{disclaimer: I realize that NFP is not always used to avoid pregnancy, but can also be used for medical awareness and to help achieve pregnancy. For purposes of this article I am referring to NFP used as “periodic continence”, that is, to avoid pregnancy.} There is a faction of Catholics who, in their desire to […]
Style, Sex, & Substance: 10 Catholic Women Consider the Things that Really Matter, edited buy Hallie Lord, is full of spiritual truths and spunk! The ten women who each tackle a different current issue seem to hit most of the hot topics usually found splashed across the covers of women’s tabloids, but from a Catholic […]
Did you know that Zelie Martin yelled at her daughter, Marie, at least once? The mother of St. Therese of Lisieux tells the story in a letter to her sister, a Visitation nun. Zelie was in great pain from her breast cancer and Marie told her, “Mama! Don’t make that face, it’s worrying auntie!” Zelie […]
Growing up with a chronically ill mother, I found it very difficult to embrace Marian devotions as an adult. A true and present (and perfect!) mother did not seem real to me. Just as a faithful father reflects the love of God the Father to his children, a faithful mother reflects the love of the […]
After breakfast in bed or brunch out on the town on Sunday, many families will celebrate Mother’s Day by planting flowers together. While I can’t speak for the rest of the country, here in Colorado there’s a rule of thumb that flowers simply *should not* be planted any sooner. Up until that time, the chance […]
The question of religious education and the formation in the faith of the next generation of Catholics in the United States was the theme of the Holy Father’s remarks to prelates from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Regions X-XIII), who have just completed their five-yearly “ad limina” visit: Speaking to the group in […]
Last week, in an advertorial slideshow on ObamaForAmerica.com, the president’s re-election campaign introduced “The Life of Julia” about a fictional “everywoman” whose government-subsidized existence is intended to reassure women voters about President Obama’s ability to provide for them in an uncertain future. This “composite” female — not to be confused with the one who portrayed […]
This is the second article on the theme, “He Has Risen, Alleluia! We Have Risen With Him, Alleluia!” Isn’t this what this grace-filled Easter Season is all about? For this second article, I am using the opening words of the book, The Binding of The Strong Man, The Teachings of St. Leo the Great by […]
My two-year-old was beyond ready to get down from her high chair. As she was kicking her legs in protest of her confinement, she noticed one foot pop momentarily into view above her tray. Her yelling stopped. Slowly, she lifted her foot into view once more and said, “I seeeee youuuu!” View the original post […]
Popular Christian author Janette Oke’s first book was Love Comes Softly. Janette was born during the depression years on a Canadian prairie farm and she remembers her childhood as full of love, laughter, family life and faith. Janette drew upon these themes for her debut novel and her many other popular books that followed. I […]
As parents, we have so many responsibilities when it comes to our children. We need to feed, clothe, and nurture them. We need to raise them in the faith and make sure that they are educated. But in the midst of all those responsibilities, it is also important to have fun as a family. Moments […]
The larger political landscape seems like a vicious quagmire (which indeed it may be) but it also offers valuable topics for discussion around the water cooler and in the car-pool line. While the HHS mandate is primarily an assault on religious liberties, those with courage and conviction can use the opening to discuss the Catholic […]
Even though the weather in my neck of the woods as of late would seem to indicate otherwise, the calendar is telling me that summer is just around the corner. You know what that means: Beach Season! If you recall, last summer was My First Summer Without a Bikini, and honestly, I haven’t looked back […]
Without any kind of a deep freeze this past winter, the weeds have had a field day (pun intended) this spring. I don’t know about your neighborhood, but ours is totally infested with chickweed. Now, chickweed looks innocent enough, with its dainty little white flowers and delicate stems, but don’t be fooled. It’s a cold-blooded […]
About a month ago, I went to see the movie The Vow fully prepared for it to be an overall disappointment. It certainly delivered, except for one scene that actually makes the movie worth seeing. The mother tells her upset daughter that she stayed with her husband after learning of his lengthy affair because she […]
When I was a Sophomore in high school, I was assigned a research paper that was to make up a percentage of my overall English grade. I purchased a sizable stack of index cards per instructions and immediately set to work filling them in. As I sat surveying the small mountain of ridiculous index cards […]
Belief in God increases with age. That is the finding of a longitudinal study by researchers at the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center. The Center conducted three surveys on religious faith, questioning people of different age groups in 30 different countries. The surveys—conducted in 1991, 1998, and again in 2008—explored the range of […]
For the past few months, I’ve had the great pleasure of a biweekly radio chat with Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak, Directors of the Pastoral Solutions Institute and authors of Beyond the Birds and the Bees: Raising Sexually Whole and Holy Kids. As a major fan of Dr. Greg and Lisa’s work, their writing, and […]
Although there is less skepticism with regard to NFP’s effectiveness these days, Natural Family Planning still gets a bad rap from many in secular society. I’ve heard more than a few people say, “NFP didn’t work for us.” When the rules are followed, NFP can be 99 percent effective in avoiding pregnancy and works well […]
Dear Anthony, I was wondering if you could help me. I really love my boyfriend, but sometimes he just snaps at me for no reason. I don’t like it when he raises his voice at me. I snap back at him in anger, which doesn’t make it any better, I know. But I don’t want […]
I am a recovering feminist. Getting married in the Eighties was my first step when I changed my mind about keeping my own name. I went with logic. A long hyphenated name would be nothing but trouble over the long haul. And what does the second generation do if two people with hyphenated names marry each […]
It’s official. Brad and Angelina are engaged, succumbing to pressure from family members to finally tie the knot. Back in the day, that pressure would have come from a worried mother, or more likely, a protective father and the business end of shotgun. But this is 2012. The family pressure to marry comes, in this […]
There’s an old joke that talks about the angels questioning Jesus about the worldwide evangelization plan after his return to heaven following the Ascension: Angel: So, Jesus, you’ve just returned to heaven as the victorious Lord of Glory, King of Heaven and Earth, what’s your plan for spreading the news of salvation to the whole […]
In 1971, my girlfriend became pregnant with our baby. I pressured her to have an abortion; eventually she succumbed to the pressure and had an abortion. For decades I regretted my role in that abortion. Throughout the years, feminists have emphatically maintained that abortion is a “women’s issue” that does not affect men. They must […]
