Whenever I have a cold or stomachache, or when I’m feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, I struggle to pray the way I normally do. But I know that in those moments, I shouldn’t just give up prayer altogether. In those times especially, I am in particular need of God’s guidance and grace, and even though I… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: How to Pray When You’re Sick
Etty’s witness is evidence that we do not need to fear suffering so much as we need to fear separation from God. The things of this world will eventually all pass away—sometimes in terrifying fashion—but if we keep ourselves rooted in the God who transcends all earthly things, we can find a hope that will… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: The Transcendent Joy of Etty Hillesum
Our gifts are all meant to be used for a certain purpose; we shouldn’t be discouraged when they don’t pan out for a particular use but should prayerfully seek the right setting. Generosity and frugality are both gifts when used correctly; so are shyness and boldness, spontaneity and careful planning. We are all given a… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: Talents, Vocation, and Stewardship
The key to making true progress in the spiritual life is acknowledging that without God’s help, we won’t be able to improve ourselves at all. We are helpless without Him. All we can do is offer Him what we have, be receptive to His will, and wait for Him to do His work in us.… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: Habits and Helplessness
Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! We want God to come on our own terms, but instead He comes on His terms: in the womb of a woman, in the midst of a world that is broken and suffering. He is the light amid the darkness, leading us toward a new day in the… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: A Light in Advent, Our Lady of Guadalupe
I’ve heard several people express the sentiment that of all Catholic traditions, the veneration of relics is the one they least understand, and they are maybe even a little creeped out by it. In a way, I get it—it seems a little weird and morbid to take the earthly remains of a saint and wear… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: Why Do Catholics Venerate Relics?
I was able to speak with the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal at Our Lady Queen of Angels Convent the day after Pope Francis visited with the students at the grade school there. The biggest takeaway from my conversations with them, besides their overwhelming joy (One sister said, “We are still walking on air after… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: Servant of the Servants of God: Reflections on Pope Francis’s Visit to NYC
We all have these moments, big and small, when something happens and we instantly wish it never had. We become bitter about these frustrating, senseless realities, or otherwise live in denial about them. But reality is the only place where we can meet God. Some things cannot be undone, and if we can’t come to… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: The Urge to Undo
I remember that when I learned as a child about Jesus’s Passion, I was surprised to hear that when Jesus was asked to take up His Cross and walk to Calvary—to march to His death as an innocent man—He actually did it. I didn’t understand why He wouldn’t just fall to the ground and go… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: Resisting Calvary
God created Mary as daughter, mother, and spouse: Daughter of the Father, mother of the Son, and spouse of the Holy Spirit; Daughter of Anne and Joachim, mother of Jesus and of us all, and wife of Joseph. Likewise, all women are called to be the daughter, mother, and spouse of God, in ways that… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: Mary: Daughter, Mother, and Spouse of God
work in progress 