Learning Patience
{Warning: I mention miscarriage in this post – not mine – but it comes up.} There we were, waiting in the waiting room. Waiting rooms make me nervous. I’d rather sit in my car until its my turn and then just go straight into the appointment. Doctor, dentist, ultrasound, doesn’t matter, keep me out of […]
Don’t Cry Over Spilt Green Chili
Arriving home from grocery shopping one afternoon, I sensed an imminent meltdown from my 9 month old son. He was overtired and still upset that I did not let him grab and chew on all of the exciting things he could see in the grocery store. I surveyed the heap of grocery bags in my […]
Against Those Who Call Religious Art Idolatry
Often times Catholics are called pagans and idol worshipers for depicting Christ, expressing Him in religious art, and expressing Him in statues. This is true in depicting the saints, angels, and the like. I find these arguments very strange. The most commonly cited “proof” is from Exodus 20:4 and similar passages: “Thou shalt not make […]
Raising family and tiny homes
“The moral causes of prosperity… reside in a constellation of virtues: industriousness, competence, order, honesty, initiative, frugality, thrift, spirit of service, keeping one’s word, daring – in short, love for work well done. No system or social structure can resolve, as if by magic, the problem of poverty outside of these virtues.” St. John Paul […]
Being Old
Recently I helped move my wife’s grandma into her new assisted living facility. It is a nice place, and the folks who live there seem to be pretty satisfied with it. It got me thinking though. I suppose, barring some unforeseen circumstance, I will be old someday. How do I want to do it? I […]
The Infinite of the Intimate: The Vastness of Family & Community Life
The Holy Family as depicted by my wonderful fiancé + + + + + + + + + “The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world…” G. K. Chesterton, Heretics Often times it is easy for us to fall prey to the cult of human progress. By this I mean the way […]
Reflections from the Crowds
I volunteered to be part of the “human barricade” in one of the scheduled events during the current papal visit to my country. Our job was to stand behind the row of policemen along the route the Pope would take to the Meeting with Families – partly to prevent the crowd from breaking into the […]
Christ the Uncommon King
One of the greatest sporting event upsets of all time arguably happened during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York when the United States defeated the Soviet Union for the gold medal in men’s ice hockey. The United States men’s hockey team was comprised of college students from rival schools. Under coach Herb […]
Into the Woods: A Catholic Perspective
The movie points to a basic human fact that is often overlooked: humanity is messy
Dealing with Anti-Catholicism
My country is now in a frenzied mood because of Pope’s arrival. Families, friends, and church groups are making plans to attend public gatherings. Eucharistic adorations and masses are being held for the Pope’s safety. Organizers are rushing last minute logistical preparations, and volunteers are busy with their tasks. Everyone wants to be involved in […]
5 Ways to Pray the Rosary More
We all know about the spiritual fruit that comes from praying the rosary. Throughout the centuries, the popes have encouraged, even insisted upon the regular recitation of the rosary. Our Lady, in her apparitions, requested the praying of the rosary, and our priests and religious lead by their example of fidelity to this prayer. But […]
Baptism: God’s Humility and Man’s Dignity
This past Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of our Lord’s Baptism. Meditating on the Gospel reading gives a glimpse into the profound reality of this great sacrament. The most high God went to the Jordan River to be baptized by His servant John the Baptist. The Creator lowered Himself before His creature, allowing John to […]
Correct Inculturation
In Pope Benedict XVI’s book “The Spirit of the Liturgy,” he spends a good deal of time on the postures of prayer and the correct implementation of them in reference to the Liturgy. While many people out there (and I’m sure many of you reading this) might hear that and think that it sounds about as […]
The Coming Islamic Revolution
World leaders and over three million people converged in France this weekend to mourn for those slain during the recent terrorist attacks against Charlie Hebdo, the satirical French magazine. This terrible tragedy comes on the heels of other recent attacks, such as those in Pakistan by Taliban-linked terrorists against schoolchildren in Peshawar, Boko Haram’s continuing […]
Is the Catholic Church Obsessed with Sex?
Without a doubt, the articles I write which attract the most feedback (positive or negative) are always those that discuss sexual morality and the Catholic Church. Nothing seems to raise the emotions of people more than knowing that the Catholic Church has an opinion on sex. And while it may seem that issues such as […]
New Year’s Dreams
The shiftiness of college years does not always create the best circumstances for keeping New Year’s Resolutions. Though I hardly ever pass up an opportunity to make a list, my typical resolutions seemed like they would only put more pressure on me in the midst of an already demanding schedule rather than encourage me to be […]
3 Ways Families Can Serve Singles
The family is the domestic church. As a part of the larger Church, we too are called to evangelize. Yet often families do not feel like they have the time nor the energy to evangelize. However, there is an easy way to evangelize without leaving the comforts of home: invite a single friend over for […]
Passing On Motherhood
I’ve always loved my mom. It could be that hindsight is 20/20, but I don’t remember my teenage years being awful. My mom and I had our spats, but on the whole I think we got along fairly well. Even in college – halfway across the country – we’d have our tiffs, but at the […]
Curiosity, Wonder, and Wisdom
In a short but provocative reflection, Prof. J. Budziszewski calls curiosity the enemy of wonder. In so doing, he is drawing a distinction between the desire for knowledge—itself a good thing—and the elevation of that desire to the highest good, one which can then seek fulfillment at all costs: The problem is that the curiosity-as-holiness […]
Our Friends: The Saints
We have access to literally thousands of friends—at any time. No, I’m not talking about Facebook or any other online network; I’m talking about an eternal network of friends in high places. The saints are always available when we need to ask for intercession. The saints are like a big network that is always accessible-no […]
How to Keep New Year’s Resolutions
In case you hadn’t noticed, this week was the time of New Year’s resolutions. A tradition in which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement that begins on New Year’s Day. The time when all the world is throwing advertisements for gyms and weight loss, calendars and organisational tools, new gadgets and fashion […]
Fr. Mike Schmitz, on Discerning Vocations: “Be More Courageous”
This post is part of a monthly series on my blog, called PRIESTS & NUNS ARE COOL! in which I interview a priest or a nun about his or her vocation — and about how adults who haven’t discerned a vocation yet can discover their own. This edition features Fr. Mike Schmitz, the chaplain for Newman […]
A Christian Outlook for the New Year
In our family, we celebrate New Year’s Eve in a typical way – Midnight Mass, party at our the house of our paternal grandparents, fireworks, noisemaking, countdown at the stroke of 12, eating the traditional twelve grapes for every month of the year. Then, we interrupt the revelry to pray a Te Deum to thank […]
Clinging to Tradition
This time of year is usually filled with traditions: both family traditions and liturgical traditions, which shape our experience of Christmas. Traditions serve a great purpose in our lives. We are creatures of habit, and circling back to favorite traditions year after year helps us focus on those things that are most important, and it […]
7 Spiritual New Year’s Resolutions
I think most Catholics in the world would love to grow in their relationship with Jesus. People have a genuine desire to grow in holiness, even if they are not able to articulate their desires for it. On New Year ’s Day many people re-evaluate their lives. They examine how their lives were in 2014 […]
The Beggar In Me
I’ll be honest, more often than not when I pass a homeless person or someone begging on the side of the road I give them nothing more than a smile. Maybe, just maybe, if I happen to have extra food in my car and the light doesn’t change, I’ll give them of my excess, but […]
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