Hey there, Happy New Year! And Merry Christmas (since it’s still Christmas)! The month of January is dedicated to the Most Holy Name of Jesus … and we celebrated the feast day on Monday. We take great pains when naming our children. And our pets. And then there’s the all important “handle” we give ourselves in social media. We recognize some people by a single name. Like Madonna, …
Learn And Live The Precepts of The Church
Hey there, I’m sure you’re aware of practicing Catholics' obligation to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. And to go to Confession at least once per year. But did you know that we Catholics are also required to receive Holy Communion at least once during the Easter season? And we know we’re supposed to tithe, but did you know it’s a requirement? These are examples …
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How to be More Generous Every Day (And Why)
Hey there, As we make our way through this life, doing our best to earn a place in heaven, we know to steer away from the 7 deadly sins: lust, greed, gluttony, envy, anger, pride, and sloth. To aid us in our efforts, the Holy Spirit has given us the 7 Capital Virtues: chastity, generosity, temperance, brotherly love, meekness, humility, and diligence. We’ve covered some of these virtues …
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The Road to Our Salvation Goes Through Reparation
Hey there, There is so much we work on as Catholics to try to ensure our salvation. Prayer, attending Mass, Reconciliation, good deeds, and trying to keep the commandments. We have the lives of the Saints we can model, the teachings in Scripture, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But one often overlooked and rarely discussed subject is reparation. Merriam-Webster defines …
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Angels Among us: Fact vs. Fiction
Hey there, We see representations of angels all around us. Who can forget the angel Clarence in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” who earns his wings by helping George Bailey. Or John Travolta’s cigarette smoking, dancing version of the Archangel in “Michael.” Whether in movies, books, music, or art, we’re presented with all kinds of images of angels. Images that tend to stick with us. But …
Diligence: The Key to Overcoming Acedia, Sloth, And Procrastination
Hey there, We’ve covered several virtues before and the intention was to cover the Capital Virtue of Diligence. But what I found was that there are a lot more resources on the vices and sins that Diligence combats than about diligence itself. The sin takes several forms from acedia (a new term for me) and sloth, to procrastination, laziness, and idleness. The subtleties between these …
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The Three Nativities we Celebrate And Why
Hey there, Have you noticed how elaborate birthday parties have become? There’s the theme on the invitations, the cake, the food, the games, the decor. It’s often held at some type of event venue. Even some adults get in on the birthday hubbub. I see people posting on Facebook about their “birthday week.” We’ve not always put so much emphasis on birthday celebrations. But there are …
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How Jesus Teaches us to be Meek (Hint: It’s Not Weak)
Hey there, Meekness is one of our Catholic Virtues that gets a bad rap. Probably because the meaning of the word has evolved. Merriam-Webster defines meek as: 1: enduring injury with patience and without resentment : MILD 2: deficient in spirit and courage : SUBMISSIVE 3: not violent or strong : MODERATE In today’s push-back, loud culture, being mild and submissive is considered a …
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A Fresh Perspective on Miracles
Hey there, Catholicism is filled with miracles, going back to the early days of the Old Testament. There are miracles throughout the New Testament and even today, Saints are being Canonized with the evidence of miracles they’ve worked. Miracles are all around us. But do we really know what the Catholic Church considers a miracle? And do we recognize them in our own lives? I had a friend …
The Many Lessons of The Visitation of The Blessed Virgin Mary
Hey there, On Monday, May 31st, we will celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of The Blessed Virgin Mary. You know how this story goes. Upon hearing of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Mary travels to visit her cousin. When hearing Mary’s greeting, John leaps with joy in Elizabeth’s womb. It’s a seemingly simple event … one might even say it’s fairly routine. But a closer examination reveals there are …
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Appreciating Jesus’ Ascension
Hey there, We’re fascinated with rising up. Maybe it’s because it’s so easy to get knocked down. Coach Vince Lombardi famously said,“It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up.” We love a good Cinderella story and root for the underdog. We all know the ancient story of the phoenix that rises from the ashes. It reminds us that it’s possible to come back even stronger …
Living a Merciful Life
Hey there, What do you think of when you hear the word mercy? Mercy me! Have mercy! Beg for mercy. I watch a lot of sports so I think of the ole mercy rule … where a game is stopped when one team scores a lot of runs on the other team. Merriam-Webster defines mercy as: “Compassion or forbearance … shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power.” Whatever comes …
