You may have wondered, “Should Catholics use pronouns?” It may be near impossible not to. In the English language, we use pronouns all the time to keep sentences from becoming repetitive and clunky. Without possessive pronouns like “their,” we’d have to say...
The Word of God is living and effective (Hebrews 4:12)! That means God is speaking to you through Scripture right now. The questions Jesus asked back then are relevant to you today. He’s not just asking Peter or Paul or the Pharisees these questions; in some way, He...
Growing up, I always thought I had a solid family unit. My parents were youth leaders in our small Methodist church and my Dad was a fireman/paramedic in our small town. We were just a normal and faithful family. This is why I was shocked when, as a 19-year-old young...
“Hail Mary, full of grace.” We often repeat these words as part of the prayer for many different daily devotionals, such as the Angelus, the Rosary, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. When applied to the Blessed Mother, it is easy to see how she is full of grace, but have...
The greatest philosophers in history say yes In March of 2024, Axios reported that the United States had hit a new low in the annual World Happiness Report. The U.S. dropped eight spots, to Number 23 overall—the first time it’s fallen out of the Top 20. Americans felt...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Prune! Baby Jesus has been growing at a fast pace since the Annunciation and will be fully developed by the end of this month! Those tiny buds from last month are now arms and legs, hands and feet, fingers and toes. These...
When you hear the word retreat you probably think: solitude, monastery, deep prayer, and peace. These are all images of a retreat that you may have attended or have envisioned yourself participating in some day. It hardly lines up with the word,...
Here are 3 ways in particular that I rely on the Holy Spirit to parent: The Holy Spirit sanctifies me and fills me with God’s love when I am empty, He comes through on his scriptural promises, and He gives practical gifts which bear fruit. Let’s dive into these one at...
We sometimes wonder why our prayers are not answered in the way that we hope. And often, we will never know because there are so many variables, including the fact that we may actually be asking God for something that’s not good for us in the long run. Or we may be...
I stared at my computer at the half-written essay. I had been working on it for one of my toughest classes and feared it wouldn’t be finished before it was due at 11:59pm that night. I also knew that I might not have been able to finish, because our soccer team had a...
What is the legend of St. Brendan's Stone? Enjoy an imaginative retelling of this Irish folklore and an inspiring Saint! St. Brendan's Stone Where the green ground of the Emerald Isle met the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean, a man stood along the coastline, looking...
Recently, the lyrics to the song “One Spirit, One Church” by Kevin Keil and Maryanne Quinlivan, OSU, began running through my mind: We are a pilgrim people, we are the Church of God. A family of believers, disciples of the Lord. United in one spirit, ignited by the...
St. Joseph, the silent husband of the Virgin Mother, terror of demons, and earthly father of Christ our Lord, is a man of few words. His role within the Holy Family as the father of Christ reveals a very important metaphysical truth. Identity is not determined by...
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, mountain enthusiast, student, fun-loving, and passionate Catholic, was born in Italy in 1901 and died when he was only 24. Born to a wealthy family, he used his privileged position to secretly support the poor. He led an ordinary life...
We need one another. As men, we need strong women. We need their support. Women need strong men and need their support as well. When it comes to being men and women, we desperately need to be and remain GROUNDED, to avoid getting caught up and carried away by...
Drink to good health! That has been the cry of saints and popes as they have served mugs of beer to the sick. In times of plague, members of the church have used beer to fight disease. St. Arnold of Soissons St....
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name…” Luke 24:35-48 What Did Jesus Actually Accomplish By Dying And Rising From The Dead? Most of us...
Saint Vincent Ferrer was a priest from Spain who lived in the 14th century. His missionary work is attributed to leading thousands of people in Europe to the Catholic faith. His feast day is celebrated on April 5th and the life of this saint continues to lead people...
I tease that I grew up as a “Metho-byterian-ist of God” - I was baptized United Methodist, sang in a Presbyterian traveling youth choir, went to Wednesday night Bible study with my Baptist friends, and often visited an Assemblies of God church with a guy I dated. As...
During this Season of the Resurrection, we are mindful that the ministry of Jesus did not come to an end with His earthly life. Just before His Ascension, Jesus promised to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and guide His Church. The Holy Spirit...
I remember the first time I introduced my oldest child to Easter. It was Good Friday, and my wise-for-her-years two year old was asking about what was special about the day. So I took a crucifix down from the wall, and let her hold it. I touched Jesus’ hands and feet,...
One day each year – and one day only – there is no Catholic Mass celebrated throughout the world. One day. The Easter Triduum begins with Holy Thursday Mass. What many Catholics don’t realize is that Good Friday service not a Mass, but a liturgy, as no hosts are...
What is an Indulgence? Do Catholics still practice indulgences? That stopped after Martin Luther pointed out that they are wrong, right? To be sure, the 16th Century was a confusing time. There was a Dominican preacher named Johann Tetzel who Luther claimed was...
First things first. When I embarked on the quest to find Catholic women, who are not saints or blesseds, I was prepared for surprises. Many of us know our holy and inspiring women saints (Saint Catherine of Sienna, Saint Rita, Saint Therese, Saint Edith Stein… I could...
The beauty of the beast. “Sixteen is the terrible twos times eight plus a driver’s license.”—One mother in speaking for many. “Just enjoy them now; those teen years are coming.”—a forewarning from veteran parents to the beginners. Poll one hundred...