Transforming the world by being a people “in love”

We love because he first loved us.” (1 Jn 4:16-19)
One of the things that I struggle with the most is evangelization. I have friends and family members who either do not believe in God or are baptized Catholics who have left the Church. I do not want to force my beliefs on them, [...]

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Sacrifices, Solidarity and Moderation on Thanksgiving Day

I heard this morning on the TODAY Show that an average Thanksgiving meal contains 5,000 calories and I wondered if we have missed the point of the holiday when we just look forward to stuffing ourselves to the point that we can’t walk.
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday that my family and I adopted a couple [...]

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Beyond Courtesy–The Call to Radicality

It is interesting that since I’ve started this blog I have become increasingly aware of my actions, words and even attitudes towards others. Every time I get impatient in traffic and want to honk or want to be rude to the airport security officer, I think about this blog and how I’m always writing [...]

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Floods in the Caribbean and Mexico

Please offer your prayers and sacrifices for the victims of Tropical Storm Noel in the Dominican Republic and Haiti as well as those displaced due to the devastating floods in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. The floods in Tabasco are being compared to those caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the worst [...]

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This Week’s Meditation: On Necessities and Superfluities

This examen is straight from Fr. Dubay’s book Happy Are You Poor. He says that we all have different needs so we “cannot know whether a need is real or illusory” for certain people, but these set of questions are at least a good start. Some may think this is a bit too rigorous… but [...]

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This Week’s Reflection: On Seeking and Falling in Love

This week, I thought I would let St. Josemaría Escrivá speak for himself. One of the things that has attracted me the most to St. Josemaría has been his practical advice and spiritual practices. I especially liked this reflection on the “stages” to identify ourselves with Christ. The four stages are: 1) [...]

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On Redemptive Suffering and Solidarity

Last summer, I burned the top of my foot with boiling water. It was a second degree burn that I will never forget, because it taught me the meaning of pain, loneliness, and solidarity with members of the mystical Body of Christ.
The day of the incident, Michael happened to be in town so he was [...]

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You notice them, but do you really see them?

(This post was originally written by my boyfriend, Michael Joseph, at our former blog)
You’ve noticed him, but do you really see him? That is, do you see a person? The homeless, the hungry and the forsaken are all around us. Jesus promised us that, but he did not choose it to be so: “The poor [...]

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In Search of the Simple Life

(I originally wrote this in Evangelical Catholicism, but I will continue these series on this blog) 
I graduated Summa Cum Laude from College three years ago. I had a job lined up with one of the top ten Fortune 500 companies a semester before graduation. With relatively low experience in my field, my salary was still higher than [...]

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Tensions in Our Relationships

This past weekend, Michael and I were discussing this past Sunday’s Gospel on Jesus coming to cause division. Then we talked about tensions we sometime experience in our relationships–when our personalities clash with those of others–and he brought to my attention to the following by St. Josemaría Escrivá:
You clash with the character of one person [...]

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What Gospel Poverty is Not

For quite a while now I have been searching for more direction as to how to live voluntary poverty in the midst of a society immersed in consumerism and individualism in which I found myself being an active and exemplary participant for many years. I have read Sacred Scriptures and the saints’ writings, but I [...]

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On the Importance of Order and Organization

“Whenever you have order, your time will multiply and, as a result, you will be able to give more glory to God, working more in his service.” St. Josemaría Escrivá (The Way, 80)
I have lived with nuns before and I have also visited monasteries and houses of parish priests as well and they are quite [...]

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Sacrifices and Solidarity

“Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” (Ecc 1:2)

We want to include fiber and vitamins in our diet, but without having to eat fruits and vegetables.
We want to be in shape, but without making any physical effort.
We want to drink water, but without having to actually drink just water. We [...]

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