After a career change, I had the privilege of beginning my teaching career this past year at St. John Paul II High School in Avondale, AZ which is run by the Sisters of St. Cecilia, better known as the “Nashville Dominicans.” I was blown away by the fidelity of the...
Miscarriage, a word that I never thought would happen to me. It wasn’t really on my radar and I didn’t give it any thought when I found out I was pregnant with our first baby. Yet, it was this very word that defined my first five pregnancies. It is the word that...
Our baby is graduating from college this year. Gulp. I’m not sure how we got here so quickly, but like it or not, it’s happening. Actually, I love it. Watching our kids become who they were meant to be has been the greatest honor. They don’t have it all figured out,...
Be aware. Understand. Take action. These three steps are the fundamental message of St. Ignatius’ 14 Rules for Discernment of Spirits. First, we must become aware of what is happening in our spiritual lives, specifically, where we are in relation to God and what...
Gentlemen, have you ever had your wife completely turn down your advances, seem completely disinterested in your attempts to woo her, and instead be totally annoyed with you? If your answer is yes, then you’re meant to read this. Why might she be reacting in this...
Recently, a student showed me the days-long conversation she’d been having with her Snapchat A.I. assistant. She felt ambivalence about how “creepy” it was, but she couldn’t stop engaging with it. No matter what she asked, a reply instantly blinked onscreen. Yet it...
Why is mainstream summer music about bikinis and crazy parties? It’s like the weather changes and suddenly the radio is a bit more “party culture” than normal. That is, unless, of course, you tune in to the Christian stations. Here is a playlist you can listen to all...
The USCCB launched the National Eucharistic Revival on Corpus Christi Sunday, 2022. This movement was designed to draw Catholics into a deeper relationship with the Eucharistic Lord and is centered around four pillars: (1) Personal Encounter with Christ, (2)...
Something More There’s something moreBeyond that doorThan what meets the eyeTiny HostWe adore the mostOn the altar there abidesAppears as breadChrist, risen from the dead,The ultimate sacrificeWho we abhor with our sinBy his mercy, He lets us inTo gaze upon Him, pure...
You may have heard that the largest religious group in America is the “nones,” those without a religious affiliation. In January of 2024, Pew Research stated that 28% of US adults are religiously unaffiliated. Of those, many are commonly called “fallen away”...
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said: “For bells are the voice of the church; they have tones that touch and search the hearts of young and old.” There is a sweet, holy sound to the clear chiming of church bells. The Tradition Of Bells Bells have long had a traditional...
Moral relativism is the belief that there are no moral absolutes and that right and wrong vary from one individual to another. Accordingly, disagreements about morality are nothing more than expressions of opinion. Why Is Moral Relativism Dangerous? This may sound...
I didn’t go looking for the Sacred Heart; the Sacred Heart found me. My mom always had a statue of both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that had a special place in the home while I was growing up. In addition, I grew up about five minutes...
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...