Discernment is not an exact science. There is no mathematical formula to finding out what God has in store for your life. However, by speaking with God, listening to Him, living the life you have now, removing distractions so that you can hear Him clearly, and getting help from others, you can better understand what God is saying to you.

The central question in discernment is: How shall I die with Christ, to rise with him? How will I lose my life to find it? What will bring me to the point where I can say, with St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”?

I don’t have much use for success gurus, but one idea from Tony Robbins that I heard years ago stuck with me. When asked the secret of change, he talks about taking “massive action.” We often don’t achieve our dreams, he claims, because we’re too half-hearted and timid about pursuing them. We think about what […]

Note: This is the opening of the forthcoming issue of Sword & Spade.  It is being published here exclusively because of its ties to an upcoming Sunday that is potentially without Mass. As this issue nears printing the coronavirus is forcing many into “social isolation” to slow the pandemic.  Whatever your opinion of such measures, […]

Today, I begin a series geared especially toward young men that have experienced a renewed commitment to Christ or a recent conversion.  The series is titled Ite, is Latin for “go”.   I once taught my three-year-old son to climb up on the lower branches of a cedar tree.  I left for a while and when […]

I’m a dreamer. I have more plans and ideas than I can possibly execute. Ideas for apostolates, books, essays, blog posts, hobbies I want to pursue, and so much more. And I dream big. I read the writings of the saints who did heroic things, who wanted to conquer the world for Jesus Christ, and […]

The 45 minute wait time. The stubbed toe. The traffic jam. The report due by 3 p.m. The gossiping relative. The mortgage payment. The gross diaper change. The unexpected car repair. The lost wallet. The rude person at the grocery store. The head cold. This is the stuff of ordinary life. In each of these […]

“The world’s thy ship and not thy home.” –St. Therese of Lisieux You may have noticed that things have been more quiet than usual here. It is not by choice. Through a series of circumstances beyond our control, we are in the midst of moving again after having lived in our current home only six months. A […]