One of the best loved traditions in the Church is the practice of venerating and admiring saints. This ancient tradition dates back to the first century when worshipers experienced and told of miracles that occurred at the graves of martyrs…
Perseverance: A Lesson from Monica and Augustine
Catholic Labels
Traditional Catholics. Modern Catholics. Conservative Catholics. Liberal Catholics. Moderate Catholics. Orthodox Catholics. Charismatic Catholics. Progressive Catholics. We may think that these Catholic labels define us, but instead, they divide us. Now more than ever, we need to unite together in…
How Narrow!
Readings for August 25, 2013: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Start small, finish big. That seems to be God’s motto. He begins salvation history with two people from what is now Iraq. When planning to raise a really big family,…
I Am a Sinner First
Pope John Paul II wrote: “The Christian is actually called by the Church to prayer, penitence and fasting, to interior and exterior shedding of oneself. He stands before God and recognizes what he is. He rediscovers himself.” In several short…
Highlighting New Evangelizers: Singing Sisters
Remember the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist? They’re the sisters (they’re not nuns) who took the American Bible Challenge by storm earlier this year. And now they’re joining the ranks of singing sisters who will, I hope, take…
Evangelization and the Case for Catholic Fiction
Why bother with Catholic fiction? As I write this, I’ve just returned from the Catholic Writers Guild’s annual live conference (our online conference is held in early spring), and once again I’ve met dozens of great Catholic authors eager to…
Envy, the No-win Sin
Let’s play the “What if…” game. What if you just lost your job while your co-worker received a promotion and a big raise? Would you be happy for him? What if a parent that was often critical of your children…
Growing Habits
We’re packing up. Moving out. Sorting and sifting through possessions, packaging them in boxes. Making a pile of items to donate. Taking apart furniture. As I pack, I can’t help but think about how I want our next house to…
Marriage Evangelization
Have you ever stopped to consider evangelizing for a specific purpose? Of course we want people to know Jesus but what about people who already know Christ and are Catholic but are not living out their faith in life, specifically…
Not Peace but the Sword
Readings for August 18, 2013: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time One of the themes of Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2013 was to “shake things up.” This is quite different from the advice I was given as a child:…