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 […]
I imagine angels to be like responsible teenagers asked to babysit their toddler siblings. I’m sure that my own guardian angel is often exasperated with me, as tends to happen when babysitting mischievous toddlers. Sometimes the kids are adorable, and sometimes you have to lure the guinea pig out from under the couch because the […]
The other day my spiritual director challenged me to better emulate the heart of Mary in word and deed. As a person who claims to be devoted to the Blessed Virgin, I must admit, there are times my actions do not reflect my belief. From his simple, yet challenging comment, I realized my devotion to […]
The Taize Community of France, known for their rhythmic hymns, which encourage contemplation on lines from scripture, has a beautiful chant paraphrasing from Jesus’ prayer in the Garden before his arrest. They hymn repeats: “Stay with me, remain here with me, watch and pray, watch and pray.” This exhortation from Jesus is similar to how […]
This content was originally published at To the Heights and has been reformatted for the Ignitum Today readers! If you’re a faithful Catholic woman, chances are you’ve heard advice along the lines of, “Just be like Our Lady” more times than you can count. And if you’re anything like me, chances are you’ve silently responded, “What […]
With the month of October underway, the Catholic world has commenced the Month of the Rosary. During this month, Catholics are encouraged to pray the rosary more often and meditate on the mysteries of Christ’s life. In 2002, Pope John Paul II gave the faithful a fourth set of mysteries, the Mysteries of Light, which […]
My niece sent me a text the other day that said, ‘Thanks auntie.’ Auntie. It’s a title that I carry with such pride. One of the greatest joys in my life is being able to help mold the character of my nieces and nephews. Each of us hold different titles. From mother to father, sister, brother, […]
Over the summer my dear friend and roommate put together a gorgeous video about why many Catholic women are returning to the old custom of wearing a chapel veil to Mass. I personally started wearing a veil in high school, and often thank the Lord that He lead me to do so. I highly encourage those […]
As my wife and I await the arrival of our second child, our first daughter, we have been filled with many similar emotions and feelings that stirred within us during our first pregnancy. In May 2012, we found out we were expecting our son, Noah, who was born in January of 2013. As I reflect […]
Once upon a time I was a teenage Catholic who wanted to go to heaven when I died, someday. I figured I would get the going to heaven thing taken care of and then get down to the business of living life, knowing that I had the afterlife under control. I suppose there was a […]
Anne Costa’s book, Embracing Edith Stein, was my traveling companion on my recent trip to Missouri. I wish I had spent more than a few hours with the book. I fully intend to revisit her someday when I have several days to digest her teachings. Anyone who has followed my blog for any length of time […]
Whenever we talk about Mary, we address her with many different titles: Mother of Jesus, Mother of God, Holy Mary, Blessed Mother. However, out of all these, the one most often heard across Catholic (and Protestant) aisles is The Virgin Mary. Virtually every person that claims the Christian faith accepts that Mary miraculously conceived Christ […]
During my days as a Southern Baptist, my opinion of Mary, the Blessed Virgin, was the same as every other Protestant. I saw her as just another character in the Bible, one who was given a particular task, and when God was finished with her, she faded into the background with the rest of the […]
Yesterday, May 24, the Church quietly observed a feast of Mary, namely, Mary, Help of Christians. Certainly the feast was observed by some in the Church. I’d imagine the Carmelites at the National Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians, affectionately called Holy Hill, in Wisconsin, and by the Saelesians of Don Bosco, who have a […]
The rosary primarily is a personal prayer which comprises the devotional life of the Church and is not a liturgical prayer. The people of God oftentimes pray the rosary collectively in many different forums, be it before Mass, after Mass, at the funeral home, in a meeting room, or perhaps in the living room of […]
This topic is one that has been the subject of much reflection for me over the past several months after having read Chiara Lubich’s “Mary, the Transparency of God.” Unfortunately I do not have her text in front of me as I write this reflection because at present I am in the midst of a […]
Stars are significant in the Christian tradition. For example, God promised Abraham descendants more numerous than the stars of the sky (Genesis 22:17). And today a star plays a prominent role in our celebration of the Epiphany when a star guided the Magi to the stable (Matthew 2:9-11). Additionally, the Church has had a longstanding […]
Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. These lines always seemed particularly beautiful to me, even as a child. They are so intimate, so feminine. When I became a mother myself they became even more powerful because they reveal the heart of a mother, pondering the mystery of her child, her heart […]
We must avoid the great temptation to see ourselves as Mary, present to the crucified Christ of aborted children. While “whatever you did to the least of these you did to me” is a main message of the pro-life movement, equating the killing of children with the persecution of Christ, pro-lifers must be careful not to see themselves solely as those who don’t “do [wrong] to the least of these.” We must learn to be Mary in the pro-life movement….
Today the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a great appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego, which forever changed the course of history in the Americas. Her appearance on Tepeyac Hill, Mexico in 1531 helped convert millions and millions of people in the New World — Native Americans, […]
Today, December 8th, the Church would observe the feast of the Immaculate Conception. This year the feast is transferred to Monday the 9th, giving precedence to the Second Sunday of Advent. In my experience, the Immaculate Conception is one of the most misunderstood teachings of the Church. Today, I’d like to address three common misconceptions […]
It was a Friday evening as I sat in line for confession. I thought to myself, “This certainly isn’t how the average twenty-something gal spends a Friday night.” I sat in a quiet church with the Blessed Sacrament exposed, waiting for my turn to get my soul scrubbed clean. As I waited, I pulled out my rosary […]
Farmers pause in their fields at midday and bow their heads in prayer. Businessmen and women overhear the ringing bells of nearby churches during their lunch break in the downtown business district. Neighbors to Catholic Churches hear the church bells toll thrice daily at six, noon, and six, as an invitation to pray the traditional […]
Disclaimer: This article is going to sound cynical. It might even sound anti-Christian. Please stick with it. There is a point. I am sarcastic and sometimes offensive. Again, there is an overall point. This New Evangelization thing in the Church is pretty cool, you gotta admit. I mean, JPII said it’s time for the Church […]
In my youth, I prayed the rosary with my grandmother or other ladies from the parish after daily Mass. Before the first three Hail Marys, the leader always announced a special intention: “We pray for an increase in the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.” As one could imagine, this piqued the curiosity of […]
It’s fascinating to see throughout history, the influence of the serpent in both culture and religion. How many prominent civilizations, some devilishly dominant and so technologically advanced for their times, held the worship of this so called “god.” We probably tend to ask ourselves, “Why would a loving God leave these children of his in error, basking in […]
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