Read & Reflect

Pope Leo XIV offers prayers, spiritual closeness to victims of devastating Nepal floods

Pope Leo XIV has offered prayers and condolences to the victims of major floods along the Nepal-China border that have claimed several hundred lives so far.The flooding disaster was driven by what the U.S. Geological Survey said was a glacial collapse near the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, one that...

[Daily Rosary Meditations] Cannot Serve Two Masters

[Daily Rosary Meditations] St Augustine

Don’t Face the Storms of Life Without Prayer

He came towards them walking on the sea. (Mt. 14:25) These words in Matthew 14:22-33 describe how Jesus walked on stormy waters towards His disciples. But before Jesus performed this miracle, He spent the whole night in personal prayer with His Father. He dispatched His disciples, dismissed the crow...

How to Achieve Whole-Person Holiness, Part 2

In Part 1 of this article, I laid out a general framework for achieving whole-person holiness. In this part and in Part 3 of the article, I will focus on specific daily activities that will help us reach this goal. As you will see, the activities that I am about to describe are both practical and si...

Rekindling Romance in Your Marriage: 10 Fun Date Ideas

The greatest marriages always put God first, spouse second, and children third. But through the years, that order is quickly reversed. Children become the priority as schooling and sports take over. As a result, family dinner and prayer become even more difficult to maintain. Many couples slowly dri...

The Catholic Dating Cold War

A Reflection on the Polarization of Catholic Dating and the Hesitancy to Date Catholic dating nowadays often looks less like adults discerning marriage and more like a middle school dance. The men are on one side of the parish hall. The women are on the other. It would be hilarious if it were not al...

AI Chatbots Are Hell

Describing hell is no fun task. Often, images of fire and pits, provided by Christ and portrayed in art throughout the Church’s history, come to mind. Yet, these images are allegories or metaphors (good ones of course!) which try to represent how terrible hell is. We know these images are metaphors...

When Nothing Seems to Be Happening: Lessons from St. Monica on Patience and Perseverance

A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life…Be he rich or poor, his heart is content, and a smile is ever on his face. (Sir. 26:2-4) St. Monica was a good and generous wife and mother, and we imagine there was a certain paradoxical peace and steadfast trust in her heart am...

The Child Is Never the Problem: IVF, Human Dignity, and the Pastoral Challenge Before Us

A few years ago, while teaching a class on bioethics and Christian anthropology, I explained the Catholic Church’s teaching on In Vitro Fertilization, “IVF” (literally “Fertilization in glass”). I discussed the dignity of human procreation, the meaning of the marital act, and the moral concerns surr...

Overcoming Anger with the Virtue of Meekness

One of the most misunderstood virtues we are called to foster is meekness. In Matthew’s Gospel, the Lord invites us to a life of meekness when He teaches: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of h...