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...
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...
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...
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...
This Disorientated Generation – Part 7 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...
This Disorientated Generation – Part 6 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...
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...
This Disorientated Generation - Part 3 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 has written an...
This Disorientated Generation - Part 2 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...
God created you as a man. He created you as a son. He desires your heart, soul, and strength. Above all else, He calls you to embrace your identity as a child of the Father, as coheir with the Son and empowered by the Spirit. He calls you to be set apart from the...
God created you as a man. He created you as a son. He desires your heart, soul, and strength. Above all else, He calls you to embrace your identify as child of the Father, as coheir with the Son, and empowered by the Spirit. He calls you to be set apart from the...
I’m always wary of watching things that Hollywood puts out that involve elements of the Catholic Church. I prepare myself for insults and total misconceptions of the truth, beauty, and goodness that the Church is and has to offer. So as I watched the trailer of Lady...
Many of us would sooner eat a kale smoothie than go to Confession. Why? Because we value physical health, the kind of health that everyone can see, over spiritual health, which often involves admitting we did something wrong and need to change our habits or attitude....
“If God has created all things, where does evil come from?” - Saint Augustine When we feel inadequate, fragile, or guilty, we immediately look for something to hide behind. We are ashamed of our nudity. We don’t want to be seen. It’s a recurring sensation throughout...
A Catholic Bible Study on the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 28:16-20 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to...
The parable of the Prodigal Son is arguably one of the most well-known parables, and it is easy to see why. Despite its short length, the story is packed with drama. We can feel all the familiar emotions in it. We understand the rebellion of the younger son and his...
Growing up, I ticked of all the ‘weird kid’ qualities. Bookworm? Tick. Shy Catholic girl? Big tick. Facial scarring? Tick. Scar from open-heart surgery? Tick. You know how everyone gets known for something for in highschool? Try being known as that weird kid who...
When the string of a pearl necklace snaps and the pearls fly off in all directions, bouncing across a pale marble floor, they seem like jets of water flying out of a broken water pipe or like unruly children running to hide in the most unlikely places. Trying...
Everyone thought he was just a cute and cuddly dog, a homeless mutt, who sat shyly in his little kennel corner. He seemed gentle, submissive, and in need of a walk outside the animal shelter where he waited a home. I volunteered to walk him, hoping he’d benefit from...
Are you holding back in your faith? Cowering in the locked upper room like the Disciples? Father Ian VanHeusen leads us in a Catholic Bible Study on John 20:19-31, and the awesome trustworthiness of God to catch us when we step out, risk big, and shed our fears in...
Fr. Ian presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercises on the Gospel reading options for Easter ( 20:1-9, Mk. 16:1-7, and Lk. 24:13-35). Using the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, we examine how to discern between authentic feelings of consolation and the ego traps...
I have some news for you. You’re going to die. We all are--not now, maybe, not in the near future, but one day, all of us will physically cease to be. This isn’t meant to be depressing or frightening; it is a condition of life that it must cease, or otherwise it isn’t...
The minimalist movement is a refreshing trend in modern society. It’s a turning away from the mentality of Madonna’s “Material Girl” and turning towards a less wasteful, less consumerist mentality. Some are more extreme about it than others. This movement can manifest...
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading of John 12:20-33, Jesus' startling statement about hating life in this world in order to gain eternal life in heaven. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to...
https://catholic-link.org/infographic-what-is-the-meaning-behind-the-priestly-vestments-a-practical-guide/ God calls those He wants to be priests. He chooses them from among His people in order to consecrate them, to make them His own. From that moment on, priests no...