40 Days, 40 Ways to Grow in Holiness During Lent
Are you ready for Lent? This year, Lent begins on February 10. If you, like me, have been stalling about “getting ready for Lent,” with the expectation that all the prayers and sacrifices and stuff
Feline Spirituality: Lessons Learned from Christopher’s Cat
“For he purrs in thankfulness when God tells him he’s a good cat.” Eighteenth-century English poet Christopher Smart was a complex man. A gifted poet and writer, a successful magazine editor and composer of music
The Madonna of the Candelabra
Back in 2011, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Christmas stamp titled “Madonna of the Candelabra.” The stamp, which is still available for purchase today, is sold in books of 20 self-adhesive “Forever” stamps. It
Wise Words in Soft Brown Leather: Patristic Wisdom for Daily Living
I love a beautiful book. And A Year With the Church Fathers is certainly beautiful, with its gilded pages, its ribbon marker, its beautiful art, its presentation page! I could smell the soft leather when I tore
Tom Monaghan Funded the Catechism? Who Knew?!
Before we begin,” said Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, “I want to thank Tom Monaghan for funding the Catechism.” It was September 2003, and the group gathered at the archbishop’s palace in Vienna gasped. Despite occasional snippets
Just in Time for Lent: Fr. Longenecker Brings Back the Master Tempter Slubgrip
Lent is a season of penitence: Giving up chocolate. Turning off the TV. Fasting from between-meal snacks, and abstaining from eating meat. It’s also a season for personal growth: Prayer. Reading. Reflection. So who says you
50 Books by G.K. Chesterton for $1.99
Everyone loves a bargain! And readers love the works of English writer, philosopher and apologist G.K. Chesterton. So I thought I’d share this outstanding deal which came to my attention: Fifty (FIFTY!!!) books by Chesterton, in
Wait, What? Carl Sagan Was NOT an Atheist?
I don’t know where I got this idea, but I’ve always thought that Carl Sagan, the astronomer whose popular show “Cosmos” incited interest in the heavens, did not believe in Heaven. Nor, I thought, did
The Neighbor We Don’t See: Pope Francis Admonishes Internet Trolls
It's a problem that bloggers know only too well: Comment boxes filled with flaming insults, name-calling, and personal attacks. If you write about controversial topics, you're going to hear from people who disagree; and too
UPDATE: Amid Pressure, Archbishop Nienstedt Resigns Temporary Post
I am sorry to report that Archbishop John Nienstedt, former spiritual leader of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, has left his temporary position assisting an ailing priest in Kalamazoo in the face of mounting pressure. Last