by Angela Franks, PhD, in Women, Sex, and the Church: A Case for Catholic Teaching, edited by Erika Bachicochi.Margaret Sanger and the dominant culture give one answer to the question of what is bad for us: female fertility. By contrast, the Church argues that it is not the female body that oppresses women and girls, but rather that deformed desire is at the heart of all sin—and thus all oppression.If deformed desire is bad for us, healed desire, put in the service of self-giving love, is good ...

by Karol Wojtyla (Saint John Paul II), translated by Grzegorz Ignatik in Love and Responsibility.Sexual intercourse of a man and a woman in marriage remains on the level of a personal union in love only on the condition that they do not positively exclude the possibility of procreation and parenthood. When this “I can be a father,” “I can be a mother” is positively excluded in the consciousness and will of a man and a woman, then what is left (objectively speaking) in the conjugal act is sex...

Get faith! Have faith! Keep the faith! Believe the teachings of the Faith! At least three things seem to be communicated by these statements: trust, perseverance, and orthodox belief. And indeed, when it comes to understanding faith, this may be how most would define this virtue. Instead, I like to imagine faith as a diamond. Have you ever held a diamond up to the light? The cut of a diamond determines its beauty and quality in part by the way the cut disperses light into the colors of th...

“The word of God is living and active” (Heb 4:12).As a children’s editor at Pauline Books & Media, I am constantly asking myself, “What message do we want to communicate to our children and young people today?” The answer to that question invariably boils down to: Jesus. We want to provide a space for children and young people to enter into a living relationship of love with Jesus Christ. While there are many ways of encountering Christ, Scripture is a privilege...

Six strategies for deepening your relationships based on the mystery of love in the Trinity. Every time we respect another person or we reverence the sacredness and integrity of creation, we are living in relationship. We are living as God lives: in love. Whenever we give ourselves to another in service or care, we are living in a relationship modeled on God-Love. When we love, yet respect another’s freedom, we are loving the way the Persons of the Trinity love each other, and the...

We are always a mystery to ourselves....Jesus speaks to you: Are you concerned that your intentions are not completely pure? Don’t be afraid. Human beings have mixed motives. Purification is a lifelong process. Begin where you are.God’s word: “One there is who is good” (Matthew 19:17). “We also are men, of like nature with you…” (Acts 14:15).Words of wisdom: “Relax, O chosen one! God loves you completely, cherishing your e...

I remember when we first began thinking about making a rosary app. I thought people would prefer the touch of the beads. In fact, at that time many rosary apps were trying to simulate the touch of the beads...or rather the "tap" of the beads. But instead, what people really like about this app is the wonderful combination of the sisters' reflections and voices at prayer, the variety of images which they can meditate on as their pray, the scripture passages and prayer intentions, the music, the a...

CyclePlus is a menstrual calendar, a period tracker, an ovulation chart and a fertility chart interpretation tool. It is the perfect complement to the myfertilitycharts.com website, and it adds:* a daily quote from the wisdom of the theology of the body,* reflections across a woman’s life-span about body issues that surface between the 20s and the 50s, between the longing for love and menopause,* an invitation to explore how your body speaks to you about respect, love, intimacy and faithfu...

Understand what happens at Mass—and why.How? The Mass Explained for Kids.iMassExplained is a handy app to help you follow and understand the new translation of the Third Roman Missal.The iMassExplained app for your iPhone or iPad offers much more than a workshop on the changes that will be implemented with the new translation. With iMassExplained, you will have in your hands not only the new words, but access to explanations of what is changing, information to deepen your understanding of ...

Light a Candle brings the warmth and security of the tradition of lighting candles in a church right to wherever you are. When you or someone else has a special need, you can light a candle on your phone and offer a prayer. Sometimes it’s hard to think of a prayer, especially when you are worried, afraid, or depressed. Light a Candle makes it easy to find comfort or to offer comfort to another.Available on Google Play.Available on iTunes