“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin Mary too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” –Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe
“You can never love her more than Jesus did”
Tag Archives: catholic
Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue
Mary Dixon Thayer who wrote more than one poem for Our Blessed Mother, is the author. This prayer-poem was popularized in the 1950s by Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
Prayer for Worries, Fears & Doubts
Eternal, Holy God, I come to You burdened with worries, fears, doubts and troubles. Calm and quiet me with peace of mind. Empty me of the anxiety that disturbs me, of the concerns that weary my spirit, and weight heavy on my heart. Loosen my grip on the disappointments and grievances I hold on to so tightly. Release me from the pain of past hurts, of present anger and tension, of future fears. Sometimes it’s too much for me Lord, too many demands and problems, too much sadness, suffering, and stress. Renew me spiritually and emotionally. Give me new strength, hope, and confidence. Prepare me to meet the constant struggles of daily life with a deeper faith and trust in You. Let your love set me free, for peace, for joy, for grace, for life, for others, forever. Amen.
Dear Love Being Catholic Friends
Dear Love Being Catholic Friends,
During these unprecedented times I am so thankful for all the priests who have been live streaming Mass on TV. Thank you also to those who have been able to bring us some of the sacraments in a creative and safe manner, while we are all adjusting to our (temporary) new normal.
I am praying that churches will open again soon (with whatever social distancing and safe measures need to take place) and that we will be able to once again attend Mass and receive Christ in the Eucharist. This day will come and if anything this pandemic has shown me is the true beauty of our Catholic faith and the great gift we have been given by being Catholic.
We often don’t appreciate what we have until it is gone. Being able to watch Mass on TV is truly a gift and a blessing, but it is not the same and I miss it.
I remember when I first started re-discovering my love for the Catholic faith, I attended Mass at a beautiful church that had the tabernacle and crucifix displayed prominently up front. The church I had been attending did not have this, so when I walked into this church, it moved me profoundly and brought me to tears.
I love the tabernacle not stuck in a corner. I love that Catholic churches have the altar front and center, and not a pulpit. I love to watch the priests and deacon kiss the altar when they enter and leave Mass. I love the bells, the candles, the incense, the statues of Mary, Joseph and the saints, the oils, the vestments, the stained glass windows – all of it. I love that during the consecration (in many churches) you hear these beautiful bells ringing, which call your attention to the miracle that is taking place upon the altar. These bells help to connect us in a deep and mysterious way to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
I love the crucifix. You will come across some people who express distaste at the thought of depicting Jesus at His most vulnerable. Guess what? This should make you uncomfortable. Jesus does not want us to look at His Crucifixion as only a past event. Every lash that he took, every blow that drove the nail into his hands was caused by you and me. OUR sins (present, past and future) hung Jesus on that cross. The crucifix is the ultimate expression of the lengths that a loving God will go to reach us. Gazing at a crucifix is a humbling experience.
I love walking into Mass and blessing myself with holy water, and then kneeling in prayer before Mass begins. We kneel because we are in the presence of God. Kneeling is a very meaningful and intimate gesture, and it expresses adoration and shows our reverence towards Him. Kneeling in God’s presence during Mass emphasizes the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and how much we love and adore our King.
When we see incense being used in our churches, it is meant to remind us of heaven, and that our worship of God in the Christian liturgy is divine in origin. It also reminds us to pray, and that our prayer rises to God like the smoke from the censer, purifying our worship of God, and allowing his Holy Spirit to work in us to make us holy.
These little traditions and sacramentals all mean something, and make the Mass all the more meaningful and beautiful. They help us with all of our human failings and distractions to understand what is really going on at Mass, and to focus on Christ. Are they necessary for the validity of the sacrament? No. But can they help one to truly appreciate and recognize the beauty of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and come to a deeper understanding of why we are there? Yes.
In an era where a tragically large number of Catholics no longer believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, or even attend Mass every Sunday, these sacramentals can help one focus on the miracle that takes place upon the altar. I love all of our beautiful traditions which are a very powerful devotional aid during Mass, and a rich sacramental tradition of the Church.
I am praying for you all during these challenging and unprecedented times, and especially for all who have been affected by the Coronavirus, and those on the front lines battling this invisible enemy. I am also praying for Pope Francis, our cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, religious and our beautiful Catholic Church.
Thank you all for following this page and for being there for each other – we will get through this! Love to you all!
In Christ, 
Liz
Happy Easter!
Christ has risen – Alleluia! Wishing you all a very Blessed and Happy Easter!
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday
We spend this day in stillness and quiet reflection, weeping at the tomb of our Lord.
