We Are All Called to Lives of Holiness
Suffering agony in this life isn't easy. It doesn't matter if that agony is our own or our neighbor's. All of the calls to radical individualism and self-reliance are lies in the face of the ontological reality that we are all bound to one another. God has created us for union with Him and communion …
**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. …
Continue reading "Guest Post: 3 Tactics to Overcome Spiritual Sloth"
I went kayaking today. This time of year I don't get to go as often as I would like. It's not the cold that bothers me so much, it's the wind speeds that I have to watch. It's notoriously windy in these parts during the fall and winter and a strong westerly wind makes it …
This time of year can present challenges to all of us as we approach the Christmas season. More and more Catholics are trying to slow down and enter into the period of waiting and preparation in the Advent season. As the secular Christmas season continues to spiral out of control, a lot of people are …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: When Advent Feels More Like Lent"
“Life is not neatly divided between beauty and ugliness, light and dark, beatitude and despair. Rather, it is a struggle and a longing, full of vicissitude and vacillation, with glimmers and glimpses which paradoxically attract and repel us, making us feel both at home and alien.” Austin Choate, "Terrence Lamick: You Will Love, Whether …
Continue reading "Will I Love As Christ Loves Or Will I Walk Away?"
Rather frequently, I hear people make arguments about aspects of the spiritual life, the Church, morality, or relationships that are predicated upon a particular individual’s feelings. Some will complain that the Mass doesn’t make them “feel” good or the Church’s teaching doesn’t cause a flood of the emotions they are looking for in their lives. …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Put Your Faith in Christ, Not in Feelings"
Depression and suicide are in the news again this week as two high profile people took their own lives: Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Being a woman who loathes purses and prefers cargo pants and capris for carrying things, I don't know much about Kate Spade. I have watched multiple shows of Anthony Bourdain's and …
Continue reading "Suicide, Depression, and the Need for Christ in the Culture"
During Advent every year I try to imagine what it was like for the people of Israel as they waited for the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham, David, and the prophets. We live in a time after the Paschal Mystery, but we do still wait for Christ in the Second Coming. We approach Christmas …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Christmas-The Light in the Darkness"
In our desire to convince people of the rightness of our position in certain matters, we can unwittingly lead people to believe that the spiritual life is meant to be easy. Far too often, we build things up with high and false expectations that damage the people we are trying to help. Instead of being …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Easing the Loneliness of Stay-at-Home Moms"
The topic of silence has grown in popularity on social media in recent months. This is especially true in light of the various pieces written on Cardinal Sarah’s brilliant book, The Strength of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise. Silence is an important topic. We are inundated with noise. This noise is not only an assault on …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Silence in Advent Prepares Us for the Joy of Christmas"
Swimming the Depths 