Category: Spirituality

Cathedral of St. Helena

Deacons and Diaconate / Spirituality / Travel

A Former Student Gives a Homily

We’re back! Our week at Notre Dame was fantastic, but there’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed. We had an uneventful trip home, praise God. On Sunday we drove through Helena, Montana to celebrate Mass at the cathedral there. I had never been there, and I was awestruck by the amount of marble and stained glass. Helena is not exactly on the way to anywhere, but if you ever get the chance, stop in and take a tour of the cathedral. I’m currently uploading all of my...

Thornton Wilder

Books and Reading / Spirituality / Theology

Is Purgatory Like a Novel?

What makes fiction so powerful and so poignant? Thornton Wilder sums it up in one of the most moving quotes I have ever read: If Queen Elizabeth or Frederick the Great or Ernest Hemingway were to read their biographies, they would exclaim, “Ah, my secret is still safe.” But if Natasha Rostov were to read War and Peace she would cry out as she covered her face with her hands: “How did he know, how did he know?” Is this what the pain of Purgatory might be like:...

Books and Reading / Spirituality

5 Books about the Blessed Mother for Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms today. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are five books about Mary, our Blessed Mother: Introduction to Mary: the Heart of Marian Doctrine and Devotion by Mark Miravalle – an informative explanation of the Church’s beliefs about Mary True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort — a challenging read, but this book was central to the late Pope John Paul II’s formation The Rosary: Chain of Hope by Fr. Benedict Groeschel — profound meditations on the different mysteries...

Deacons and Diaconate / Spirituality

A Grief Observed

About ten days ago I wrote about a former student who had been ordained a deacon. Yesterday I saw him again, but the circumstance were far from joyful. He was the assisting deacon at a funeral mass I attended. The funeral was for my friend’s husband, who passed away at the age of 49 from cancer. He found out he had cancer about ten months ago, shortly after he found out they were expecting their third child. Their daughter was born a few weeks before he died. C.S....

Jesus Washing Disciples Feet

Deacons and Diaconate / Spirituality

To Proclaim the Faith in Word and Action – A New Deacon is Ordained Today

I’ve been teaching in Catholic schools for almost seventeen years, and today was a first for me: one of my former students was ordained to the diaconate. I’ve had former students become teachers, writers, politicians and nurses, but Matt’s the first one to be ordained. I teared up more than once as I sat in the church watching him respond to the bishop’s questions: Bishop: In the presence of God and the Church, are you resolved, as a sign of your interior dedication to Christ, to remain celibate...

Road in the Mist

Prayer / Spirituality

A Prayer by Thomas Merton

One of my favorite spiritual writers is Thomas Merton, and one of my favorite prayers comes from his book Thoughts in Solitude: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in...

The Samurai

Book Review / Books and Reading / Spirituality

Book Review: The Samurai by Shusaku Endo

I just finished reading Shusaku Endo’s The Samurai, and it was eye-opening in so many ways. It is the story of two men: Father Velasco, the flawed but well-meaning missionary to Japan, and Hasekura Rokuemon, the quiet Samurai who only wants to do his duty. Both men have a mission, both of them are forced to compromise their integrity for the sake of that mission, and neither of them get what they want. In the end, however, The Samurai is a gentle reminder that God “writes straight with...

Liturgy of the Hours

Books and Reading / Prayer / Spirituality

10 Catholic Devotionals

With the Easter season rapidly approaching, this is a great time to re-commit to daily prayer. Here is my top ten list of the best Catholic daily devotional books. Each of these books is designed to be used every day, and most of them are interwoven with the liturgical year. The Liturgy of the Hours: Also known as the Divine Office, this is more than simply a daily devotional; the Liturgy of the Hours is the public prayer of the Church, the official set of prayers for each...

Practice of the Presence of God

Books and Reading / Spirituality

9 Short Books That Will Change Your Life Forever

A book doesn’t have to be long to have long-reaching effects. Here are 9 books that can profoundly change you, in order from shortest to longest: The Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence (96 pp.): Brother Lawrence was a humble monk who cooked for the monastery, but found God in the daily chores of his life. This book contains the lessons he learned about experiencing God’s presence throughout his entire day. The Rule of St. Benedict (112 pp.): St. Benedict wrote this to regulate the...

The Words We Pray

Books and Reading / Catholic Education / Spirituality / Theology

10 Best Books for New Catholics

Do you know someone who is joining the Catholic Church this Easter? Maybe you’re enrolled in RCIA classes yourself. The following books are what I consider to be the best books for newcomers to the Catholic Church, and would be especially appropriate to read during Lent, as preparation for Easter Vigil (assuming one already has a Bible). With exception of the first two titles, they are not listed in any particular order: The Catechism of the Catholic Church: next to the Bible, probably the most indispensable book for...

This Tremendous Lover

Spirituality

Books for Lent

If you’re giving up something for Lent that frees up some time (i.e. TV, video games, surfing the web), one great way to use that extra time is by reading spiritually enriching books. Here are a few suggestions: The Bible (of course) especially the gospels, or the books of Jeremiah and Exodus: you could buy a book that contains the daily Mass readings and read along with the Church The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri: use this great book to begin your meditations on the afterlife The Confessions...

St. Benedict

Spirituality

Benedictine Books

Today is the feast of St. Benedict, so I thought I’d mention a few of my favorite Benedictine books. First, a few books about the Rule of St. Benedict: The Rule of St. Benedict – Though it was written to guide behavior at monasteries, anyone who is in a leadership position can also benefit from the wisdom it contains. Try reading it as if it were addressed to parents, or supervisors. Reading St. Benedict: Reflections on the Rule by Adalbert de Vogue – This is probably the definitive...