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 [...]
After listening to a great talk issued by Lighthouse Catholic Media’s new young adult line, Truth be Told, I found myself greatly in need of an emotional chastity makeover. The talk, entitled “Why Do Women Do That?” and given by Lisa Cotter, examined the way a woman’s mind works, how men should best respond, and [...]
My life is very structured. Just ask my wife. I fold my socks and put them in a special place in my drawer. I have a quarterly personal goal list on an Excel spreadsheet. I arrive at work at almost precisely the same time every day. However, this structure is often a hindrance to my [...]
Today is May 1st, and the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. May 1st also inaugurates the Month of Mary. The memorial of St. Joseph almost seems fitting as we begin a month dedicated to Mary because we remember how St. Joseph provided for the Holy Family as a carpenter. To celebrate [...]
To protect his identity, we’ll call him Frank. Though we’ve had many over the years, I distinctly remember one particular conversation with Frank. He was as happy, peaceful, and self-confident as I’d ever seen him. The reason: he had discovered Buddhism. We talked for hours as he recounted the peace he found in practicing meditation [...]
One of the fruits of the Council and the New Evangelization as a whole is the lay apostolate: lay men and women discerning and identifying ways to use their gifts and vocations to serve the Church. That is why I’m featuring a new apostolate that launches TODAY right here in my home state. It’s an apostolate [...]
The spiritual life is sacred ground, but often times we tread clumsily and heavily as if it were not. My own experience is that those of us who spend their time studying religion, history, philosophy, literature, theology, etc… sometimes fail to manifest the same sensitivity and subtlety that they have in their own fields of [...]
My favourite kind of art explores the darkness. I don’t mean the sensational darkness of psychological trouble, of psychopaths and murders and crime. Nor do I mean the dark depths of addiction and vice and moral evil. That’s pop stuff. We project it away from ourselves, and our experience in our minds becomes all light. [...]
God has called the members of His Church to a specific state in life. He has called some to the priesthood, others to the consecrated life, others to marriage, and some to the single life. Over the years, I have seen numerous online articles and debates that discussed which vocation should be considered the greatest. [...]
Pope Francis, on the first full day of his papacy, prayed at the tomb of Pope St. Pius V. I do not think that was coincidental. In fact, I believe that His Holiness intends to be remembered as most similar to Pius V. There are five ways in which I see this is already evident: [...]
As the Church grapples with the modern world, intellectually and spiritually, globally and personally, she needs to be well prepared for adult converts. You are deciding to get life insurance. You have been weighing it up for years, listening to people who are adamant that you need it and people who are confident that it [...]
If all of America can agree on one thing, it is that the Boston bombing was a deeply evil act. And if all of America could agree on the one question that needs answering from those responsible for these depraved acts, it is, “Why?“I sat around a dinner table recently with a bunch of Catholic friends [...]
I did what many boys do. When I was young I used grab a shovel from the shed, find some soft dirt, and start digging a hole. The hole may have been used for finding China, making a water hole, or burying Hans Solo. The house I grew up in must be worth thousands more [...]
An article came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer where the author, a college sophomore, tries to justify why he is no longer a Catholic. To his credit, the author maintains a civil tone and seems to be sincerely searching for wisdom. But his thinking exemplifies a common malady of the modern mind: that of [...]
With all the tension in the media lately, my thoughts turned to Ven. Fulton J. Sheen’s words on bombs. Granted, in his works he is speaking of bombs that have the capacity to blow up an entire world, namely, the atomic bomb; but his words are still relevant. He speaks of the atomic bomb under [...]
I haven’t been an adult that long – graduated college two years ago, married less than one year ago – but I’m already sick of it. When I was a kid, I thought it would be really cool to be an adult, because I could be in charge. Mom couldn’t make me clean my room, [...]
Sacramental grace can carry you throughout the years. This past Sunday was First Holy Communion at my parish. As the priest called the nine little souls to approach the altar, one particular girl, Lucy, stood out. Whether her excitement and enthusiasm was because she was in front of the crowd or because she was about to [...]
“…this book can be transformed from a silent instrument, like a valuable violin resting on a velvet cloth, into an instrument that sounds and rouses hearts.” Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa 1st Advent Sermon to the Papal Household So maybe you’re one of those Catholics hipsters – hip young adult devoutly committed to Orthodoxy, sworn ally to the pope, [...]
Have you heard? “Catholics are homophobes.” or “Catholics hate gays.” With homosexual marriage on the fore front of society, I get tired of hearing from others what Catholics believe. What do we believe about marriage? To put it short and sweet, “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a [...]
Man is inherently social. He is Aristotle’s “zoon politikon.” It is with this anthropology in mind that John Paul II affirms, “Man can only find himself in a sincere gift of himself.” It is only outside of his own being that he can find the answer to the Fundamental Question: the purpose of his own [...]
Ever heard any of these dismal statements? “Young Catholics are totally disconnected from the faith.” “There are no young Catholics engaged in the Church anymore.” “The Church is a dying institution.” If you ever discuss the faith outside of the four walls of a parish, you probably have. If you’re like me, though, I prefer [...]
If there is one Catholic website out there that, in my opinion, more people should be following and reading, it is By Way of Beauty. Matthew generously agreed to allow me to pick his brain, and he provided some great insights on culture, beauty, and evangelization. The greatest part about ByWayofBeauty.com is that it is [...]
The Easter season always gives me a sense of renewal and rejuvenation. Not only is the Catholic celebration of Jesus’ resurrection a central component of our faith, but the Easter season also brings with it a feeling of new life and a spiritual “fresh start”. This Easter, our son’s first, brought to mind his Baptism. [...]
Dear Discerning Young Catholic, Underachieving in the realm of morality has become so commonplace in our world that we have begun to pretend that sin is transcendent behavior just to make ourselves feel better. There is nothing transcendent about sleeping with someone on the first date, but these days an astounding number of romance movies [...]
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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