NunEssential

I am absolutely loving this incredible video series on man, woman and marriage that debuted this week at Humanum, an international colloquium in Rome. This series is visually captivating and deeply substantive. So beautiful! Here is the trailer that introduces the series of six short documentaries. Check out the rest on the Humanum youtube page . Watch, learn and share.

I am delighted to announce the November 3rd release of my first book, Loved As I Am . Read a sample here and buy it at www.avemariapress.com Thank you!

Thought-provoking

Twitter and the blogosphere has been abuzz regarding the report released Monday by the participants of Synod on the Family. It was a gut-check for a lot of Catholics while others hailed the "revolutionary" language of the document regarding marriage, same-sex attraction and birth control. Fr. Robert Barron posted one of the best responses to the document that I have seen . I appreciate his honest, historical perspective on what seems like a daunting synodal direction. Let us continue to pray and fast for all those who are participating in the Synod. Dealing with crises is never easy- where it be the topics of Christology, salvation or what it means to be human. I think we would all like a tidy discussion on these matters with a swift, orthodox consensus. However, even from the beginning of Christianity, it has never been a tidy affair. From the beginning we see things like weakness, betrayal, deceit and cowardice. And I think if we are honest, we see those things in ours...

The most popular guest blogger on my blog, Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, now has her own site! Read her wisdom at: http://missionaryinthemodernworld.blogspot.com Sr. Anne Marie is our former SOLT General Superior and she has an incredible ministry in the areas of healing of families and women's ministry. Visit her site and invite her to speak at your parish today!!

From Sr. Anne Marie Walsh- The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Urgency of Divine Love In 1673, Jesus began appearing  to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a humble nun of the Visitation Order, in Paray Le Monial, France.  He revealed to her the tender wonders of His love for her, desiring through her to share these same wonders with the whole world.   In the course of His revelations to St. Margaret Mary, Jesus complained of our ingratitude.  But His complaint was weighted with the sorrow of a lover who knows not what else He can do to gain the attention of his beloved, a beloved who is totally distracted and uncomprehending.  In the great apparition which occurred sometime during the octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi, 1675, He said, in what must have been an imploring spirit, "Behold the Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love.” We should ask ourselves: What is it we behold, w...

Sorry I have not posted on the blog in a long time! My twitter account is a lot more active- check it out: @onegroovynun

A Lenten reflection from Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT In the depths of our being, we all crave intimacy, connection .  We enter the world connected and remarkably well-equipped, even as babies, to draw others into relationship with us.  The very first moments of a baby's life have to do with bonding, with cementing fundamental relationships with mother, father, siblings, grandparents, extended family.  It happens in a rather mysterious way, before a baby has developed verbal language or conscious powers of reasoning. Nonetheless, by his very existence he draws people to himself by something that goes beyond a mere sense of obligation or duty on the part of the adults around him. Agape, or the unconditional love of God for humankind, is sometimes described as being like the innocent love of an adult for a baby.  This is how God loves us! From the beginning, this being in relationships is so much a part of us, so deep a need, that, by our nature, we are always seeking ...

I am excited to promote Be Healed , the new book from marriage and family therapist Dr. Bob Schuchts. This incredible book takes you on a journey of personal, life-changing healing in Jesus Christ. From vast experience of over 35 years as a therapist, Dr. Bob leads the reader to a deep encounter with Jesus that provides lasting freedom and share his own journey to healing as well. I highly recommend this book! You can preorder it via hardcopy or Kindle here: Or from his ministry website: www.jpiihealingcenter.org

A reflection from Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT Our Lady of Conquering Love The following poem yields some simple clues about the real nature of Mary. Into cobwebbed haunts And festering darkness Slips a Lady of Light In search of her children. In many respects Mary is not known as she should be, often because popular devotion tends to trap her within the confines of pietistic practices and images that don't always lead to a real relationship.  Praying the rosary, asking Mary's intercession, and honoring her in different ways has so much more efficacy and meaning when we know and understand her as she really is. In speaking to groups of women from different countries and different backgrounds, there is always a weak response to the question:  "How many of you would say you have a close relationship with our Blessed Mother?"  In response to the follow-up question:  "How many of you find it hard to relate to Our Lady?" the majority of hands go up.  She lived 20...

Hello friends, Below I am posting a talk by Anglican Bishop Tony Palmer. He is speaking at a conference for evangelical leaders and this particular talk was featured within Kenneth Copeland's worship service. This talk blew my mind and I feel that it is deeply prophetic. Bishop Tony is talking about the unification of the Protestant and Catholic church through the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth he speaks is astounding. Bishop Tony knew Pope Francis before he was elected to the pontificate, and Pope Francis recorded a special message for the evangelical leaders that Bishop Tony plays at the end of this talk. It is powerful. The talk is 40 minutes of your life well spent. God is doing something great in the Church right now. Something amazing. Will we be open? What you will see in this video may be a bit outside your comfort zone but I ask that you pray to the Holy Spirit and listen to the message. What is God saying to you? Bishop Tony begins to speak at 4:30 of this ...

A reflection by Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT: DISCERNMENT IN THE MODERN AGE One of the banes of modern life is the plethora of bad books, bad both in the sense of poorly written and bad in the sense of poisonous content.  It's an observation that can be applied to movies, music, TV, and other forms of human expression as well. This is not meant to be a moral judgment so much as a reflection on what constitutes healthy food for the soul.  We have great concern for the health of our bodies and our environment.  And we feed them and protect them accordingly.  At the same time, we seem to have much less conscious concern for what goes into our minds, our souls, our spirits.  We simply consume whatever is offered, no longer recognizing the difference between junk food and delicacy, nutrients and toxins. Entertainment of a rather mindless variety seems to be the common fare these days.  It is big business to translate  the  written form into visual form ...

Boston priest Fr Jason Worthley put together this powerful video about the typhoon in the Philippines. The devastation is stunning and so is the outpouring of love for the people.

A reflection from Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT Coming Out of Hiding  Making New Year’s resolutions can be a tricky business.  We may think our best interests will be served by addressing our diet and exercising  more regularly.  Our family and friends might prefer that our resolve center instead around curbing our negativity, our moodiness, our critical spirit, or our rash judgments.  We might decide we need to give extra time to charitable projects when our family or community would be happy to see us enjoy more time in their company.  We may even realize we need more prayer in our lives and determine to make space for it when God would prefer we look for Him outside the concept of an exercise to perform. There is actually one answer to all the needs for change we contemplate at the beginning of a new year:  Jesus Christ and the Trinitarian life He came to bring us.  Many of us know about Jesus.  Fewer of us really feel comfortable saying we ...