There are many people today who do not think being single is simply a default choice or a temporary state. After years of struggling to
It has never been easy to discern a vocation, but it is especially difficult for people in the current milieu because modern society is
It is difficult to be a woman today, especially a Christian woman. It’s no wonder Catholics are confused about who they are. The Church boldly
Twenty-five years ago, my husband discovered a book at a Trappist monastery which questioned my basic premise about the nature of reality, rekindled joy in
My husband, Michael, and I will have been married for 39 years on Sept. 1, 2017. After a difficult life, we are happy and still in love.
When Jesus invites us to die to ourselves, He is not referring to some pious act of self-sacrifice which will make us look or feel
A young child, who knows enough words to communicate, can describe their prenatal memories and their birth from their own unique perspective, not as an
Every society, every culture has a tradition of a scapegoat: a person or group of people to blame and punish for the sins of that
Jonathan Byrne is a professional mid-career artist who lives in the coastal town of Blackrock in Dublin, Ireland. After many years of making images and
A good friend, Martha, from Madonna House, “happened” to sit beside a self-proclaimed witch on an old bus heading towards the Shrine of Our Lady
To the casual observer, I appear to be a devoted Catholic mother who has lived a sacrificial life worthy of a modern saint. Little
Since mental illness is as common and invisible among the faithful as it is in secular circles, concern for mental health cannot simply be relegated
A Catholic, baptized into the very life of Christ ( CCC 1213), is invited to discover much more about God, Holy Scriptures, the saints and the
I tend to rush through my daily duties like a solitary soul, disconnected from God and other people. However, I became aware that humans
Just like gravity affects us whether we understand it or not, the Communion of Saints, the fellowship between the living and the dead, affects us
Raising children is not a default chore for women who were not successful in the world of business, power, and wealth. However, the trend in
On February 22, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the importance of Christian hope in the face sin during his weekly General Audience. Although his reflections
When we feel cut off from God, battling a losing war with ingrained sin, the only viable solution to our dilemma is to call out
Modern, educated folk tend to dismiss the miraculous, preferring to believe science will eventually provide a plausible explanation for the inexplicable. For the cynical, only
Trained to evangelize, with social media at their fingertips, modern Catholics might be surprised to discover that the most effective missionaries are still those who
“In my deepest wound, I saw your glory and it dazzled me.”- Saint Augustine. Most people assume they will automatically feel cheerful during Christmas. Not only does
By the time I was pregnant with my sixth child, I was desperate to find a supportive family doctor and obstetrician. Four of my five
