The world has watched in horror this last week as Hurricane Harvey unleashed its destruction on Texas, Houston in particular. The suffering and devastation it has left in its wake has been horrendous and very frightening. However, as the famous Fred Rogers quote goes,...
How To Look Suffering In The Eye
Matthew 16:21-27 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,”God...
The Weakness Of St. Peter: What He Teaches Us About Surrendering Our Fears
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'...
Struggling To Feel Joyful? Pope Benedict Identified One Unusual Reason Why
I sometimes think that Lent is a little easier to live out than Eastertide is, perhaps because we are so much more familiar with suffering than we are with joy. We’ve all experienced suffering, probably more than we wanted to, but joy doesn’t seem to be as obvious in...
5 Blesseds Every Catholic (Especially Young People) Should Get To Know
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,...
15 Real-life Examples Of How To “Offer It Up” (and the meaning behind the phrase)
"Oh, Caleb, just offer it up!" I've probably uttered this phrase in exasperation a few more times than necessary. It's my go-to line when my kids complain too much about anything from being hungry to physical ailments. I must be honest, though, I really have...
5 Things To Do When God’s Plan For You Doesn’t Make Sense
There are times when life just doesn't make sense at all. It's a total mystery why God would ask us to go through trials, tragedies, and suffering. During these dark seasons of life, it can be tempting to turn to despair and become angry with God and His plan for our...
Adoration: The Ultimate Act And Habit Of Friendship
One of the most fruitful yet daunting experiences in my life has been Eucharistic Adoration. Just a few years ago, I would often marvel at how some people could sit before the Blessed Sacrament and get lost in the experience. Meanwhile, I was scratching my head trying...
5 Things An Ancient Japanese Art Taught Me About Healing
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...
7 Starter Tips For When You Need Emotional Healing In Your Life
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...
The Holiness And Sufferings Of Padre Pio: A Rare Peek Into His Life!
Born May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, Padre Pio has been and continues to be one of the most fascinating and sought-after saints of our times. Deeply pious as a child, at age 15, he took the Habit of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin on January 22, 1903. He took...
3 Quotes to Help You When You Feel the World is Falling Apart Around You
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...
Without Suffering No One Wins The Crown | St. Thomas Becket
“Remember then how our fathers worked out their salvation; remember the sufferings through which the Church has grown, and the storms the ship of Peter has weathered because it has Christ on board. Remember how the crown was attained by those whose sufferings gave new...
8 Books To Read When You Are Feeling Down
A good book is often the best tonic for when you are feeling down! We asked our Catholic-Link authors what their favorite book is when they need cheering up. Here are eight suggestions that you might like to try out next time you’re having a rainy day! Curl up with a...
It Is Good For Us To Have Trials | Thomas à Kempis
“It is good for us to have trials and troubles at times, for they often remind us that we are on probation and ought not to hope in any worldly thing. It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well....
Meet The Monk Who Says “I often thank God that He let me be blinded…”
Poor Oedipus. If you don’t know the classic story of the king who accidentally married his mother and blinds himself, I’d be surprised. Many deep ponderings can be taken out of this story about fate, truth, control, and free will, but what about that self-blinding?...
Is It True That “We Are All Addicts”?
“We are all addicts.” I was told this four years ago and have never forgotten it. It was a comment addressed to a group of young Catholic adults by a priest who worked with people who had drug and alcohol addictions. When he said it, I couldn’t believe what he was...
When Chaos Brings Fear And Anxiety|Catholic Bible Study
'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...
Quotes From Saints Who Have No Reason To Be Thankful (but found one anyway)
This time of year, throughout the holiday season, we tend to hear a lot about the importance of being thankful. Some of us may ask, though, what about those moments or seasons in life when we just don’t feel like we have anything to be grateful for? Often our trials...
Accepting Suffering | Benedict XVI Quote
"We can try to limit suffering, to fight against it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness,...
Jimmy Fallon’s Search for Meaning
Late night host Jimmy Fallon recently spent 10 days in the ICU recovering from a fall in which he severely injured his finger. When Fallon returned to the “Tonight Show” after a two week hiatus, he shared the details of his injury and hospital stay with his audience....
A 9-Year-Old Watched A Video About Forgiving ISIS, What She Did Next Will Blow You Away
Caroline’s teacher, Mrs. Tranel, shared: She came after Easter and set it on my desk saying, "Read it if you want." I kind of forgot it and then one day discovered it under a pile on my desk. Parts of it took my breath away. I knew I needed to do something...
What Do You Have To Be Thankful For? In Just Might Be Suffering!
Dr. Peter Kreeft, a philosophy professor at Boston College, does an incredible job explaining how both God and Suffering can exist in this brief video. In just a few minutes, Dr. Kreeft successfully refutes many of the arguments that atheists often use when they...
8 Points on How to Live the Experience of Miscarriage
This video couldn't possibly make my heart ache more as I watched the loving tenderness of Chris Picco singing Blackbird to his baby, Lennon James Picco, in the NICU. Lennon was delivered by emergency C-section at 24 weeks gestation after Chris' wife unexpectedly and...
If God Exists, Why Is There Suffering? A Look At The Question From A Catholic Perspective
This video gives a fairly clear answer to an age-old question: if God exists and he is all good and powerful, then why do people, especially the innocent, suffer? In his argument, Peter Kreeft basically says that the fact we even say “it’s not fair” is proof that God...