Author Archives: stceceliastgabriel

The Gift of Fortitude

posted 5/27/20 Maximilian Kolbe was a man who demonstrated great courage and charity throughout his life.  Born in Poland in 1894, he went on to be a Franciscan priest.  He established several monasteries and was also a very successful publisher of religious pamphlets promoting devotion to the Blessed Mother.  When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Kolbe used his publishingContinue reading “The Gift of Fortitude”

The Gift of Counsel

posted 5/26/20 When a priest hears confessions, there are occasions when he hears himself say something to the penitent that surprises him.  When that’s happened to me, I think to myself: “Whoa! Where did that come from?”  There have also been times when I’ve gone to confession and the priest says something that seems to express exactly theContinue reading “The Gift of Counsel”

The Gift of Understanding

posted 5/25/20 The last full-length novel that Mark Twain ever published was his book The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc.  And of all the great stories he ever wrote, he thought this one was his very best.  Twain was not Catholic, he grew up in the South at a time when there was much anti-Catholicism there, andContinue reading “The Gift of Understanding”

On the Mass

posted 5/24/20 As we make preparations for the resumption of public Masses this weekend, it’s hard to believe that it’s been 62 days since the last public Mass in our parish and throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport.  Perhaps now is a good time to consider why, in the absence of the faithful, priests continued to say Masses over these past three months – not just in front of a camera, butContinue reading “On the Mass”

The Gift of Wisdom

posted 5/23/20 “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1:25)  Two months before she died from tuberculosis, one of the nuns in her community said to the 24-year-old Sr. Therese of Lisieux, “you are a saint.”  In response, Therese pointed to the tops ofContinue reading “The Gift of Wisdom”

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

posted 5/22/20 During this 9-day period between the Ascension and Pentecost, it is fitting to reflect on the significance of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  We first receive the Holy Spirit at our baptism, but at Confirmation we receive a full share in the Holy Spirit and a strengthening in the Spirit’s Gifts. I have vivid memories of my own Confirmation at the handsContinue reading “The Gifts of the Holy Spirit”

The Strong Back of Christ

posted 5/19/20 “Cast all your worries upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)  I have always found these words of St. Peter deeply consoling.  They remind us that we are never alone in the things that we suffer.  But, strange creatures that we are, there are times when we decide that we should just go it alone anyway.  WeContinue reading “The Strong Back of Christ”

St. John Paul II

posted 5/18/20 On this day in 1920, Karol Wojtyla was born in the Polish town of Wadowice, the youngest of the three children of his parents.  Today the world knows him as Pope St. John Paul II, who led the Church from 1978-2005.  His family life was marked by tragedy, his siblings and his mother all having died by the time Karol was an adolescent.  His father, withContinue reading “St. John Paul II”

Enduring Hardships

posted 5/16/20 During this season of Easter, the Church gives us readings for Mass taken from the Acts of the Apostles. The Book of Acts tells us about the earliest days of the Church and the missionary work of the Apostles, especially St. Paul.  This past week featured a remarkable passage (Acts 14:5-28) about the experiences of Paul and Barnabas asContinue reading “Enduring Hardships”