No matter what your background, evangelizing friends and family is not an easy task. When engaging with loved ones who have fallen away from the Church, it is easy for us to focus on what they’re doing wrong or on what we’re doing wrong when we try to witness to them. But the more important thing is to concentrate on God’s desire for all of us to become saints. When we allow God to purify our inconsistencies that keep us from clearly communicating Jesus to our loved ones, then we will be able...

The buzz has been out since 2013 that Pope Francis has decided to convoke an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to treat the topic: The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization. The Synod is less than a month away now. On October 5-19, Pope Francis will bring together key religious leaders from around the world for the Extraordinary Synod on the Family. So what is a Synod on the Family going to do, you might ask. You may have heard about already in t...

Hi Moms! Have you ever had to deal with your child whining, “Mom, why can’t I have that?” as you navigate the grocery store? Hey there, Dads! Do your kids sometimes want to do some activity that’s a bit too old for them and you have to tell them, “When you get older, OK?” and they don’t particularly like that response? I know my parents did when I was growing up and I wasn’t always ready to hear what they were trying to teach me about not being selfish and thinking of others before mysel...

Nobody likes to be alone…not for Christmas…not ever. There is a deeply felt, absolutely essential core thirst within us for connection. Where does it come from? This drive for being a part of a network of relationships exists within us because WE ARE in a network of relationships. It starts with the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit giving and receiving the gift of love among themselves and extending the invitation to us to participate in the divine communion. In that awareness, I real...