One of the best ways to enrich your spiritual life is to reflect on the Gospel. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method that we explain here. The following is a Gospel reading with a reflection that is especially aimed at...
In my beginning stages of exploration into women and the Church, I've been told so many times to check out Pope John Paul II's Letter to Women, which he wrote in June 1995, before the Fourth World Conference on Women. I've finally read it, and his message is...
It’s not an unusual situation (though I wish it were) that many young people today (mostly when they go to college), motivated by different reasons, abandon their Catholic faith. The causes range from the influence of friends and fashions, to intense rationalism in...
Many of us have been listening to Bible stories since we were kids. Noah's Ark, David and Goliath, and Daniel in the lion's den are some of the classics that children love to hear again and again, but have we taken the time to read them as adults? Though they do...
Growing up as the youngest of six siblings, the daily evening meal was non-negotiable. If we were home, we had to be there to eat altogether. Dragging myself from whatever engrossing book I was reading to join my family at the table was often the last thing I wanted...
Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be a formula for raising Catholic kids; it's simply one family's experience of how the witness of parents shaped children who became faithful Catholic adults. Each of my siblings and I got to a point in life where we had to choose...
This video had the usually brutal Youtube comment section reaching for the tissues to dry their tears, as an articulate little boy and a warm, grandfatherly older man exchange their thoughts, struggles and joys. The most attractive part of their exchange is the fact...
God's plan for the family is to be a model of the love of the Holy Trinity. "The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education of children it reflects the...
My New Year’s Resolution this year was to try and live out the commandment that appears so often in the Bible: “Be Not Afraid.” Personal circumstances meant that I had much need of this encouragement and I bounced into the New Year assuming that since I had decided...
What is the problem with a Catholic outdoor wedding? Believe it or not, the Catholic Church actually has some beautiful reasons as to why getting married outside the Church building is discouraged. The Church is not trying to ruin the plans for the day you have...
So you’re a godparent? Congratulations! But, your beloved godchild lives miles away… how will you ever have a strong spiritual mentorship to him or her? Well, God, the Father lives in Heaven and His love still surrounds us constantly. Through Him all things are truly...
Single Catholic guys, if you feel confused about how to stand out positively to the single Catholic ladies, don't lose hope! Although surface qualities like preferred height, appealing eye color, and keen musical talent may be attractive (who does not like being...
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...
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...
Most nights, although I'm exhausted at the end of the day, before I can fall asleep I stay awake thinking of all the things that I could have done differently as a mom. I replay the day in my head and inevitably hear the harsh sound of my own voice reprimanding...
Jesus proposes a way of loving that applies to everything in life. He teaches us the new commandment and gives us the coordinates so that our affective relationships may land on safe shore. Marriage is no a stranger to this kind of love nor these instructions that The...
What is the secret to a happy marriage? The secret of how to have a happy marriage is realizing that happiness is not the purpose of marriage. If your goal in marriage is your own personal happiness, you're going about it all wrong. The first thing to do is to spend...
I can almost feel the disapproving glares of the parishioners behind me burning holes in the back of my head, but I don’t dare turn and look. I am sitting on the floor at the front of the adoration chapel with my three energetic children, making a desperate attempt at...
“What are girls made of?” That’s the question this Nike commercial asks. “Made of flowers and rings, gossip and marmalade, that is what our girls are made of,” is the response in a traditional song that the young girl in the ad responds with. The audience nods...
I did not fully understand the significance of the Sacrament when I received my Confirmation. While I’m certain my teachers did a wonderful job preparing me in an academic sense, my mind and heart were just not completely open to the transforming power of the Holy...
Thinking a little bit about today's video and rereading some notes about harmful relationships, I came to the conclusion that talking about “toxic love” implies a contradiction in terms, because when one is trapped in an unhealthy relationship under the guise of a...
Of course, there is no question that the spiritual benefits far outweigh any practical benefits that children may receive when they attend Mass and that the reason we attend Mass is to be with and worship Our Lord, but we’ve already written about that in a few other...
When Disney's Beauty and the Beast was released in theaters it broke many records with a $170 million opening, but it was not without controversy. As you have probably heard by now, there is a gay character that has caused some Christians to encourage a boycott...
The Gospel of Matthew gives emphasis to St. Joseph, for it is through him that the legal, filial line passed from King David to Jesus. The following are virtues we all stand to learn from St. Joseph. St. Joseph's Silence If we look at Sacred Scripture, there is not...