The Catholic and Gnostic Views of Material Reality
Simply, the Catholic and Gnostic views of materiality are, respectively, Good and Evil, which engender hope and despair. It is paradoxical that the modern adoration of materiality in the form of...
View ArticleO Faithful Stewards!
What is our reason for living? One of our duties on earth is to be faithful stewards of God’s creations. We live for a purpose greater than ourselves. Therefore, what do we need to succeed in our...
View ArticleWaiting with Hope: The Spiritual Meaning of Advent
We must prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord, as He desires to come and make His dwelling within us (St. Bernard of Clairvaux). Advent (Latin: Adventus) means “coming.” It is a four-week...
View ArticleHope
I used to be an optimist, but not anymore. I am not worried, though. I have hope. Whether my change of heart has anything to do with this year being the Jubilee of Hope, I do not know. What I do know...
View ArticleA Perspective on Church Controversies
The exploration and discussion of various issues and controversies facing the Church often takes place in the variety of Catholic blogs, including Catholic Stand. And while there is nothing wrong in...
View ArticleGod’s Everlasting Hope
Many people have trouble with discouragement. It can lead to inaction, a loss of hope and eventually despair. They think things will never improve. A lie of the devil! The truth is God is with us...
View ArticleTrust in God and He Will Direct Your Way
Five years ago this month my trials, adversities, and humiliations began. And I thank God for everything that happened to me. I was fired after a 40-year career as a Catholic school educator. The...
View ArticleOvercoming Adversity
My brothers and sisters, I have the best news you could ever have or hear: Jesus is Lord over all! Jesus is Lord over the past, present and future! Jesus loves us passionately, completely,...
View ArticleSome Thoughts on Christian Art
Aristotle is said to have written that “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” All of the great master painters throughout history seem to...
View ArticleLenten Fortitude in Mind and Body
At times it may seem that the pursuit of virtue is little attended to in our current culture. Instead, virtue signaling seems to be more in fashion. However, the recognition that the cardinal virtues...
View ArticleLiving the Spiritual Seasons of Our Lives
Two years ago, I wrote an article called “How to Stick with Lent During Coronavirus.” It was the first COVID-related article at CS, published on March 14, 2020. When it came out I believed, as probably...
View ArticleAnd My Daughter Wept for Jerusalem
When my daughter was younger, we had a ritual. It started when I first began my theological journey. I had the privilege of studying Theology as a laywoman at a seminary run by the Benedictine monks...
View ArticleFaith Is Like a Marriage Which Makes Us Hope
The person you love most can cut you the deepest. Anyone who has been married for a minute knows this. As a spouse, you have literally mortgaged your entire life on this one person, this vow, this...
View ArticleQuestions from Jesus, Then and Now
Several years ago in one of his many talks, Bishop Robert Barron remarked that a great retreat could be written on the questions asked by Jesus in the gospels. He is right, there are ample questions...
View ArticleThe Catholic and Gnostic Views of Material Reality
Simply, the Catholic and Gnostic views of materiality are, respectively, Good and Evil, which engender hope and despair. It is paradoxical that the modern adoration of materiality in the form of...
View ArticleO Faithful Stewards!
What is our reason for living? One of our duties on earth is to be faithful stewards of God’s creations. We live for a purpose greater than ourselves. Therefore, what do we need to succeed in our...
View ArticleMissals, Mistakes, and the Mission for Souls
Here in Italy we recently changed our edition of the Roman Missal, the book that guides the priest through the celebration of the Mass. Priests were given the option to start using it in November of...
View ArticleA Lesson from Easter
In the world’s broad field of battle, in the bivouac of life, be not like dumb driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no future, however pleasant! Let the dead past bury its dead! Act, – act in...
View ArticleA Letter to a Tired Friend
“I am tired of praying.” This is what I heard my friend whisper tiredly, almost unwillingly. The words hung in the air, lingering as if they were just getting used to being outside rather than bumping...
View ArticleWhiskey, Oreos, and the Absurdity of Hope
Well, 2021 has started out as roughly as 2020 ended. The rain that poured down around my little house on Christmas day seemed to promise such a shaky start to the new year. The old traditions are full...
View Article
/pic9814888.png)
/fit-in/580x348/filters:format(webp)/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2026/09/17/balaghat-3-2026-09-17-18-46-40.png)