Traveling is a beautiful way to encounter other people and other cultures, and to be inspired by what you find and even more so, by those whom you meet. When you make that decision to go traveling, make it with God, because when you allow Him to work through you and...
I don’t know about you, but when I’m in a place of pain or distress, my prayer life can go one of two ways. Either I can feel closer to God, and prayer comes more easily, or my prayer life dries up and any kind of communication with God feels impossible. It is in...
I enjoy reading good books. When I buy a book that someone has recommended to me, I can’t wait for it to arrive and then to read it straight through to the end! But I must confess to owning a book which has been recommended to me by many people who I greatly admire,...
Sometimes prayer and meditation can be a bit intimidating. Who has time for it? And with what little free time we do have, prayer feels more like an obligation than anything else. What's more, besides a Mass and a few minutes before bed, all the other things are for...
Spiritual communion is a great way to cultivate our love for Christ in the Eucharist for those times when we can’t make it to Daily Mass for a variety of reasons (no priest, something unexpected, weather, job, sickness, etc.). It is important to note that a spiritual...
Anyone who has seen the movie Good Will Hunting will know the famous “It’s not your fault” scene. Even if you haven’t seen it, the moment stands powerfully alone, uncomfortable at first, until you cannot fail to be pulled into the breakdown of emotion that Will (Matt...
As someone that tries to share the faith with others, I often find myself struggling to explain prayer. What difference does it really make? Isn't it enough that I simply help others, that I be a "good person"? Albeit convincing for many – sometimes I myself fall into...
There have been many days when I was on the verge of losing my mind due to obsessive tattling, the never-ending muddy footprints on my hardwood floors and the bloodcurdling shriek of a toddler being tortured by her big brothers. During those moments, I could only...
When a writer pens poetry he or she uses a linguistic paintbrush to form in the mind of the reader a place full of emotion that no other writing style can express. Human experiences are so deep and so powerful that our language does them no justice. What seems like...
The main characteristic that distinguishes a Christian from a person of a different religious denomination is true love. This consists of feeling deeply loved by God and loving Him in return, above all things. From this conception of life derive other characteristics,...
“I don’t have time to pray!” some argue. “That is not true,” I tell them. They give me a thousand excuses and leave. Then time goes by and I observe them. Long hours spent watching TV and YouTube videos, checking Facebook, playing games, listening to music, pursuing a...
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...
I have become convinced that one of the most important indicators of someone’s spiritual maturity is how they deal with stress. Even good people with great intentions fail to maximize their spiritual life precisely because they deal with their stress in ways that...
I was excited to see that ‘The Wild Goose’ is inviting everyone to join them in a worldwide prayer vigil for Pentecost. If you don’t already know, ‘The Wild Goose’ is an online series, created in partnership between Fr. Dave Pivonka and 4pm Media. (You can see 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...
Everyone who is engaging in their faith will experience this eventually- at a time when difficulties or despair set in, when doubts become overwhelming, and God feels distant. Prayer feels impossible and no long or short the length of the dry spell, there is no...
Have you ever found yourself in a prayer rut? Perhaps you've been saying the same prayers for so long you no longer pay attention to the meaning behind the words. Your prayer routine has become just that, routine. Though it is good to be in the habit of...
If you’re thinking of going to Confession, but it has been a while, this post is for you. Going to Confession is never pleasant or enjoyable, but it is always worth it. However, it can feel so much worse if you’ve not been in years. Maybe it has been so long ago since...
“Let your prayer be entirely simple. One word was enough for the publican and for the prodigal son to obtain God’s forgiveness (cf. Lk 15,21)… No pretentiousness in the words of your prayers; how often it is that the simple and unadorned stammerings of children sway...
In recent years, some have noted a widespread crisis in the Church regarding the practice of the examination of conscience. On the one hand, for many it has become a legalistic examination (basically putting oneself in the courtroom), done exclusively within the...
If you are anything like me, it bothers you, it makes you uncomfortable, to see so many people sharing photos, prayer chains, and hashtags like #PrayForJuanito. You ask yourself, “Do these people really pray or do they just share an image?” Then again, “Have they...
“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...
WARNING: This post contains a video deemed offensive and as such, “carries the risk of upsetting, or offending, audiences”. The video contained in this post has consequently already been banned from screening at UK cinemas despite having been cleared by the Cinema...
Today’s video invites us to reflect on an important and often forgotten about moment during Mass - the after Communion Meditation. Too often we may return to our pew after receiving Communion and sit and think. We may make a short prayer, the choir launches into a...
We utter the words every time we go to Mass, but when was the last time that you took a moment to reflect on what you are truly saying when we pray The Nicene Creed? The Creed is more than a prayer, it is a profession of the truths of the Christian faith. The words...