You’re probably expecting me to say something about strapless dresses and not showing too much skin, but I’m not. Okay, I can’t resist so here’s my opinion on the subject: Don’t be trashy, The Dress is about your wedding day, not your wedding night. With wedding season upon us, what I really want to talk [...]
In honour of Mother’s Day… A fellow writer recently asked somebody to write something positive about motherhood. She said “Some of us not-yet-moms are scared of motherhood because all we hear is that you’re miserable and debilitated for nine months, then have a day of the most excruciating pain ever, then you don’t sleep for [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
In light of the bombing in Boston today, a lot of people are feeling shock, anger, outrage. The news media is circling the scene of the crime like vultures, feeding on the ratings that such a sensational event will inevitably generate. Many Americans are experiencing feelings of fear, vulnerability, and helplessness. The few who actually [...]
Never mind the circumstances; they are odd. I have recently begun teaching full-time at a high school (whereas previously I was only a part-time instructor). Spending all day in this environment has completely overturned the way in which I look at the relationship between God and Man. I spend a long time each evening drafting [...]
“Accustom yourself to pray this way and, God grant, soon you will nurture true prayer in yourself. Then there will be no need for rules. Labour, or nothing will come of you. If there is no success in prayer, then there will be no success in anything. It is the root of everything.” – St [...]
Running is an easy form of exercise: it’s free, you don’t need anyone else, and you can do it rain or shine (if you don’t mind getting wet or course). It makes you feel good and, if outside, gets you in contact with nature. It can also be a way to connect with the Creator [...]
I should clarify; I love the Internet. Given this personal sweet-tooth for the World Wide Web though, I’ve reflected for some time about the properly Catholic stance toward the Internet. Clearly, we need to use it to evangelize. However, what is it about Web 2.0, the age of comboxes, social media, and hyper-connectedness that strikes [...]
To pursue, or to be pursued? That is the question. ‘Tis nobler in the mind to date until your breath is taken, or heart is broken… Dating – in the man-meets-woman, man-asks-woman-out way**- may sound outdated to those more liberated in their feelings. Instead, people get to know each other by hanging out and never [...]
I bet not everyone gets to learn about contraception with the help of a Slip N’ Slide. Seriously. Born and raised Catholic, I learned somewhere along the way that the Church never permits artificial forms of birth control, but until I attended this particular gathering of my high school youth group, the one involving said [...]
“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ’Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” - John 12:27-28 A few weeks ago I read over these verses in the Catechism. I’ve always loved these verses because they showcase Jesus’ humanity [...]
We are soaked in blood. I am soaked in blood. There is so much blood everywhere we look, that we’ve stopped recognizing it. I’ve stopped recognizing it. I have not noticed its slow drip, drip, drip into my soul, choking out the love of God and neighbor that should be growing. Sowing instead seeds of [...]
With my job come several wonderful perks. Attending weekly mass with the Catholic School is one of them. It’s a K-8 school, and my favorite part of mass is going to receive Communion. The voices of the students grow louder and louder as I approach the altar. Of course, the older students think they are [...]
I had the interesting experience of going to both confession and the dentist back to back this week. On Thursday I had my semi-annual tooth cleaning, and on Friday I went to confession before the vigil Mass for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. There’s nothing quite like being scrubbed and scraped clean, both physically [...]
So you wanted to be a monk, or a nun, but God called you to married life. Not to worry! The next best thing to being a monk or nun, is living next to a monastery or convent. The benefits of living in close proximity to religious are numerous. Imagine, waking up in the morning to the [...]
“And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior” – Luke 1:46-47 Given that this coming Saturday is a Holy Day of Opportunity (a.k.a. Obligation), I thought I would write a post about how truly awesome Mary is (the upcoming feast is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception [...]
I’m not saving myself for marriage. First, I know no follower of Christ who thinks any of us can save ourselves. Secondly, to say “I’m saving myself” when you mean “I’m saving sex” equates who you are – and therefore your worth – with sex. But your worth is wrapped up in nothing except your [...]
It all began on an average day at work. Morning schedule and then mass. I am blessed to work at a place where mass is available to the employees daily. Today was different though. In the back of the chapel was a young man I had never seen before praying. At first I thought he [...]
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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