There have been a few times in my life where God’s presence, abundance and majesty left me thunderstruck. As a child of 10 or so, when my family went to the Gulf Coast, I would drag a chair out to the beach at night and sit under the stars. Even …

With The Scandal of Holiness, Jessica Hooten Wilson has written a new and interesting kind of devotional. We often participate in the grace of holiness through practice, which typically begins with actual works of prayer and mercy in the world. But Wilson knows the whole person involves thought as well …

The St. Patrick Cathedral Choir, and Mick Moloney, his musicians and the Washington Square Harp & Shamrock Orchestra to perform at historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York.

Some years ago, St. Pope John Paul II named St. Francis of Assisi the patron of ecology, which inspired the Franciscans to add “Care for Creation” to our commissions of peace and justice. It is also a great reminder that our gardens’ St. Francis statues are a sign of this …

Have you ever spent time thinking about your wedding ring? The deep meaning behind that circular band is so profound that, on the day we receive it, we are changed forever. We become one with the person from whom we received it, and through our marriage, we become witnesses of …

St. Bernard

Death is a central motif in Christianity. In Catholic moral and spiritual reflection, death has a more dominant place than it does in most other forms of Christian theology. Indeed, some forms of American evangelicalism minimize – or even practically ignore – Christ’s crucifixion, rushing straight to His resurrection. This …

I’m somewhat of a genetic weirdo. I’m a twin. The hair on my head is dark brown, but my beard is red. I’m also left-handed. It’s frustrating to be left-handed in a right-handed world. Scissors never cut right. When you hold a measuring cup in your left hand, you’re stuck …

“Play” in the spiritual life makes me think of people dressed as clowns at Mass, or hand motions for grade school songs being imposed upon high schoolers, or the sort of unbearably sanguine exuberance that clashes with a sometimes sorrowful reality. I can think of all sorts of shallow and …

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, During the season of Lent, we prepare for our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection by practicing the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Jesus teaches us that some things can only be accomplished through prayer and fasting (cf. Mt. 17:21). As we consider …