Very often I encounter Catholic men that desire to grow in holiness- whether this is to learn more about their faith, grow in prayer or tackle a serious sin in their life- but very often they are not sure exactly where to start. The challenge can be overwhelming (especially if we have been away from […]

There is something about a new year that psychologically feels like a new beginning. Of course, nothing has really changed other than rather numbers on the calendar. But it feels like a fresh start, nonetheless, and as a result, resolutions are en vogue this time of year. The captains of commerce are well aware of this, […]

There are two ways to go through life: Mindfully or mindlessly. In the first instance, we pay attention. We see things and notice them in order to appreciate them. We hear things in order to understand them. We seek to know things not superficially but in their wholeness. We live in the present moment and […]

Blessed John Henry Newman was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and one of the most famous English converts to the faith. While he was a distinguished man of letters, an erudite apologist, and an accomplished prelate, he was known most of all for his holiness of life, the result of which has been his recent […]

On Fridays, I post excerpts from the writings of the great American bishop and media evangelist, Ven. Fulton J. Sheen. I call them #FultonFridays. “I have a bad temper,” or “I drink too much”—“”I am always criticizing,” or “I am lazy” are familiar complaints from those who still believe that nobility of character is an important […]

They confess to looking at pornography and masturbating. It’s awkward, I know, to say it so candidly, but the only way to defeat pornography in our lives is to admit that we have a widespread problem with it. Vice, Firmly Entrenched By the time I was in high school, the habit of lusting after women via […]

In his everyday spirituality, St. Francis de Sales counsels us to begin at the beginning. Making God a part of that first conscious­ness of the new day starts things out on the right footing. Thus, St Francis’ Spiritual Directory opens with this exhortation: First of all on awakening, we are to direct our minds completely to […]

One of the most frustrating things in the spiritual life can be our seeming lack of progress. We pray, we go to Mass, we confess, we read books—and yet we seem to have little to show for it. It is easy to get frustrated, to give up and to put our spiritual life on the backburner. […]