Morning Prayer
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I will begin this day.
I thank you, Lord, for having preserved me during the night. I will do my best to make all I do today pleasing to You and in accordance with Your will. My dear mother Mary, watch over me this day. My Guardian Angel, take care of me. St. Joseph and all you saints of God, pray for me.
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.
I wish to gain all the indulgences attached to the prayers I shall say and the good works I shall perform this day. Amen.
“Before I Formed you in the Womb, I knew you. “
Today is the 47nd anniversary of Roe Vs. Wade which legalized abortion. Today we remember the millions of lives lost to legal abortion in our country.
Think of the future generations that have been wiped out. There are literally millions of souls who were never given the chance to be a son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, or friend. Look at your children, grandchildren, spouse, or best friend, and ask yourself – what if they were aborted and never existed?
As Catholics, we believe that ALL human life is sacred and needs to be protected from conception to natural death. We care about pre-born and born children (at all stages), we care about women, men, families, the poor, the elderly, the orphans, the sick, the disabled, the weary, the immigrants, those who have been harmed by human trafficking . . .
ALL human life.
If abortion wasn’t the killing of a child, then why do we look away if we see a picture of an aborted baby? What’s the big deal if it’s just a clump of cells, and not human? We look away because we know we are looking into the window of the womb where a human life was once growing. We are looking Truth in the face, and the reality of what an abortion really is – the slaughter and killing of a human being.
Abortion turns the womb into a tomb.
The womb should be the most sacred and safest place on earth, but instead is the most dangerous.
According to Catholic teaching a faithful Catholic must not support abortion. The Catholic Church’s teaching on abortion, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2270, is:
“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.”
The March for Life in Washington D.C. is this Friday, January 24th and will end at the Supreme Court steps. The United States is 1 of 6 countries allowing abortion after 20 weeks. China & North Korea are two of them. We are better than this.
Please continue to fight to end abortion. Please continue to fight to protect all life from conception to natural death. Keep praying. Keep marching. Keep supporting women who think they have no other option. Keep voting to protect life. Do not rest until this great human rights struggle of our time is overcome. Be Bold. Be Catholic. Fight the good fight and protect the innocent.
God bless all those who have lost their lives to abortion, those in danger of abortion, and for all post-abortive parents who have been so wounded by this terrible injustice.
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” Jeremiah 1:5 
Dear God,
Eternal, Holy God, I come to You burdened with worries, fears, doubts and troubles. Calm and quiet me with peace of mind. Empty me of the anxiety that disturbs me, of the concerns that weary my spirit, and weigh heavy on my heart. Loosen my grip on the disappointments and grievances I hold on to so tightly. Release me from the pain of past hurts, of present anger and tension, of future fears. Sometimes it’s too much for me Lord, too many demands and problems, too much sadness, suffering, and stress. Renew me spiritually and emotionally. Give me new strength, hope, and confidence. Prepare me to meet the constant struggles of daily life with a deeper faith and trust in You. Let your love set me free, for peace, for joy, for grace, for life, for others, forever. Amen.
Welcome to “Love Being Catholic!”
Dear Love Being Catholic Friends,
WELCOME to “Love Being Catholic!”
Thank you all for following this page! I just wanted to introduce myself for anyone who is new to this page, say hello, and thank you for joining “Love Being Catholic!”
My name is Liz and I am the admin for “Love Being Catholic.” I am passionate about my faith, and this page is my little way of spreading the joy and beauty of our Catholic faith. This page is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, and I pray is under her guidance and protection. It recently reached 280,000 followers, and is currently reaching several million people around the world each month.
I started “Love Being Catholic” nine years ago and post on it every day, beginning with the Morning Offering prayer and an image of our Blessed Mother and Baby Jesus. At 3:00 each day (EST) I post the Divine Mercy Image with the words, “Jesus I trust in You!” I thought it would just help you take a moment out of your day to focus on Christ and remember to TRUST in God’s divine Holy Will. Trust is so important!
This page is for Catholics, fallen away Catholics who might be interested in re-discovering their faith, or for anyone interested in learning more about what Catholics believe and why we believe it. This page was not set up to bash other religions or Protestant denominations, or to try to convert anyone to Catholicism. (That’s the Holy Spirit’s job.)My mission is to spread the truth, joy and beauty of our faith and hopefully clear up some misconceptions that we all have come across from time to time about our Catholic faith.
