues Elizabeth Kantor. Jane Austen can show us how to find the love we really want.
In The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After, Kantor reveals how the examples of Jane Austen heroines such as Elizabeth Bennett, Elinor Dashwood, and Anne Elliot can help us navigate the modern-day minefields of dating, love, relationships, and sex. By following in their footsteps—and steering clear of the sad endings suffered by characters such as Maria Bertram and Charlotte Lucas—modern women can discover the path to lifelong love and true happiness.
Charged with honesty and humor, Kantor’s book includes testimonies from modern women, pop culture parallels, the author’s personal experiences and, of course, a thorough examination of Austen’s beloved novels.
“This book would have helped me avoid a few broken hearts for sure! Kantor teaches you how to guard your emotions in an independent, sophisticated, and empowered way through Jane Austen’s works. She offers timeless wisdom for the modern woman, and most importantly, encourages us to take our relationships seriously.”
St. John Eudes Statue is located on the right side facing the altar high in St. Peter's in Rome
St. John Eudes, the great disciple of the two hearts of Jesus and Mary….it is ALL about the heart!
He believed in the unity of the hearts of Jesus and Mary and wrote:”You must never separate what God has so perfectly united. So closely are Jesus and Mary bound up with each other that whoever beholds Jesus sees Mary; whoever loves Jesus, loves Mary; whoever has devotion to Jesus, has devotion to Mary.”
We “heart” St. John Eudes!
May this great lover of the two hearts, pray for us!
Fr. Paul Hamans – Edith Stein and Companions on the Way to Auschwitz on Inside the Pages
In this episode of “Inside the Pages”, Fr. Paul Hamans discusses with Kris McGregor his book Edith Stein and Companions on the Way to Auschwitz, which chronicles the lives of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and 113 other Catholic Jews who were martyred by the Nazis in retaliation for a pastoral letter written by Dutch bishops protesting the Nazi regime.
Fr. Hamans, a Church history professor in the Netherlands, reminds listeners of the importance of remembering these martyrs, whose sacrifices were both an act of faith and a stand against Nazi atrocities. He highlights the deep spiritual significance of these lives, their willingness to suffer for their faith, and the ongoing legacy of their witness. In addition, he addresses the impact of the Dutch bishops’ resistance, the persecution faced by Jewish converts to Catholicism, and the profound example set by Edith Stein and others who embraced their crosses in service to God and the Church.
You can buy a copy of the book here.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
Sacrifice and Faith: How do the sacrifices of Edith Stein and her companions inspire you to deepen your own faith and commitment to Christ?
Witness of Martyrdom: What lessons can you draw from the courage of the Catholic martyrs in standing against injustice, even at the cost of their lives?
Legacy of Resistance: How does the Dutch bishops’ resistance to Nazi atrocities challenge you to speak out against modern-day injustices?
Spiritual Resilience: In what ways can you embrace and carry your own crosses in your daily life, following the example of these martyrs?
Hope in Eternal Life: How does the focus on eternal life, as emphasized by Fr. Hamans, influence your perspective on the challenges and sufferings you face?
From the Book’s Description:
“On the same summer day in 1942, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and hundreds of other Catholic Jews were arrested in Holland by the occupying Nazis. One hundred thirteen of those taken into custody, several of them priests and nuns, perished at Auschwitz and other concentration camps. They were murdered in retaliation for the anti-Nazi pastoral letter written by the Dutch Catholic bishops.
While Saint Teresa Benedicta is the most famous member of this group, having been canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1998, all of them deserve the title of martyr, for they were killed not only because they were Jews but also because of the faith of the Church, which had compelled the Dutch bishops to protest the Nazi regime.
Through extensive research in both original and secondary sources, P.W.F.M. Hamans has compiled these martyrs’ biographies, several of them detailed and accompanied by photographs. Included in this volume are some remarkable conversion stories, including that of Edith Stein, the German philosopher who had entered the Church in 1922 and later became a Carmelite nun, taking the name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
Several of the witnesses chronicled here had already suffered for their faith in Christ before falling victim to Hitler’s “Final Solution”, enduring both rejection by their own people, including family members, and persecution by the so-called Christian society in which they lived. Among these were those who, also like Sister Teresa Benedicta, perceived the cross they were being asked to bear and accepted it willingly for the salvation of the world.”
About the Author
Fr. Paul Hamans is a diocesan priest in Roermond, Netherlands, where he teaches Church history at the seminary there. He has a doctorate in history from the University of Augsburg, Germany, and is an expert on the Dutch martyrs of the twentieth century. His other publications include History of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands.
“Narnia And Beyond: A Guide to the Fiction of C. S. Lewis” by Thomas Howard is fantastic. Dr. Howard is regarded as one of the leading authorities on the works of C. S. Lewis, and with remarkable clarity he shares with us all the Lewis that has touched the hearts and minds of so many generations, both young and old. It is always a joy to talk with Thomas Howard, but this conversation was particularly enlightening.
A marvelous work that takes all the grand imagery of the Book of Revelation and brings it into our aching hearts today. Fr. Richard Veras allows the symbols of Revelation to stand as the inspired work of God and helps us to see the why, as well the when of it’s message. Many readers will be familiar with Fr. Veras as a frequent contributor to Magnifcat magazine. With this new work, those readers, as well as new ones, will not be disappointed.
Compelling just isn’t a big enough word to capture the work that Fr. Paul Hamans has given us in this book. “Edith Stein and Companions on the Way to Auschwitz” not only gives us a portrait of the great saint, but gives us the faces and insights into the hearts of those we call “companions”…be prepared to be both heartbroken and inspired at the same time.
For centuries Catholic priests, monks and nuns sanctified their days by praying the Psalms. This practice was inherited from the Jews, who prayed at set times in the temple. The Western Church was largely influenced by the Benedictine monks, who immersed themselves in the Psalms seven times each day, in addition to Mass and private prayer.
