Keys to Grow in Virtue and Grace Fr. Quan Tran, Roman Catholic priest and Author has written a book offering keyways to grow in love of the Lord through growth in virtue and grace. The book is beautifully written with each chapter focusing on a key element of how we can grow in imitation of […]
Finding Hope in Lent We are the season of Lent, a special season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving and a time for us to grow closer to Christ. Lenten hope is a hope that leads to a place of sacrifice, virtue, and most of all of love. As people of faith, turning to the example […]
As Catholics, part of our mission is in loving others as God love us. As parents, our vocation to love is close by the lives of our children, spouses, and our families both near and far. Pope Francis has had much to say about love and care for the marginalized over the years in […]
Every year right after Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. There is an important reason for this. It’s easy to think the “incarnation” means God took on a human body, that he appeared in human flesh. But there is much more to it than that. In Jesus, God unites himself entirely with […]
On the final Sunday in the liturgical year, it is time to remember things that we’d prefer to forget. For starters, we recall that there is an infinite qualitative difference between God and us. He is immortal and infinite. We are not. Each one of us will come to our individual end. But so will […]
For all of us All Saints Day raises some serious questions. We were created to become saints, to serve God and give Him glory. We are supposed to bring His love to a world that is hurting. People should see Jesus in us. That is the purpose of all of us. So we all have to ask ourselves some […]
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Rocker Stevie Nicks revealed her confusion to think that sex, drugs and rock and roll were greater than her baby. She ended her child’s life in 1979 while dating Don Henley of The Eagles. “There’s just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as […]
For those not walking with Our Lord, coincidences are a marvel. People gush: What are the odds? But for Christians who walk with the Lord, we are not amazed at the odds; we are amazed at God. One way I have opened the door to God acting in my life is that before taking a […]
There is a lot to fret over in our culture but there is also a lot at our disposal to fight against it. One very powerful action we can take is the First Five Saturday devotion. If you have never done it before, I encourage you to do it now and stick with it. The […]
“More Catholic than the Pope.” There is nothing more quintessentially Catholic than the Papacy. When we think “Catholic,” we think Rome, the Vatican, the dome of St. Peter’s. But the roots of the papacy actually go back to Jerusalem and the messiah-kings who ruled there. Like most heads of state, David and his descendants, the […]
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid,” (John 14:27). Within those words of comfort is the key: not as the world gives. And so with the assurance of our faith, […]
On December the 25th, we celebrate the big one—the birthday of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. The Church actually does not celebrate the birthday of the saints, except that of Jesus’ mother. Generally, their special day in the calendar is the date of their death, their entry into eternal life. But there is […]
Recognizing God in Small Moments Recognizing God in the everyday moments are an art. Whether we are young, somewhere in the middle or old. Life has its slow times and the busy times. I think having eyes to see “His hand” in all we do is something that take patience! Think for a moment about […]
To know the Virgin Mary is to love her. One way we can get to know her better is through her visits from Heaven to Earth. Marian apparitions are simply ‘private revelations’ illuminating aspects of faith but not revealing new ones since, according to Catholic doctrine, the age of public revelation ended with John, the last […]
I stood by helplessly and watched as a text message received by one of my older children instantly transformed a situation that showed much promise into a state of uncertainty. My child was visibly disappointed and frustrated. All I could do was give a reassuring hug and offer some words of consolation. Throughout my work […]
The atheist philosopher of the 19th century, Friedrich Nietzsche, once said: “if Christians want me to believe in their redeemer, they need to look more redeemed.” He was drawing the wrong conclusion from a perceptive observation. To Nietzsche most Christians looked just as burdened, clueless and lost as everybody else. When he looked into their […]
The Gospels tell an incredible story. A virginal conception. Miraculous healings. Even people coming back from the dead. How are we to know that it’s not all just a fanciful fabrication? There is much evidence for the reliability of the Gospels, but here is one of the strongest bits of evidence I know. Think for […]
Terrorism is nothing new. It’s probably as old as the human race. In fact the cradle of civilization, now Iraq, was the home of the most infamous terrorists of antiquity, the Assyrians. Their goal was to conquer their neighbors in a way that would minimize initial resistance and subsequent rebellion. To do this, they knew […]
Surely, the Blessed Mother would have taken on the suffering of her Son, Jesus Christ if it were possible. That is what loving mothers always wish they could do. Instead, Mary suffered alongside her Son, because that too is what mothers do. We go to Mary to get closer to Jesus for that very reason. […]
Shortly before his martyrdom, St. Paul penned a letter to his friend Timothy. The great apostle seems to have known that death was near, and his bittersweet words are imbued with a sense of urgency. St. Paul comforts and commends his young protégé, while exhorting him to sacrifice. “Do not be ashamed of the testimony […]
Shielding my eyes from the blinding sun, I sensed, rather than heard, a presence to my left as I stood in line waiting to board the plane. His face was about five inches from mine. I could see his lips moving but could hear nothing. Finally I faced him squarely and he repeated himself. “What’s […]
Discomfort does not excuse us from evangelizing. After all, Jesus was uncomfortable on the cross. And if Scripture and the Catholic Catechism of the Church are to be taken seriously, it seems that we have no excuse. “Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are sacraments of Christian initiation. They ground the common vocation of all Christ’s disciples, […]
There is more to Christmas than just Christ’s birth. It serves as the beginning of an epic, and Advent is the prologue whereby we prepare for the first spellbinding chapter. There’s a thread running through Christmas that ties into so many other Christological elements, including Christ as Divine Lover, in concert with the poetry of […]
One of the most intriguing aspects of Thanksgiving is that we give thanks around a table of food with people, typically family members, we may not care for. Though this point may be denied by some, it is fact of life that not everyone gets along. Sin, by our own free will can lead us […]
