A common complaint I hear around this time of year is that people are struggling with family members. Old grudges are present, new additions may not be accepted, some family members may choose not to be present, and tensions can be at an all-time high. When...
Gospel Of Luke 17:5-10 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."The Lord replied,"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,you would say to this mulberry tree,'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."Who among you would say to your...
Every year over a million children experience the divorce of their parents, and at least one-quarter of all young adults are children of divorce. And those numbers grow when you include people whose parents never married but later split up, or those whose parents...
In this video, we see the love of a mother for her son, and the impact her son has on her life and the lives of many others. This impact isn't huge or dramatic, but hope given in hard times, or a smile offered at just the right time. You can tell that the mother...
October is Infant Loss Awareness month, and it is also Pro-Life month. How appropriate that these two coincide, and both seek to honor the life of babies in the womb and the women who are carrying them. In this podcast, Becca Thiery shares the story of losing her...
Teens are hungry for God. They want to know what is true. They yearn to experience authentic encounters with the risen Lord. Many may have faith in their hearts, but are still trying to figure out what is real for themselves. They need proof. They want to know...
Jesus was my excuse. He wanted me to forgive my abuser, to give him a second chance. But in the pit of my stomach, I know that I just made that up because I was too afraid to speak up. My name is Maria Sage. I am a 24-year-old Catholic, a writer, a bookworm, a lover...
When we go through moments of pain and difficulty, it is easy to blame God or feel abandoned by Him, so in this post, I want to talk about those moments in which pain makes us feel confused. When I was about seven years old, I was playing at home, running, until I...
Anyone who has heard the recent news coming out of the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania is rightfully outraged. It wasn’t just that possibly thousands of people were sexually abused, but what’s especially revolting is the way these perpetrators exploited their...
It's important that Christians know the Word of God and write it on their hearts. In times of trouble, stress, and despair, it is the God's promises that give us hope. The scriptures remind us that with our eyes fixed on Christ we can weather any storm that comes our...
Gospel Reflection for Mark (5:21-43) When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he...
Growing up, I ticked of all the ‘weird kid’ qualities. Bookworm? Tick. Shy Catholic girl? Big tick. Facial scarring? Tick. Scar from open-heart surgery? Tick. You know how everyone gets known for something for in highschool? Try being known as that weird kid who...
As a United States Army Special Forces First Sergeant, Sompaul Vorapanich has accomplished much in the military while defending freedom and standing strong in the face of battle. Sgt. Vorapanich strives to serve his country with valor and virtue, but his ultimate goal...
When the string of a pearl necklace snaps and the pearls fly off in all directions, bouncing across a pale marble floor, they seem like jets of water flying out of a broken water pipe or like unruly children running to hide in the most unlikely places. Trying...
“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...
"For so long, I kept things to myself and refused to open up because I didn't want to burden people with my problems and because I didn't think anyone would understand what I was going through. I was so wrong. No matter who you are, no matter what you're struggling...
One of the great Catholic writers of the last century, G.K. Chesterton, poured out ink (by pen and typewriter and secretary) at a level hardly matched before or since. He wrote novels, biographies, essays, editorials, non-fiction books on philosophy and apologetics,...
I don’t have an answer to “if there is a God, why is there suffering?”. It is a question I repeatedly struggle with, but it is a question that I do try to engage with. In recent years I have had a few extremely painful experiences that have left me asking exactly...
One of the best ways to enrich your spiritual life is to reflect on the Gospel. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method that we explain here. The following is a Gospel reading with a reflection that is especially aimed at...
These days, I find myself praying often for a restoration of the masculine and feminine virtues in society. There's so much confusion swirling about, whether it's "gender ideology," sexual orientation, body dysmorphia, or otherwise. We all feel the tensions...
"Spotlight of a Calligrapher", published by Ascension Presents, tells the story of Erica Tighe, a designer and calligrapher. Erica's story of how she came to be a full-time calligrapher is moving and poignant. She tells how she came back from a year and a half of...
Did you know there's a 400 year-old, worldwide, supernatural fellowship (spanning heaven and earth!) for the cause of safeguarding, healing and spreading the virtue of purity? What's more, did you know that it still exists? Did you know you can join it? The Angelic...
I know, I know, the title is not encouraging, but let me explain to you why I think it correctly responds to the reality that I want to explore. We are living in a very difficult time for the Church, a time of pain and embarrassment due to various types of scandals:...
Ever since I first heard about kintsugi a few years ago, it has been one of my favorite motifs for understanding healing and redemption. As is explained in this video, kintsugi is the is an ancient Japanese art of repair. Think of a cracked vase. Rather than throwing...
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us! And when he saw them, he said,...