Spirituality

Every journey to Christ eventually leads us to His Mother. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and many of the saints often said that Mary is the quickest, surest, and most tender path to Christ. For Sheen, the Blessed Virgin Mary was not merely a devotional option, but the very path by which Christ enters t...

If you’re reading this article, odds are you’re not totally new to the Faith. You’ve probably read other Catholic blogs, books from the saints, and watched a Fr. Mike Schmitz video or two. This won’t be the first time you’ve read about the importance of starting your day with mental prayer, but, if...

There’s a story passed down through sacred tradition about St. Peter fleeing Rome during the Church’s persecution. In his flight, he encounters the risen Christ, weary and forlorn, going in the opposite direction. Back towards certain death. Surprised by this, Peter asks, Quo vadis? (“Where are you...

Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. (Is. 56:1) Christ’s salvation was about to come to a foreign country. After once again offending the Pharisees (just a few verses before Sunday’s Gospel passage, Christ’s disciples told Him,...

The priest who prepared my wife and me for marriage told us that the score on our compatibility test was the lowest he had ever seen. He advised (strongly) that we not get married. It was five years into our marriage that I began to believe him. My wife, Kim, after having a miscarriage, gave birth t...

Many young men have spent thousands of hours inhabiting gaming worlds where purpose is immediate, enemies are obvious, and victory is visible. The online battles they fight cost them nothing but time. The real-life battles men fight are far less cinematic most of the time. They consist of changing d...

[We must] rebuild the first society. The family is the first city; strong marriages and prayerful homes form tomorrow’s citizens before any vote is cast. – Dr. Scott Hahn The Napa Institute recently held its 16th Annual Summer Conference in California. Once again, it was an extraordinary gathering f...

Last year, shortly after my father died, I opened up his copy of the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila that he had given to me years ago. I chuckled as I looked at the blue pen underlining various passages in the text. Unlike my father, I dislike writing in books in pen or using highlighters. I u...

In a conversation with Peter and the apostles, Jesus declares His intention to build His Church on a human being.  Whatever was He thinking? Gospel (Read Mt. 16:13-20) This Sunday’s Gospel is so familiar to Catholics that the potential for missing the punch it packs is inordinately high.  If ever we...

And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. (Acts 2:2) After the ascension of Our Lord, the Eleven Apostles, along with some others, gather for ten days, cozied up in a room together “for fear of the Jews” (Jn. 20:19). T...

I wonder what a person who was completely ignorant of Christianity would make of Christian words and worship when first exposed to it. Let’s face it, although Christian language is increasingly warm and fuzzy, there remains some genuinely strange and quite frankly bizarre and disturbing elements to...

Animal Organs, Human Dignity, and the Limits of Technique In March 2024, Richard “Rick” Slayman, a 62-year-old man suffering from end-stage kidney disease, became the first living patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney at Massachusetts General Hospital. He died nearly two months later,...