You are having coffee in the morning with a friend, and she asks a question about how to be happy in the everyday events of one’s life. The conversation evolves to looking at the life of a very inspiring woman. Venerable Catherine McAuley founded the Religious Sisters...
Faith & Life
How The Church Is Meeting The Needs Of Autistic Catholics
Watching my son arrange dinosaurs during Mass—his way of staying regulated—reminds me how far our Catholic family has come on our autism journey. What once felt impossible has become a chance to witness the Church embracing all her members, including those on the...
10 Things That Can Happen If You Look At Your Wife With Love, Not Lust
Jesus teaches, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt 5:27-28) Pope St. John Paul the Great commented in one of his...
Shepherd And The Lamb | Gospel Reflection From Breaking The Bread On John 10:27-30
Jesus said:“My sheep hear my voice;I know them, and they follow me.I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.No one can take them out of my hand.My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.The...
The Analogy That Helped Me Understand Why God Wants Us To Worship Him
I’ve always wondered why in the world God wants us to worship Him. It never quite made sense to me that a loving God would possess an ego so big that He’d ask His kids to fall down at his feet. But then, one day, I heard an analogy that made at least a bit of sense....
How I Made It Back To The Catholic Church | A Revert’s Story
When our son Nathan was in the second year at his Lutheran preschool, my wife and I decided that the large classes and busy hallways of public schools weren’t right for him. Nathan was the quiet kid. He’d sit in the corner and play by himself, anxious to learn...
A Devotion To The Five Holy Wounds Of Christ
The Five Holy Wounds of Christ The Five Holy Wounds of Christ refer to the wounds Jesus suffered during His Crucifixion—one in each hand, one in each foot, and one in His side. These wounds are a profound reminder of His immense love and sacrifice for humanity....
Did God Create You To Be An Introvert Or An Extrovert? A Catholic Perspective
I’ve been asked more times than I can count whether I’m an introvert or an extrovert. I love going to parties, meeting new people, and public speaking. I also crave a long, silent walk in the woods alone, and I am a voracious reader. I adore silent retreats, as if...
Three More Influential Catholic Writers And Intellectuals You Should Know About
When you think of influential Catholics, you probably immediately think canonized saints. Not only are there more saints in heaven than we would be able to canonized—or even know by name—but there are many influential Catholics from around the world that we might not...
Why Dating Your Spouse Is Essential For A Healthy Marriage
Marriage is a sacred journey that doesn't end at the altar—it's just beginning. As my wife and I approach our wedding anniversary, I've realized that maintaining the "dating mindset" is crucial for nurturing a healthy Catholic marriage. Just as a garden requires...
What Is “Spiritual Reading”? How Do Busy People Find Time For It?
What Is Spiritual Reading? Spiritual reading consists of reading something that explains some aspect of Catholic truth in an attractive, enriching way. Its function is to help reinforce and deepen our Christian view of ourselves and the world around us. In previous...
Visual Prayer: The Sign Of The Cross
I might as well admit something about prayer from the very start: sometimes when I read a formal prayer, from memory or with a prayer book, I find my mind wandering. Somehow, I can’t always keep my mind focused. For times like these, I sometimes...
The Saint Who Dedicated Her Life To Confronting Racism And How Her Legacy Continues Today
Racism is an ugly stain on society that many courageous people have tried to heal. Like me, you can probably rattle off names like Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, or even John Lewis and his statement about getting into “good trouble.” But can you think of any...
Find Strength In Vulnerability By Doing These Three Things
So many men today walk around as if they have it all figured out and they don’t have a problem in the world. The “strong” silent type, if you will. I know this for a fact. I used to do the same thing. So much of my life was spent walking like a one man army,...
The Irony Of Doubt: Where Would Your Faith Be Without It?
The pursuit of the best solution requires first identifying the right problem. The concept sounds quite obvious at first, but I’ve found that many of life’s thorniest dilemmas require some serious investigation into its true origin. In my work as a counselor,...
“God, How Could You Do This To Me?” | How To Respond To Suffering
“How could God let this happen?” This cry of a grieving heart expresses one of the greatest challenges to belief in a loving and all-powerful God. Suffering. It feels like a betrayal as if God has stopped being what He is supposed to be. And as much as we can observe...
Feeling Socially Isolated? Try These 3 Things
We live in a beautifully convenient technological era, a time of unprecedented comfort and devices that generations before us could never have conceived. With the advance of remote work, ever-present screens, instant streaming, and drone delivery, why bother leaving...
How To Respond When Someone Asks You To Pray For Them
“Will you pray for…?” This question is amongst my favorites. I always see it as such a beautiful gift when people trust me to pray for them or their intentions. While it might be tempting to say a simple “yes” when asked this question, there are also a variety of...
Married To An Atheist? How I Learned To Share My Catholic Faith Without Pushing Him Away
I kept my faith to myself for the first ten years of my marriage. My husband was an atheist, and although he came to Mass with me, he didn’t really get it, nor did he really want it. His questions felt like challenges to my faith, and it saddened me that I couldn’t...
What To Do When You Feel God Is Against You
There are times when it may feel like God is against you, by taking away people or things that you love and hold dear. The loss of a family member, a crumbling marriage, or even the loss of a job; these things may make us feel burned by God and make us cry out, “Why?”...
3 Catholic “Influencers” That Prove Christ Is For Everyone
Isn’t it exciting when you discover that not only do you enjoy someone’s work, but they are Catholic, too? That’s how it felt when I read Timothy Larsen's chapter on E. E. Evans-Pritchard in The Slain God: Anthropologists and the Christian Faith. It was like finding a...
5 Things Catholics Should Know About Creating A Will
As a Catholic Family Trust Attorney in California, I have dedicated my career to helping families prepare for and navigate major life events with peace of mind. Creating a will is an essential step in this process, and here are five crucial things Catholics should...
10 Things On My Catholic Bucket List
As a lifelong Catholic, I've always had a running list of spiritual experiences and goals I hope to achieve before my time on this earth is through. Call it my "Catholic Bucket List" if you will. These are the dreams and aspirations that stir my heart, drawing me...
“I Call You Friends”: Entering The Kingdom Of The Poor Christ With St. Vincent de Paul
“Why do you serve the poor?” “Why do you spend time with the poor?” These two questions have been put to me recently, and they’ve gotten me thinking about my current life in inner city Edmonton’s “shelter district.” This is the place I call home,...
5 Fundamental Truths About Your God-Given Beauty That Every Catholic Woman Should Know
In a world obsessed with filters and airbrushed perfection, it's easy to lose sight of what truly makes us beautiful. We chase fleeting trends, compare ourselves to unattainable ideals, and believe our worth hinges on external validation. But what if I told you...