For the Grieving Heart The time following the loss of a baby is numbing and painful as you try to navigate all of the emotions that are flooding your entire being. The grieving process is complex and leaves you wondering when your heart will find healing again, when...
Meaning of Suffering
What Can the Saints Teach Us About Child Loss?
Miscarriage, a word that I never thought would happen to me. It wasn’t really on my radar and I didn’t give it any thought when I found out I was pregnant with our first baby. Yet, it was this very word that defined my first five pregnancies. It is the word that...
How I Find True Joy In Difficult Times: Insights From A Catholic
Our Catholic faith is an absolute treasure trove of wisdom that I truly believe is deeper and greater than any human suffering, no matter how intense and unbearable. So if nothing you’re about to read appeals to you - keep digging through the treasure, my friend,...
Strengthen Your Will— Fast
Is there something wrong with your life? Maybe something is missing. Maybe you’re depressed. Maybe you’re overwhelmed. Maybe you’re trapped by compulsive behavior. Maybe there’s a particular sin you haven’t been able to overcome no matter how hard you’ve tried? Maybe...
What Is Holy Abandonment And Why Is It So Difficult?
Have you ever struggled to fully comprehend the concept of "holy abandonment" when it is discussed? I have personally experienced this, and even though I understand it better now, I still find it challenging to put it into practice. The idea of surrendering one's will...
Finding Joy In Times Of Struggle
When my grandma turned 91, I remember her saying: “You can find joy in all stages of life.” That’s always stuck with me. I know it to be true in regards to getting older, but I also believe it to be true in relationship to the world: You can find joy in all...
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,...
Four Practical Ways Catholics Can Embrace Martyrdom Each Day
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...
Our Journey Of Healing Will Not Be Over Until We Are In Heaven
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...
Gospel Reflection: Don’t Be So Absorbed In Your Feelings That You Miss What’s In Front Of You
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...
What Would The Saints Say To Will Smith And Chris Rock?
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...
Are You Really Happy? A Question We Should Ask Ourselves
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...
10 Things To Know About Child Loss That Will Help You Support Grieving Families
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...
5 Ways To Nurture Your Marriage In A Season Of Infertility
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...
8 Things A Priest Can Do To Support A Couple Experiencing Miscarriage
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...
What Most People Don’t Understand About The Last Rites
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,...
What You Shouldn’t Say When A Friend Miscarries…And What You Should
If you’ve had the terrible, heart-wrenching misfortune of losing a child by miscarriage, I understand. And so does St. Zelie Martin, who experienced child loss multiple times. People try to help, and it is not always a healing experience. This is a list for those who...
Every Kind Of Suffering Is An Invitation From God
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...
Why We All Need St. Jude Right Now
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...
4 Steps To Finding Peace In Troubled Times
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,...
8 Things Catholics Should Do When They Have A Bad Day
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....
Responding To The Other Virus: Unemployment
“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...
5 Things To Do When Life Is Chaotic
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...
A Love Story In The Time Of Quarantine
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...
Why Christ’s Sacrifice On Good Friday Is So Much More Than Just A Few Hours On The Cross
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...