In these tumultuous times in the world and in the Church, we need more than ever to plunge into the mystery of God’s infinite mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to be inspired by the witness of the saints. What better place to s … [Read more...]
A Sweet Remedy for Our Troubled Times
The Practice of Confession According to St. Francis De Sales
July 26, 2019 by Br. John Paul Puschautz, CSJ
Mary and Prayer
Part III of a Marian Triptych
June 18, 2019 by Francis Etheredge
Mary is not a conceptual counterpoint to Christ, imagined and projected into the Gospels as a kind of semidivine goddess who was made manifest, as it were, in preparation for the coming of the Savior of mankind: a kind of “power of woman” to … [Read more...]
“Power Evangelization”
A Catholic and Carmelite Perspective
May 31, 2019 by Dr. Elizabeth Salas
I. Introduction “Power evangelization” (hereafter, “PE”) is a rapidly growing trend in charismatic Catholic circles. It can be defined as “evangelizing through signs and wonders,” and promotes the practice of miracle-working by laity and re … [Read more...]
On Mary the Mother of God, Queen of the Universe
April 30, 2019 by Fr. James V. Schall, SJ
To attempt to read the psalms and other texts of the Marian Office in this way is to step into a beam that will require us to see not only the Virgin but indeed the whole of Christianity in a light most modern Christians, not to mention … [Read more...]
The Necessity of Rituals
February 12, 2019 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Although we may not be aware of rituals, they weave themselves into the fabric of our days in one way that defines who we are as individuals. A definition of ritual can be a regular pattern of words or actions. The way we answer the phone … [Read more...]
A Spirituality of Advent
November 30, 2018 by David Vincent Meconi
Advent is a time of preparation. It has many parallels to Lent: we don the purple, we suppress the Gloria (awaiting the angels to sing it again for the first time at Midnight Mass), and we are given weeks to allow the Holy Spirit to prepare … [Read more...]
Five Tips for Graduate School
November 14, 2018 by Sr. Maria Catherine Toon, OP
During my first semester of graduate school in theology, the required class on the Trinity nearly “ate my lunch”. To put it simply, I could never study enough to understand the subject more, nor could I seem to improve my papers enough to el … [Read more...]
On Prayer
October 2, 2018 by Rev. William J. Nessel, OSFS
Let me share some reflections by Baroness Catherine de Hueck Doherty and St. Francis de Sales, including inspirations in prayer, liberty of spirit, prayer and solitude, dryness and prayer, prayer and mystical theology, methods of prayer, … [Read more...]
Fallen from Our First Love
September 2, 2018 by Matthew Malicki
“Could you not watch with Me for one hour?… Keep watch and pray” (Matthew 26:40-41) There are many sources of evil plaguing our society. However, we as a Church must be reinvigorated by the consoling certainty of God’s Word, especially wh … [Read more...]
Praying on Cue
September 2, 2018 by Etienne Steve Hammett
It's 3:10 on Friday afternoon and your boss hands you an urgent request. It’s from an important client, and you have to handle it by close of business. You’re already managing way too many tasks and projects, but the boss insists, so you add … [Read more...]
The Philosopher’s Reflections on the Rosary
May 18, 2018 by Raymond Dennehy
“I Don’t Know How You’ll Help Me, But I Know You Will” Why would a philosopher go to bat for the Rosary? I’d better ‘fess up right off. I’ve never been able to convince myself that I’m a philosopher, even though I own a Ph.D. in that disc … [Read more...]
Prayer as Energy for the Road
April 28, 2018 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Every man has two journeys to make through life. There is the outer journey, with its various incidents and milestones. There is also an inner journey, a spiritual odyssey, with a secret history of its own. (William Inge) Like our physical … [Read more...]
Helping the Souls in Purgatory
November 27, 2017 by Rev. Thomas G. Morrow
Her husband had died some months previously when she asked a priest, “How can I get Bill into heaven?” The priest responded, “You attend Mass every day: offer your Mass for him. That’s very powerful.” The Council of Trent taught that t … [Read more...]
Screen Time, Sacred Time
Could Tech Use Affect Your Ability to Pray?
August 18, 2017 by Stephen Sharkey
Let me begin with a story I read a while ago that really got me thinking about screen time.[1.This article is based on a parish education presentation given in May 2017 at Saint Mary of the Visitation Catholic Parish, Elm Grove, … [Read more...]
Using the Means at Hand for Spiritual Growth
July 21, 2017 by Fr. Joseph Koterski, S.J.
When retreatants ask for suggestions about how to deepen their prayer and to grow in their spiritual lives, their directors might have suggestions about some new approach to try. But often it is better to encourage people to work patiently … [Read more...]
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