When we go through moments of pain and difficulty, it is easy to blame God or feel abandoned by Him, so in this post, I want to talk about those moments in which pain makes us feel confused. When I was about seven years old, I was playing at home, running, until I...
Self-Knowledge
Sick of the Dating Scene? Here are Some Surprising Reasons to Hope
This Disorientated Generation - Part 3 Isaac Withers was one of 300 hundred people who attended the Vatican Pre-Synod of Young People, speaking with Pope Francis on the issues that his generation and younger face. Inspired by this incredible trip he has written an...
We Now Have A Generation Who Grew Up With Porn: What Happens Next?
This Disorientated Generation - Part 2 Earlier this year, Isaac Withers was one of 300 hundred people who attended the Vatican Pre-Synod of Young People, speaking with Pope Francis on the issues that his generation and younger face. Inspired by this...
Catholic Masculinity: How Men Can Grow In Holiness (Part 2)
God created you as a man. He created you as a son. He desires your heart, soul, and strength. Above all else, He calls you to embrace your identity as a child of the Father, as coheir with the Son and empowered by the Spirit. He calls you to be set apart from the...
Catholic Masculinity: How Men Can Grow in Holiness (Part 1)
God created you as a man. He created you as a son. He desires your heart, soul, and strength. Above all else, He calls you to embrace your identify as child of the Father, as coheir with the Son, and empowered by the Spirit. He calls you to be set apart from the...
How “Lady Bird” Forever Changed Who I Invite To Retreats
I’m always wary of watching things that Hollywood puts out that involve elements of the Catholic Church. I prepare myself for insults and total misconceptions of the truth, beauty, and goodness that the Church is and has to offer. So as I watched the trailer of Lady...
A Step By Step Guide To Detoxing Your Soul
Many of us would sooner eat a kale smoothie than go to Confession. Why? Because we value physical health, the kind of health that everyone can see, over spiritual health, which often involves admitting we did something wrong and need to change our habits or attitude....
To Hide Or To Share Our Souls: What To Do When Fragility Challenges Us
“If God has created all things, where does evil come from?” - Saint Augustine When we feel inadequate, fragile, or guilty, we immediately look for something to hide behind. We are ashamed of our nudity. We don’t want to be seen. It’s a recurring sensation throughout...
Do You Find It Hard To Embrace Imperfection? | Catholic Bible Study
A Catholic Bible Study on the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 28:16-20 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to...
What If I’m Not the Prodigal Son? (Part 1)
The parable of the Prodigal Son is arguably one of the most well-known parables, and it is easy to see why. Despite its short length, the story is packed with drama. We can feel all the familiar emotions in it. We understand the rebellion of the younger son and his...
A Young Adult Shares Her Powerful and Beautiful Testimony About Emotional Healing After Heart Surgery
Growing up, I ticked of all the ‘weird kid’ qualities. Bookworm? Tick. Shy Catholic girl? Big tick. Facial scarring? Tick. Scar from open-heart surgery? Tick. You know how everyone gets known for something for in highschool? Try being known as that weird kid who...
How The Voice of God Holds Us Together When We Cannot
When the string of a pearl necklace snaps and the pearls fly off in all directions, bouncing across a pale marble floor, they seem like jets of water flying out of a broken water pipe or like unruly children running to hide in the most unlikely places. Trying...
What Did Dog Training Teach Me About The Spiritual Life?
Everyone thought he was just a cute and cuddly dog, a homeless mutt, who sat shyly in his little kennel corner. He seemed gentle, submissive, and in need of a walk outside the animal shelter where he waited a home. I volunteered to walk him, hoping he’d benefit from...
Be Bold! The Father Is Waiting And Will Always Catch You | Catholic Bible Study
Are you holding back in your faith? Cowering in the locked upper room like the Disciples? Father Ian VanHeusen leads us in a Catholic Bible Study on John 20:19-31, and the awesome trustworthiness of God to catch us when we step out, risk big, and shed our fears in...
8 Rules For The Discernment Of Spirits
Fr. Ian presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercises on the Gospel reading options for Easter ( 20:1-9, Mk. 16:1-7, and Lk. 24:13-35). Using the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, we examine how to discern between authentic feelings of consolation and the ego traps...
Death, Judgment, Heaven & Hell: How Not To Ignore The Inevitable
I have some news for you. You’re going to die. We all are--not now, maybe, not in the near future, but one day, all of us will physically cease to be. This isn’t meant to be depressing or frightening; it is a condition of life that it must cease, or otherwise it isn’t...
Do You Have Too Much Stuff? What The Minimalism Movement Has To Do With Purgatory
The minimalist movement is a refreshing trend in modern society. It’s a turning away from the mentality of Madonna’s “Material Girl” and turning towards a less wasteful, less consumerist mentality. Some are more extreme about it than others. This movement can manifest...
How to Discern Between Consolation & Desolation | Lenten Spiritual Exercises
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading of John 12:20-33, Jesus' startling statement about hating life in this world in order to gain eternal life in heaven. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to...
The Seven Hearts Of A Priest
https://catholic-link.org/infographic-what-is-the-meaning-behind-the-priestly-vestments-a-practical-guide/ God calls those He wants to be priests. He chooses them from among His people in order to consecrate them, to make them His own. From that moment on, priests no...
How To Free Yourself From Your Inner Demons
“The imagination is more active in the dark than in the light of day.” ~ Immanuel Kant When we were young, we were afraid of the dark because we couldn’t distinguish the things around us. In the silence of the night, every sound seems louder. In the dark, it’s not...
3 Questions To Examine Your Heart During Lent
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel of John 3:14-21, when Jesus proclaims Himself the Light of the World. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to invest in prayer of self-examination, and he provides...
A Catholic Woman Shares Her Victory Over Depression
"For so long, I kept things to myself and refused to open up because I didn't want to burden people with my problems and because I didn't think anyone would understand what I was going through. I was so wrong. No matter who you are, no matter what you're struggling...
The Power of Persevering in a State of Grace | Lenten Spiritual Exercises Part 3 (Gospel Reflection)
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading for the 3rd Sunday of Lent, John 2:13-25, when Jesus cleanses the Temple of money changers, foretells of its destruction and - to the bewilderment of those who hear Him - that...
5 Gifts Of Living With A Clear Conscience | Lenten Spiritual Exercises
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading for the 2nd Sunday of Lent, Mark 9:2-10, the account of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to invest in prayer of...
God and the Gym (Part 4): No Pain, No Gain
Today we present the final installment of our God and the Gym series, a poetic reflection on rigorous fitness, physical suffering, Catholic spirituality, and the redemption of the Cross of Jesus Christ. God and the Gym: No Pain, No Gain Read parts 1 -3 of this series:...