“What was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it is a wonder.” - G. K. Chesterton As a child, I remember exploring in the woods for hours with my cousins, playing in the creek and climbing trees. I would get lost in my imagination and in the beauty of it...
This Is Your Invitation To Daily Mass
When you love someone, you don’t just hang out with them once a week for Friday night dates. You want to be with them, in person, every moment you can. You don’t need entertainment. You don’t always need to understand each other or even say much. You just want to be...
Discernment Of Spirits And Mental Health: The 3 Spirits At Work In Our Lives
I want to introduce two things to you- discernment of spirits as taught by St. Ignatius and Satan as the great accuser. St. Ignatius taught that there are three spirits at work in our lives. The first is the spirit of God. The idea is that we can tell which...
This Lent, Take A Deeper Journey Through The Story Of Salvation
Salvation history has been called the most important story ever told—but even though it’s the most important, it’s surprising how few of us truly know it. Sure, we may recognize names like Abraham and Moses, David and Jesus. We may be able to pronounce...
5 Things Even Devout Catholics Can Do To Go Deeper In Discipleship
As Catholics, we have a desire to know the Lord, to deepen our relationship with God. To somehow invite Jesus Christ, who pursues us each personally, into every part of our lives. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also...
“Dog Gone” Is Packed With Life Lessons
911 Lone Star lead actor Rob Lowe stars in Netflix’s latest movie, Dog Gone. It’s one of the first feel-good movies of the year based on a true story of a father and son who search for a boy’s lost dog along the Appalachian Trail. Catholics will enjoy two saintly...
Who Taught Mother Teresa To Be A Person Of Virtue?
Saint Teresa of Calcutta was known for spending countless hours attending to the dying, the sick, and the poor. This flowed from her rich prayer life: Daily Mass and a daily holy hour. Where did Mother Teresa learn to sacrifice herself for others? Her first teacher in...
Why Is Peter The New Steward Of The Kingdom?
What is the Steward of the Kingdom? A steward is appointed by the ruling king or queen to represent them and help them to govern. Another word we could use to describe the steward is “prime minister.” In the Old Testament, the chief steward of the king was able to...
Top 3 Ways Catholics Can Start Improving Their Mental And Physical Health Today
Health and soundness are better than all gold, and a robust body than countless riches. Sirach 30:15 St. Paul made clear that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16 -1 7; 6:19 – 20), and St. Thomas elaborated in his great Summa Theologica that...
9 (Easy To Understand!) Quotes From Pope Benedict XVI’s Encyclicals That Teach Us To Love, Hope, And Trust
CARITAS IN VERITATE | June 29, 2009 Each person finds his good by adherence to God's plan for him, in order to realize it fully: in this plan, he finds his truth, and through adherence to this truth he becomes free (cf. Jn 8:32). Pope Benedict XVI Without God...
A Catholics Guide To Living 2023: Quotes, Devotions, & Resources For A New Year!
Start 2023 strong by committing to grow in your Catholic faith and answering the call to be devoted to daily prayer. Our Catholic Guide to 2023 will lead you with the quotes, monthly devotions, and intentions to help you stay motivated each month of the year. Save or...
Is Pope Benedict XVI A Future Doctor Of The Church?
Today we mourn the loss of Pope Benedict XVI, a holy man of God who lived the faith well. May he rest in the arms of God for eternity! Read more about his life and be inspired by his legacy. Pope Benedict XVI Dies At The Age Of 95...
Top Catholic News Stories From 2022
This Catholic Year in Review is not an exhaustive list of every important event to happen in 2022, but these are some of the biggest news stories in the United States and globally to transpire in the Catholic world. The war in Ukraine, the German Synodal Way, the...
Why These Two Words Are The Cornerstone Of Your Domestic Church
“I do.” These two words are the cornerstone of the domestic church. In the context of the marital vows, these simple words have the power to join man and woman together, to make of two one, with the purpose of leading them together toward eternal life. If these...
How To Make Real Spiritual Progress In 2023
“Each day that begins, if welcomed in prayer, is accompanied by courage, so that the problems we have to face no longer seem to be obstacles to our happiness, but rather appeals from God, opportunities for our encounter with him.” Pope Francis We all know that we...
The Little Prince: Allowing Ourselves To Be Tamed
“To create ties.” This, according to the fox in the French novella, The Little Prince, is the meaning of the word tamed. When consulting my dictionary app, I found no definition that quite matched the fox’s, but for the purposes of this reflection, it’s the one I’m...
Jesus Comes To Heal And Save At Christmas, But We Must Make Him The Center
Gospel of Luke 2:15-20 hen the angels went away from them to heaven,the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehemto see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the...
3 Simple Ways To Cultivate Grace In The New Year
As December draws to a close, the bare trees and winter winds tempt me to think that God lies dormant with the rest of creation. He chose this season, however, for His incarnation, showing me that the Lord works wonders in the moments that seem the most unexpected....
3 Ways To Help Your Child Encounter Christ This Christmas
What parents don’t want to give their children the best gifts possible? But beyond traipsing through malls or scrolling online for the perfect present, time might be well spent this Advent season giving kids the Greatest Gift by helping them develop a deeper...
Five Reasons Not To Overlook The Bethlehem Shepherds
The Shepherds of Bethlehem are not really glamorous. They’re easy to take for granted. They’re not interesting exotic wizards from a distant land. They’re not powerful kings or tyrannical rulers. They’re just ordinary, working folks. Sure, they claimed to see a choir...
Why The Goodness Of St. Joseph Teaches Us Not To Seek Revenge | Fourth Week Of Advent Reflection
Gospel of Matthew 1:18-24 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,but before they lived together,she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,yet unwilling to...
Las Posadas: Advent, Tradition, & Abuela’s Hot Chocolate
Las Posadas is an Advent tradition begun by Hispanic Catholics in the 16th century. Las Posadas means “the Inns,” and like a typical novena lasting nine days, the celebration spans the nine days before Christmas. Though it does involve knocking on doors and...
Are You Experiencing A Dark Night Of The Soul? Here’s How To Tell
Who is St. John of the Cross? St. John of the Cross was a Spanish Catholic who was born in 1542 amidst the throws of the Protestant Reformation. He was a major figure in the Catholic Counter-Reformation and would later be named a Doctor of the Church. He was a priest,...
How To Find A Christmas Gift For Your Priest
Question: What do you give to the one who has everything, needs nothing, and always gives more than he gets? Answer: That One can only be God. For everyone else, we should give whatever helps lead a person to God. It may be that Christmas is being corrupted with...
Getting Rid Of Preconceived Notions About How Things Are “Supposed” To Be
Gospel of Matthew 11:2-11 When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,"Are you the one who is to come,or should we look for another?"Jesus said to them in reply,"Go and tell John what you hear and...