Go big or go home? We all dream of going big. As Christian youth, we dream of someday becoming saints and staying close to God for the rest of our eternity. It sounds great, but do you think about how many times we get sidetracked and fall because of our sins? Let’s...
God has gifted us with many ways to express the emotion that wells within our hearts. Our culture will often tell us to suppress those feelings especially when it comes to crying. The world wants us to believe that to cry is to show weakness and defeat. However,...
Pope Francis recently recorded a personal invitation for young people to join an anticipated million people of all denominations for an incredible event called Together 2016, taking place on July 16, 2016, on the National Mall. Why did the Pope take the time to...
How often do we hear the phrase, or even say ourselves: "I should pray more...; I would like to but often I have no time." It's true. Our lives are busy. But maybe instead of taking time away from us, prayer is really the remedy to our obsession with the apparent lack...
This past weekend George Clooney (and his wife, Amal Clooney), Salma Hayek and Richard Gere were presented with an award, the "Olive Medal" of peace, from Pope Francis in a ceremony that took place at the Vatican. Even movie stars get excited when given the...
When I first read Pope Francis’ thoughts on gossip, I was both surprised and relieved- and chastened. His words about gossip are so strong. I didn’t think I was someone who was a big gossip, but when I thought about it, I was sad to realize that I was, and what’s...
Like every good Catholic, surely you have had to explain the Pope, the Virginity of Mary, priestly celibacy, and refute the nonsense that appears in tabloids and on TV—which includes everything from claiming Jesus had children to conspiracy theories about the worldly...
Every time we hear someone's words, we interpret them in some fashion. The challenge is to listen and understand the person's words in the spirit in which they were said (the context, the intentionality, the audience, etc). The same applies when we hear our...
Thirty-three days doesn't seem like a very long time to do anything, yet alone change your life. However, it was this devotion that Pope St. John Paul II said was the "decisive turning point in my life". Our beloved JPII read (and re-read many times) St. Louis de...
“Let us not be consumed with haste, as if time dedicated to Christ in silent prayer were time wasted. On the contrary, it is precisely then that the most wonderful fruits of pastoral service come to birth. There is no need to be discouraged on account of the fact that...
Even those who don’t know much about Pope Francis could likely tell you that he is passionate about revealing God’s mercy to all people. “The Name of God is Mercy” was released in January 2013 with hopes of helping people better understand the mercy of God...
Perhaps the way to become better acquainted with these Magi and to understand their desire to let themselves be guided by God’s signs is to pause to consider what they find on their journey, in the great city of Jerusalem.First of all they met King Herod. He was...
"It gives me great joy to know that the custom of creating a crib scene has been preserved in your families. Yet it is not enough to repeat a traditional gesture, however important it may be. It is necessary to seek to live in the reality of daily life that the crib...
“Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am glad to welcome you at the General Audience a few days before the celebration of the Lord’s Birth. The greeting on everyone’s lips in these days is “Happy Christmas! Best wishes for the Christmas festivities!”. Let us ensure that in...
A few weeks back we presented a post for those who don't feel to comfortable with the whole relationship with Mary. Today, we would like to continue to explain and dive into what our relationship with Mary is all about. As Mother of Christ, Mary is our mother as...
Today we begin the Jubilee of Mercy which is an Extraordinary Holy Year that officially commences today, December 8 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – with the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica. It will close Nov. 20, 2016 with the Solemnity...
Pope Francis recently wrote the preface to the new Youth Bible. What he says is amazing, and we encourage you to read it in full. His words are challenging, insightful and encouraging. He speaks from his own experience of reading the Bible and exhorts us to remember...
"What can a Pope teach me about family and married life?" This is a remark I frequently hear from those who have not read any of the Papal teachings on family. Some of the most insightful advice and life changing words of wisdom on marriage have come to me through...
What can a Pope teach us about family life? Pope Francis took the opportunity to share about the hope provided to all families through Christ Jesus while he was visiting Ecuador this past summer. Drawing wisdom from the Wedding at Cana in which Jesus preformed...
In his apostolic visit to the United States, Pope Francis mentioned several people who, through hard work and sacrifice, have been able to build a better future. People who, “shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people.”...
Matt Maher (a Catholic artist) recently won two Dove Award wins, taking home the trophies for Songwriter of the Year (Artist) and Worship Song of the Year for "Because He Lives (Amen)." At one point he was asked what it was like to sing for the Holy Father. It is a...
There are many rumors, misrepresentations, and misguided thoughts floating around cyberspace about what the Synod on the Family really is and what it desires to accomplish over the course of the next few weeks. In hopes of correcting some of the wrong information...
Now that the Synod on the Family has officially begun, we would like to offer you this "interview" with Pope Francis the will help to clarify what IS and IS NOT all about. The answers are based on his introductory discourse. Pope Francis said, "the Church today takes...
Pope Francis' visit to the United States concluded just a few days ago. There, he left us with a series of clear ideas on what the Church believes and teaches regarding marriage as an institution, accentuating time and time again its importance. On his way back from...
The response of the people of the United States to Pope Francis’ visit seems to be overwhelmingly positive. A few days ago Washington Post, a rather secular magazine, uploaded and shared a video of Pope Francis blessing a boy with cerebral palsy. By now, the...