No one has to tell you that many people have been suffering with their mental health during this pandemic. As a graduate student studying professional counseling, I am passionate about ending the stigma of mental illness. During my first year of grad school, my...
We are living in unprecedented times. The tension has become palpable. You can see it on our roads, in stores, even within our churches – people are stressed beyond belief. We live with the media shouting their respective agendas at us 24/7 – pandemic, civil unrest,...
These days, we all need a little extra help finding our brave. Teach your children that when fear surrounds us, we can look to the Word of God to find our strength. Pray these scripture verses together as a family and work together to memorize them. 8 Bible Verses...
During this time of COVID19 we have to be careful with our fear. The cure cannot be worse than the disease. How do you develop strategies to live a healthy balanced life in the midst of the shutdown. Monastic rule is so important to learn in this time. We are to KNOW...
If you find that your life is filled with tension and anxiety, one obvious solution is to offer what you're going through to Christ in prayer. And in a rich and beautiful podcast, Dr. Edward Sri shows us why and how we can do...
“If God has created all things, where does evil come from?” - Saint Augustine When we feel inadequate, fragile, or guilty, we immediately look for something to hide behind. We are ashamed of our nudity. We don’t want to be seen. It’s a recurring sensation throughout...
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...
Are you afraid of death? Imagine just how much your fears hold you back from God's awesome plan for your life! In this week's Gospel reflection, Father Ian VanHeusen examines Lk. 24:35-48. Much like Jesus' plan for his disciples, it's hard for us to imagine what...
“What is your aim in philosophy?” “To show the fly the way out of the fly-bottle.” ~ Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost Paraphrasing Wittgenstein, we can say that the aim of the Resurrection is to show us the way out of the places in which we are trapped, from the...
“The imagination is more active in the dark than in the light of day.” ~ Immanuel Kant When we were young, we were afraid of the dark because we couldn’t distinguish the things around us. In the silence of the night, every sound seems louder. In the dark, it’s not...
“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...
Mary was “set apart” for a very specific mission. Sometimes, I feel set apart, too. You know, set apart from friends on a Friday night, watching and memorizing my favorite 90’s rom coms for... well, I’m sure I’ll need those quotes one day. Or out to dinner with my...
How do you deal with suffering? How do you learn to push through discomfort, fear and anxiety for the sake of Jesus Christ? At some point in life, we all must encounter fears, and some of them are too heavy to overcome alone. In Matthew 16:21, Peter balks at Jesus'...
One of the best ways to enrich your experience at Sunday Mass is to pray and meditate on the Gospels. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method which we explain here. The following is the Sunday Gospel reading with a...
A great form of prayer is Lectio Divina, a powerful method that we explain here. This week, Fr. Piccolo reflects on Matthew 13:44-52. We hope that it serves you in your personal prayer and that it serves as a resource that you can share with your apostolate....
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...
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...
Knowing that we are called to follow the Will of God and being able to discern His Will are two very different things. Do you ever feel like asking God for a neon sign to guide you in your next step in life? Usually, God does not send neon “go here, do that” signs. So...
Its become the trend in the last few years for Dictonary.com to announce their ‘Word of the Year’, the word that they feel is most relevant or trending to the year. Past years words have included ‘Privacy’ (2013), ‘Exposure’ (2014) and ‘Identity’ (2015). 2016’s Word...
Let's talk about the world again. If your summer has been anything like mine, it's probably been a summer of intense political debate, on both sides of the pond. And let's not forget the horrendous plight of the parts of the world that are so regularly suffering...
St. Paul writes Hebrews that ‘the word of God is alive and active’ (Hebrews 4:12) and this is still true even in our darkest moments of pain and confusion. The Bible can provide us the answers and the comfort that we are seeking. Whatever you are going through, if you...
The Church has always been persecuted; we know this. It is constantly persecuted all around the world. Yet in recent months, the waves of this persecution have been lapping ever closer to our western world for the first time in hundreds of years. In the West, we are...
'There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the turmoil of the ocean and its waves; men fainting away with terror and fear at what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the...
Ask anyone why they have not yet achieved a goal and you will usually get fear as their reason for not attempting to pursue their desire. I’m afraid I will fail. I’m afraid my life will have to change. I’m afraid I’m not prepared. The list of fears that hold us...
Inside Out is the newest release from Pixar Animation Studios and Disney. We know the Pixar brand’s penchant for entertaining both children and adults, alike (Up, Monsters Inc, and Cars just to name a few), and they have certainly lived up to their reputation this...