The Saints and the Cross Episode 2: St. Therese of Lisieux

Today I cover two aspects of St. Therese of Lisieux's teaching: Doing small things with great love and persevering in trial and testing knowing it is a sign of God's love for us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9nDBkLbYVg Today is my 39th birthday. I'm requesting that anyone who views this video or stops by the blog to offer a …

Guest Post: 3 Tactics to Overcome Spiritual Sloth

**Today's guest post is from fellow Catholic Exchange contributor Matthew Chicoine. American founding father Benjamin Franklin said, “Diligence overcomes difficulties; sloth makes them.” Laziness not only creates problems, but also worsens them. Procrastination, a cousin of laziness, is the particular type of sloth that haunts me. I make excuses to explain and justify my laziness. …

Catholic Exchange: The World Needs the Witness of Celibate Priests

Last week, Fr. Jonathan Morris of Fox News fame announced that he has decided to leave the priesthood and is petitioning for laicization. In response to the very public announcement of his decision, I was immediately struck by how little so many respondents understood the nature of the priesthood. I was also disheartened to see …

Chronic Illness: The Cross, Trust, and the Corporal Works of Mercy

Our family lives in the shadow of a dangerous chronic illness. Regular readers already know that nearly two years ago my husband started coughing up large amounts of blood early one morning and our lives changed forever. Two months later he was diagnosed with Wegener's Granulomatosis. A rare auto-immune disease that affects the blood vessels …

Catholic Exchange: Turning the Other Cheek in a Digital Age

The Internet and mainstream media have been set ablaze with the latest outrage that seems to be manufactured every five minutes. Each side rushes to judgment and paints the other group as the villain. Meanwhile supporters canonize the person or persons they agree with and the vitriol reaches an intensity that should startle every person …