Author: Virginia Lieto

You can find Virginia blogging about the virtues at virginialieto.com. Virginia has a Master of Arts Degree in Pastoral Theology. She is an adjunct professor of Theology at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Virginia is the author of a children's book titled, "Adventures of Faith, Hope and Charity - Finding Patience." Virginia is also a public speaker on the Catholic faith. She lives in Harrisburg, NC with her husband Nick.

Judas’ Betrayal of Christ: Thoughts to Ponder

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Judas Betrayal

Today is Holy Wednesday. In today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew 26: 14-25 we hear of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus Christ:

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

We are Judas when we betray Christ

I think it is safe to say, that we are all kindred spirits to Judas Iscariot. We may not want to go there and admit it, but… Read more…

Jesus, What Were You Thinking?

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Palm Sunday

It was just another day of the week, or was it? Jesus knew, as God, that before the week would end, He will have given His life, for many, to conquer death.

 

 

What must Jesus have been thinking?

 

 

He arrived in Jerusalem the day before; greeted with fanfare; literally, with palms waving in the springtime breeze. Jesus knew, only too well, how fickle man can be; how in the blink of an eye, they would turn on Him. He would be turned over to the authorities and would be put to death. Jesus only had a few more days to… Read more…

Blessed are the Stressed – Book Review

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Blessed are the Stressed

Blessed are the Stressed: Secrets to a Happy Heart from a Crabby Mystic, by Mary Lea Hill, FSP

 

 

Feeling stressed, but not necessarily blessed? Do you want to feel better about the direction of your life? Well, Blessed are the Stressed: Secrets to a Happy Heart from a Crabby Mystic, by Sister Mary Lea Hill, FSP focuses on reducing your stress by embracing the tenets of the Beatitudes. Specifically, this book addresses the importance the Beatitudes play in your life, especially in a culture that tells us that happiness can be found in a slick new car, or a fancy new house. According to Sister Mary Lea, true happiness, or blessedness, is found in… Read more…

Remembering My Mother

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Mom and Dad Duffy

Today would have been my mother’s 95th birthday has she still been alive. Virginia Christesen Duffy was smart as a whip, yet only received a high school education. She’s the only person I know that would dare to complete the New York Times Sunday Puzzle in ink! I fondly remember the time my parents took me to Europe for a vacation. I was 19 years old. I took French for three years in high school, and I was ready and anxious to use it! We were in a French café, one day, looking at… Read More…

Power of Novena Prayer

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

st-joseph-novena-e-card

Friday, I begin the Novena to St. Joseph, asking for his intercession to pray for me. St. Joseph is known for being a faithful servant to God, for his protection and caring for the infant Jesus throughout his life. I am trying to be faithful to Jesus’ call for me to be a public speaker for the Catholic faith. Who better to go to for encouragement and prayers said on my behalf, for the virtue of faithfulness, than the saint known for his faithfulness! This Novena culminates on the ninth day, which happens to be the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19th).

Saint Joseph is known to intercede on our behalf when looking for work, which I am doing as well, as a public speaker. I have firsthand testimony on the power of prayer regarding this Novena, when it comes to looking for work. This time last year, my husband … Read more…

Visiting the Sick Makes You Better!

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

visiting_hours

As promised, each month this year, I will cover an act, or acts of mercy. This month we will focus on visiting the sick as part of the Year of Mercy series, where we explore the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

Have you ever had to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time? Or, have you ever been homebound while convalescing to better health? I have, and I can attest to the fact that it gets very lonely and scary, while lying in a hospital bed. Because of my clubbed feet, I spent almost half of my childhood either in the hospital, or recuperating at home. The nights in the hospital were the worst. Especially for a child, it gets scary being in a strange place at night. I just wanted to be at home, surrounded by my family, in my own bed. Therefore, anyone who would come to visit me, especially at night, made my day!

Visits help… Read more…

Our Lenten Journey: Check-in Time!

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Our Lenten Journey

Can you believe it! We are already three weeks into Lent – half way through the Lenten season. I thought this would be a good time to check in with everyone to see how we are all doing with our Lenten sacrifices/growth in virtue.

Pope Francis gave us a challenge to give up “indifference” this Lent. As soon as I read this article I said, “Good idea, but this means that we will really need to strap on some virtue to accomplish this task.”

My Lenten Journey

As you may recall, my Lenten promise was to practice patience, and not lose my temper so quickly. I knew that much prayer would be needed. Knowing that the root cause for losing my patience happens to be pride, … Read more…

Awesome Book! Stay with Me – Book Review

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Stay with Me

Awesome, simply awesome! That is it in a nutshell regarding the fantastic book, Stay with Me, by Carolyn Astfalk. This Christian fiction novel centers around two young people in their 20’s, named Chris Reynolds and Rebecca Rhodes. Chris is Catholic and Rebecca is not. This fact comes out early in the story. From that point on, we see two people of different backgrounds with different beliefs and baggage, who fall in love with each other. We see how they face the challenges of maintaining chastity in their relationship. We see how they grow in purity and love for one another. This book is packed with virtue, displayed, oh so brilliantly, by Carolyn Astfalk in the most positive manner.

For me, this book was a page turner. I couldn’t put it down! I had to know… Read more…

 

Love Endures All Things

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Love Endures

“Love endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).

 

I have to admit that this well known passage on Love from 1 Corinthians is one of my favorites. At our wedding ceremony, my husband and I included this passage at our Wedding Mass some 36+ years ago. Little did I know then what this passage would mean over time. When you are young, you think you know everything as you enter the early years of adulthood. Yet, some 36+ years later, this passage continues to teach me what Love is all about.

I am married to a wonderful man. We have endured times of financial stress together,… Read more…

Pope Francis: The Church of Mercy

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

pope francis 2

The Church of Mercy, by Pope Francis: Book Review

For the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, I decided to learn more about the virtue of Mercy. What better book to read than Pope Francis’ The Church of Mercy?

I found this book very insightful. In this book, Pope Francis provides a selection of his 2013 speeches and homilies. Taking into consideration his election as Pope occurred in March 2013, these speeches and homilies were some of his first. Mercy, a hallmark of Pope Francis’ papacy, remains a priority for moving the church forward, as evidenced by his declaration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Throughout the book, Pope Francis… Read more…