I know that I can always have a better prayer life. I think this is something to strive for each day of our lives, and it’s a goal that perhaps won’t ever be met—we can always increase our communication with God. I recently spoke with a priest about prayer and about how this one a...
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As children, many of us may have sung, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” But what have we done with that knowledge? Many of us undervalue the significance of God’s love in our lives. The fact that Jesus loves us should not remain stagnant. It should prompt u...
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I love the news. I anxiously await the times each week when new episodes of my favorite news and political podcasts are posted, and I’m motivated to get out of bed by the promise of precisely three things: prayer, news, and coffee.    However, I don’t need to tell you that, in...
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I recently watched a powerful video about discernment by “Ascension Presents” featuring Father Mike Schmitz. I have listened to so many different talks about discernment before, but the wisdom he shared in this video has completely transformed the way I look at discovering and fulfillin...
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Lent reminds me of things that are difficult. Fasting, prayer and almsgiving are not meant to be easy; and I like to think of these sacrifices as chiseling us into people more like Jesus, more like the people we are meant to be. Forgiving others also isn’t easy, and I think it goes hand in ha...
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By most accounts, death is tragic. It marks the end of our earthly lives; and depending on our beliefs, we may fear the unknown afterlife. A recent reading from the first chapter of 2 Samuel recounts the story of David mourning the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. The passage details his sorrow, especi...
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You’ve probably heard the popular advice that, to find out where your treasure is, look at how you spend your time. This advice is extremely useful; but for me, another metric is still more helpful, and it begins with a question. To find out who or what your God (or god) is, ask yourself: Whe...
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Are you who you want to be?             As little kids, we dream about becoming adults and how exciting we think it will be. We can’t wait to drive fast cars and have our own house, and do whatever we want. It sounds so amazing, and we ju...
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Diversity is beautiful. Diversity can be difficult, but it is beautiful.   How can it not be? God created each place, living creature, and human being. Every grain of sand and mountain range and family are part of God’s creation, which together make the world a picture only the Lord can...
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We are often told not to worry; that God has a plan, and he works in mysterious ways. But we also have the gift of free will, which can sometimes be a difficult concept to reconcile with the other. How can our free choices and God’s plan coexist? How can he have a plan that accounts for billi...
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