Read & Reflect
Articles, reflections, news, and homilies — thoughtful Catholic content for the faithful, published regularly.
Spirituality
Spirituality
Awaiting Pentecost and the Docudrama “That They May Be One”
The Church has entered into that liturgical time between Ascension and Pentecost, the time of the original novena. As we journey through this time of focused prayer to the Holy Spirit, a new film will be hitting theaters nationwide May 19-20. That They May Be One is a docudrama combining commentarie...
Spirituality
The Resurgence of Dominican Sisters
For several decades now, the landscape of women’s religious life in the United States and across the Western world has been marked by noticeable decline. While the number of Catholics continues to climb to historic highs in the Americas, the place of religious vocations continues to progressively sh...
Spirituality
The Graces of a Month for Mary
On May 8th the Dominicans celebrate the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the Whole Order of Preachers. This is done partially because of a vision St. Dominic had in which the Blessed Mother showed him that the order was held in her safety and care directly beneath her Mantle. This vision is...
Spirituality
The Disciple Who Remained: How the Apostles Chose Judas’ Replacement
Every year on May 14th, the Church celebrates the feast of the Apostle who came late to the party: St. Matthias. Biblically, we know very little about this man, but legend and tradition tell us he was full of zeal. Upon being chosen to be counted among the Twelve, he devoted his life to preaching an...
Spirituality
The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima Is Truly Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day in the United States usually finds people celebrating in a big way. Mothers are showered with gifts, and restaurants experience one of their busiest days of the year as families treat Mom to dinner. People in the United States were celebrating Mother’s Day on that May 13, 1917, when our...
Spirituality
The Lesson of the Ascension in Our Lives Today
Have you ever noticed how the Ascension is celebrated during a time when many cross graduation stages and enter new stages of life? There is much to learn from these seemingly unrelated yet coinciding events. Against the context of graduations and new beginnings, the Ascension of the Lord imparts a...
Spirituality
The Diaconate: Learning to Die to Self for My Husband’s Call
Almost five years ago, on a beautiful, warm summer evening, while watching our daughter play soccer, my husband turned to share some life-changing news with me. I remember it clear as day. He told me: “I’ve been quietly discerning the diaconate for the past 9 months.” It was not something I ever exp...
Spirituality
St. Jerome on the Treasures and Charisms of Women
St. Teresa of Avila used to carry a small piece of paper in her breviary that listed the 33 saints (or categories of saints, e.g. angels, patriarchs, martyrs, or saints of the Carmelite Order) to whom she was chiefly devoted (Apuntaciones, 8). At the top of the list was St. Joseph, which is not surp...
Spirituality
Eros and Agape: The Greek Origins of Christian Love
In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI looked over the course of his life, beginning before World War II, throughout which he witnessed firsthand the propensity of human beings to hate, interspersed with episodes of what the world called “love.” Love, he reflected, “has become one of the most fr...
Spirituality
What Happens When We Prioritize Our Relationship with God
The early Church faced the problem of the unjust distribution of food among her members, as we learn in Acts 6: “The Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.” The Twelve addressed this issue immediately so that it would not distra...
Spirituality
There is Always Hope: Faith Rooted in Childhood Will Prevail
I can only imagine the anguish devout Catholic parents must feel when their child, be they adolescent or adult, moves away from God. They stand sadly by, hoping and praying that their offspring will return to the loving embrace of their heavenly Father. Hope and prayer, the mainstay of our Christian...
Spirituality
The Other 7 Deadly Extremes
We Catholics have a lot of sets of spiritual things. The 10 CommandmentsThe 3 Theological VirtuesThe 4 Cardinal VirtuesThe 8 Beatitudes(Hope you’re studying—there’s a quiz at the end.)The 7 Gifts of the Holy SpiritThe 12 Fruits of the Holy SpiritThe 7 Corporal Works of MercyThe 7 Spiritual Works of...