There is a simple remedy for the crisis in the Church today. It can be applied by Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Religious brothers and sisters, and the simple laity like you and me. This remedy is Surrender. Surrender to God. This is not a pat answer. But it is a powerful one. One of the loveliest treatises I have read on surrender to God was written by the Rev. Mother St. Thérèse Couderc, of France. Not to be confused with our beloved Thérèse of Lisieux, Mother Coude

But, as Thérèse points out, being something other than a rose, or a lilly, doesn’t mean I’m not important. It doesn’t mean my vocation is no

Up until my senior year of college, the only type of prayer that really existed in my world was memorized prayer. It wasn’t a conscious decision. It just happened that whenever I thought of prayer, my mind would immediately go to the rote, structured prayers. The prayers I already knew how to say. The ones that have been used for centuries by countless people in all walks of life. The Hail Mary. The Our Father. The Rosary. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The Memorare. The Angelu

A few weeks ago, I had a revelation. I was sitting at a stoplight, waiting and praying for the light to turn. I wasn’t running late. I didn’t really have anywhere important to be. Honestly, I was just being impatient. But no sooner had I uttered my request than the light changed. By all accounts, this wasn’t a significant moment. It didn’t have any momentous, universal effects. It wasn’t miraculous. In all reality, the light was probably about to change anyway. That moment st

He who neglects mental prayer needs no devil to carry him to hell. - St. Teresa of Avila If you want to be holy and live a life dedicated unto God, you simply must talk to him. Look at the alienation between relations in the world today: the children alienated from parents, husbands alienated from wives, siblings maligned – all of this because they do not communicate with love one unto another. So it goes with God. Speak to God from your heart. A good way to do this is to pic

Welcome to our new series, "Holy Stratagem!". This will be a weekly series on the spiritual strategies given us by God to make us holy through: His sacred scripture, His Sacred Tradition or through His Holy Saints. Holy Stratagem! # 1: Surrender to God Surrender to God is the first strategy. Surrender comes first in all the major philosophies about giving oneself over to God: The parable of the rich young ruler is about surrender to God in lieu of other "riches", Step One of

I was 21 when I realized I was being stalked by Our Lady. In my defense, it wasn’t as obvious as it sounds. Her books just randomly showed up where I might see them, even though they hadn’t been read in forever. I was constantly surrounded by ladybugs, even inside buildings. I had discussions with two different people about Marian consecration and I didn’t even know what that was. ...On second thought, maybe it was obvious. Honestly, though, at that point in my life, a relati

It is when I bring to mind the reality of my own fallenness and the shackling weight of sin that I am reminded of a secret weapon – one given to us as a loving gift from God. It is an old and powerful weapon forged in the fire of prayer. This weapon is the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the essential spiritual weapon of our time. The rosary is a weapon of heavens ilk. It is the loving gaze of Heaven’s fair Maiden and at once that great “destroyer of