“Living is the infinite patience of always starting over.” Ermines Ronchi A few days ago, I was listening to my friend Massimo and his mother discuss their gardens and vineyard. Much of it was lost on me but I was struck by one detail: they had to wait for the...
Catholic Bible Study
How Jesus Puts Us In Motion When We Find Ourselves Stuck I Catholic Bible Study
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark (16:15-20) Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will...
The Critical Difference Between A Friend And A Master | Catholic Bible Study
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in...
Are You Allowing God To Prune You? | Catholic Bible Study
“He lost himself in dreams of what could have been had he just left; left without saying anything; left forever, without ever returning home again.” ~ Pirandello Who among us has not felt the urge to just run away and leave everything? This was the case with...
What Is Servant Leadership? A Catholic Perspective
What is servant leadership? As leaders, we should be oriented towards service, self gift. It's a simple principle, but it has to be renewed constantly. We also have to take care of ourselves in order to be able to give of ourselves to others. In this week's Catholic...
How Much Are You Worth? The Unconscious Commerce Of The Heart
“We love only that which is beautiful.” ~ Augustine Freedom has a price, but does love? How much does love cost? Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver. Joseph, in the book of Genesis, was sold into slavery by his brothers. And Orpheus had to make a bargain with...
Be Bold! The Father Is Waiting And Will Always Catch You | Catholic Bible Study
Are you holding back in your faith? Cowering in the locked upper room like the Disciples? Father Ian VanHeusen leads us in a Catholic Bible Study on John 20:19-31, and the awesome trustworthiness of God to catch us when we step out, risk big, and shed our fears in...
Finding Consolation In The Lord’s Passion And In Your Own Life
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading for Palm Sunday, Mk. 14:1-15:47. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to invest in prayer of self-examination, and he provides practical assistance in the method...
How to Discern Between Consolation & Desolation | Lenten Spiritual Exercises
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading of John 12:20-33, Jesus' startling statement about hating life in this world in order to gain eternal life in heaven. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to...
What A Buried Seed Teaches About True Love | Catholic Bible Study
“At Christmas I no more desire a rose / Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled shows; / But like of each thing that in season grows...” ~ Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost Seeds cannot be sown at just any time of year. Everything has its time. The life of the...
3 Questions To Examine Your Heart During Lent
Fr. Ian VanHeusen presents a gospel reflection and spiritual exercise on the Gospel of John 3:14-21, when Jesus proclaims Himself the Light of the World. Throughout the Lenten season, Father encourages us to invest in prayer of self-examination, and he provides...
When God Doesn’t Conform To Our Plans
Children are the future. They are the lives that continue on. Parents often project their aspirations onto their children and would like to see their hopes fulfilled in them. But, much like the future, the life of a child is not within our control. Though we might...
How To Go Into The Desert: Entering The Wild, Scary, Interior Battle Of Lent
“Though in Your sight I despise myself and reckon myself dust and ashes, there is something I know about You, which I know not about myself.” - Augustine, The Confessions A few days ago I was with some close friends in Subiaco, (where St. Benedict first founded a...
Uncontainable Joy & Keeping Secrets: 3 Thought Experiments
Father Ian VanHeusen presents a Catholic Bible Study and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading from Mark 1:40-45, when Jesus cleanses the leper and His reputation for miracles and wonders begins to spread near and far. We invite you to watch Father's video, then...
Are You Hiding From Life? Frozen To Avoid Pain?
“He sat quite still, benumbed and cold but little Gerda shed burning tears of joy; and they fell on his bosom, penetrating to his heart, where they thawed the ice...” ~ Hans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen Many times we freeze ourselves so as not to feel what we...
How To Overcome Your Addiction To Sin
Be Courageous! How to Overcome Your Addiction to Sin https://youtu.be/S4giNDdC-hA Overcome your bad habits and sin by claiming authority as a child of God 1. Stop cowering in fear or acceptance of your weakness as if it's "just the way it is, I'm stuck." 2. Name and...
The Symbolic Meaning Of The Apostles’ Fishing Nets| Catholic Bible Study
I saw all the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world, and I said groaning, ‘What can get through from such snares?’ Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Humility’. ~ St. Anthony Abbot Anyone who enters the Sansevero Chapel in Naples and sees the statue of the...
3 Marks Of An Authentic Disciple | Catholic Bible Study
3 Marks of an Authentic Disciple https://youtu.be/Ydq1e0cHiw0 3 Marks of an Authentic Disciple 1. Repent Every day, you must practice ongoing conversion, recognizing that you need the Lord. The Desert Fathers would do this through short little prayers like the Jesus...
The Lamb, The Rock, And How To Know What You’re Seeking| Catholic Bible Study
“Do Thou give strength to seek… My strength and my infirmity are in Thy sight: preserve the one, and heal the other.” ~ St. Augustine If you want to find something, the best way to do so is to start looking! Perhaps you won’t find exactly what you’re looking for, but...
3 Spiritual Exercises To Help Discern Your Vocation
3 Spiritual Exercises to Help Discern Your Vocation https://youtu.be/jf7xcQRY05g 3 Spiritual Exercises to help discern your vocation. 1. Think about Courage: "Here I am Lord" In Sunday's first reading, the prophet is ready and willing to surrender to the Holy Spirit....
5 Mosaics That Beautifully Explain What Happens In Baptism
“This fear of death is like a constant winter.” ~ St. Augustine Last week, in order to make the most out of the Christmas break, I went on a trip to Naples with friends from the parish where I assist on the weekends and where my close friend is the parish priest....
How To Pray With Your Imagination On The Epiphany
How to Pray with Your Imagination on Epiphany https://youtu.be/yq4yxxEBGyo 2 Spiritual Exercises to let the light of Christ shine and break into our darkness 1. Imagine the vivid scene of clouds and darkness, pierced by light. Using especially this week's first Mass...
Parenthood Is The Ultimate Act of Letting Go | Catholic Bible Study
Gospel Reflection for the Feast of the Holy Family Every one of us, to greater or lesser degree, feels the need to leave our mark on history. We wish our lives would never end; we fear falling into the oblivion of forgetfulness, of being forgotten. And we often...
3 Things Mary Teaches Us About How to Follow Her Son | Catholic Bible Study
We invite you to watch Father's video, then prayerfully read the Gospel and reflection. We pray that this might help you in your apostolate, your family, your classroom, or personally... to prepare for and more deeply experience Sunday's Mass, and to better integrate...
Why Is It So Hard To Believe God’s Greatest Promise|Catholic Bible Study
“Consider, oh man, what God became for your sake; understand this lesson of surpassing humility presented by a teacher who, as yet, says no word.” - Saint Augustine The word “to promise” means to put in motion. And a promise is the way in which we put our lives in...