Though she was physically short in stature, St. Catherine of Siena was a spiritual giant among the giants. She was canonized by Pope Pius II in 1461, only eighty-one years after her death. In 1866, she was declared a patron saint of Rome, and in 1939, co-patron saint...
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...
Discipleship is key to evangelization. As Fr. George puts it, "Mass is where the meat is" and oftentimes this is a hard place for people to START their relationship with God. As a result, we need to be inviting people into a relationship with Christ and helping build...
Gospel of John 20:19-31 On the evening of that first day of the week,when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood in their midstand said to them, “Peace be with you.”When he had said this, he showed them his hands and...
Are Faith and Reason Compatible? A friend recently asked me a great question. Should decisions we make be made on faith alone or should we have faith and use reasoning. Put another way, could the Holy Spirit point us in a direction which seems like a logically poor...
The virtue of charity is our union with God. The Council of Trent declared that we maintain the virtues of faith and hope after we commit a mortal sin, both of which encourage us to seek out the sacrament of confession. But the Catechism of the Council of...
The Bible has undergone something of a revival in recent years. The Canadian psychologist, Jordan Peterson, drew global appeal with his lengthy YouTube commentaries on the book of Genesis. Fr. Mike Schmitz’s ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast maintained over 400,000 daily...
"Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:48 Be Perfect Jesus tells us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. For the person struggling with scrupulosity, this passage is taken out of context, magnified, and becomes a daily...
Gospel of Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”So to them Jesus addressed this parable:“A man had two sons, and the...
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...
He’s such a great guy, Ash – but I don’t know how to talk to him about, about. She paused searching carefully for her words. About, huff, you know! Ah, I told my sister, searching everywhere in that airtight moment for some wise words, which of course weren’t mine to...
Thirst and Perfection God thirsts for you. He desires you and He loves you. This thirst is universal and extends to every beloved created person. The Church shows forth this love of God for us and beckons us to be like Him. Regardless of our own state in life, our...
It is a tradition of the Catholic Church to observe a specific devotion during each month of the year. Here is the list of those devotions and a saint quote that will inspire you! 2025 Catholic Monthly Devotions January - The Holy Name of Jesus "The sweet name of...
Gospel of Luke 6: 39-45 Jesus told his disciples a parable,“Can a blind person guide a blind person?Will not both fall into a pit?No disciple is superior to the teacher;but when fully trained,every disciple will be like his teacher.Why do you notice the splinter in...
How many of us find ourselves yearning for the dusty streets of Jerusalem during Lent? Lent has traditionally been a time of pilgrimage, particularly to the Holy Land as we prepare to commemorate Our Lord’s Passion. 3 Main Purposes Of A Pilgrimage A pilgrimage...
BEHOLD, NOW IS THE ACCEPTA B L E T I M E ; B E H O L D , N O W I S THE DAY OF SALVATION.2 CORINTHIANS 6:2 We have all had the experience of knowing that we need to do something about a situation and yet putting it off until another day. It’s incredible to witness the...
Gospel of Luke 5:1-11 While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,mhe was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.Getting into one of...
This is an alarming statement – adding another level of responsibility on schools, especially in today’s society. But Catholic schools can and should influence Mass attendance! As we know today, many Catholic school students aren’t experiencing the Church as a family...
Gospel of Luke 4:21-30 Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”And all spoke highly of himand were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of...
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 Brothers and sisters:As a body is one though it has many parts,and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,so also Christ.For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,whether Jews or...
What is Scrupulosity? Scrupulosity is a disorder in which someone is pathologically obsessed with moral or religious issues, and it makes them act in a compulsive and often distressing way. Someone suffering from scrupulosity has obsessions, feels compulsions, has...
How are your New Year's resolutions holding up?! If you haven't been able to stick to your own goals or you just need some inspiration to try something different, take a look at this incredible list written by St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrow. If you don't think you...
I’ll never forget my first sober Christmas and New Year’s. I had about two and a half months free from alcohol and drug use (which seemed miraculous at the time, as it still does today), and I was preparing for what I knew would be a test of the principles that I had...
Elise McBride, a sixth-grade religion teacher at St. Francis of Assisi school in Ohio, wanted to find a way to help her students understand what Catholics are celebrating on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The common misconception, even among adult Catholics,...
Forgiveness is so hard, but why? Often, the desire for an eye for an eye overwhelms us, we want the person who hurt us to receive justice and be held accountable. But does holding on to the hurt and anger in fact accomplish our desire for justice? Again and again, I...