There are several practices that we are preparing to do during this Lent. But this time of year shouldn’t only be a project we must fulfill but rather an opportunity. Lent is an opportunity to exercise a posture of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and surrender. We surrender to someone, to a relationship that matters, to God. In this episode, we will talk…
Okay, it’s been a hot minute, but we are back. It is Ash Wednesday, so we may go up to receive ashes today, and we might not know what we’ll get. You might get the classics, the X marks the spot, the perfectionist, the Harry Potter, the NFL, the Picasso, or the Twinsie, or you could get the double wide. Whatever you receive, whatever is…
Saint Therese of Lisieux. She lived till the age of 24. She lived most of her life in a convent in the suburbs of France. She is considered one of the most ambitious saints the church has ever seen because Saint Therese desired to be a saint from the depths of her heart. And we are called to have that holy ambition as well. In the gospel…
Matthew’s first nine beatitudes said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The world constantly tries to define us and tell us who we are. Our successes, belongings, talents, people in our lives, jobs, culture, and technology all make us who we are. We beclothed ourselves with these things and are tempted to find…
Raise your hand if you have made plans and then canceled them at the last minute for no apparent reason. Millennials and Gen-Zers, are notorious for making plans and then canceling them. Because there is something within us that believes that what I say and promise doesn’t matter and doesn’t hold weight. We can get into…
We cannot grow in freedom unless we grow in faith, Hope, and love — that’s the recipe for freedom. Faith, Hope, and love are the three theological virtues that connect us to God. As Christians, we believe in God, hope for everything from Him, and want to love Him with all our hearts and love our neighbors. This episode is the third part of…
This Sunday’s gospel is a battle cry that we are called to go into battle. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth.” In the ancient world, when a city was conquered, the soldiers would lay out salt everywhere, on the ground, in the streets, to destroy anything growing there. It sounds weird, but we are called as Christians to eliminate…
We think we’re most free when we can be in control. “I’m free when I get up every day and have control over my life and circumstances.” That’s not Catholic freedom, according to Jacque Philippe, but it is accepting reality as it is. We struggle with freedom because it’s hard to accept our weaknesses, and it’s pretty difficult to accept…
So one of the most memorable experiences of being a Chicago Blackhawks fan was the 2013 Grant Park Victory Parade to celebrate the fact that the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. Thousands of people were in Grant Park, and there was this one moment that I will never forget. In front of thousands, Jonathan Toews raises the…
Love believes in all things. Do we believe in love? Do we believe in God? The God who created us, who gave us life? Do we believe? I hear some people, sometimes they say, “My father hurt me so much. For me, he doesn’t exist.” He doesn’t exist? He exists. Your father exists. Whether you like it or not, your father exists. It’s the same with…
