Melissa Flen
Whether you are in a blissful period in your marriage where things are going smoothly and your love for each other is easily expressed, or you are in a more difficult period where the challenges are never-ending, do something special for your spouse today. Doing...
The moment we’ve been waiting for and anticipating with great joy hasfinally arrived! The birth of our Lord is a story known throughout the world andthroughout the ages and yet, it is an intimately personal story for us all. As Maryand Joseph experience the miraculous...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Watermelon! Advent has officially begun! The final month has finally arrived and Baby Jesus will soon be born. The last month in the womb is spent with baby Jesus preparing for his birth. He is inhaling and exhaling...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Head of Romaine Lettuce! The next to the last month is now in full swing – as is Baby Jesus in the womb! His movements in the womb are much stronger now that he is gaining a half a pound per week. He will maintain...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Pineapple! The third and last trimester has officially begun! The primary development of Baby Jesus this month is His brain. Though His brain has already been developed for some time, it is beginning to grow larger...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Head of Cabbage! As the second trimester comes to an end, the Baby Jesus is growing rapidly, building muscle from all His movement, and developing fat that will make Him extra cuddly when He is born. The Baby Jesus...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Papaya! The moment Mary has been anxiously awaiting has finally arrived. Though she had not doubted the life within her for even a moment, she has now had the extreme joy of feeling movement from her sweet Baby within her...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of an Avocado! The Light of the World is now able to see light himself! Though His eyes are still closed at this point in the pregnancy, Baby Jesus can now move His eyes back and forth and is able to detect light through His...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Prune! Baby Jesus has been growing at a fast pace since the Annunciation and will be fully developed by the end of this month! Those tiny buds from last month are now arms and legs, hands and feet, fingers and toes. These...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Grape! | Month 2 The Life growing within our Blessed Mother’s womb has been busy this month. Baby Jesus’ organs are developing quickly. He already has a brain and a beating heart! The Most Holy Face of Jesus continues to...
Saint Vincent Ferrer was a priest from Spain who lived in the 14th century. His missionary work is attributed to leading thousands of people in Europe to the Catholic faith. His feast day is celebrated on April 5th and the life of this saint continues to lead people...
Congratulations! Your Lord and Savior has been conceived! Due Date: December 25th Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the fiat of Mary, the Savior has been conceived. Not only is he fully God, He is now fully man as well. ...
As the current modern culture inundates us with entertainment that degrades the human person in a wide variety of ways, it is more important than ever to spend time on entertainment that reinforces our pro-life values as Catholics. 24 Pro-Life Movies to...
The culture of death which is constantly pressing in upon us as Catholics, can feel threatening and be overwhelming. It is important to fortify ourselves with good entertainment in order to prepare us to push back against this terrible culture and it is even...
The moment we open our eyes the day after Thanksgiving (and oftentimes even before), we are inundated with reindeer, gingerbread, gifts, elves, and Santa. Though these things are not inherently bad, if we do not keep our Christmas season properly ordered, it is all...
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a beautiful and effective way for married couples to remain open to life while also following Church teaching against contraception. For many couples, NFP can be a way for them to grow closer to each other and as a couple grow closer...
In this modern day and age, the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church can seem archaic and over the top. They certainly seem this way to people outside of the Church but more and more, this pervasive belief is growing within the Church as well. It...
One of the best things about the Catholic Church (which of course, there are many, many things) is the communion of saints. The wisdom and holiness of the men and women who have gone before us can guide us toward the light that is Christ. There are few areas of our...
Natural family planning has the potential to bring out either our best or our worst traits as people and as spouses. There’s nothing quite like sacrificing our own physical desires (think along the lines of dieting or...
The demands on the lives of couples who practice natural family planning can seem very overwhelming at times. Every Catholic couple who is serious enough about their love for our Lord to follow the Church’s teaching on contraception understands this...
It doesn’t take long when first discovering the world of natural family planning to realize that most couples have a love/hate relationship with NFP. The reasons to love it are obvious and the reasons to hate it are obvious. It is a strange mix of sweet...
Open to life. We’ve all heard it, and for the most part, think we know what it means. For those who are outside the Church, or perhaps those Catholics who have done little more than get their feet wet in this beautiful thing we call Catholicism, the...
Let’s face it. As wonderful as the idea of Natural Family Planning (NFP) can sound, the reality for many couples can be far from that beautiful ideal. A common thread amongst frustrated couples trudging their way through the trenches of NFP is that the...
The search to fulfill our many desires is what leads people through their lives in one direction or another. We live in a time where the dominant belief is that life is short and we should fulfill those desires by any means necessary. That mentality leads people...
"Shall we now begin the Mass." The words that I had loved hearing over the last several years now felt like an invitation to the tears that were always a struggle to keep locked in. As our priest listed the intentions of the Mass, I listened intently, keeping my...