Ite! Go Forth With Friends

This post is part of a series. One of the times Jesus says “Go!” is pretty scary.  In the Gospel of Luke He sends His disciples on a preaching mission saying, “Go your way; behold I send you out as...

The Art of Being a Good Listener

I used to know a woman who talked incessantly. She had an extreme case of logorrhea, and from her lips poured forth a torrent, no a tidal wave of words. Conversations with her were far from a two-way dialogue. Rather, they were a...

Ite! The Call to Go Forth in Christ

Today, I begin a series geared especially toward young men that have experienced a renewed commitment to Christ or a recent conversion.  The series is titled Ite, is Latin for “go”.   I once taught my three-year-old son to climb up on...

The Assumption: Why It Matters for You

The perfection of all virtues and gifts of God is beatitude. In other words, the more perfect virtue and use of the gifts of God are, the more perfect is one’s happiness. And there is no greater happiness than to see...

Faith of our Fathers: Why Tradition Matters

One of the most painful faculties for a person to lose is memory. This is one reason why diseases like Alzheimers are so tragic. When a person loses his or her memory, it is almost as if they have ceased to exist...

St. Thomas More: A Saint for the Persecuted Church

St. Thomas More is one of the great English saints of the Church and he is a wonderful saint for those individuals who are undergoing persecution for their Christian faith. St. Thomas More was born in 1478 in London where his father was...

The Practice of Silence for Lay People

Silence. It’s a word that is both appealing and terrifying. It is a word that can either connote peace and calm, or frightening isolation. While some might find the idea of silence appealing, the truth is, most of us don’t do well with perfect...

You Cannot Fail: Learning to Grow Through Our Faults

Deriving profit from our faults is one of the most important topics in the spiritual life. It is quite certain that, in the designs of God, the faults into which He permits us to fall ought to serve for our sanctification,...

Courage

This post is part of the ongoing #FultonFridays featuring the writings of Ven. Fulton Sheen.  Goodness, patriotism, honesty and loyalty are losing their battles not by conflict, but by default. Those who are called to be defenders of what is right...

Build a Bonfire for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

There’s just something about men and fire. We love it. The snapping wood angrily spitting sparks. The hypnotic dance of the flames. The pulsing glow of light filling the dark night. The warmth of matter turned into energy. It’s all a bit...

The Essential Presence of a Father

Recently, at the park with my wife and son, I witnessed one of the saddest sights I’ve seen in a long time. A little boy, about five or six, was there with his dad. Normally, this would be a wonderful thing,...

St. Francis de Sales: A Profile in Courage

St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church, was one of the greatest evangelists and most powerful confessors during the Counter-Reformation. His writings on Catholic spirituality still inspire the faithful today and his words still resonate across the centuries. Yet there...