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The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Struggle to Love
Oftentimes, our attempts at rest can quickly become another form of doing. We do more to create rest, plan, schedule, and optimize. And suddenly the slower summer we longed for becomes another thing to manage or “get right.”
Sometimes this desire to do more only reveals how much of our spiritual life has become driven by pressure, fear, or the need to maintain an image of ourselves. We are no longer simply praying. We are managing.
How I’m Slowing Down This Summer
Oftentimes, our attempts at rest can quickly become another form of doing. We do more to create rest, plan, schedule, and optimize. And suddenly the slower summer we longed for becomes another thing to manage or “get right.”
Sometimes this desire to do more only reveals how much of our spiritual life has become driven by pressure, fear, or the need to maintain an image of ourselves. We are no longer simply praying. We are managing.
Rebellion Isn’t Always About Anger—Sometimes It’s Fear
As I am sure you can imagine, prison is a tough place. For most inmates, there is a deeply conditioned worldview of hierarchy. The most powerful have the most privileges. Therefore, pursuing the things that make one more powerful is highly valued.
Sometimes this desire to do more only reveals how much of our spiritual life has become driven by pressure, fear, or the need to maintain an image of ourselves. We are no longer simply praying. We are managing.
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Parenting and the Trap of Counterfeit Connection
The TV had become my friend. As a working mom, there were moments when I needed something to keep the kids occupied while…
Healing with Padre Pio: The Interplay of Truth and Compassion
Padre Pio is, in many ways, famous for his direct and often harsh way of communicating the truth in the confessional. Here are just two…
Three Tips to Navigate Parenthood in the Modern Culture
Do you have a plan on how to navigate the difficult parenting challenges you will face raising children in a modern context?
Parents, This Changes Everything…Literally
If you’re raising Catholic kids in today’s culture, here’s the hard truth: faith won’t grow in silence. In a fallen world, parenting means…
Raising Faithful Kids in a Fallen World: 5 Lessons from a Former School Counselor and Single Mom
If you’re raising Catholic kids in today’s culture, here’s the hard truth: faith won’t grow in silence. In a fallen world, parenting means…
“Other People Have It Worse”: The Double-Edged Nature of Comparison
Here’s the deeper truth: our suffering matters. It matters so much that when we dare to voice it aloud, a part of…
Is Self-Reflection Selfish?
I am all too aware of the many influencers promoting self investment. A core question arises though, does make better people?
Waiting with St. Monica
Why is waiting on the Lord so uncomfortable? One reason I find is that it reminds me that I am not ultimately in control of…
Helping Children Face Spiritual Fears The “Big God, Little Devil” Way
Baby Brian’s body was completely incorrupt. Thirty-seven years in the ground, and he looked as though he had just fallen asleep—rosy…
Three Parenting Lessons from an Incorrupt Baby
Baby Brian’s body was completely incorrupt. Thirty-seven years in the ground, and he looked as though he had just fallen asleep—rosy…
The Fantastic Four as a Symbol of Family
How does the new Fantastic Four movie reflect the Catholic vision of life, family, and moral responsibility?
Three Ways to Experience Sacred Stillness
I measure success by what I can fit into a day. But, as I recently learned from a conversation between Dr Greg…
When Panic Hits: What to Do, and What It’s Telling You
When someone is in the middle of a panic attack, you don’t start with deep conversations about childhood trauma or…
The Rise of AI Therapy: Can a Chatbot Help You Heal?
We’re seeing clinical outcomes from AI counseling tools that are comparable to traditional therapy. But the real question is what’s missing?
The Healing Power of Watchfulness
The devil spent a lot of time harassing St. John Vianney. He would light the saint’s bed on fire. He would fill the room with…
How to settle anxiety in the heart and mind of someone with OCD
On a spectrum from discomfort to the loudest of alarm bells, OCD longs, sometimes shouts, for more. It always wants, needs, more. More…
How Adultery Happens
Recently, a video surfaced online that took the country by storm: Andy Byron, the now-former CEO, caught on camera at a Coldplay concert…
Am I Addicted to My Phone?
No one really wants to ask it—and certainly no one wants to answer it. But if we’re honest? Most of us are probably somewhere on the yes spectrum. And listen—no judgment if that’s you…
Why Every Addiction Is a Trauma Story
I’ve never encountered anyone with addiction problems who didn’t have some form of trauma. In other words, the addiction has always…
Rest Is Not Just a Mandate—It’s a Reflection of Your Identity
If you’re a father, your life is no longer your own. The reality is that school drop-offs, work emails, bedtime stories, and…
The True Cost of Being an “Always On” Dad
If you’re a father, your life is no longer your own. The reality is that school drop-offs, work emails, bedtime stories, and…
The Messy Closet and the Battle for My Soul
Every day, we’re faced with little choices. To follow through or back away. To do what’s good or what’s easy. To avoid…
Can You Be Holy and Still Be American?
As we celebrate the Fourth of July, it’s worth asking a question most Catholics probably haven’t considered: Can you be holy and still be American?
Five Things Everyone Should Know About the Immaculate Heart of Mary
I knew Mary was important—she had a statue in the church, she was in the prayers—but she wasn’t for me. I grew up Catholic, but…
The Key to a Thriving Marriage
Marriage isn’t just about loving your spouse in the same way you love yourself—it’s about treating their internal world with…
The Love That Sets Us Free
Living with OCD, I’ve found myself turning the car around to check that I didn’t hit a pedestrian, throwing out a batch of cookies because…
Where Trust is Rebuilt
Fear is woven into the human experience. We fear that things won’t work out. That we’ll be hurt, abandoned, forgotten. That we’ll…