A crucifix is a reminder of God’s radical, limitless love. It also confronts us with a daunting challenge as we recall God’s command for us to love as He does. How is this possible for a mere human being crippled by sin? Serafina reflects on all this in her meditation upon Jesus Crucified.
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True Freedom of the Spirit: Independence from Sin
Jesus promises that we will set free, by following Him and believing in Him. What does that mean? We are given free will. How is it freedom to submit our will to Christ’s?
Vir Christi delves into this question and suggests practical ways to find freedom in Christ in our daily lives.
What Does Offering Our Work to God Look Like?
On this feast of St. Joseph the Worker, I thought it fitting to share some reflections on an short, potent prayer written by Pope St. Pius X.
In this prayer, St. Pius X mentions the virtues necessary to employ in our work, the specific faults we’re inclined to commit, and the spiritual mindset with which we should approach our work.
Anointing of the Sick: Do You Know the Essentials about This Sacrament?
Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament many Catholics are unfamiliar with. Who should be anointed? Why? When? How is the sacrament administered? What practical steps can we take to prepare for it?
Practical Ways to Cultivate Chastity in Body, Mind, and Heart
Lust is a brutal sin to combat. At times, the struggle against it can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, there are many practical steps we can take to overcome it. Here are six suggestions for everyone regardless of their state of life.
The Mark Left By Depression: Hope
Sometimes, the struggle against sin, temptation, and human weakness seems overwhelming. At such times, looking to the past can be a source of hope.
How to Make a Better Confession: 3 Brief Tips from St. Francis de Sales
Do you go to Confession regularly and struggle with discerning what to confess? Mortal sins must always be confessed in kind and number, but what about venial sins? How much detail is it appropriate to give? How can we be clear and accurate, but also brief? How can we make a more devout confession without being scrupulous?
Suicide: Why and How the Church Opposes This Evil
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?
Jesus, Make Our Hearts Like Unto Thine
In the midst of all of the solemnities the Church celebrates around the month of June, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart gets overlooked. Why does the Church ascribe so much importance to an internal organ of Our Lord? Isn’t that kind of strange?
Charity and Clarity: Rethinking Our Individual Response to Abortion
Abortion is one of the most heated topics of discussion in our country. Anytime abortion comes to the fore in current events, it generates a communications firestorm. As Catholics, we have a responsibility to set the example in how we talk about abortion as well as when and where we talk about it.
Pride: Setting Ourselves Up as God
Pride is the summit of self-love and the greatest of the seven deadly sins. Every sin contains a germ of pride. Besides, sins directly springing from pride come in a multitude of forms. Each of us is inclined to some of them. It is necessary to…
Greed: Worshipping Worldly Goods
Greed is an excessive love of worldly goods that leads to an unrestricted desire to acquire material things. We tend to associate it with money, but it can also be manifested in a love of clothes, jewelry, frivolous gadgets, etc. Greed is often a subtle vice, one we easily excuse.
Wrath: More than Just Bad Anger Management
The term “wrath” gets used routinely in everyday language. People like to use it to describe unchecked fury. Books and movies have glorified it, in many cases, to the point where wrath is seen as a sort of noble pursuit of justice. Because of this…
Envy: Desiring the Destruction of Another
Envy is a sin alive and well in our society. Its venom courses through social media and news programs, school and work environments, and even into our churches and homes. Despite this, I’ve heard little mention of this sin. What is it exactly? How does it differ from jealousy? And what makes it so dangerous?
Lust: Misusing God’s Gift of Sexuality
“The sin which causes most souls to go to Hell are sins of the flesh.” That awful sentence was by Our Lady of Fatima. In a world where sensuality and the appeal to sex are omnipresent, that sentence chills us to the bone.