It can be said that mothers do it all when it comes to their children. They raise them by taking care of their physical, material, emotional, and spiritual needs. They, of course, have the help of their husbands to assist … Continue reading
Theological Virtues
Suffering in the New Year
At the beginning of every new year there is a sense of hope. We take stock of where we are as individuals in our life, where we want to be in a year’s time, and how to go about accomplishing … Continue reading
St. John’s Advice
There are few saints more esteemed than St. John the Evangelist. He was one of Jesus’ closest disciples; he witnessed the transfiguration; he stayed at the foot of the Cross when the other disciples fled; he took care of Mary … Continue reading
Friendship is Rooted in Charity
Who is your best friend? How do you define your relationship? Perhaps you know what brings each other joy and you will that for each other. According to the dictionary definition, a friend is someone who is “one attached to … Continue reading
Roused by Hope
Pray without ceasing.(1 Thes 5:17) Sometimes we confuse what God wants with what we think God wants or expects from us. Take prayer, for example. It’s disappointing when you try to pray but all you do is doze off. You … Continue reading
Why Faith is Personal
Imagine you’re observing a sunset with a friend. Together you quietly watch the rays of light find their way through the now leafless trees, and you enjoy the brief warmth of the autumn sun. The evening is quiet and peaceful, … Continue reading
Woe and Praise
I recently met a young person who told me, “You’re the first person I’ve met who is my age and actually believes in God.” With the growing number of “nones”—those who identify as having no religious beliefs—many Christians worry that … Continue reading
Amor meus et Amor meus
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (Jn 20:29). The desire to feel God, to experience the consolations and sensible sweetness of his presence, is shared by even the most advanced souls in the … Continue reading
Accounting for Your Hope
Editor’s note: This is the second post in our newest series, reflecting on the Hillbilly Thomists’ recent, self-titled album. The series will run each Tuesday and Thursday throughout the Easter season. Read the whole series here. This post concerns the … Continue reading
The Shepherd’s Voice
Am I a sheep or a goat? This is the question that always plagues me after hearing this past Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 25:31-46). Jesus’ description of the last judgment as a separation of the sheep and the goats never fails … Continue reading
The Look of Divine Love
“It is godlike to love the being of someone” (Gilead, Marilynne Robinson). In this short sentence from her novel Gilead, the author, Marilynne Robinson, expresses the deep, unflinching love of a father for his son. The Gospel of Luke provides … Continue reading
The Presence of God
Homes are not beautiful if they are empty. Things are beautiful by the presence of God. —St. Thomas Aquinas on Psalm 25 So many today never think of God, and some, even when they do think of God, consider him … Continue reading
Faith and Ordinariness
Christians have faith in the supernatural and live supernatural lives. So why is it that so much of Christian life seems ordinary? Given the extraordinary experiences of the saints, it may seem that they lived a different kind of life … Continue reading
Blood Red Love
The love of St. Valentine goes unrequited on Valentine’s Day. The cities are painted red with roses, lips, young love, and small chalky candies with audacious imperatives: “be true,” “hug me,” “be mine.” Yet, the true red of St. Valentine’s … Continue reading
Fake News Is Great News
I have known many men who wished to deceive, but none who wished to be deceived. –St. Augustine “Fake news” has become big news in recent months. How could the proliferation of deliberately fabricated articles be a good thing? It’s … Continue reading
Highway to Heaven
Editor’s note: This is the third post in a series commenting on the first words of Christ as presented in the Gospels. Let it be so for now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. (Mt … Continue reading
The Eyes of the Heart
“Here is my secret. It is very simple: one sees well only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes.” In Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novella The Little Prince, a wise fox whispers this secret into the Prince’s ear. … Continue reading
I Spy with My Little Eye
And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger… And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Lk 2:16, … Continue reading
Cold Comfort
Ebenezer Scrooge, visited already by several Spirits, “was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances…nothing between a baby and rhinoceros would have astonished him very much.” I’ve had the pleasure of thinking about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol … Continue reading