The Narrow Gate Blog

This article was originally published at ncregister.com The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is celebrated throughout the world on the Friday following the Feast of Corpus Christi.Every year, 19 days after Pentecost, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But where did that tradition originate?Devotion to the wounded heart of Jesus has its origins in the eleventh century, when pious Christians meditated on the Five Wounds of Christ. There grew up among the faithf …

By Fr John FladerThis article was originally published in the Catholic Weekly. I have some Lebanese friends who are very excited about the arrival in Sydney of a replica of the tomb and of the body of St Charbel. I am not Lebanese myself and know nothing about this saint. What can you tell me about him?St Charbel was born into a poor Catholic Maronite family on 8 May 1828, in the mountain village of Bekaa Kafra in North Lebanon. Given the name Youssef, he was the youngest of five …

This article first appeared at: catholicweekly.com.au The Saturday night rosary was a cornerstone of my family life growing up. After dinner was finished, all 12 of us would gather in the living room, sitting on the couch, chairs or the floor.The lights would be switched off and the candles next to the statue of Our Lady holding the child Jesus would be lit.Mum and Dad would then list all the people we were going to pray for and if any child had anybody else to add to the list they could do so. …

This article first appeared at: fireupministries.com Several years ago, I was part of a community service group at my parish that visited the elderly in a nursing home once a month. I looked forward to these visits so much. I always felt proud of myself for doing something good for the elderly, but I never realized how much they could and would do for me. God introduced me one day to an elderly man that would radically impact my life and my outlook on love.As I entered the nursing home one Sunda …