This week on the livestream Fr Ian and Alanna go down the rabbit hole of Blessings and Woes in the Old Testament Covenant and the argument found in the wisdom literature about how bad things happen to good people. The second reading on the resurrection brings us to...
The Church is in the midst of multiple crises. The sex abuse scandal reemerging, around the globe, has shown that while great progress has been made, there is much work to do and much justice left unpursued. There are countless victims of abuse who have not felt...
My husband walked into the living room, stood there for a minute, then interrupted me mid-lip-sync with, “That song is heretical.” Dude. Thank you for ruining my dance party. I loved the tune, and the words flowed, so I had cranked the praise music up to help make the...
This week on the podcast we talk about motivation and what is required to keep us going. A few things we go over is companionship, mission, and knowledge of what you are created for. The second reading we talk about the primacy of love in the use of our gifts....
Mass With Kids: A Seemingly Impossible Task Parenting young children at Mass seems like an undoable task. How can they be expected to be still and silent for an hour or more? Should I take turns with my spouse and do Mass in shifts? Will the other parishioners be...
This week Fr Ian and Alanna discuss the connections within the Sunday readings. Ezra was a leader in the spiritual revival of Jerusalem after the time of Exile, Nehemiah was the governmental leader who came in and built up the protections for the people. Ezra was...
It’s easy to fall away from prayer. There are many times when I will have a steady prayer life for a few weeks at a time, and then go months without reading my Bible. The only nourishment I get is going to Mass. I’ll feel the difference. It will feel as if God has...
Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Alanna Burg discuss the readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary time. We begin discussing the topic of our identity and how we view ourselves before and after the encounter of God in our lives. We have considered ourselves forsaken, but now...
Eduardo Verastegui who you may recognize from films such as Bella (2006) and Little Boy (2015) is using his fame for good. He is currently in the process of creating the world's tallest statue of Jesus! Mexican architect Fernando Romero is the designer behind this...
The alternate title for this week's recording is "Brimstone and Fire" because Fr. Ian said it so many times referencing his homily this past Sunday. We counted 8 times! This week we start off talking about the lowliness of Bethlehem and how it is surprising that...
Priest, Prophet, and King A Baptized man shares in the offices of Christ of priest, prophet, and king. A Baptized man who is the father of children is a priest, prophet, and king in a particular way. His house is his domestic church and his children are the flock that...
We talk this week about putting on the glory and the splendor of God, what that means for our church life and for the garments of the priesthood. How some dress lesser to seem lesser in false humility, and how some are in the rut of familiarity and routine. We talk...
This week we go over the prophecy of Daniel regarding the saying "one like a Son of Man". We discuss the charism of celibacy and the witness of joy in the culture. We go over the Revelation reading and discuss how we relate to Christ as a King and how we see him as a...
Join us this week in our discussion on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. We discuss Daniel's apocalyptic prophesy and the three fold applications of it. A reminder that there will be a crisis in every generation to bring us to repentance and wait on the return of...
Comedian Jim Gaffigan has a unique way of sharing his faith through his stand-up routines. In a recent video, "Barely Catholic", he gets more than just the jokes right. How many of us have had a little conversation like this with Jesus? "Barely Catholic" Hard Truths?...
Fr. Ambrose, Director of the Norbertine Father's Novices, has witnessed several young men hear and answer the call to a priestly vocation with the Norbertines. Currently, there are thirty-eight seminarians living at St. Michael's Abbey with two more on the waiting...
By the fall semester of my junior year at Northwest Missouri State University, I was completely consumed with the typical college culture. I partied every chance I got and sought to make my mark on campus. But because of my conscience and the Lord’s grace, I was still...
Jesus was my excuse. He wanted me to forgive my abuser, to give him a second chance. But in the pit of my stomach, I know that I just made that up because I was too afraid to speak up. My name is Maria Sage. I am a 24-year-old Catholic, a writer, a bookworm, a lover...
St. Christina was born in Belgium in 1150. By the time she was just three years old, both her parents had died. At the age of twenty-one, she fell ill and it was thought to be dead. However, as Mass was being said for her, her...
Bashing millennials is a popular pastime. Diamond, housing, retails, or other industry tanking? Millennials are too addicted to the internet. Person you disagree with elected into a political position? Those darn voting youth! Tide pod challenge fiasco? Dumb...
This Disorientated Generation – Part 8 Earlier this year, Isaac Withers was one of 300 hundred people who attended the Vatican Pre-Synod of Young People, speaking with Pope Francis on the issues that his generation and younger face. Inspired by this incredible trip he...
This week we talked about how it feels like we are a remnant of the church, growing up in the 90s and straying and returning we feel we are the products of an insufficient catholic teaching. We reflected on the progress of the New Evangelisation, and how there are so...
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...
The upcoming feast days in November, All Saints Day and All Souls Day, we will remember with hope all those saints who are in God’s presence, who’ve lived an exemplary life and were carefully examined by the Church to be considered as such. It’s also the time to...
Some time ago I wrote Part One of this article and then promised a Part Two. I stalled on writing the second part, and for that I’m sorry. I hope this follow up has been worth the wait. Identifying with the Elder Son in the parable of the Prodigal Son is a very real...