NCR: Have Women You Love Left the Faith? Here’s Why

I recently spoke on Catholic Answers about Mary and the modern woman. A man called in asking about his daughter, saying that although he homeschooled her and taught her the catechism, at 17, she now had little regard for the Church. It was clear he was struggling with how he had failed her. Based on what he told me, this concerned dad was not the problem.

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

ANGELUS: In a Chaotic World, a Simple Solution: The Rosary

In our complex modern world, our problems look terribly complicated, so it is easy to assume that their solutions must be equally complex. The Marian option might appear to be simple — perhaps too simple — but simplicity is not the same as superficiality. Many things that seem simple can be incredibly powerful, efficacious and surprisingly profound. The love between a mother and her children is one of these things. We understand this on a human level. How much greater it must be when Mary — the Mother of God — is also our mother.

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

NCR: Catholicism Brings Order to Your Soul, But Only If You Let It

Most people living outside of deep faith have a negative perception of what it means to be a Catholic: strict, stuck in past, rigid, medieval, and hypocritical are some the kinder terms often used. Others use more unprintable descriptions that generally say more about those who have been unfaithful to Church teaching than faithful to it. Sadly, the view from the outside is dramatically different than the view from the inside.

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

Litany of Light in Spanish: Letanías de la Luz

Dr. Luis Del Valle in Guatemala has kindly translated the Litany of Light into Spanish.

Letanías de la Luz

V. Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

R. Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.

V. Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. Cristo, escúchanos.

R. Cristo, escúchanos con gracia.

Dios, Padre celestial, Ten piedad de nosotros

Dios, Hijo, Redentor del mundo, Ten piedad de nosotros

Dios, Espíritu Santo, Ten piedad de nosotros.

Trinidad Santa que sois un solo Dios, Ten piedad de nosotros.

Cristo, Luz del Mundo, escúchanos.

Santa Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros.

Madre del Nuevo Amanecer, ruega por nosotros.

Santísima Trinidad, fuente de toda luz, ilumina la oscuridad en nuestro mundo.

A las mentes de aquellos que están oscurecidos por el pecado, tráeles tu luz.

A los corazones de los que están atrapados por la pornografía, tráeles tu luz.

A aquellos que sufren depresión o enfermedad mental, tráeles tu luz.

A las almas esclavizadas por el abuso de sustancias, tráeles tu luz.

A aquellos que están sobrecargados por la atracción por el mismo sexo, tráeles tu luz.

A aquellos dominados por la ansiedad y el miedo, tráeles tu luz.

A los corazones de los que lloran, tráeles tu luz.

A las almas y cuerpos de los abusadores y los abusados, tráeles tu luz.

A aquellos que no tienen lugar para llamar a casa, tráeles tu luz.

A los que intentan matar en el nombre de Dios, tráeles tu luz.

A las clínicas de aborto, tráeles tu luz.

A los burdeles y lugares de tráfico humano, tráeles tu luz.

A los hospitales, farmacias y residencias de ancianos, tráeles tu luz.

A las aulas donde se propaga desesperación, confusión y falsedad, tráeles tu luz.

A las calles violentas e infestadas de drogas, tráeles tu luz.

A territorios devastados por la guerra, tráeles tu luz.

A las tierras oscurecidas, inundadas o destruidas por desastres naturales, tráeles tu luz.

Dondequiera que haya confusión, desesperación, soledad e ira, tráeles tu luz.

San José, ruega por nosotros.

Santa María Magdalena, ruega por nosotros.

Santa Lucía, ruega por nosotros.

San Agustín, ruega por nosotros.

Santa Hildegarda de Bingen, ruega por nosotros.

Santa Clara, ruega por nosotros.

San Alberto Magno, ruega por nosotros.

Santo Tomás de Aquino, ruega por nosotros.

San Buenaventura, ruega por nosotros.

Todos los coros de los ángeles, rueguen por nosotros.

María, Luz en la oscuridad, ruega por nosotros.

V. Luz del Mundo, que quitas los pecados del mundo,

R. perdónanos, Señor.

V. Luz del Mundo, que quitas los pecados del mundo,

R. Escúchanos con gracia, Señor.

V. Luz del Mundo, que quitas los pecados del mundo,

R. ten piedad de nosotros, Señor.

Amen

Imprimatur: The Most Reverend Liam Cary, Bishop of Baker, Oregon

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

NCR: This Litany is a Remedy for the Darkness of the World

So there in the darkness in the wee hours of the night, the thought hit me that even if I can’t go to these places and help, I could ask the Source of all light to go to them. I realized that I could send Christ to illuminate the very dark corners of the earth. The Litany of Light below is the fruit of these meager prayers.

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

NCR: We All Suffer, but Not All Suffering is the Same

Recently, on EWTN’s Franciscan University Presents, Regis Martin and Scott Hahn said lovely things about an analysis on suffering that I’d written in my book Nudging Conversions. “Where did you steal that?“ Martin asked, with a smile on his face.

