The dogma of the Immaculate Conception teaches that Mary was preserved from any stain of sin from the first moment of her conception onward. It’s a stunning truth to ponder, yet perhaps we might wonder how we can relate to a woman so pure and exalted. Here, then, are four things you and I can draw from Mary’s Immaculate Conception in relation to our everyday lives.
Vir Christi writes on Purgatory, the mudroom attached to Heaven, and the Poor Souls residing there who stand in need of our help.
By Vir Christi On the Solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul, the Catholic Church honors two seminal leadership figures in the history of the Church. St. Peter as the first pope laid the foundation for the authority of the modern Church. But the authority of the...
The Eucharist is the great sacrament of unity in the Church. Oftentimes, though, unity sounds like a lofty, abstract goal.
Here, Vir Christi delves into the unity the Eucharist calls us to and how we can live out this unity in practical ways in our daily lives.
Every one of us has a tomb in our hearts. We have something sitting in our hearts, locked tightly behind a wall of stone. But that tomb, like Christ’s, has no power over us if we let Him into it. Will we?
Have you ever reflected on how precious the physical world is in God’s eyes?
We tend to think of our Faith in abstract, intellectual terms. But the Catholic Faith is not some mere philosophical theory. It is something real and alive, which we experience and express in our daily lives in tangible ways.
Too often, we view the Nativity in a sentimental way. Teresa Kidron reminds us of the earthliness that characterized the stable at Bethlehem and the significance of the humble, meager conditions amidst which Christ was born.
There’s a unique quality about Christmas, one often described as the “Christmas spirit” that seems to unite people from all walks of life together in a profound way, regardless of whether they are Christian or not. What is this special something that bonds people together? Vir Christi suggests that it is silence.
Vir Christi reflects upon the verses of the Angelus and the variety and abundance of spiritual fruits to be reaped by praying this simple Catholic prayer.
St. Joseph is a model par excellence of prayerful silence for the ordinary layperson. Why is he silent, though? What purpose(s) does his silence serve? How can we imitate him?
Advent and Lent are both seasons of penance and preparation. Yet they are meant to be celebrated in unique ways. How? And what specifically might we do so that Advent isn’t merely a time-marking season leading up to Christmas?
As Catholics, in our liturgical celebrations we frequently hear mentions of Christ’s kingship. It might seem redundant to have a whole solemnity identifying Jesus as King, when we have so many other feast days celebrating Jesus in other ways. So why have it?
What is the significance of Halloween for Catholics? Why does this day matter for us? How can we celebrate this day and All Hallows Day (All Saints’ Day) in a holy way in our secular society?
Many people have had their life touched by the issue of suicide. I, personally, have grappled with suicidal thoughts and witnessed the consequences of someone committing suicide. Amidst all the sorrow caused by this evil, we might ask:
What does the Catholic Church teach about suicide? Why? And what can you and I do?
Many Catholics know the Assumption is an important event in Mary’s life. However, they frequently fail to ask an essential question: What does the Assumption of Mary mean for you and me, in both an immediate and an eternal sense?