"Same Kind of Different As Me", released in theaters on October 20th, is based on the book that tells the incredibly inspiring true story of Debbie and Ron Hall and their relationship with Denver Moore, a homeless man. When trouble arises in their marriage,...
In the last few months I’ve really tried to embrace silence more often. To put my headphones down, turn off Netflix, logout of Instagram, and just be still. To pray more often, without distractions. To my surprise, it is not that easy. I don’t think I’m the only one...
On social media, at work, at home, in your community, at school... are you building up or are you tearing down? Are you helping to proclaim Jesus, or are you adding to the anger and hatred - especially political - that fills society? Today's gospel reflection can help...
How do you respond to an invitation to a party? Jesus uses the metaphor of a party invitation to talk about a deeper spiritual principle in this week's Gospel. We're all invited to the heavenly banquet, which actually begins on earth in the Mass. But how do we...
I don’t have an answer to “if there is a God, why is there suffering?”. It is a question I repeatedly struggle with, but it is a question that I do try to engage with. In recent years I have had a few extremely painful experiences that have left me asking exactly...
When we make a list of the now deceased actor Robin Williams’ movies, surely one of the first to appear will be “Dead Poets Society”. It’s without a doubt a classic. The story is a simple one: John Keating (Robin Williams) is a literature professor who, through...
Are you bearing fruit? Seeing our own limitations, forming and examining our conscience, and connecting with God's mercy is something that takes deliberate and intentional work, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and thanks to the insights of the saints who've gone...
If you’ve heard that being a feminist is anti-Catholic, think again. In today’s world, being a Catholic can be controversial. Especially when it comes to women’s rights. Feminism has a history of advocating for things that the Catholic Church contends with, whether it...
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to...
"Life is not fair!" Such a temptation and a thought-trap. How do we get past this pitfall? Today's Gospel reflection helps us by providing three strategies to overcoming this all-too-human struggle that threatens to derail our own personal progress and cooperation...
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...
Men, Manhood & Masculinity Over the next five articles, we will embark on a brief exploration of the complex and often overlooked topic of being male. The articles will be reflective and open to discussion, so please share your thoughts and experiences in the...
Womanhood is hard to define, even more so in a culture that suggests that there is no inherent difference between being male and female. What does womanhood mean? Is it less or more than manhood? Is there a distinct difference? Ascension Presents recently published a...
The 5-part series is the fruit of personal meditation, reading, and prayer. It is not an authoritative or comprehensive exposition, nor is it a theological treatment of the virtues as the Church names and categorizes them. Rather, it's meant to be an informal...
When I struggle or become frustrated with my prayer life, I know it is often because I've become self-absorbed and preoccupied with my own worries, failings, or grievances. It is a cycle that is difficult to break out of, because what, when we are self-absorbed,...
These days, I find myself praying often for a restoration of the masculine and feminine virtues in society. There's so much confusion swirling about, whether it's "gender ideology," sexual orientation, body dysmorphia, or otherwise. We all feel the tensions...
Christian Picciolini was a neo-Nazi skinhead who at the age of 16 was already pushing the ideology of white-supremacy, the product of which we have again seen raising its ugly and love-less head in the last few days. In this video, Christian shares his story,...
One of the best ways to enrich your experience at Sunday Mass is to pray and meditate on the Gospels. 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...
"There's no such thing as can't!" This phrase will be familiar to many of us from our childhoods, probably met with an eye-roll and stomping off upstairs to finally clean our room. But in this video the phrase has been taken to heart as a powerful and...
Friendship, especially in our busy modern age, can be overlooked as a nice addition to life, but not necessarily as an important priority. But friendships are important. They are how we learn to choose to love, share, and give. They are how we learn to accept love...
Who hasn’t ever wished to have a magic wand or a fairy godmother to do our homework assignments, take that horrible test for us, or simply make our problems disappear? In the video we present today, an amusing little wooden doll makes all this possible… and yes, for a...
Whether it’s being blown off by a friend, not getting the job we applied for, or being left on "red" by someone we care about, low-key rejection stings. In fact, it sucks. Especially when it's something that’s not major enough to force us to stop life in its tracks,...
Quite often I’ll come across an article about the dangers of screen-time and social media, and the egocentric, Me-First world that it exacerbates. I’ve read a lot of them, and I’m a little done with them. I know they’re right, and I’ll agree with them, but then I’ll...
The Eucharist is described in the Catechism as the "source and summit" of our faith. Finding the time to go to Adoration can be difficult. But if you can make it happen, committing to regular Adoration with an open heart can have some surprising results. While they...
Gratitude is one of the most underrated virtues. It’s so often misconstrued as false enthusiasm, naivety or new-age positivity. It’s not. To be grateful takes strength to see beyond our own egos. If we concentrate only on what is negative in our lives, we forget the...