Read & Reflect
Articles, reflections, news, and homilies — thoughtful Catholic content for the faithful, published regularly.
Spirituality
Spirituality
Christianity and the Decline of Pagan Cults in Late Antiquity, Part 2
This two-part article discusses how Christianity became a dominant force upon its emergence through the combined effects of imperial patronage, missionary endeavors, and ritual appropriation. Archaeological evidence and contemporaneous texts reveal that the aforementioned strategies were instrumenta...
Spirituality
How to Witness Miracles
“Have I ever witnessed a miracle?” is a worthwhile question in our Western culture dominated by rationalism, materialism, and scientism, as many skeptics and agnostics—and even some Christians—believe miracles impossible. A miracle, according to Merriam-Webster, is “an extraordinary event manifestin...
Spirituality
Breaking My Caffeine Addiction Brought Me Closer to God
A little over two weeks ago, I made the decision to finally stop drinking caffeine. I have been addicted to coffee for 21 years and Diet Coke for a few years before that. I have known for a while that the Lord wants me to let this addiction go. And yes, it is a full-blown addiction. Anytime we say “...
Spirituality
Noelia Castillo and the False Mercy of Euthanasia
On March 26, 2026, Noelia Castillo Ramos, a twenty-five-year-old Spanish woman, died by legal euthanasia in Barcelona. Her father fought for twenty months to stop it. He argued that his daughter, already marked by suicide attempts, psychiatric illness, trauma, and severe physical suffering, should f...
Spirituality
Not All Fear Is Bad: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus tells His disciples that there is empty fear and worthy fear. How will they know the difference? Gospel (Read Mt. 10:26-33) The tenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel begins with Jesus calling the Twelve Apostles, then sending them out to preach the Good News He’s going to teach them. He gives th...
Spirituality
Love Has No Why
The famed Dominican friar Meister Eckhart has a phrase, “Love has no why” (Die Minne hat kein Warum), and it is perhaps one of the most famous statements in Western Christian mysticism. In its fuller, but less familiar form, he writes: “Love has no why. It loves because it loves. It knows no reason....
Spirituality
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
John, the son of Zebedee, was a simple man who fished the waters of the Sea of Galilee in the first century A.D. He joined Jesus after hearing John the Baptist proclaim that Jesus was the Lamb of God. He witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles, including the astonishing miracle of the healing of the Geras...
Spirituality
Enduring Love: 4 Inspiring Father’s Day Stories
Dads, grandfathers, mentors, clergy—so many men in our communities are uplifting friends and loved ones, many going unseen. This Father’s Day, Catholic Exchange brings you true stories of fathers transforming lives. Neighborhood Favorite -Lynne Parker Davis from Atlanta, GA My dad, Jack Gordon Parke...
Spirituality
The Father Who Runs to You
What don’t you like about yourself? Even after going to Confession, do you still sometimes feel ashamed of your sins? And is this making you wonder if Father God is keeping you in misery because you don’t deserve better treatment? Father God is full of compassion for you. Compassion is not something...
Spirituality
A Divine Encore: The Atheists Who Couldn’t Accept a Meaningless Life
Jacques Maritain and his dear friend Raïssa Oumansoff were students at the Sorbonne. Their searching intellects, however, were frustrated by the fact that they could find no truth that would satisfy their restless minds. At that time Jacques was without any religious belief, and Raïssa was a self-de...
Spirituality
6 Ways to Know the God Who Dwells Within You
The Holy Spirit is rightly called the Sweet Guest of our souls because He is the loving God of power and consolation dwelling within us. Yet He is also called the Great Unknown because we do not know Him as much as we should. He is the powerful guest with us and within us always, yet we often fail t...
Spirituality
Do Not Despise the Day of Small Beginnings
As a child I was fascinated by the television show Bewitched. I dreamed of having Samantha’s ability to twitch her nose and make a messy room neat as a pin, a broken lamp unbroken, or dress and be ready for a fancy party straight from her housework clothes. The word fascinate itself means to bewitch...