Lift your spirit with encouraging, teaching, and healing words.

Samaritan woman drawing water at the well biblical scene.
Lent

Living Water at the Well: How Jesus Satisfies Our Thirst

Reflection on the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) and Christ as the living water that quenches the deepest thirst of the human soul. Last Sunday, we witnessed the dazzling glory of the Lord during the event of the Transfiguration, a glimpse of the glory to come. The lesson ...
Why Entitlement Fails in the Spiritual Life. Lessons from the Prodigal Son
Lent

Why Entitlement Fails in the Spiritual Life: Lessons from the Prodigal Son

Does the logic of entitlement work in the spiritual life, or does God’s grace follow a different logic altogether? Deeply wired into the human mind is what I might describe as the instinct of reciprocity. Render a service and expect a return. We show kindness and quietly hope it will ...
Lent 2026
Lent

As We Begin Lent 2026

What Christians Might Learn From Muslims Estimated reading time: 5 minutes I wish you, friend and dear reader, a blessed Lent 2026 and Ash Wednesday. Every year we return to Lent with the familiarity of a known season. We recognize the liturgical color, the readings, the ashes and the invitations ...
Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me’ names the tension many feel at Christmas, when hope arrives not as resolution, but as a child born into unanswered questions.
GENERAL

Blessed Is the One Who Takes No Offense at Me

"Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me" (Matthew 11;6) names the tension many feel at Christmas, when hope arrives not as resolution, but as a child born into unanswered questions. A few days ago, I caught myself thinking about Christmas, as we often do during this time ...
The King Who Calls Us Friends
Church and State

The King Who Calls Us Friends

Feast of Christ the King If you look around a bus stop, a café, or even the pews before Mass begins, you see a universal posture. Heads are bowed. Eyes are cast downward. Silence reigns. A century ago, this might’ve looked like a community in deep prayer. Today, we know ...
Persistent Prayer
SPIRITUALITY

Persistent Prayer: Three Cases You Need to Know

Prayer sits at the heart of the spiritual life, and Jesus teaches it through his words and actions. As God, he did not need to pray, yet he prayed constantly, showing us how vital prayer is for communion with the Father. He began his ministry in fasting and prayer (Matthew ...
Lazarus Nearby
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS

Lazarus Nearby: A Conversation on the Sin of Negligence

The biblical story of Lazarus at the gate of the rich man is not only about wealth but also about the silent danger of negligence. Lazarus never asked for bread. He only longed for scraps. The rich man never refused him, yet he still stood guilty, not for what he ...
No Clauses, No Shortcuts
GENERAL

No Clauses, No Shortcuts: Lessons from Our Lady of Sorrows

It is a special morning as the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. My day begins with prayer and a freshly brewed cup of coffee around 2:30 a.m. As I sip slowly and meditate on God’s Word for the day, I think about mothers who carry heavy ...
Who has known the mind of God—Saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati
REFLECTIVE

Who Has Known the Mind of God?

How do we know the mind of God? The Book of Wisdom puts it plainly: “Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the Lord intends?” (Wisdom 9:13). It’s a question that at first feels too lofty, too mysterious. But what if we brought it closer home? How do I ...
Set the World on Fire
EVANGELIZATION

Ablaze for God: Set the World on Fire

A cold world needs to be set on fire, and God calls us to do just that. About twenty-two hundred years ago, between 164 and 152 B.C., Leonidas, a runner from Rhodes, broke the Olympic record by winning twelve gold medals. For centuries, no one surpassed him. Then, on Thursday, ...