Most of us cross ourselves with holy water each time we enter a church. The practice of using holy water is so common we might not give it a second thought. But it is an important gift the Church gives us that we would be remiss not to take advantage of.
When I was praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary recently, I realized an ugly truth about myself: if I were in Mary’s shoes, I would have a difficult time seeing the events in the mysteries as joyful. In fact, I imagined myself complaining about them and using each of the events as a reason to feel sorry for myself. This idea took over my meditation, and I began to see each mystery primarily in terms of the sorrow it caused for Mary.
The Eucharist is the foundation of our Catholic faith and the “source and summit” of Christian life. (CCC 1324). When Jesus told his apostles to eat his body and drink his blood at the Last Supper, he instituted this sacrament that we now partake in every time we go to Mass and receive Holy Communion.
Question: Who are all the women named Mary in the Gospels?
In addition to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, the Gospels mention a few other women named Mary. We’ve created a list to help you understand who all these women were!
