But I loved communication, writing and evangelization. Sister Theresa Aletheia: I was initially inspired to keep a skull on my desk by Blessed James Alberione, the founder of the Daughters of Saint Paul. I figured I would do this for two weeks at most. Here's a unique way to support CatholicTV! How do we change that? The ceramic skull on Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble’s desk is a daily reminder that she will die one day. I was a strict vegan, but I could never accept what many animal rights’ activists argue, that speciesism — a blind prejudice for one’s own species — was the only reason human life is inherently more valuable than animal life. The days of Advent were often set aside for meditation on the Last Things as well. Our existence is good and, as St. Ambrose wrote, “Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature.” Death comes from sin. Our Sunday Visitor: What made you return to the Catholic faith after you ventured into atheism? I entered the Daughters of St. Paul in 2010 trusting that God would come through. On the Feast of the Lady of the Rosary, the USCCB seeks healing and asks Our Lady to pray for us and help lead us to Jesus. When we pray these mysteries we can ask for the grace to live our lives in preparation for our death, and we can thank God for the gift of salvation that allows us to hope in eternal life and the final resurrection of the body. CatholicTV is a powerful community of prayer. This is a photo illustration depicting memento mori, a reminder of one's death. Our Sunday Visitor: When did you enter religious life? Sister Theresa Aletheia: God knew where I belonged and revealed it to me over time. Punk music faces the problem of suffering and the ravages of sin head on, though punks would not generally use that language. Many things can be a memento mori, that is, things that help us remember our deaths. Click the image below. But they also often attract people who take life seriously and want to know the truth. People started buying skulls for their desks and meditating on death along with me. In most of the photos, the deceased is made to pose as if alive, sometimes surrounded by their family, held by their spouses or parents, and photographed with flowers. Bishop Robert Reed prays the sorrowful mysteries of The Rosary in Studio B at The CatholicTV Network in front of replicas of stained glass windows from Saint Mary's Hall at Boston College. He doesn’t want us to prepare to meet him every once in a while; he wants us to do this every day. As part of our media ministry, The Daughters of Saint Paul run a publishing house, Pauline Books and Media. Sister Theresa Aletheia: I think it’s a quality of human existence to fear death. That might sound frightening, but in the context of our faith, preparation for death is about union with God, and nothing is more important for the Christian. Bishop Robert Reed prays the joyful mysteries of The Rosary in Studio B at The CatholicTV Network in front of replicas of stained glass windows from Saint Mary's Hall at Boston College. Our older sisters tell me that during the month of November, they used to place a small coffin in the middle of our chapel to remind the sisters of their mortality. “Any day we spend not contemplating and preparing for that reality, even if it’s just for a moment, is a day wasted,” said Sister Theresa, who is active on social media and often uses the #mementomori hashtag along with a skull emoji on Twitter. Your gift helps CatholicTV deliver the Good News into millions of homes across the nation. We all think we will live until old age, but death could come at any time. Just enter your zip code and let your provider know that you want CatholicTV in your home. We might say that this very time of year in Nebraska is a memento mori for us. In many ways, we have lost the eschatological context of our faith. And memento mori has been like a conversion within a conversion. This November, we are releasing a memento mori prayer book that I compiled and wrote on all of the Last Things — death, judgment, hell and heaven. This is the only way to happiness. This is a photo illustration depicting memento mori, a reminder of one's death. Phil 1:21). Send us your intentions; we will all pray for you! Our Sunday Visitor: Do you find that we as a society today, even as a Church, are scared of death or don’t want to think about it? So, when I started to see how many people were responding to my memento mori journey, I realized that resources were needed for people to integrate this practice into their lives. Will you give it a try this Lent? Sister Theresa Aletheia: If it’s morbid to meditate on death then it’s morbid to face reality, to realize the truth of our sinfulness, and to accept the salvation that Jesus Christ has provided for us. Memento Mori is believed to have originated from an ancient Roman tradition. Sister Theresa Aletheia: Everything good, beautiful and true in any movement or religion can be found in its fullness in the Church. Stay in tune with what’s on and what’s coming up on your favorite Catholic television station! Brian Fraga is a contributing editor for Our Sunday Visitor. It’s all touching in some way on the truths of our faith. Memento mori can help us get more out of the season of Lent. St. Ignatius said when you have a big decision to make you should imagine yourself on your deathbed. The idea behind memento mori is that by reflecting on our death, we will be inspired to live rightly in the present. Memento mori, a Latin phrase that translates to “Remember you must die,” is, in short, the practice of meditating on death. The practice of memento mori helps us to enter into the eschatological context of our lives. Be part of the CatholicTV family of viewers. by Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP I have a skull on my desk Several years into my time in the convent, I decided to acquire a little ceramic skull for my desk, and I started to meditate on my death regularly. Sister Theresa Aletheia is a former atheist who returned to the Catholic Church. The Memento Mori Rosary is composed of 5 mysteries that help us meditate on and enter into Jesus’ death. Join Bishop Robert Reed as he prays the Liturgy of the Hours morning and evening prayers each day. However, at the same time, St. Paul tells us that the Christian is called to see death as gain (cf. But the idea kept coming back to me. Nothing is more desirable. Remembrance of the Last Things, beginning with death, opens our hearts to the work God wants to do in us before our last day on earth. All of these projects are so important because with them memento mori can move from a superficial interest or a passing fad in a person’s life to a life-changing habit. We can only despise death and lose our fear of it by meditating on our inevitable death regularly in the context of what Christ has done for us. I was a bit of a Luddite. I cannot say God is entirely my goal even now, but memento mori reminds me continually to make God my goal. Similarly, goths often draw from the riches of Catholicism: the skull symbolism, rituals, wearing black, even drinking blood, etc. Ready to explore more #WhyWeLent content? A couple years ago, I got a nudge in prayer to start the practice. The devotional was designed by Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble to help others meditate on the moments of their lives and ultimately remember Christians hope in the Resurrection -- made possible through Christ's victory over sin and death. Memento mori means "remember your death" in Latin, and refers to the ancient practice of meditating on death and the afterlife. Bishop Robert Reed prays the luminous mysteries of The Rosary from Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross. This practice has the potential to reap abundant fruits in people’s lives, but it needs to become a habit. Christians accept and embrace this purification because we are preparing to meet Jesus. So, these interests helped me to begin to understand how I had a place in this order. donation;support us while shopping Amazon; help us get CatholicTV everywhere; or remember us in your will. I feel like I was swimming through a haze, and remembrance of death cut through the haze and sharpened everything around me. 1. We need your support to continue connecting people with Christ and the Church. Your gift helps CatholicTV deliver the Good News into millions of homes across the country. The devotional was designed by Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble to help others meditate on the moments of their lives and ultimately remember Christians hope in the Resurrection -- made possible through Christ's victory over sin and death. But that shouldn’t make us despair, it should give us hope by helping us focus on living for heaven! Luminous Mysteries | Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Sorrowful Mysteries | Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Sorrowful Mysteries | Notre Dame Cathedral, Friday Mass | Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Sr. Theresa Aletheia will keep you in her prayers! Catholic Mass celebrated in Chapel of the Holy Cross in Watertown, MA by Father Michael Drea, FOCUS chaplain. The stakes are high in this life, and God wants us to prepare to meet him, to open our hearts more and more to his love so that we are ready to enter into heaven when he calls us.

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