Happy Feast of Mary, Mother of God!
Many Fundamentalists cringe at the notion that we consider Mary to be the Mother of God. Why do we give her that high title?
Learn why here!
Happy New Year! May God bless you and your family in 2013! Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
Merry Christmas from your Catholics Come Home team!
“The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives—all indicate a close-knit, loving family that looked forward to the next generation even while retaining the best of the past.
“Joachim and Anne…represent that entire quiet series of generations who faithfully perform their duties, practice their faith and establish an atmosphere for the coming of the Messiah, but remain obscure.”
Read more at AmericanCatholic.org.
Sts. Joachim and Anne, pray for us and for our families to grow in holiness together!
What strikes you most from Luke’s account of the Annunciation?
In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:26-38
Jesus is coming! Prepare the way of the Lord!
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Do you have questions about Catholic teaching on Our Lady? Do your friends? Check out this page on our CatholicsComeHome.org website to learn about the Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Conception…and more.
Holy Mother Mary, pray for us!
“The message of Fatima is simple: Pray.”
Read more about this feast day here.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us, and help us to pray!
Any Friend of God’s is a Friend of Mine
By Patrick Madrid
The best ever explanation of the Catholic doctrine of the communion of saints written for a popular audience. Patrick 
Madrid explains in a clear, easy-to-follow style why Catholics pray to and honor Mary and the saints. Using the Bible and the testimony of the early Church Fathers, he provides a concise overview of the biblical and historical foundations of this often misunderstood Catholic doctrine. He also walks you through the standard anti-Catholic arguments against praying to Mary and the saints and demonstrates from the Bible why these arguments are themselves unbiblical.
Get it today from our web store and help support CCH in the process!
In Romans, chapter 3, it says that none is righteous and that all have sinned, but the Catholic Church teaches that Mary is without sin…could you explain that in light of Romans 3?
Find out the answer here!
“The Holy Rosary is the storehouse of countless blessings.” – Blessed Alan de la Roche
Looking to enhance your prayer life by going deeper into the mysteries of the Holy R
osary? Check out these great books to help you draw closer to Jesus and Mary as you pray the Rosary.
The New Rosary in Scripture: Biblical Insights for Praying the 20 Mysteries – Edward Sri
The Rosary: A Journey to the Beloved – Gary Jansen
The Rosary: Chain of Hope (Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary with Twenty Renaissance Paintings) – Fr. Benedict Groeschel
More book recommendations on prayer, Mary, and other topics? Check out the Shop section at CatholicsComeHome.org.
Some insights on prayer to think about today:
How does prayer help us?
“And the more we pray, the happier we become. The more we pray, the less anxious we become, and we are filled with a greater peace of mind and heart. The more we pray, the more we understand ourselves, for we come to know God more intimately, by experience – and we really only know ourselves to the degree that we know God personally. The more we pray, we begin to see the hand of God in our day to day life, that is, we see Him acting in our life. We begin to see that He loves us, personally. That makes life so much more meaningful.” -Deacon Doug McManaman, “The Importance of Prayer”
How does prayer help the world?
As Catholics, we believe that prayer is astoundingly powerful. The prayers of the saints have had an impact on history unmatched by political and social world leaders over the centuries. All of humanity has benefited from the prayers of the saints. Look at our Blessed Mother Mary. Did not her prayer and submission to God impact the world in the most profound way? Does not her continued intercession on our behalf influence the hearts of all people around the world, as she encourages us always to say our own “yes” to our Heavenly Father?
“…see prayer for what it is: a matter of life or death, your lifeline to God, to life itself. Is this exaggerated? Are there more important things? Love, for instance? We need love absolutely; but the love we need is agape, the love that only God has and is; so unless we go to God for it, we won’t get it. And going to God for it means prayer. So unless we pray, we will not love.” -Peter Kreeft, “Lesson One in Prayer“
Did you hear about Our Holy Father’s beautiful words on Pentecost about the role of the Blessed Mother in our celebration of this holy day?
Pope Benedict XVI said that “there is no Church without Pentecost” and “there is no Pentecost without the Virgin Mary.” Read more here.
Let us all continue to call on the intercession of our Blessed Mother as we enter into Ordinary Time again.
Take time to grow in your faith this season; visit CatholicsComeHome.org.
