The birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on Sept. 8, marks the dawn of our salvation as God begins to prepare a pure vessel for the coming of His Son. Father Donald Calloway, MIC, reflects more deeply on this beautiful feast, one of only three birthdays observed liturgically on the official Church calendar. Then hear the moving story of a couple who faced the heartbreak of infertility, but through prayer, perseverance, and Natural Family Planning, discovered the beauty of cooperating with God's design.

The First Fridays and First Saturdays, as well as the Divine Mercy devotion, are all connected. Fr. Chris Alar explains how to receive the graces from these most important devotions.

Turn to any page of St. Faustina's Diary, and you'll find spiritual gems. Like this one:This would be my mortification. I did not know that this would be so beneficial to my soul. The benefit is that I am meditating constantly on His sorrowful Passion and so, while I am eating, I am not preoccupied with what I am eating, but am reflecting on my Lord’s death. (618)