21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 24, 2025

Ignatian Spiritual Exercises

Mini Explanation
The Ignatian Spiritual Exercises are prayers and meditations which are meant to accompany souls on a journey toward deeper contemplation of God’s love and a more meaningful understanding of his call to discipleship.

Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Explained!

The Ignatian Spiritual Exercises are prayers and meditations developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (commonly referred to as the Jesuits).

St. Ignatius of Loyola (1492-1556) was born to a noble Basque family. In his youth, he spent time at the Royal Court of Castile and fought in the Spanish army. He experienced a profound religious conversion during a long period of convalescence following a battle injury. Living in a cave outside of Manresa, he began to keep the journal that became the basis of the famous Spiritual Exercises.

The Spiritual Exercises are meant to accompany souls on a journey toward deeper contemplation of God’s love and a more meaningful understanding of his call to discipleship in the life of each person. Divided into four stages, or “weeks,” the exercises focus on the interior movements of the heart to unveil the will of God. 

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 17, 2025

Devotions, Explained!

Gregorian Chant

Mini Explanation
Defined by a monophonic (meaning a single melody without harmony or chords), unaccompanied song, Gregorian chant is a form of sacred music used in liturgical settings and prayer. It has been synonymous with Catholic musical worship since the first millennium.

Gregorian Chant, Explained!

Gregorian chant is an ancient form of sacred music used in liturgical worship and prayer. Defined by a monophonic (meaning a single melody without harmony or chords), unaccompanied song, this type of chant focuses the singer’s mind on the content of the prayer being sung, which makes it uniquely suited for use in the Mass.

Dating to the first millennium, it derives its name from Pope St. Gregory the Great, though scholarship is unclear on when exactly this type of chant originated. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, it was standard to use Gregorian chant in the Roman Rite Mass. Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on Divine Worship promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1963, asserts that Gregorian chant is “specially suited to the Roman liturgy…(and) should be given pride of place in liturgical services.”

19 Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 10, 2025

Devotions, Explained!

House Blessing

Mini Explanation — Catholics who move to a new place of residence often wish to have their dwelling blessed, to call the favor and help of God upon all those who live in the house and all those who will enter it. The Roman Ritual provides two formats for such blessings.

House Blessing, Explained!

Catholics who move to a new place of residence often wish to have their dwelling blessed, to call the favor and help of God upon all those who live in the house and all those who will enter it.

The Roman Ritual (Book of Blessings) provides two formats for house blessings: one during the Easter or Christmas season (specifically for the Epiphany) and one for Ordinary Time. Those who live in the home must be present for a house to be blessed. A priest, deacon or lay person can administer the blessing, although if a lay person does so they must use the rites accorded to lay ministers in the Roman Ritual.

A house blessing includes Scripture readings, intercessions and a prayer of blessing.

18 Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday, August 3, 2025

Devotions, Explained!
Holy Hour

Mini Explanation
  A holy hour is the practice of spending one hour’s time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, praying and meditating on the agony of Jesus Christ.

Holy Hour, Explained!

A holy hour is the practice of spending one hour’s time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, praying and meditating on the agony of Jesus Christ. More broadly, a holy hour can also refer to any 60 minutes set aside in prayer and reflection, whether in church or elsewhere.

The holy hour devotion dates to the late 17th century, when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received visions of Jesus Christ. In these visions, the Lord requested that St. Margaret Mary spend one hour every Thursday evening lying prostrate and meditating upon his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. This practice calls back to the Gospel of Matthew, which tells of Jesus’ desire for the disciples to “remain here and keep watch with me” (Mathew 26:38) as he awaited his passion.

Holy hours can be made privately or in community, and the USCCB has created a variety of different holy hour formats that can be found at usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/eucharistic-devotion. 

Mini Explanation
The daily examen is a spiritual practice whereby one places himself in the presence of God, prayerfully reflecting on the blessings of the day, the actions he took, and the invitation God has for his future decisions.

Daily Examen, Explained!

The daily examen is a spiritual practice derived from the writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. A Basque nobleman, Ignatius underwent a series of religious conversions as a young man following a wound sustained in the Battle of Pamplona in 1521. His Spiritual Exercises were first published in 1548 and form the basis of what is known today as “Ignatian spirituality.”