I wasn’t always this “into” my faith, but by the grace of God, while watching Saint John Paul II’s funeral several years ago, it struck me that I really did not really understand, or appreciate my Catholic faith. I remember watching the funeral on TV, and thinking about how many people loved this pope, his holiness, and his love for Christ and our Blessed Mother. Saint John Paul II’s death actually started me on my journey back to re-discovering my faith. I realized at the time that I could not answer basic questions that my children asked me about what Catholics believed, and why we believed it. I went through the motions and considered myself Catholic, but really didn’t know or understand, let alone agree with many of the actual teachings of the Catholic Church.
I remember asking a woman, who is now a dear friend of mine, why she was converting to Catholicism. I saw the love and joy that she had for Christ and the Catholic Church, and I wanted that same joy. This same woman prior to becoming Catholic was a member of a mega church down the street where she was very active and led several Bible studies, and yet she converted to Catholicism. I was used to hearing stories of people who had left the Church, so it was refreshing to learn why someone would want to become Catholic.
I asked her why she was converting, and she told me that the Catholic Church contained the “fullness of truth.” At the time I did not understand what she meant by this “fullness of truth”, but these words stuck with me. She told me that the issue of authority and studying church history played a big part in her conversion. She started studying the early church fathers, and discovered what the church was like right after Jesus was crucified.(It was totally Catholic.) She recommended a book to me called “Four Witnesses” by Rod Bennett. I bought the book and loved it. I had never even thought about where the Bible came from, or what the early church was like. She also told me that the movie “The Passion of the Christ” had a profound impact on her conversion to the Catholic faith. (Be sure to watch this movie if you can – it’s very hard to watch, yet very moving!)
I started reading a lot of conversion stories and two books in particular that I really enjoyed were “Surprised by Truth” by Patrick Madrid, and “Rome Sweet Home” by Scott Hahn. These books contained stories of different people from other faiths and religions who converted to Catholicism, and why they converted. They all told their stories honestly, truthfully, and with charity, without bashing their previous religion or christian denomination. Another show I started watching was Marcus Grodi’s show on EWTN called “The Journey Home” which was a show on conversion stories, also done honestly and charitably. I started attending Bible studies, reading the Bible more, and attended talks by Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins, Peter Kreeft, Allen Hunt, Patrick Madrid, and Matthew Kelly. I loved listening to others who were passionate about their Catholic faith, and hearing about why they loved being Catholic. I loved how so many people who converted to Catholicism used both faith and reason in their journeys. Each story I heard just logically made sense to me, as I searched for this “truth.”
Though I am a cradle Catholic, and have always attended Mass, I would often sit in the back and leave right after communion. I didn’t get it. I did not appreciate the beauty of the Mass, and definitely took it for granted. By the grace of God, my husband decided to convert and became a Catholic in 2007. I attended his RCIA classes with him to re-learn my faith, and loved every minute of it. His conversion to Catholicism actually helped to make me a better Catholic. My husband, a former Lutheran, is now very devoted to our Blessed Mother, and is the one who got us praying the rosary together every night. (Mary has a way of drawing her children back to the Catholic faith. Just a piece of advice -the rosary is a very powerful weapon!)
I attended a Catholic high school in Atlanta, and graduated from the University of Georgia. (Go Dawgs!) I currently work planning events for a private Catholic school. I have three children, ages 23, 19, and 16, ten brothers and sisters, tons of brother & sister-in-laws, a thousand or so nieces and nephews, and am blessed with the best parents and in-laws a girl could ask for. ) I am also a 20 year breast cancer survivor. (Yay!)
I also want to personally thank so many of you for praying for my husband when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure a few years ago, and most recently for my mom who recently had hip replacement surgery at age 85. Your prayers have truly been amazing – and I am so thankful for you all!
I also have a blog at www.lovebeingcatholic.com that I post on in case you have family and friends who are not on Facebook. From this site you can easily print out, email, or share the posts and prayers.
Many of you have asked if there is a way to donate to my online ministry. You can donate securely online at https://lovebeingcatholic.com/donate/ Anything you can do is greatly appreciated! Your donations help pay for my husband’s medical bills and monthly prescriptions – thank you all for your prayers and support!
I am truly grateful to be given the gift of my Catholic faith, have a deep love for Christ and His Blessed Mother, and am so happy and humbled to be a member of His “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church” – though I fail miserably all the time. (Thank goodness for God’s mercy!) I am still learning and re-discovering my faith, enjoy sharing it with others, and hope you enjoy it too.
That’s all (sorry this was so long!) – I just wanted to say hello and thank you for joining this page! Please know I am praying for you all and wanted to thank you again for following this page!
And one more thing, if you couldn’t tell, I Love Being Catholic! 
In Christ,
Liz
Love Being Catholic 