One of the best ways to enrich your experience in prayer is to pray with scripture. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method which we explain here. The following is the Sunday Gospel reading with a reflection...
This viral video of a young girl's poetry performance in her school classroom makes for powerful and somewhat painful viewing. She is a 7th-grade student, only twelve or thirteen years old. In watching it, my heart went out to her, because I understood her struggles....
What does a Pope pray before bed? Pope Francis' bedtime prayer is one that we can all easily incorporate into our nightly routine. With the beautiful simplicity of this prayer, we can teach our children to come before the Cross of Christ and meditate on what He has...
Here's a battle I sometimes fight with myself: vacillating between exuberant repetitiveness about my faith, my conversion, how amazing God is, how I wish everyone I love would convert (for their own well-being and happiness!), how I wish every Catholic in the pews on...
The celebration of Pentecost reminds us of our need for the Holy Spirit. How often do you pray to and invite the Holy Spirit into your life? Jesus left us with the Advocate to help us grow in holiness, but many of us don't understand how to incorporate this aspect of...
Ordinary Time doesn’t have to be so ordinary. It can be just as prayerful, meaningful, and productive as any of the liturgical times of the church year. The difference is that we have a lot more time to plan and accomplish things. Where do you start? Think about the...
One of the best ways to enrich your experience Mass is to pray the Mass Readings personally and to meditate on a Gospel reflection. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method which we explain here. John 20: 19-23 On the...
Growing up, my mom taught my brother and I the importance of managing our money well and how important it was for us to give of our time, talents, and treasures. And, I wish I could tell you that I've always managed a budget and done everything I was supposed to do...
Don’t be surprised if you hear in the coming days that a few hundred thousand people are making their way to Rome. They’ve all headed there to mark the 50th anniversary of the charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church, a phenomenon that is estimated to have impacted...
June 3rd is the feast of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions. These great saints have been officially designated as martyrs for the Catholic faith. Officially, St. Charles Lwanga is the patron of converts, torture victims, and the African Catholic Youth Action....
Artists Ward Shelley and Alex Schweder built a house that spins and tilts on one pivot point. Once it was complete, they moved in and lived in it for five days. The video shows the delicate response of the house to their movements and makes a very obvious illustration...
The late Cardinal Suenens, one of the fathers of the Second Vatican Council, said the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is not a “movement” in the usual sense of the word, but it is a “current of grace.” Cardinal Suenens saw the Charismatic Renewal as a rekindling of the...
Do you know about the Catholic sacramental of blessed salt? A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace. (The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation, The Eucharist, Confession, Holy Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, and...
One of the best ways to enrich your experience at Sunday Mass is to pray the Mass Readings personally and to meditate on a Gospel reflection. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method which we explain here. The following is...
We get it. You already have a to-do list that is long. This list isn’t meant to guilt you into an impossible regimen on top of your already crammed day. The goal is to start incorporating one or two of these things into your day and then keep working until these...
Today the Church celebrates the Feast Day of St. Philip Neri, who was born in Rome in 1515 and died in 1595 on 26th May. He was a priest and was the founder of the Oratorians. He is well known for his humor, his gifted spiritual direction, and his habit of making a...
In today's Gospel reflection, Father Ian VanHeusen presents a spiritual exercise based on the readings for the Mass of Our Lord's Ascension. St. Ignatius of Loyola explains, “By the term “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of examination of conscience, of...
I'm sure you can recall a time when someone's words caused you deep hurt and pain. What that person said to you cut you to the heart and many times those horrible words that you've tried so hard to forget seem to be stuck on repeat in your mind. The words of...
What's a sacramental? Even if you're not sure about the word, you are familiar with Sacramentals, and you probably use them regularly! I tend to file Sacramentals into my mental "Theology-of-the-Body Folder," not because they have anything to do with sexuality, but,...
In today's Gospel reflection, Father Ian VanHeusen presents a Catholic Bible study and spiritual exercise based on John 14:15-21. St. Ignatius of Loyola explains, “By the term “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of examination of conscience, of meditation, of...
One of the best ways to enrich your spiritual life is to pray with scripture and meditate on its application to your own life. Enjoy this free Catholic Bible Study that will enrich your spiritual reading! A great way of doing this is using the technique of...
Purgatory is one doctrine that gets a lot of criticism from non-Catholic Christians, and confuses Catholics too. What's the deal with it?! Why do we need it, and where did it come from? This excellent video from Fr. Mike Schmitz at Ascension Presents cuts through the...
The fact that these Franciscan Friars of the Renewal aren't trying to be cool makes the many different things they do even cooler. From basketball to cooking, these Friars have found creative ways to engage the culture and it's working. Their YouTube videos have...
One of the best ways to enrich your experience at Sunday Mass is to pray the Mass Readings personally and to meditate on a Gospel reflection. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method which we explain here. The following is...
It’s no secret in the Catholic world that Bishop Robert Barron produces excellent videos on many pertinent topics. As a theologian and author, Bishop Robert Barron covers a wide range of topics in his "brief and insightful commentaries." Movies, books, politics both...