As a Carmelite friar, or a member of the Carmelite order to which St. Thérèse of Lisieux belonged, many times over the last several years a young person has said to me: “St Thérèse is stalking me.” I have to admit, I appreciate their candor, but I want to also say,...
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 commandmentsand remain in his love. "I have told you this so that my joy may be in youand...
I have a confession to make. Through my spiritual journey, and even through my professional path, I have struggled again and again with comparing myself to others. It has been a bump on the road that has stopped me from flourishing in an authentic, peaceful, and...
A lot happens between the ages of 12 and 14. I call it the magical age, the ethereal age, the age of heroes and anything’s-possible. We’ve all passed through that moment. For some of us it was just another year, for others it was the turning point that made every...
Gospel of Luke 18:9-14 Jesus addressed this parableto those who were convinced of their own righteousnessand despised everyone else."Two people went up to the temple area to pray;one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.The Pharisee took up his position...
1. Build a Daily Practice of Prayer (even if it means praying in the bathroom) Prayer is simply a conversation with Jesus. Of course, formal times of prayer are spiritually beneficial, however, daily life can sometimes make them impossible. While a simple chat with...
To evangelize you don’t always need to follow in the footsteps of the St. Francis or St. Irenaeus, who purposefully tried to become martyrs, or Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who had a very popular television show as the first televangelist. You don’t need to be...
How can you help fallen-away family members return to the Lord? Many of us ache over our loved ones' separation from God, be it through ignorance, stubbornness, woundedness, or otherwise, but we feel inadequate in our attempts to draw them to faith. We present a...
Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be...
Friendship, especially in our busy modern age, can be overlooked as a nice addition to life, but not necessarily as an important priority. But friendships are important. They are how we learn to choose to love, share, and give. They are how we learn to accept love...
As almost all of you probably do, every day I receive a bunch of images through WhatsApp or via text. Memes (pretty hilarious if they make fun of the rival football team), encouraging quotes (reminding me that I can achieve everything if I really want it), pious...
These Saints who were friends discovered that the experience of authentic friendship is a real treasure. It is, as Elredo de Rieval said, "the homeland of those in exile, the wealth of the poor, the medicine of the sick, the grace of the healthy, the strength of the...
Each year during Holy Week, we celebrate the most fundamental aspects of our Catholic faith. We remember the love of God, the sacrifice of His Son Jesus for our sake, the institution of the Eucharist, etc. Perhaps most importantly, we rejoice at the end of Holy Week...
How often have you met a young adult and thought “Wow, they are so holy”... or looked to them as an inspiration and example for your own faith? Teens and young adults, especially those in high school or college, are notoriously stereotyped as the opposite of saintly,...
Have you ever wanted to talk to someone who has been through some of the same trials, struggles and situations in life that you are currently facing? It always seems to help to speak with a person who “gets” it. The advice and empathy they give is unlike anyone else’s...
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...
Have you ever had a friend who has tried to convert you to their religion? They start slowly at first with slight hints and ambiguous invitations to events: “Oh, other denominations will be there” but it escalates to something that could be uncomfortable for both...
As believers and followers of the Prince of Peace, we are all called to bring peace to the world around us. Start by respecting each person you encounter, especially when others are not showing that respect. The Catechism paragraph 2507 teaches us, “Respect for the...
Many times when we're not in a Christian environment we find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of sharing or defending our faith. We know this can be a challenge so we are providing 11 ideas that you can use when talking about God to others,...
Reality check: life is as beautiful as it is complicated. More often than not, difficult situations can shake us to the core, but fear not, faith comes to the rescue of those in need. Saint Augustine said it best when he said, “Faith is to believe what you do not...
Notorious for gossip, jealousy, and obsession with appearance, women are poorly and stereotypically portrayed in popular culture, especially when it comes to our relationships with each other. Movies often have a set of “mean girls” or stage the plot around a romantic...
It is never easy to share our faith with others, but it is the call that Jesus gave every Christian in the Great Commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the...
I'm telling! These are the words that have echoed through my home this summer. Some days, I feel more like a referee than a mom and I wonder if I am doing anything right. But then just when I’m on the brink of buying a slew of new parenting books, I overhear my...
Bullying can be defined as the following: the unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. It can imply verbal (teasing,...