Two phone calls from members of my family are etched into my heart. They were spouses and parents whose hearts were breaking. I’m sure you’ve received similar calls: perhaps it was a brother whose wife is divorcing him, or a friend whose child is marrying outside of the Church, a mother whose son is caught up in gang violence, or a young adult who can’t find a job and a place to belong. Family is the place we should be able to find a shelter for our hurting hearts, and sometimes it is family ...

Electricity is a powerful image for the Christian life. A lamp gives light only when it is plugged in. When our computer doesn't turn on, the first thing we check is whether it is plugged in or the battery charged. Blessed James Alberione said that holiness was living the Christian life at high voltage. We have no light within unless we are "plugged in" to the grace God gives us in Christ. It is a simple way of expressing Jesus’ statement that we are the branches and he the Vine. Unless we are ...

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...

Pauline Books & Media announces a Back-to-School blog tour celebrating Catholic children’s literature beginning September 8th.Featuring three children’s authors with appeal for varying age groups, the tour begins on September 8, with author Nicole Lataif’s guest post on CatholicMom.com titled, “A Little Forgiveness Goes a Long Way with Kids.” Lataif highlights her newest Pauline Books & Media release for children ages 4-8:I Forgive You: Love We Can Hear, Ask for and Give, with illus...

One summer my sister and I decided to tour Washington National Cathedral in D.C., a stupendous Episcopal church and, as it happens, dedicated to the honor of Sts. Peter and Paul. We drove around, looking for a parking space. Finally spying one, I offered to stand guard over it while she inched up alongside the car in front, preparing to parallel park. Good move. As I planted myself possessively over our precious find, a mini-van halted directly behind her and in front of me. The passenger window...

Every day I read the news, I am confronted with terror, persecution, injustice, pandemic threats, and the death of the innocent at the hands of extremists who have chosen violence to advance their goals. I’m starting to feel apprehensive and angry and perhaps even a little guilty as I enjoy relative peace in my own life. I wonder if I would be ready to die for my love for Jesus, if the moment came. I torment myself with questions about what I should change in my lifestyle to live in solida...

 “We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be."USCCB on Solidarity Sunday, August 17, 2014 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Peace and blessing to you. I pray this message finds you all well in this summer season. Inspired by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ announcement of observing Sunday, August 17, as a Day of Prayer for peace in Iraq, I take this initiative ...

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...

Single women, married women, women religious…. We all have in common our desire to give and receive love, to image the eternal Love who has made us, daily nourishes us, and forever calls us to himself. Our hearts are arenas for the drama created by the struggle between love and lust. The beauty of love, the loveliness of giving life, wrestle with the down-and-dirty aspects of making a living alone or with a husband, raising a family, and just the narrowing of our horizons that results from keep...

The human heart is made for love. As women we dream of the one who will love us as the one. We want to be special to someone. We want to be loved, and held, and cared for, even as we care for others and courageously make a difference in the world. The human person—male and female—is made for love. How do we know this? Because we were made by Love and in the image of God-Love. This is the very meaning of our existence. We are called to live in the image in which we&rsqu...