“The imagination is more active in the dark than in the light of day.” ~ Immanuel Kant When we were young, we were afraid of the dark because we couldn’t distinguish the things around us. In the silence of the night, every sound seems louder. In the dark, it’s not...
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel of John 3:14-21, when Jesus proclaims Himself the Light of the World. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to invest in prayer of self-examination, and he provides...
"For so long, I kept things to myself and refused to open up because I didn't want to burden people with my problems and because I didn't think anyone would understand what I was going through. I was so wrong. No matter who you are, no matter what you're struggling...
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading for the 3rd Sunday of Lent, John 2:13-25, when Jesus cleanses the Temple of money changers, foretells of its destruction and - to the bewilderment of those who hear Him - that...
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading for the 2nd Sunday of Lent, Mark 9:2-10, the account of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to invest in prayer of...
Today we present the final installment of our God and the Gym series, a poetic reflection on rigorous fitness, physical suffering, Catholic spirituality, and the redemption of the Cross of Jesus Christ. God and the Gym: No Pain, No Gain Read parts 1 -3 of this series:...
This is an older video, but it's been popping up on the internet once again because it's such a classic. In this clip from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, the famous chef attempts to explain to school children how chicken nuggets are made. His hope is that once the...
If changing your diet or giving up some item of food is not possible for you this Lent, read on to find out seven creative and challenging ways that will allow you to still partake in Lent! 7 Ways To Do Lent That Don't Involve Food 1. Get Creative For God Paint a...
How many women ache in longing - in one way or another - for the men in their lives (fathers, husbands, boyfriends, sons) to man up? We see the problem, we get exasperated by it, we suffer for it... the struggles of so many men to be grown up, to behave chivalrously,...
Be Courageous! How to Overcome Your Addiction to Sin https://youtu.be/S4giNDdC-hA Overcome your bad habits and sin by claiming authority as a child of God 1. Stop cowering in fear or acceptance of your weakness as if it's "just the way it is, I'm stuck." 2. Name and...
3 Spiritual Exercises to Help Discern Your Vocation https://youtu.be/jf7xcQRY05g 3 Spiritual Exercises to help discern your vocation. 1. Think about Courage: "Here I am Lord" In Sunday's first reading, the prophet is ready and willing to surrender to the Holy Spirit....
I want to develop the theme of unity of body and soul, introduced at the end of my last article on God and the Gym. Here’s what the Catechism has to say about it: Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. … For this reason, man may not despise his bodily life....
To begin is for everyone. To persevere is for saints. ~ St. Josemaria Escriva An active physical life and an active spiritual life – both are so desirable yet can seem so unobtainable. We often think they’ll magically transpire just because we want them to but,...
How to Pray with Your Imagination on Epiphany https://youtu.be/yq4yxxEBGyo 2 Spiritual Exercises to let the light of Christ shine and break into our darkness 1. Imagine the vivid scene of clouds and darkness, pierced by light. Using especially this week's first Mass...
If you were to walk through the narrative of the Nativity story, you’d know it pretty well, right? That’s not a trick question, because I agree, we all know it very well. But what if the reason why we know it so well isn’t just because we’ve heard it year in, year out...
I’m sorry that we used such a click-baity title because really we just want you to have the best Christmas possible. So here are 7 ways you (might) be doing Christmas (a little bit) wrong. But better still, here are 7 ways to make your Christmas holier, happier and...
Mary was “set apart” for a very specific mission. Sometimes, I feel set apart, too. You know, set apart from friends on a Friday night, watching and memorizing my favorite 90’s rom coms for... well, I’m sure I’ll need those quotes one day. Or out to dinner with my...
Sometimes the culture of relativism makes us think that matters pertaining to evil and the spiritual battle are nothing more than theoretical ideas. We start to believe that our sin is less and less serious. “We must always be vigilant against the deception and...
Relations between the sexes: Have they ever been worse? It's enough to tempt one to despair. Thankfully, the Church is a bulwark of sanity in every human realm, not least of all in matters of sex and sexuality, on the deepest, primordial realities of Male and Female....
“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” ~ Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea Every path needs a starting point. In order to leave port, a ship must lose its mooring; in order...
One of the great Catholic writers of the last century, G.K. Chesterton, poured out ink (by pen and typewriter and secretary) at a level hardly matched before or since. He wrote novels, biographies, essays, editorials, non-fiction books on philosophy and apologetics,...
In today's video, Fr. Mike Schmitz gives us some things to consider before getting a tattoo. If we do choose to place permanent marks on our bodies, we need to make sure the marks portray values we’ll always identify with and live up to, because tattoos do inevitably...
Did you ever wish that the The Sound of Music was real? The heroes /heroines, the nuns saving lives, the incredible family? Did it inspire endless daydreams about what you would do if you'd lived in Europe during WWII? The musical was based on the book Sound of Music...
“Good reason still existed; but it was kept concealed, for fear of the popular reason." - Manzoni Fear of change, of responsibility, of failure, always seeks a justification. Just like Father Abbondio before Cardinal Borromeo in the famous Italian novel, The...