
Mortal Sin: It’s Not That Bad?
Have you ever encountered someone who feels the Catholic Church is all about guilt? They ask: “Why do I have to go to Mass every

Have you ever encountered someone who feels the Catholic Church is all about guilt? They ask: “Why do I have to go to Mass every

Do we really need to believe in certain miracles to be Christians? That is the question Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times asked Evangelical

We tend to romanticize the past and feel anxious for the future to arrive. In doing so, we dismiss the present as a prelude or

I have been working in the field of education for more than twenty years now. And every time I come to reflect upon the fruits

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23) The Gospels and

Two Images, One Lord It would be difficult to name a person who is the subject of more works of art than Jesus Christ. For

For most Catholics today, the Sacrament of Confirmation is a mystery, a ritual that we celebrate simply as a formality without really understanding what it’s

In 1910 Florence Nightingale died. In her last will and testament, Nightingale bequeathed $1,500 [$40,000 in current values] to Sister of Mercy Mother Stanislaus of

Don’t trust your pessimistic feelings. There was a great outpouring of elation from the laity and the clergy in 1959 when Pope John XXIII announced

As Catholics, we believe that God revealed himself gradually to his chosen people, the Jews, and completed this Divine revelation in the Jewish Messiah, the

I have inherited a high level of anxiety and perfectionism which makes peace difficult to attain in my life. When I was a teenager newly

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Suburbia (where I’ve lived my whole life ) and Rod Dreher’s book, The Benedict Option. I haven’t read Rod’s

It is very rare in the New Testament that we are given words directly spoken by God the Father so when this happens it should

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

One of the most common early Church titles of our Lady is “the Valiant Woman.” She is the one we run to in distress, looking

In a recent essay, I asked the question: “Where is the passion and fire within the Church? Where is the passion and fire within me? In

Many Catholics struggle with how to handle situations where family and friends, who are Baptized Catholics but do not practice, choose to celebrate events in their

When I was a boy, going to Confession was a regular part of my Catholic school experience. I remember standing in line with the other
Sacred Heart: Christ appearing to Saint Marguerite-Marie Alacoque, December 17, 1673, Feast of St. John the Apostle. The apse fresco, painted in 1966 by Luc

We may hear the term, “the inmates are running the asylum” when someone describes a situation where the wrong, or the least qualified, people are

We often hear how our sins, were the cause of Jesus’ crucifixion. This is a pretty hard concept to accept for a couple reasons. Most importantly,

Objectively speaking, there is little chance of success if someone attempts bench press 300 lbs and has never lifted weights. There is also little chance