Discerning the Will of God: An Ignatian Guide to Christian Decision Making
Crossroad Publishing Co., www.crossroadpublishing.com, 2009; $16.95 Decisions, decisions! They can be so important and so difficult. The big decisions married couples and families make can shape their...
View ArticleDo Wedding Rings Have Any Real Meaning?
Publishers forward lots of books to me every year about marriage because of my writing for this web site. I always am surprised how frequently wedding rings are depicted in the cover designs for these...
View ArticleFor Synod, Families Are Evangelization’s Natural Home
“The transmission of the faith from one generation to the next” always has “found a natural home in the family,” the October world Synod of Bishops said in its concluding “Message to the People of...
View ArticleWhy Do Catholics Pray for the Dead?
On November 2 the Church celebrated the Feast of All Souls, when we remember all who have died. During the month of November, Catholics continue to pray for the deceased, trusting them to God’s loving...
View ArticleCelebrating Christmas in Cyberspace, But at Home Too
I bet a lot of people asked for a smart phone for Christmas this year. My wife has a smart phone, so I can see why people consider them snazzy. My own cell phone only makes and receives calls. I guess...
View ArticlePeacemakers, Born and Raised in Families
Every person “is called to work for peace,” Pope Benedict XVI says in his message for the Jan. 1, 2013, World Day of Peace. “In every person the desire for peace is an essential aspiration which...
View ArticleThe New Year
There’s always lots of talk at the end of each year about how horrible it is that Christmas has become a big secular marketing event. But the truth is, the Catholic faith has a long, venerable...
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Married Saint of the Month: Elizabeth Ann Seton
Elizabeth Ann Seton was known for her work later in life as foundress of the Sisters of Charity and a pioneer in Catholic education. Because of the importance of this work, it’s easy to overlook her...
View ArticleWhat Unites and Divides America’s Parents
America’s parents differ from each other in key ways. A three-year study of families conducted by the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture identifies four “family...
View ArticleWhy Doesn’t Everyone View Adoption as a Pro-Life Option?
For so many couples dealing with infertility, adopting a child seems nothing less than wonderful – a life-giving choice. Unfortunately, many women facing an unplanned pregnancy, along with others in...
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Married Saint of the Month: Blessed Giuseppe Tovini
Beatified in 1998, Giuseppe Tovini may not be a name that is familiar to readers. Giuseppe Antonio Tovini was born in 1841 into a devout family in far northern Italy, the eldest of seven children....
View ArticleA Virtual Marriage Retreat: Day Five
Today’s Theme: Marriage Is the Foundation of the Family and Society Breaking Open the Theme The early Church understood the Christian family as an ecclesia domestica, or domestic church. This idea...
View ArticleA Virtual Marriage Retreat: Day Four
Today’s Theme: Marriage is a Sacrament of Christ’s Love Breaking Open the Theme Jesus heals marriage and restores it to its original purity of permanent self-giving in one flesh. But the Lord does not...
View ArticleA Virtual Marriage Retreat: Day One
Today’s Theme: Marriage is a Natural and a Supernatural Gift Breaking Open the Theme Marriage is a natural gift to society; it is also a supernatural gift to the Church. As a natural institution...
View ArticleA Virtual Marriage Retreat: Day Seven
Today’s Theme: Marriage Is a School of Love and Gratitude Breaking Open the Theme As Adam recognized Eve as God’s gift to him, likewise, spouses should recognize each other as God’s gift in their...
View ArticleA Virtual Marriage Retreat: Day Two
Today’s Theme: Marriage Is the Unique Union of a Man and a Woman Breaking Open the Theme In the beginning, says Sacred Scripture, God created man and woman in his image, “male and female He created...
View ArticleA Virtual Marriage Retreat: Day Three
Today’s Theme: Marriage Is a Communion of Love and Life Breaking Open the Theme In creating man and woman for each other, God made marriage to be love-giving and life-giving. We call these two purposes...
View ArticleA Virtual Marriage Retreat: Day Six
Today’s Theme: Marriage is a Journey of Human and Spiritual Growth Breaking Open the Theme Each stage of marriage has its own joys and sorrows, opportunities and challenges. When understood in the...
View ArticleObserving Lent? Try a Team Approach
The forty days of Lent can seem like a long time, especially if one is giving up a favorite food or video game. It’s helpful to have a friend to keep us going. He or she can encourage us, challenge us,...
View ArticleRaising Gus in the Faith
Sara: Since Gus has been born, both Mass time and prayer time have taken on an entirely different feel for us. Many times, I simply hope to survive through Mass without Gus making a scene. If Gus and I...
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