Things I Want to Do More (Part 1)

The Father

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- Pointing to the Father "Thérèse would move much more easily toward the Father because of having experienced a human father full of goodness and tenderness." We return to that idea of goodness again. And I've been sitting with this one in my own life — as a father of five. There is an opportunity before fathers in particular that I don't think we talk about enough. To be, in some real sense, the face of the Father for our children. Not just to model the faith — though that matters — but to let ourselves be, as best we can, a reflection of God's goodness and tenderness in the home. The downstream effects of that are hard to overstate. A child who grows up experiencing a father who is present, good, and loving will find it easier to believe that God is present, good, and loving. That's not a small thing. St. Louis Martin didn't just raise saints. He gave them a picture of fatherhood that pointed beyond itself — toward the Father. That's the calling. Just goodness and tenderness, pursued faithfully, day after day. Let us pray. Jesus, You revealed the face of the Father. Help us to do the same in whatever way You want. Amen.  Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Confidence in His Goodness

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- Confidence in His Goodness Returning to The Extraordinary Parents of St. Thérèse — one of the hallmarks of Louis and Zélie Martin's lives was what the author calls "confidence in the goodness of God." There's an important word in there: goodness. Most of us believe — at least in some sense — that God is all-powerful. That He can do anything. That's not usually where our faith struggles. But do we believe that He is good? That He doesn't just provide for us, but that He is so loving, so attentive, that He is involved in every corner of our lives? That He wants the best for us? That He works tirelessly for our good? Louis and Zélie's lives were not without struggle. Not without trial or hardship. And yet they carried this confidence in the goodness of God through all of it. That's a different kind of faith. Not just believing God can — but trusting that He will, because He is good. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we believe that You are good. We believe that You love us and want the best for us. Increase our faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.  Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Any State of Life

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- Any State in Life "They learned, little by little, from the Lord that holiness doesn't reside in one state in life but in a trusting and loving response to God's call in daily life." I've been reading The Extraordinary Parents of St. Thérèse, where I came across that line. The Martin family is a remarkable example of this. Louis and Zélie Martin — now saints themselves — raised five daughters, all of whom entered religious life. The most famous is St. Thérèse of Lisieux, one of the most beloved saints in the history of the Church. Thérèse became a saint as a Carmelite nun. Louis and Zélie became saints as husband and wife, as parents. Different states in life, but the same trusting response to God's call. It wasn't the state in life that made them saints. It was what they did within it. Whatever our state in life — married, single, religious, widowed — holiness isn't waiting for us somewhere else. It's available right here, in whatever God has placed in front of us today. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, help us to follow Your will this day, in the way that best pleases You. Help us to look for You in our daily lives. In Jesus' name. Amen. Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Gift of God

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- The Gift of God My parish is holding its 40 Hours this week. In the opening talk, a priest of our diocese said something that really stuck with me: “If you knew the gift of God.” And if my notes are right, that’s from John 4. To someone who has never known God — or who doesn’t understand the Eucharist — we might say those words as a kind of invitation. If you only knew. But speaking for ourselves, we do know. We’ve known for so long, maybe, that we’ve started to forget. The supernatural has become the natural to us. We believe that Jesus Christ — God Himself — comes to us under the appearance of bread and wine. That we receive Him. That this happens every single day, in every Catholic church, all over the world. Someone hearing that for the first time would probably say, “Wait — you believe what?” Yeah. We believe that. But do we receive it that way? “If you knew the gift of God.” We do know. The question is whether we’re living like it. Let us pray. Lord, we give thanks for the many gifts that You continue to give us. Help us to always remember that You are a generous and loving God. In Jesus’ name. Amen Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

A New Land

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- A New Land In this time between the Ascension and Pentecost, our Lord's words come back to us: "I go to prepare a place for you." I had a moment this past week where so much of the imagery we hear in Scripture just clicked for me. Here's what I mean. Imagine a father who goes ahead to a new land to prepare a home for his family. While he's gone, he hasn't forgotten them. He hasn't left them behind. Everything he's doing — all of it — is still for their good. For their future. So they can be together. That's the Ascension. But the analogy goes even further. Because the father doesn't just leave the family to find their own way. He sends someone back to help them make the journey. And this is where it goes beyond any analogy we could construct. It's not just that our Lord sends someone. He sends His Holy Spirit. He sends Himself — to be with us, to guide us, to help us make the journey home. That's what we're waiting for in these days. He has gone ahead. He hasn't forgotten us. And He is coming. Let us pray. Lord, help us trust that You are still working, even when we cannot see it. Come, Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]