In the struggle for life, talking about God is indispensable. Only in this way does the value of the weak, the disabled, the nonproductive, the incurably ill become apparent; only in this way can we relearn and rediscover, too, the value of suffering: the greatest lesson on human dignity always remains the cross of Christ, [...]
I didn’t choose my patron saint, she choose me. It was a breezy spring afternoon at wrap up week for National Evangelization Teams (NET) Ministries. Hanging out in Amery, WI at Camp Wapo was a chance to connect with friends and prepare ourselves to ‘face the real world’. As the crowd was gathering in the [...]
I can hardly tell you how often I’ve had the following thoughts lately: “She’s married with three kids and she is only a year older than I am, what am I doing with my life?“ “She’s traveled to six different countries in the last three years, what on Earth have I been doing?“ “He’s got a great [...]
On April 15, two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon killing three people and injuring 264. This latest in terrorist attacks struck fear into the entire nation, especially the Boston area, for four days until one of the suspected bombers was killed in a shoot-out and the other was arrested. The arrested suspect, Dzokhar [...]
In my last article, I looked to the rosary as the Marian devotion par excellence. Some people may find the rosary difficult to pray, or they desire to honor Mary in another way or additional ways. Below are twelve other ways in which a person can honor Mary beside the rosary. By no means should [...]
I’m tired. I can’t think of one area of my life that isn’t taxed nearly to the breaking point. Energy is gone, finances are three days from following suit, and my pool of creativity is being used by some kids on skateboards. As I write, one of my boys is sick on the couch, zoned [...]
Waiting on four pepperoni HARs (hot and readys) to be…well…ready (Little Ceasar’s was back-logged) I moseyed over to the bar next door to find a bar bathroom. I found and entered a small closet with two urinals and a stall and an older gentleman followed close behind and grabbed a urinal before I did. Now [...]
When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four [...]
I had the blessing of growing up in an incredible parish. Holy Cross bore many of the hallmarks of what we as a Church are beginning to recognize as the program for rejuvenating parishes. A perpetual adoration chapel. Beautiful liturgies. Dynamic preaching. Discipleship programs and evangelization retreats. A Catholic grade school that begins each day [...]
The world is constantly telling women that we aren’t good enough. We go unseen, unsought, unpursued, and this all leads us to believe that we are unworthy. Unworthy of what, you ask? Unworthy of happiness, joy, love, peace, and any good thing that life could offer us. These lies, straight from the mouth of Satan, [...]
Home has never been a place for me. I have been so many places in my life. I have a special nostalgia for the farming country of Upstate NY, especially in the Summer, and the Fall. And the Spring. And the Winter. That’s because I grew up there, and I guess in a certain sense [...]
For the last couple years I’ve been working behind-the-scenes on a huge new project, and last Monday it finally went live. The project is called Strange Notions, and it’s designed to be the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists. As a ‘digital Areopagus’, it features intelligent articles, compelling video, and rich discussion throughout [...]
Today the Church commemorates the beginning of Our Lady’s apparitions in Fatima, Portugal on May 13, 1917. In her apparitions to the shepherd children, Mary revealed herself as the Queen of the Holy Rosary and encouraged the daily recitation of the rosary. This devotion to the Mother of God has been recommended to the faithful [...]
Imagine for yourself: A 13-year-old middle-eastern girl sitting at home, minding her own business. Maybe she’s doing chores. Maybe she’s studying. It won’t matter in a few moments what she is doing, because her life is about to change forever. An angel comes to her. Now, she’s heard about angels from her parents and from [...]
Have you ever seen the letters “WWJD?” The phrase “What Would Jesus Do” appears on bumper stickers, wristbands, coffee mugs and various other tchotchkes from time to time. As a young mother, however, I often find myself asking, “What Would Mary Do?” To me, Mary, the Mother of God, is an amazing model of perfect motherhood. She was [...]
The celebration of the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord has been transferred to the following Sunday in many dioceses, but the 40th day after the resurrection remains a Holy Day of Obligation. This allowance to transfer the celebration has confused many Catholics, and so it seems worthwhile to examine this phenomenon. On Facebook [...]
Pentecost is nine days away, which in ‘Catholic-ease’, means novena! There are several different novenas floating around online from which to choose, like EWTN’s Novena to the Holy Spirit for the 7 Gifts, or the Novena by Presentation Ministries, or novenas by parishes like Christ the King in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One of the most difficult [...]
This is the concluding part of Be Careful about St. Paul (Part 1) It is said that we should not Rob Peter to pay Paul. That is true, we should heed Peter to understand Paul and by so doing eliminate any fatal consequences. By heeding Peter, let us consider one of his letters to the [...]
As Catholics, we should have the desire to be saints. But how do we do it? One may think that it’s extremely difficult to become a saint, but let us just follow St. Therese’s method, sanctifying each day in the little things. Here is a list of things to keep in mind to make becoming [...]
Earlier this week, I read Joseph Amodeo’s article at Huffington Post. I will be the first to admit that I was upset and angry that a group of people would abuse a cardinal’s letter of welcome and reconciliation. I thought to myself, “Why would some people go to such great lengths just to make a [...]
About 2 weeks ago, I had the welcome task of writing a paper on the vocations of priesthood and marriage in the writings of Gregory the Great, especially in his Regula Pastoralis. Like any good 21st century Catholic, I immediately wanted to bring JP2 in the conversation. When I realized that our beloved Blessed John [...]
Catholics throughout the world observe the month of May as a special month dedicated to Mary. Why? The spelling of May and Mary are so similar, that people often confused them and so May became known as Mary’s month! Well, not quite! If that were the case, it only works in English. Take for example [...]
Today I’d like to share with you Behold, Your Mother! a teen girl’s reflections on the Holy Rosary. First of all, I would like to applaud the author, Grace Belle-Oudry. It takes a lot of courage to talk about faith with a number of people you will never meet. It takes a lot of courage [...]
Have you ever felt alone in your struggles? That nobody gets your pain and suffering? Have you ever wondered how many saints were about your age? Did you ever consider young saints have shaped the Church? Have you heard of the 33 year old woman saint that convinced the papacy to move? What did these [...]
Q. How do you pronounce “ignitum”? A. Well, you have some options. The Romans would have said ig-NEE-toom. In church, we’d say “in-YEE-toom.”
Why?
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