Surprised by his question, I gave credit for the idea to the Holy Spirit. It was a framework I’d come to see suffering through over many years and sort of thought it was obvious. But as I learned from Martin and Hahn that day, it isn’t as obvious as I thought.

Recently, on EWTN’s Franciscan University Presents, Regis Martin and Scott Hahn said lovely things about an analysis on suffering that I’d written in my book Nudging Conversions. “Where did you steal that?“ Martin asked, with a smile on his face.

Surprised by his question, I gave credit for the idea to the Holy Spirit. It was a framework I’d come to see suffering through over many years and sort of thought it was obvious. But as I learned from Martin and Hahn that day, it isn’t as obvious as I thought.

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

NCR: Women Don’t Need to Look Far to Know God’s Will

There is a deep chasm today between the cultural understanding of woman and the Church’s model of the ideal woman, the Virgin Mary. The gap between the two is so wide that it is almost laughable to suggest in secular circles that Mary isn’t an obstacle but a guide to true happiness. How, then, can we narrow this gulf? How can we recapture Mary as a model?

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

The Federalist: The Patriarchy Has Been Replaced By A Stifling Matriarchy

We women appreciate that others work hard to provide us new selections every season. What we may not realize, however, is that the marketplace of ideas works like the fashion industry. Instead of elite designers, the political and social elite—the matriarchy—provide the parameters about what we think. Instead of skirt lengths and eye-shadow hues, they suggest intellectual trends that we scarcely know are being dictated to us through every possible avenue, from women’s magazines to popular daytime television and, especially, mainstream media.

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

NCR: You Can’t Be Both Pro-Choice and Anti-Racist

When pro-abortion rhetoric is replaced with pro-slavery concepts, it becomes quite clear that the arguments simply don’t hold water. Who among us would believe that you can both be for Black people and yet somehow think slavery is a good thing? And yet, millions each day are convinced that it is somehow okay to be pro-child and pro-choice while totally missing the logical inconsistency.

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

The Federalist: How Acting Like a Feminist Can Ruin Your Marriage

While it is tough to overlook real character flaws in men, a missing piece from these discussions is any consideration of the dramatic changes that have taken place in women over the last five decades. Perhaps females have become less marriageable? Women today are supposed to “be bold and assertive,” but could all this girl-power actually undermine our best efforts at finding marital bliss?

Posted on July 29, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

NCR: Symptoms, Causes and Loving Those with Same-Sex Attraction

Treating the symptoms and not the cause, sadly, is all too common. There is an ongoing discussion about how to best help those with same-sex attraction (SSA). The popular consensus—even among many in the Church today—seems to be that the best thing to do is to accept them, let them live out their passions, and celebrate their diversity. Their lives are just like those of heterosexuals, or so the argument goes. What this position requires, however, it to overlook so many symptoms—depression, substance abuse, porn addiction, suicide, cancer—as well as the underlying cause.

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

AMERICA MAGAZINE: Seeking Mary in a world of crisis: a Q&A with Carrie Gress

The message, in a nutshell, is that Mary as our spiritual mother is anxious to help us with any problem, particularly through devotion to the rosary. While the book obviously has a lot more to it than that, it really boils down to something very simple. Like the handful of rocks that David picked up from the dirt to use against Goliath, the rosary is a weapon—a powerful weapon.

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

NCR: Are We Witnessing the Battle Involving an Antimary and an Antichrist?

In case we needed further evidence of how entrenched the antimary is, the recent news cycle features Planned Parenthood abortionists laughing about dismembering babies while Glamour Magazine gives instructions for DIY abortion pills that pair nicely with Chardonnay. (Okay, they didn’t add the wine, but it isn’t a stretch). Truly our zeitgeist is captivated (or captured) with distinctive antimary markings. This unprecedented movement of destruction, where a culture is led by female vice, not male brute force, has bled into every area of our culture — with no man, women, child (or fetus) left untouched.

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

ALETEIA: 6 Reasons why all Christians (non-Catholics too!) should have a relationship with Mary

To put Protestants at ease right way: Catholics do not worship Mary. Period. We venerate her because as the Mother of Jesus, Christ came to us through her. God could have done it any way he wanted, and yet this was how he chose to come to us. It is only fitting then, that the Mother should help us return to her Son.

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Carrie Gress.

THE STREAM: Should Fearless Girls Worship the Golden Calf of Abortion?

The saga of the Charging Bull and the Fearless Girl is back in the news. It seems New York sculptor Alex Gardega objected to feminists’ appropriating the Wall Street icon. So he added something: a pug, relieving itself on the girl.

I couldn’t put my finger on it. But something about the Fearless Girl statue didn’t sit well with me. Social media fawned over the diminutive addition that bravely stood in front of Charging Bull in New York’s financial district. But the statue seemed like a cheap way to score political points. My cynicism grew the more I considered her underlying message.

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Carrie Gress.