I went to a Franciscan High School, but I don’t think I’ve ever been properly appreciative of St. Francis of Assisi. Some people try to reduce him to the saint who loved animals (he did) or the saint who was…
St. Francis Flips the Script
What Will You Give Up For the Kingdom?
I was just reading about a teacher who asked his students to imagine that they were living in the South during the height of slavery. He asked all of them if they would have publicly opposed this evil institution. Naturally,…
They Want You To Feel Alone
Have you ever felt like the world no longer makes sense to you? Do you look at the chaos on the news and the general breakdown of all of the moral pillars on which you were raised and think “I…
Racism, Protesting, and the Catholic Church
Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, there has been a great deal of upheaval in this country. A great deal of outrage has been expressed about racial inequality and police brutality. In addition to this, there have been…
Die, Rise, and Go – The Process of Evangelization
In the liturgical year we are now reliving the first novena: the original nine days of prayer between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday. In that time, the disciples gathered in prayer and preparation for the day that they would burst…
Evangelization by Listening
The goal of evangelization is not to win arguments. If you are a reader of this website, you probably come here sometimes for answers on how best to answer some religious objection you’ve encountered or for some new way to…
40 Days After Easter
We are in the Easter Season. It always struck me as a strange quirk of our modern society that we have such a hard time keeping track of the liturgical seasons. All throughout Advent, people say that we are in…
Weak Faith is Still Faith
I was listening to a talk by Dr. Jordan Peterson. A few years ago, Dr. Peterson became prominent on the internet for his bold views on many things. This essay is not an endorsement nor is it a condemnation of…
Die Before You Die
“Die before you die. There is no chance after.” CS Lewis, Till We Have Faces Sometimes death scares me. I wish I was a braver and more stoic person, but I have to be honest. If you are anything like…
The Freedom of Voluntary Sacrifice
A few years ago, my wife had her job downsized. It was quite a shock to both of us, as you can imagine. We began to worry about making our mortgage payments or if we had enough money for our…