One of the biggest challenges facing Catholic parents today is trying to navigate tricky conversations about everything body-related with our kids. I work in menstrual cycle education– I first started as an NFP teacher about a decade ago, but slowly expanded into...
Find the first part in this series on Loving Your Wife HERE. Before we can go into specifics about how to transition from lust to love with your wife, let’s examine why developing a look of love – with your eyes and your heart – is so important for your wife and your...
Gentlemen, have you ever had your wife completely turn down your advances, seem completely disinterested in your attempts to woo her, and instead be totally annoyed with you? If your answer is yes, then you’re meant to read this. Why might she be reacting in this...
Recently, a student showed me the days-long conversation she’d been having with her Snapchat A.I. assistant. She felt ambivalence about how “creepy” it was, but she couldn’t stop engaging with it. No matter what she asked, a reply instantly blinked onscreen. Yet it...
John Paul II: One of the great papacies in history, a sainted theologian who stood up to communism, envigorated the youth, and brought the Church into the Third Millenium. In this episode of Habemus Papam, Fr. Conrad discusses Saint John Paul II, who succeeded Pope...
Catholic Sexual Teaching - An Invitation to Reality Lust and Counterfeit Sexuality We live in a throw-away society. Fast food and plastic plates — our culture is full of the cheap and easy. Unfortunately, this mentality bleeds into our sexuality. America is obsessed...
Lisa Cotter explains the Catholic teaching on women, utilizing the wisdom of JPII feminine genius teaching and Catholic feminity.
Check out this interview with Samantha Kelley, founder of FIERCE Athlete, where she talks to Drew and Katie Taylor from Catholic-Link about women’s sports, femininity, theology of the body, identity as a daughter of God, body image issues, and so much more!
Parents often wonder when they should begin teaching the Theology of the Body (TOB) to their children…the answer is: In the womb! Yes, that means talking to your unborn child who begins to hear and recognize voices—your body matters to the unborn child. “The Body...
Looking at the two creation stories (Genesis 1:1–2:4 and Genesis 2:4–3:24) together reveals a number of distinct senses in which men and women may be said to be complementary. Both accounts of creation offer strong affirmations of the basic equality of the sexes in...
Natural family planning has the potential to bring out either our best or our worst traits as people and as spouses. There’s nothing quite like sacrificing our own physical desires (think along the lines of dieting or...
It is estimated that 1 in 6 couples struggle to get pregnant. Infertility is often a hidden suffering, and is even considered a “normal,” albeit temporary, difficulty encountered in some marriages, but easily fixed if the couple...
Let’s face it. Purity is not always the easiest virtue to cultivate. And our culture isn’t giving young men any breaks! But the battle against lust is one that every Catholic man must fight. While that fight looks different for...
What is the purpose of intimacy? This question is at the heart of the video "Theology of the Body (Catholic Sexuality). The Church's teaching about sex is a topic that probably garners the most attention in today's culture. Why? Because the idea of waiting until...
When I'm out and about running errands with my children, it's inevitable that someone will comment on the size of my family. Are they all yours? Were you trying for the girl? My, you've got your hands full! And, my personal favorite, you do know how that happens,...
Authentic sexual expression is always rooted in two purposes: procreative and unitive. The procreative aspect of sex is the couple’s openness to life. The unitive is the fulfillment of the one-flesh union of man and woman within the context of marriage. If the...
“The Cry of the Heart,” is a new film by evangelist Christopher West and the Cor Project addressing JPII's Theology of the Body. Based on the General Audiences given by the pope during the course his pontificate, West explains the meaning of our corporeality, why we...
Today we present the final installment of our God and the Gym series, a poetic reflection on rigorous fitness, physical suffering, Catholic spirituality, and the redemption of the Cross of Jesus Christ. God and the Gym: No Pain, No Gain Read parts 1 -3 of this series:...
I want to develop the theme of unity of body and soul, introduced at the end of my last article on God and the Gym. Here’s what the Catechism has to say about it: Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. … For this reason, man may not despise his bodily life....
In the United States, it is officially #NFPWEEK. Understanding why the Church encourages the use of Natural Family Planning (NFP) can be a very difficult concept for many Catholics to embrace. Take the time to read some of the teachings of the Church that explain the...
Does a beautiful Church building matter to Christians? What about adornments like statues, altar rails, decorative pews and such? Stained glass... Stations of the Cross... the placement and design of the Tabernacle... If God is everywhere, especially in the humble and...
In the timeless Broadway classic "Les Miserables," character Fantine wraps up Victor Hugo's epic saga with one golden line: "To love another person is to see the face of God." Hugo's words greatly echo Saint Pope John Paul II's extremely popular lecture series called...
What is the secret to a happy marriage? The secret of how to have a happy marriage is realizing that happiness is not the purpose of marriage. If your goal in marriage is your own personal happiness, you're going about it all wrong. The first thing to do is to spend...
I wish I could say that this post is only for that “small group” of people addicted to pornography. Would that it were a “small group,” but no, it is not small, it is a group that over the years has become so great that today there are very few men (and women) who...
It’s summer and that means many couples will be entering into the Sacrament of Marriage. If you want to give a great gift to your future spouse, then I would suggest studying a bit of Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. You can find information and guides at...