"To consecrate oneself to Mary is not a passing fashion, a spiritual hobby, but a ready response to the gift of the dying Jesus: “Here is your mother” (Jn 19:27). We don’t need to distrust the gifts of God, for he knows what we need before we even ask him (see Mt 6:8). Perhaps no one has seen this act of Jesus in a theological and symbolic framework as well as Saint Louis de Montfort. For this great French apostle, baptized persons must cast themselves like raw clay into t...

For St. John of the Cross, the mystical path meant living with an all-consuming desire to know and love God, completely and fully, abandoning everything that didn’t move him toward that goal.He believed that God illuminates the individual—who, because of that illumination, then has the desire and power to shed the illusions of this world. These illusions include the messages of the senses, which distort the reality of union with God.In his poem Dark Night, St. John of the Cross extol...

Do you know someone who has left the Church? Who do you ask to pray for your loved ones? Sometimes St. Monica is invoked on behalf of children who have strayed from the faith. And she definitely can be a powerful intercessor. But there is another intercessor we should never forget when we pray for friends and family who have left the Church: our Blessed Mother. And in September as we remember her birth, it’s a good time to remember that she is there to help us.Here are some ...

So your child just came home from church, where she actually listened to the homily, during which Father commented on the spiritual works of mercy; and now she’s asking you what he was talking about. You have a dim memory of spiritual and corporal works of mercy…but can you remember them? Or, come to think of it, talk about the 10 commandments, the creed, or the beatitudes?We just added a new book, The Beatitudes Explained, to our Explained series, which is aimed at c...

Wonder. Being in the moment. Feeling close to God. These are all ways that our kids experience spirituality; and they could teach us a thing or two. All we have to do, perhaps, is put their experiences into a context. Ignatian spirituality, for example.Ignatian spirituality is so simple, and so fulfilling, that it’s easy to introduce into the lives of children. In fact, children are closer to many aspects of Ignatian spirituality than we are! We’ve taken a step away from the close re...

In 432, Saint Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, arrived on the Emerald Isle to begin his work of evangelizing the Irish. Upon his arrival, he discovered that his competition for the souls of the people would come from the pagan druid religion and their priests. St. Patrick's struggle with the existing pagan priests truly began with one rebellious and bold act that reverberates throughout history. During the Druid springtime fire festival known as Beltane, there was a ritual where the pag...

Here at Pauline Books and Media we're committed to working with you in exploring what will most help you on your walk of Christian discipleship in a changing world. That's why we're thinking about doing some sort of project that would help Catholics feel more confident in explaining to others the Church's teaching on same-sex attraction. We need your input to know what would be most helpful. to you. Would you be willing to give us your advice and answer the questions be...

Do you have family members who are away from the Church? Are you not sure what to say to them when they are home for Christmas? I used to be a fallen-away Catholic who went to Christmas Mass every year with my family. I am not sure why I went to Mass; I was an atheist. Sometimes I felt annoyed during the homilies or unmoved by the liturgy. But there were other times when I felt something stir.Maybe it was something the pastor said. Perhaps it was the reverent way someone received the Eucharist. ...

One of the great joys of family life is experiencing the innocence of children. Sister Maria Grace Dateno, author of the children's series, Gospel Time Trekkers, shares some tips about fostering Marian devotion with your children.

As a sister, I find that when it comes to sharing the Gospel with family and friends, I often feel like I’m either a lightning rod for religious discussions (friendly or hostile in tone) or I am ignored as irrelevant to everyday life. I suspect that any practicing Catholic whose family members “aren’t religious” goes through this as well. How do we share the joy of the unconditional love of God with all of these expectations swirling around us? There are two fundamental choices or attitudes ...