What is the problem with a Catholic outdoor wedding? Believe it or not, the Catholic Church actually has some beautiful reasons as to why getting married outside the Church building is discouraged. The Church is not trying to ruin the plans for the day you have...
Love
10 Things That Happen When You Commit To Chastity In Your Life
In the timeless Broadway classic "Les Miserables," character Fantine wraps up Victor Hugo's epic saga with one golden line: "To love another person is to see the face of God." Hugo's words greatly echo Saint Pope John Paul II's extremely popular lecture series called...
Powerhouse for Purity: The Angelic Warfare Confraternity
Did you know there's a 400 year-old, worldwide, supernatural fellowship (spanning heaven and earth!) for the cause of safeguarding, healing and spreading the virtue of purity? What's more, did you know that it still exists? Did you know you can join it? The Angelic...
The Short Video That Taught Me What It Means To Be A Child Of God
Life is a unique movement of light where the beginning and the end meet. Just as we are born from our mother’s womb into earthly life, so too, we’ll be born from the Earth’s womb into eternal life. The impulse that assures the completeness of such movement is the...
15 Tips For Every Catholic Man Seeking To Win A Woman’s Heart
For many young men, approaching a lady is not an easy task. There’s the fear of rejection, of looking foolish, of not knowing exactly what to say, fear of what others will say, and so on. In addition there are all the fantasies that Hollywood, television, and social...
QUIZ: Is It Time To Give Up Dating?
Our culture sends us so many messages about who we should date, how we should date, and why we should date that it can be difficult to find the truth for ourselves. Once we enter the dating scene, we quickly find out that dating and relationships aren't always as...
Does The Person You’re In Love With Have These 10 Essential Qualities?
There is no feeling quite like being in love. It's a time in life when you are truly overwhelmed with joy, happiness, and exuberance. Life feels fresh and exciting. You spend time daydreaming and planning about the future life you and the one you love will share...
“Dating Detox: The 4 Toxic Beliefs Keeping You From Real Love”
"To one extent or another we've all been poisoned by the culture's false idea of love, dating and sexuality. No one is unscathed, and we could all use a good detox." ~ Jason and Crystalina Evert in the Foreword of Kevin and Lisa Cotter's new book, Dating Detox. ...
How to Love Your Pastor Even When You Don’t “Like” Him
First of all, before we get started, let’s make some things clear. This is NOT a post about priest-bashing. It is our priests, the lovable ones, the grouchy ones, the aloof ones, the bookish ones, the weak ones, the wounded ones (you get the picture), who bring us the...
Do Seminarians Celebrate Valentine’s Day?
I may be a seminarian, but I’m a huge fan of romantic tales. I like movies with happy endings when the boy gets the girl. I enjoy hearing stories about how couples met or what they did on their anniversary. And one of my favorite things is watching friends of mine...
How Real (Catholic-Link) People Spend Valentine’s Day
Social media tends to give the false perception that Valentine’s Day is the day of the year in which every person on earth enjoys the most romantic date night ever with the person of his or her dreams. Though it would be nice for that to happen, it is simply not a...
I Am Not That Girl: A Letter Of Advice To My 16-Year-Old-Self
There is a lot of well-founded emotion in this Buzzfeed spoken-word video “I Am Not That Girl”. There is honesty, and not a trace of self-pity as the narrator says: “having a lack of male attention in this world is seen as an abnormality, is seen as less than womanly....
No, NFP Is NOT “Catholic Birth Control”
If the pope had his own grocery store, the aisle labelled “family planning” wouldn't contain pills or condoms or other contraceptives like most do. It would contain thermometers and charts. Likewise, if the pope was a doctor, he wouldn’t prescribe contraceptives to...
3 Christmas Gift Ideas From the Heart Of A Seminarian
I love gifts. I love giving them, and I sure as heck love receiving them too. But a few years ago, I learned a lesson that gifts that come straight from one heart to another are treasured a lot more than what’s usually found under a Christmas tree (more on that...
5 Reasons Why I Used To Hate Advent And Why I Don’t Now
Growing up Catholic, Advent was always strictly observed in our home. We never skipped over it to start Christmas early. Though I had a good idea of the purpose of Advent- it being a time of preparation and prayer- I made my way though it grimly. I understood the head...
What Charlie Chaplin’s Tear-Inducing Ending Taught Me About Prayer And Christianity
Roger Ebert once said that if only one of Charlie Chaplin’s films could be preserved, “City Lights” (1931) must be the one. With an almost Gospel-like simplicity, it transmits a lot with little, leaving out what we often consider important to reveal only the...
Jim Gaffigan’s Advice When Discussing Political Views: Calling Them A Moron Doesn’t Work
No one in the history of opinions has ever changed his/her mind after being called an idiot. They might have stopped sharing with you or even started an ad hominem fight online. Opinions change. As much as people with strong ones think that their mind will never...
“Me Before You” (2016): A Guide to Watching it With a Vigilant Mind
*Spoiler Alert: this commentary does not hide details about the movie. I’m not going to lie. Despite the unfortunate pro-euthanasia end, I loved the first hour and a half of the movie. I would almost dare to affirm that the first half and the second half are two...
The Mystery of the Trinity: Why True Love Always Requires Three
One of the best ways to enrich your experience at Sunday Mass is to pray the gospel reading personally. A great way of doing this is using the "Lectio Divina"; this is a powerful method which we explain here. The following is the Sunday gospel reading...
Kirk Cameron’s Controversial “Archaic” Marriage Advice
Both the media and Twitter users have decided to tear Kirk Cameron apart for his views about marriage that he recently shared in an interview with The Christian Post. Cameron is best known for his role in the 80’s sitcom Growing Pains but has more recently starred in...
10 Ways To Develop And Strengthen A Long Distance Relationship
Long distance relationships don’t just occur after a fleeting summertime romance. Work and school are the primary reasons why two people who love each other have to spend time apart while trying to keep the flame of love lit. I don’t know about you, but more than once...
An Extraordinarily Beautiful Video Series About The Value Of Family And Marriage
One of the most misunderstood teachings of our time is what the Catholic Church says about sexuality, marriage, and family life. The beauty of what our Church truly believes is often overshadowed by what the media distorts it to be. As a result, there is truly a lack...
Love Will Always Conquer The Hearts Of Men | Saint Titus Brandsma Quote
"We live in a world where love itself is condemned: people call it weakness, something to grow out of. Some are saying: «Love is of no importance, we should rather develop our strength; let each one become as strong as he can and let the weak perish!» Again, they say...
Terry Crews Shares About Porn Addiction And The 90-day “Sex Fast” That Saved His Marriage
Terry Crews was born in Flint, Michigan, in 1968 and was drafted by the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 1991. After several years playing pro football, Crews retired and pursued an acting career, which took flight on the big screen in 2000's The 6th Day. Many film...
Why You Should You Get Married In The Catholic Church?
With so many options nowadays, the humble church building can be the last place that is considered for a wedding. We asked 7 couples why they chose to get married in a Catholic Church. These answers, ranging from the comprehensive to the short-and-sweet, are honest,...