Are you just going through the motions of prayer, or are you entering in with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength? Love God intentionally today.
I sat up straighter. Everything I’d ever read about apologetics and answering peoples’ complaints about the Church started running through my mind at full speed. I was like a lion ready to pounce on any reason she said, convince her she was wrong and corral her back to the Church . . .
It takes you from the powerful, inspiring, and awesome person that you are to a mere object of lust. You are already beautiful and deserve better than that. When you show cleavage and your legs with mini costumes, it is those parts of your body that are emphasized (by design). It sends the message that the most valuable thing about you is the body parts you’re putting on display.
If you haven’t listened to T-Swift’s new album Red, go clear your schedule and come back to this blog later. My words will be empty and boring if you aren’t hearing the refrain of “All too well” or “Treacherous” on repeat in your head.
If you have been listening to her album, courtesy of iTunes, Target, a Papa John’s Pizza, or a YouTube playlist, then we are definitely friends. (If you participated in any sort of countdown to Red, you’re instantly elevated to best friend status.)
Miss Swift’s album is about more love and heartbreak than I’ve ever experienced. Like, ever.
Still, there are countless people who try to say that the Bible is “unreliable” or “outdated.” Many people – some of whom are well-read and quite intellectual – do everything they can to debunk the validity of Scripture, thinking that if they can exploit seeming “inconsistencies” or supposed “errors” they can somehow do away with Christianity and even God. That’s the first mistake . . .
Being able to put your phone down and not let life pass you by will certainly help you grow in virtue. God uses all things to reach us, but the twitter account named after Jesus isn’t actually Him. Remember, grace doesn’t come in megabytes. God wants to show His face and His heart to you; don’t give Him the busy signal. Be available when He comes to you.
I believe that Pope John Paul II was one of the greatest Popes to have ever served the Church. History has shown him to be a man who can be all things to all people. He was an athlete, an actor, a writer, a priest, a bishop, an activist and most of all a follower of Christ . . . In terms of leadership and bravery, William Wallace has nothing on this guy. During the years of Pope John Paul II’s service to the Church, he encountered many things that would make the average person run and hide.
One of the most amazing gifts God has given us is our Catholic faith. Have you ever thought about that? Without the gift of faith, we wouldn’t have access to God.
Every Sunday morning my routine is the same: wake up, brush my teeth, fix my hair, put on a pretty dress, and head to 8:30AM Mass. But sometimes, when 9:30 rolls around, I realize I’ve completely missed it all. I missed the Creed, the readings, and even Jesus, Himself, coming down from Heaven onto the altar!
Now, I don’t mean that I sometimes press the snooze button so many times that I end up missing Mass. I mean I physically show up, but too often I am still spiritually sleeping throughout the entire Mass.
Eventually the topic of guys comes up, and, on occasion, girls begin to complain about how there aren’t any good guys left or that guys today aren’t respectful or they don’t open doors. Somehow as women we’ve created an expectation that guys, to be worthy of us, must look, act, and sing, like Prince Charming . . .
Suffering will always be hard to understand; there’s no quick answer, bumper sticker, or 140-character tweet that can totally answer all of our “whys.” But even in our grief, we can look to the crucifix and know that we have not been forgotten or abandoned by God.
“You’re out of control! I’m sending you to the convent.” Are those words that you would want to hear? A teenager named Teresa sure didn’t appreciate when her father told her that. As a little girl, born in Avila, Spain in the 1500s, Teresa tried to run off and be a martyr, but by the time she became a teen, all of that enthusiasm for the faith was gone.
Teresa loved attention – especially from boys. She had a passion for fancy clothes and jewelry and was known for being an excellent dancer. One of her favorite pastimes was reading romance novels, and she constantly had a new one. Even when her father sent her away, surprisingly the convent wasn’t a whole lot different…
What does it mean to be a hero? Would you think it’s heroic to embrace suffering? A lot of people run away from suffering but Christ showed us that if we want heaven, we have to be willing to suffer here on earth. Our crosses aren’t meaningless when we unite them to the cross of Christ.
Today begins the Year of Faith, a time that Pope Benedict XVI has called each of us to not only rediscover the truths of our Faith, but in a deeper way the Who of our Faith in Jesus Christ and to ask why He is so Good and True.
Just as in Marriage spouses give themselves fully to each other — spirit and body — so a priest gives himself to the service of Christ for the Church. Imagine trying to give yourself fully to an entire parish and have a family to take care of! You’d have to make sure your family has food on the table and a roof over their heads and are spiritually and emotionally taken care of.
Read that above quote again. This is a message of freedom. This is a message of hope. Brothers and sisters, we are free. Any feelings of shame or unworthiness or insecurity that you feel, Jesus took it to the cross. He felt it for you. Those feelings died with Jesus, and when He rose, they were gone.
To live weighed down by insecurities is contrary to the Gospel. We need to strive to embrace the freedom we have in Jesus Christ. The freedom to pursue holiness, the freedom to love, and sometimes the most difficult, the freedom to be loved. You are worthy.
Did creation start with a “big bang”? What does the Catholic Church say about that? Have you ever wondered if the creation story in the book of Genesis is real? Are we supposed to take it literally and leave science behind?
No way! The Church is all about us using our faith and our reason. Just because science explains the natural world around us, doesn’t mean it disproves that God created the world.
