Praying

For appreciating others We thank you, Father, for the gift of Jesus your Son who came to our Earth and lived in a simple home. We have a greater appreciation of the value and dignity of the human family because he loved and was loved…

Feelings are raw with regard to the sex abuse crisis, and I am in no mood to fast for it. I will anyway. This week, as the U.S. bishops gather for their annual fall meeting, many Catholics are following Pope Francis’s suggestion for fasting…

The Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Christ “traces the line of salvation history through a series of biblical references and passages. In its present form it was approved by the Blessed John XXIII on 24 February 1960” (Directory on…

“The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” — Pope Benedict XVI You change into your comfortable jammies and settle yourself in the recliner. A text message lights up your phone: Your…

Dear Father, I know praying together as a couple is important to do, but my husband feels awkward about it, and honestly, I do too. How can we overcome our hesitation, and how should we start?  — Anonymous, Missouri First, thank you for…

(offer it up!)

I grew up with a dad who prays the Liturgy of the Hours, and as a result, the Church’s daily pockets of prayer have always held a special attraction for me. Perhaps when I am an older woman, I will live the kind of life conducive to praying…

After years of neglect by her drug-addicted mother, the social worker finally put eight-year-old Carol, into foster care. She was adopted by a loving family, but the damage had been done. Carol was wounded at a very deep level. Racked with…

Dear Father, I generally read the obituary column in my daily newspaper. Lately I’ve noticed that in obituaries which are clearly for Catholic families, there is a decrease in the number of funeral Masses that are included as part of the…

In the Evangelical church in which I was raised, we didn’t hate Catholics, but we thought they were wrong. One of the areas we were convinced they were in error was their “Mary worship.” As I followed the path to the Catholic Church, I came…