Family

Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God (Joel 2:13). Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, “sackcloth and ashes,” fasting and…

by Jeff Young  For me, one of the most beautiful aspects of being Catholic is celebrating the liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. There’s something so simple, so … human about this. The seasons ground us…

by Jeannie Ewing In the aftermath of significant and devastating loss, what matters most to those who are grieving is the gift of one’s time — to listen, to care, and to just be present. It’s not so much that something specific must be said…

by Emily Jaminet Today people are more socially connected by technology than ever before, yet there is a growing trend of loneliness. An estimated 40 percent of Americans have been lonely at one point in their lives. In a 2018 Cigna study,…

BY JEFF YOUNG In November 1971 Carly Simon released her second studio album, Anticipation. The title track of that album soared to No. 3 on Billboard’s adult contemporary chart, and the following year it nabbed her a Grammy nomination for…

by Matt Archbold  Every story answers a question. The good ones do, anyway. In fact, the greatest story there is begins with one young wom­an’s response to the question of love and ultimate sacrifice. Mary, the Blessed Mother, said “yes.”…

SPICY-SWEET BOURBON PECANS Does the thought of the approaching holidays fill you with panic? If so, you are not alone.  December can be a particularly chaotic time for most families. There’s shopping, school holiday events, office Christmas…

by Jake Frost In our family, we have so many nicknames that our nicknames now have nicknames of their own — we call them “nick-nicknames.” Such as “umpkins” — it’s a word we use to refer to all the kids collectively, as in: “Hey! You…

by Jeff Young November ushers in the end of the year, the end of the season of autumn and, as it turns out, the end of the Church’s liturgical year. Each year in November the Church celebrates the consummation — the end — of its liturgical…

by John J. Boucher At one time, my wife and I were contributing authors for a book called Keeping Your Kids Catholic. Just before its release, our oldest son Charles returned home from a summer art workshop with long hair and body…