Spirituality

Q&A with Mystic Alicja Lenczewska, Part 3 June is a month especially dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is the time when we give particular honor to the humility, love, and mercy of Our Blessed Lord, who died in atonement for our sins. Among the many Polish hymns sung on this occasion,...

In Sunday’s Readings, Jesus sees a crowd following Him that moves Him to pity.  Why? Gospel (Read Mt. 9:36-10:8) As Jesus was making His way through the villages of Galilee, St. Matthew tells us that “at the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them.”  This is a rare description...

June is one of the most beautiful months in the Catholic year. Having journeyed through the splendor of Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity Sunday, the Church now turns our attention to mysteries that are at once profound and deeply personal. Corpus Christi and the Solemnity of the Sacred Hear...

Because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. (Mt. 24:12) St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was born in seventeenth century France, at a time when religion in her native country had grown cold. What is interesting about the “coldness” of the hearts of the faithful in France during...

Throughout my life, I have faced a silent struggle that many might overlook—an eating disorder combined with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The path to recovery has been filled with challenges, yet my faith has become a wellspring of healing and hope. I wish to share how turning to scripture a...

When we hear the term “pro-life,” we automatically think of issues such as abortion and euthanasia, since pro-lifers protect life at both ends of the spectrum. However, in order to safeguard these non-negotiables, we need to ensure that the basic family unit of husband, wife, and children is protect...

Paul declares that our security in Christ is guaranteed by God who “has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment” (2 Cor. 1:22). The term “first installment” translates the Greek word, arrabón which is defined as “an installment; a deposit (‘down-payment’)...

Many Catholic ethics courses are badly organized. If the end of Catholic ethics is to make people virtuous, teachers would do well to put the “hot button” issues on the backburner and bring the daily, commonplace virtues to the fore. A high school teacher and tenured associate professor, I taught et...

There is no institution more in need of reconsideration than the public high school. We have inherited a model constructed largely from industrial assumptions: age-segregated cohorts, prolonged adolescence, generalized curricula, and an educational trajectory that extends dependency well into early...

What is the longest prayer prayed by Christ in the gospels? It is the High Priestly Prayer of Christ in the 17th chapter of John, which is one long conversation between Christ and His Father. Centuries before, Moses petitioned God on behalf of his stiff-necked people: If I find favor with you, O Lor...

“John Paul II taught that the body has a ‘spousal meaning.’ It is made to express love as a free, total, faithful, and fruitful gift.” I graduated from high school in May of 1968. With my whole adult life ahead of me and college on the horizon, I wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening in...

A few years ago, a religious sister shared a dream that has remained with me ever since. Her life is devoted to caring for those with severe mental and physical disabilities in Mumbai. In the dream she saw ordinary city streets. Open drains and sewers brimmed with filthy water and refuse. Floating a...