In the previous article, we journeyed with Dante from the first terrace of Mt. Purgatory to the fourth, covering the sins or character defects of pride, envy, wrath, and sloth. Dante sees firsthand how the souls are purified from their attachments to particular sins...
A few weeks ago, my wife and I were talking about the messiness of my relationship with my mom, and a video I had recently watched online popped into my head. The video began with sentimental background music and captions explaining the circumstances of a family: the...
Rule 1 of St. Ignatius’ “rules of discernment” stands alone in many ways, describing the experience of one who is moving in the wrong direction, away from God, and towards vice and sin. In a modern sense, this first rule also describes those of us who are diving into...
One of the practices that I like to do when I pray is to repeat the words slowly so I can contemplate each one. As I pray for my children to have a gentle mother, I have been drawn to the phrase “full of grace” in the Hail Mary. To be full of grace means there is no...
We are fallen but redeemed by Jesus. He wants to claim what’s His: our souls. However, the spiritual war between Christ and the devil for our souls never stops raging in this life. Therefore, similar to physical warfare, we must arm ourselves with weapons to defeat...
Notice in reading the Gospels that whenever Jesus is facing something difficult, He prays. In one of His most human moments, Jesus struggles in agony in the garden of Gethsemane. Before his arrest, He endures a night of extreme stress that we cannot imagine. He even...
As a faithful member of Catholic in Recovery and Alcoholics Anonymous, I’m abundantly blessed to have so many avenues at my disposal to remain sober and grateful to be able to share my experience, strength, and hope with others. But what if I told you that even with a...
The leaves are off the trees. Thanksgiving has come and gone. And stores and shops are playing Christmas music. As Christians, we are preparing now for the birth of our Savior. And specifically as Catholics, we are in the midst of Advent, which marks the end of the...
Step 11 - “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God.” Coming from a background in Evangelical Christianity, I was always cautious when hearing someone talk about meditation because I had learned to equate the word with New Age...
When I was a little girl The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie were popular on television. The kind and loving father figures on these shows made my heart ache for the kind of love I saw acted out on screen. My best friend’s father affectionately called my...