I did and do take solace in the Church, as a sparrow makes a nest in an old, solid oak; the Church's very age and wisdom speak quietly for themselves, silently drawing in wanderers like me. Jesus loves wanderers and prodigals; and the Church must welcome them with open arms--in my case, she did, and warmly at that. I find it beautiful about Catholicism that worship, in her way, is not so much an experience as it is an act of the will; yes, the senses are engaged by the sweet, thick smell of incense at the altar, the soft flickering of candles, the otherworldly melodies of chant; but ultimately, as a Catholic, I go to Mass to worship--to give Jesus the honor and glory He is worthy of; I go to Mass because I love Him.The House You’re Building was produced by Marshall Altman (producer for Marc Broussard, Natasha Bedingfield, Bethany Dillon, and Brooke Fraser) and it features collaborations with Sarah Hart and Canadian-Catholic performer Matt Maher among others. Audrey’s sound is reminiscent of Brooke Fraser meets Sara Groves and decidedly, Sara Bareilles. In her interview with CNN, Audrey says that she wishes more women would put their artistic talents to work in the world of Catholic music:
Women express their thoughts, particularly about faith and relationships, differently than men,” she said, adding that she has conservative views about the roles of men and women in the church and home. “I love men; I want them to be empowered to be leaders … but I also think that it’s a shame that there aren’t more women doing artistic, creative things in the music industry.To learn more about Audrey and her music, visit her on myspace. There you can take a listen to her first single "For Love of You":
For love of you I’m a sky on fire And because of you I come alive It is your Sacred Heart within me beating, Your voice within me singing out; For love of You. You are the highway I travel, Because I watch you carve streets of gold from all the sin and gravel; I gave you brokenness You gave me innocence And now this road leads to glory.
Pope Francis continued his cycle of catechesis on "Jesus Christ our Hope," as part of the Jubilee 2025. This week, he reflected on the mystery of the Presentation of the Lord and how Mary and Joseph obeyed "the Law of the Lord and [...] all its prescriptions."
We begin our annual pilgrimage of Lent in faith and hope with the penitential rite of the imposition of ashes.
Pope Francis continued his cycle of catechesis on "Jesus Christ our Hope," as part of the Jubilee 2025. This week he reflected on the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, writing that the Magi "are men who do not stay still but, like the great chosen ones of biblical history, feel the need to move, to go forth. They are men who are able to look beyond themselves, who know how to look upwards."
In his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis continued this cycle of catechesis on "Jesus Christ our Hope," as part of the Jubilee 2025. This week he reflected on the birth of Christ and the visit of the shepherds, saying that "God, who comes into history, does not dismantle the structures of the world, but wants to illuminate them and recreate them from within."
Pope Francis invites us to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, that the ecclesial community might welcome the desires and doubts of those young people who feel a call to serve Christ’s mission in the priesthood and religious life.