Many different versions of the examen have been developed over the centuries, but all are centered on the same five elements which themselves reflect Ignatius’ process of self-review and spiritual discernment. 

In completing the daily examen, an individual places himself in the presence of God, prayerfully reflecting on the blessings of the day, the actions he took, and the invitation God has for his future decisions.

For more information on the examen and to find different variations of it, visit ignatianspirituality.com.

St. Bridget Prayers

Mini Explanation
The St. Bridget Prayers evoke the imagery of Christ’s suffering and death, plead for the forgiveness of the supplicant’s sins, for a happy death, for fear and love of the Lord, and for a renunciation of worldly desires.

St. Bridget Prayers, Explained!

St. Bridget of Sweden (d. 1373) was a noblewoman of the Middle Ages whose renowned mysticism centered on the passion of Christ. A mother of eight and an attendant at the royal court in Sweden, as a widow she founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior, advocated for reform in the church and for the return of the Pope to Rome from France.

The St. Bridget Prayers refer to 15 prayers attributed to Bridget which evoke the imagery of Christ’s suffering and death, plead for the forgiveness of the supplicant’s sins, for a happy death, for fear and love of the Lord, and for a renunciation of worldly desires.

For many years, these prayers were associated with divine promises, though in 1954 the Catholic Church declared that it could not be said that these promises were of supernatural origin. The prayers themselves remain beloved and popular devotions to Christ’s passion.

Spiritual Direction

Mini Explanation
Spiritual direction is the practice of seeking counsel from someone who is learned in the faith for the purpose of discerning the will of God in one’s life.

Spiritual Direction, Explained!

Spiritual direction is the practice of seeking counsel from someone who is trustworthy and learned in the faith for the purpose of discerning the will of God in one’s life and for more effectively living out one’s baptismal calling.

All Christians are commanded, in a way, to provide spiritual aid to one another (“Go, make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” — Matthew 28:19), but a spiritual director is usually an individual who has received some form of training or formation for this specific purpose. The Catholic Church, however, does not have explicit requirements, professional standards or a formal certification process for spiritual directors. Spiritual directors can be lay, religious or ordained persons.

Spiritual direction is not to be confused with the sacrament of Penance, though the latter does usually include some spiritual counsel. 

St. Michael Prayer

Mini Explanation —
The prayer to St. Michael, composed by Pope Leo XIII, invokes the protection of the archangel Michael in the ongoing spiritual battle for the souls of all mankind. It is commonly said at the end of the rosary and by some parishes after the conclusion of Mass.

St. Michael Prayer, Explained!

The prayer to St. Michael invokes the protection of the archangel Michael in the ongoing spiritual battle for the souls of all mankind. This prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII and its use was instituted in 1886 at the end of Low Mass, a tradition which continued until the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. A popular story regarding its origin claims that the Pope wrote this prayer after having a vision of demonic spirits descending on Rome.

Michael is mentioned as one of God’s seven archangels in the Book of Enoch and is presented by Revelations 12:7-12 as the warrior angel who cast Satan from heaven. He is therefore traditionally venerated as a protector against the forces of evil and a guardian of the Church.

The Prayer to St. Michael is still commonly said at the end of the rosary and by some parishes after the conclusion of Mass.

Pilgrimage

Mini Explanation —
A pilgrimage is a journey to a place of spiritual significance undertaken by one who is seeking closeness to Heaven while still on Earth.

Pilgrimage, Explained

When the time came for the Transfiguration of Christ, Jesus took three of his disciples to “a high mountain by themselves,” indicating that the sacred mysteriousness of this moment was something best experienced apart from the routine of ordinary life. This is the principle behind the act of pilgrimage: a journey to a place of spiritual significance, undertaken by one who is seeking closeness to Heaven while still on Earth.

Christian pilgrimages really began in the fourth century, when churches in the Holy Land were constructed in locations associated with the life of Christ. Throughout the centuries, pilgrims have likewise flocked to sites of Marian apparitions, miracles, and to places connected with the lives of saints. Some of the most iconic pilgrimage destinations include Fatima, Lourdes, and the Santiago de Compostela in Spain