“Who is more civilized?” asks Anthony Esolen, distinguished professor of Classics (and inaugural Fellow of the new Center for the Restoration of Catholic Culture at Thomas More College). He’s urging us to think about today’s society in comparison to that of the...
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Genevieve Perkins
Genevieve Perkins
Your Ultimate Pentecost Playlist
It’s time to celebrate our Church’s birthday, the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (See Acts 2:1-22; 1 Corinthians 12:3-13; John 10:19-23)! We celebrate Pentecost this Sunday! After Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, He did not leave us alone. He founded the...
How To Handle An Inquisition About The Inquisition
Have you been questioned about the Inquisition? Maybe it's time we Catholics prepare ourselves to dismantle false premises, rather than being caught on the back foot. One of the wonderful things about being Catholic is all the weird, random, and sometimes jagged...
Five Seconds of Awkward That Could Save Lives (and Souls!)
You might remember her from Dancing with the Stars or follow her on YouTube. In this video, Sadie Robertson, a Duck Dynasty family member, explains why "five seconds of awkward" saves lives. But, five seconds of awkward is worth it! Her five simple circumstances where...
7 Easter Traditions To Celebrate All Seven Weeks Of Easter
Most people can tell you that Lent is 40 days, but how long is Easter? One day? Yes, Easter Sunday is one day, but do you know how long the season of Easter really is? Seven weeks. Think about that. Do you celebrate Easter one day, one weekend, all season, or with...
“13 Reasons Why” And Suicide Prevention And Compassion For Struggling Teens
Viewer beware: This Netflix series contains language, scenes of rape, normalization of same-sex romance, teen partying, graphic suicide, assault, and substance abuse. It does not depict a healthy teen culture and in fact contributes to a culture of toxicity, even...
3 Things Christians Should Know About The Crusades
“But the Crusades… Christians in the Crusades did such-and-such… Terrorists? Well, if the Crusades hadn’t happened… The Catholic Church is hypocritical—just look at the Crusades… Your Church started the holy war first...” Doesn’t it feel like you’re being attacked...
6 Reasons The World Needs You To Follow Your Dreams
“Follow your dreams!” the world tells us when we are young, but as we grow up, we learn that living our dream is not only hard, it’s also often criticized. Especially dreams involving radical vows in a religious order, low-income paychecks at a non-profit, or...
“But I’m Too Shy To Evangelize…” THINK AGAIN! Jesus Still Calls You to Bring Souls to His Church
If I were a dwarf in Snow White, I’d be Bashful—not knowing what to say or when to speak and even forgetting how to utter a sound. In today's video, Fr. Mike Schmitz claims that he is shy as well, but, as you can see, he doesn’t shy away from evangelizing. Fr. Schmitz...
5 Blesseds Every Catholic (Especially Young People) Should Get To Know
How often have you met a young adult and thought “Wow, they are so holy”... or looked to them as an inspiration and example for your own faith? Teens and young adults, especially those in high school or college, are notoriously stereotyped as the opposite of saintly,...
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...
15 News Stories that Impacted Catholics in 2016
Take some time to reflect on these events from 2016 with your spouse, family, prayer group, or friends for a better understanding of how they have affected your lives and faith. (Click on the hyperlinks to see related videos or news articles.) 15 News Stories...
Moana: An Example Of Self-Knowledge And Selfless Heroism
Most of us are well versed in the typical Disney princess movie: Prince Charming, Damsel-in-distress, sleeping-spells, dragons, and evil witches. Belle’s bravery, Snow White’s friendliness, and Cinderella’s well-rewarded hard work aren’t diminished by the fact that...
How This Cynic Came to Appreciate Christian Music (even the cheesy kind)
Christian music lyrics seemed to be overly simplistic and unoriginal. It was odd to be a Christian that didn’t like Christian music. Or even understand it. But, honestly, I was a Christian music cynic. I wanted something more than just the same line over and over...
The Cubs Taught Us All A Lesson About Hope
“There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven.” Ecc. 3:1 For the Chicago Cubs, it is the season for rejoicing. A historical moment occurred as the World Series entered the 10th inning of the deciding game that began on November 2, 2016....
These Two Men Decided To Workout With Prisoners For A Week
One of the most striking scenes in the movie Courageous is when a police officer visits a young man in prison. This young man formerly flirted with the officer’s daughter and was arrested for involvement with violent drug dealers. The officer wasn’t there to scold or...
8 Things to Ask Yourself When Cleaning Your Closet
“If you don’t love it, you won’t wear it,” my mother always advises in fitting rooms. She doesn’t mean that I have to “love” clothes the same way that I love people. I wouldn’t sacrifice myself for a pair of jeans as I would for my family. She means that if I don’t...
10 Ideas To Make Feeding The Hungry An Act Of Mercy
Recently, my parents and I were away for the weekend for vacation. When we walked into our house Sunday afternoon, it smelled horrible in our kitchen. There was a strange pool of liquid, and I saw pinkish-red splatter all over the sticky floor. While we stared at the...
The Secret To Buying Happiness
Money can buy happiness? As Fr. Mike Schmitz points out, yes, money actually can buy happiness if you spend it on other people. Spending money on other people can “buy happiness” because it doesn’t have to do with the money—it has to do with gratitude, sharing,...
What it Means to “Give Drink to the Thirsty” in the Year of Mercy
Remember the refreshing feel of that ice cold drink of water after you mowed the lawn or ran a marathon or woke up realizing you are thirsty beyond compare? At times, nothing else can really satisfy us like a glass of clear, pure, clean water. God has provided us the...
In this Year of Mercy, How Can You Visit the Sick?
“Would you be able to donate blood this week?” a lady asked over the phone. “We’re trying to prepare for any potential accidents over Fourth of July weekend.” I was impressed with the blood center’s pragmatic preparations, but I also found it amusing that while...
The Do’s And Don’ts When It Comes To Helping The Poor
We’re already halfway through the Year of Mercy, a time when the Church (that’s us!) is invited to discover God’s mercy for ourselves, as well as for those around us. Pope Francis has been very clear on the importance of this and has encouraged us to “assist others...
8 Ways To Have Dinner Together As A Family…And Why You Should!
If you could bring anyone for dinner, dead or alive, who would it be? This isn’t a quiz, so there is no ultimate correct answer. You don’t need to say Jesus just because you are in a youth group, or a famous historical figure just because you want to sound smart. You...
God Does More Than Just Erase Our Regrets, He Makes All Things New
As you will see in today's video, chances not taken or dreams not chased often make up our regrets in life. Our heads spin with “what if” questions and “if only” hypotheses. But, are regrets simply supposed to plague us at night when we are trying to sleep? Or can...
Do We Treat The Elderly Like Our Junk Mail?
What do you do on the weekends? Host a party? Play a sport? Visit friends while you take a road trip? You’d probably never guess how Mary spends her weekends. Watch the video below to find out. If you want to spend your weekend like Mary, first get your junk mail....