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,...
When we think of the saints and martyrs, especially the first Christians, we struggle to conceptualize their experiences. We don’t live in the same era, they seem “more Catholic” than us, and their level of holiness can feel unrelatable and unattainable. The...
Gospel Of Luke 17:5-10 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."The Lord replied,"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,you would say to this mulberry tree,'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."Who among you would say to your...
When I first saw the trailer for Gigi & Nate, I knew that I would enjoy the movie. I could tell that it had a good storyline and it seemed like a nice, feel-good movie that we all need to see every now and again. Why does it seem that movies with animals have...
Gospel of John 21: 1-19 At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.He revealed himself in this way.Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his...
Even if you didn't watch the Oscars, you've likely seen all over social media what occurred between Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith. An offensive joke was told at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband retaliated by walking on stage to slap...
Would you describe yourself as perfectly happy? Perhaps you’d say you are somewhat happy or happy enough, but not especially so. We often get the general impression that lasting happiness is far-off, practically impossible, not to be hoped for in this life. When we...
https://vimeo.com/642910917/510f2312a7 What do I do now? A question all families of loss ask themselves the day after the funeral. Family members are going back to work. The house is a mess. You have no energy and find...
It is estimated that 1 in 6 couples struggle to get pregnant. Infertility is often a hidden suffering, and is even considered a “normal,” albeit temporary, difficulty encountered in some marriages, but easily fixed if the couple...
No little baby needs a ‘trigger warning’, not even a baby lost to miscarriage. But I do want to give a note here that I cover some very gritty realities of miscarriage in the following article, especially discussing burial...
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen teaches in his Book of Sacraments (Sophia Institute Press) that there are two sacraments of healing: one for spiritual illness, which is the Sacrament of Penance; the other for physical illness,...
When we suffer in any way, it is normal to ask why. Why does this have to happen? Why would God allow this? In some of our worst moments of suffering, it can feel not only like God is not present, but that he is very far away. We feel abandoned and betrayed. We get...
Who Was St. Jude? Judas Thaddeus is often known in Greek as simply “Thaddeus” because this is the name used in the Gospels according to St. Matthew and St. Mark. When translators were putting the books of the Bible into English, they sought to distant this Apostle we...
We are living in unprecedented times. The tension has become palpable. You can see it on our roads, in stores, even within our churches – people are stressed beyond belief. We live with the media shouting their respective agendas at us 24/7 – pandemic, civil unrest,...
Having a bad day? They happen. Sometimes more frequently than we want them to. However, no one is or should choose to be defined by their bad days. Rather, they should be defined by their Christian perseverance in faith, hope, and charity through difficult moments....
“After a lot of thought and it was a very hard decision, unfortunately, we have to make you redundant.” Those are words that rank up there with “you’ve tested positive for coronavirus” that no person wants to hear. A second virus is now raging a war on us and that is...
It’s a running joke that since the pandemic started, our pairs of jeans haven’t seen the light of day. In fact, we may not even have gotten out of pajamas before schooling children, working remotely, and keeping up with a house when everyone is always home. It’s...
I wish I had always known God’s loving tenderness. I have been a Catholic all my life but it was only a year ago that I discovered a God who loves us with such magnitude that not only is He powerful, He is also tender, as a terrified new father, who stands in by the...
With all the evil and suffering in the world, how does the less than twenty hours of the Passion of our Lord atone for all of the evil of human history? Many new Christians hear the saving message that Christ died to save them upon the Cross. But, how exactly does...
Have you been fasting this Lent? Sure, it's a struggle, but this ancient, scriptural, necessary Christian discipline is something Jesus expected and which Catholics for hundreds of years took as a given. (Check out our Illustrated Guide to Fasting) You're not supposed...
If you think Saint costumes are boring, think again! Check out these gory, gruesome, and horrifying costumes that will have your friends talking all night long. It's an interesting way to evangelize, but it just might work. 8 Scary Saint Costumes Saint Ursula - The...
Through my three pregnancy losses, I have been absolutely blown away by my amazing community of family and friends. I am in awe of the loving strength and selfless support that is given by so many people around me, male and female, old and young, close friends and...
This week on the podcast we go over the entrance into Jerusalem and the problem of suffering in our faith life. How our Baptism, or conversion, is a joyful entrance in to the life of faith, but it is the suffering of the cross that is our path to unity with God. In...
This week we talk about the Suffering Servant, Christ who suffers for us so we can find Him in our own suffering. He has been tested so we can follow Him in our own testing. We bring in movies and sports to express stories and human tendencies. Should we strive for...
When we go through moments of pain and difficulty, it is easy to blame God or feel abandoned by Him, so in this post, I want to talk about those moments in which pain makes us feel confused. When I was about seven years old, I was playing at home, running, until I...