In my journey back to the faith I had spent much time researching, listening, and learning about what it meant to be a daughter of God, what it meant to be a follower of Christ, and to clumsily pick up my cross and carry it. All of this seemed like an overwhelming...
St. Ignatius of Loyola explains, “By the term “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of examination of conscience, of meditation, of contemplation, of vocal and mental prayer, and of other spiritual activities. “For just as taking a walk, journeying on foot, and...
In today’s Gospel reflection, Father Ian VanHeusen presents a spiritual exercise based on the readings for Sunday’s Mass. St. Ignatius of Loyola explains, “By the term “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of examination of conscience, of meditation, of...
St. Ignatius of Loyola explains, “By the term “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of examination of conscience, of meditation, of contemplation, of vocal and mental prayer, and of other spiritual activities. “For just as taking a walk, journeying on foot, and...
People often ask us to pray for them, whether they’re facing challenges personally, at home, at work, or they’re battling a particular illness. The common practice is that we promise to pray for that person, putting it off to some point in the future (that, let’s be...
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...
God knew that we would need examples of how to live the faith well, and He has provided us with numerous Saints to observe and learn from in order that we too may lead holy lives. Of course, the Queen of all the Saints in Heaven is our Blessed Mother Mary and she is...
“Lectio Divina” means divine reading in Latin. It’s an ancient practice that teaches us how to read, meditate on and live the Word of God. History tells us that it was the Blessed Guigo the Carthusian, who wrote the “most important stages” of this way of meditating...
The Magnificat - otherwise known as the Canticle of Mary - is a beautiful, ancient, scriptural "song" of praise spoken by Our Lady. You may have heard the word thanks to the wonderful monthly publication that goes by the same name, but do you know the prayer, itself?...
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...
Known and beloved as the "Golden Sequence," the Veni Sancte Spiritus is a beautiful, powerful prayer to the Holy Spirit that dates back to the thirteenth century. It is attributed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Stephen Langton. In 1570, this "sequence"...
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...
The origin of the Rosary dates back to the year 800, but it has evolved throughout the centuries resulting in the Rosary we know today. The Rosary invites us to make a beautiful meditation about the life of Jesus and the Holy Virgin Mary. Whether we pray it alone or...
On Wednesday, May 24th, United States President Donald Trump proclaimed that Memorial Day (May 29th) will be a Day of Prayer for Permanent Peace. It's no coincidence that he initiated this day of prayer on the same day that he met with Pope Francis at the Vatican....
Purgatory is one doctrine that gets a lot of criticism from non-Catholic Christians, and confuses Catholics too. What's the deal with it?! Why do we need it, and where did it come from? This excellent video from Fr. Mike Schmitz at Ascension Presents cuts through the...
Are you familiar with that feeling of dread when it comes to talking to others about Jesus Christ? Do you strive to love Christ with your whole heart and follow Him with all your will, but wish you weren't so weak when it comes to witnessing to Him in conversations...
It's no secret that a devotion to praying the rosary will help you grow in your faith. Mary is our Mother and our advocate. When we ask her to present our needs to Jesus, we can be confident that she will take our requests to her Son. If you've ever wondered how to...
Have you noticed the proliferation of zombie apocalypse imagery and themes everywhere in popular entertainment? The phenomenon is ironic to me, because just now as zombies preoccupy campy media, real life has become increasingly anesthetized. Death and sin are swept...
Have you ever witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit? Not many of us can say that we have actually seen a miracle occur before our very eyes. In the exciting new film about the Holy Spirit, Fearless, you will have the opportunity to watch miracles unfold as you...
Today, we resume our series on sacred art as an aid to praying the Holy Rosary. Sacred art makes sense, and it is just one more of the countless treasuries of our Catholic heritage. The Incarnation of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, would forever infuse humanity - human...
Maxmillian Michieli started the lifeweapon ministry in 2015 to fix a problem in his life. He frequently wanted to pray the rosary, but always seemed to forget to bring his rosary along with him. This inspired him to create wearable rosary prayer bands that would...
Prayer is intended to be our way of communicating with God. It is a gift, yet sometimes it becomes a task, a burden, or a mundane part of our daily routine. We may also experience dry spells in our spiritual life and begin to feel disconnected from the God who loves...
No matter how spiritual we are, we cannot ignore our bodies when we pray. Indeed, we pray with and through them, not only with our voice and thoughts. If we are happy, our face expresses it, and our body does, too; if we're worried, we put our head in our hands. When...
Did you know that these five mysteries were introduced by Pope John Paul II in 2002? His Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae established a Year of the Rosary - somewhat akin to this past year's Year of Mercy. For those who try to pray five decades daily, these...
Far from a distraction away from God or - even worse, as some claim - idolatry, sacred art makes sense. Whether as a teaching tool, a meditative window or - on the part of the artist - an act of human participation in the creative impulse of God, beauty in art speaks...