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America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance. It is not. It is suffering from tolerance: tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so much overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broad-minded. The man who can make up his…
I love the saints. I know – shocker – right? You have probably guessed as much already. The Solemnity of All Saints Day is one of my favorite celebrations of the Church’s calendar – like a big party for all of my heavenly friends. I am so inspired by reading the lives of the saints, and find…
One of the most frustrating things in the spiritual life can be our seeming lack of progress. We pray, we go to Mass, we confess, we read books—and yet we seem to have little to show for it. It is easy to get frustrated, to give up and to put our spiritual life on the backburner.…
Yesterday, I had the privilege of venerating the first class relics of St. Maria Goretti, the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church. While the time with her relics was brief due to the crowds, it was still a powerful experience to see the body of this young girl who had more virtue at the…
Occasionally on Fridays I will be posting excerpts from the writings of the great American bishop and media evangelist, Ven. Fulton J. Sheen. Call them #FultonFridays! [One] remedy for the ills that come to us from thinking about time is what might be called the sanctification of the moment—or the Now. Our Lord laid down…
Trying to name a “Top 10 Quotes” from a Church Doctor isn’t really fair to St. Teresa or the reader. Her writings on spirituality were so rich and profound, all of her writings could be labeled as “Top 10”. But we will try … Here we go! (Comment on Facebook if we missed one of…
I have a love-hate relationship with holy cards. You know what I am talking about – those laminated depictions of the saints with golden halo’s and pious looks on their faces. I have a ton of them and use them as bookmarks and small gifts in birthday cards. The problem is, the saints’ images often look…
WHEN a child of seven years, Teresa ran away from her home at Avila in Spain, in the hope of being martyred by the Moors. Being brought back and asked the reason of her flight, she replied, “I want to see God, and I must die before I can see Him.” She then began with…
“Do you know what causes that?” “Wow, you have your hands full.” “You are done now, right?” “You’re overpopulating the planet!” “Are all of those yours?” “Can you afford that many?” Those are just a few of the things you’ll hear from complete strangers if you have more than the nationally approved average of 1.7 children.…
The Holy Family of Nazareth is the model par excellence of family life. With so many questions about the true nature of family life running through the news and the culture, reflecting on God’s design for family has never been more critical. This edition of Catholic Journal Prompts features reflections on the Holy Family and…