"I, Clare, little plant of our Father Francis..."Most stories of daughters fleeing arranged marriages involve a boyfriend, a trellis, and possibly even a fast horse. Clare Scifi was different:On Palm Sunday Clare, arrayed in all her finery, attended high Mass at the cathedral, but when the others pressed forward to the altar-rail to receive a branch of palm, she remained in her place as if rapt in a dream. All eyes were upon the young girl as the bishop descended from the sanctuary and...

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an ancient practice honoring Christ as the Merciful One who is Love. More than just a way of prayer, this devotion is based on the essence of the Gospel: to take on the heart of Jesus so as to live in his love and bring it to others. No matter what stage of spiritual growth you are experiencing, this book can help you grow more deeply in love with Jesus and experience the love of his Sacred Heart in your life.The Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayer Book covers a...

There’s nothing quite like a wedding, is there? It’s a time filled with the promise of new beginnings, and ancient commitments, and ongoing love. Unfortunately, we’ve come to see it really in one context only: the weddings of couples committing to creating a family together.But the image of weddings and marriages comprises far more than that.Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament describe how God marries his bride (that is, those who believe in him), who will ultimately dw...

If you ever spend time with people who are impoverished, ill, set apart, or persecuted in some way, that experience is going to challenge your complacency. It’s going to bring up existentialist questions. Guaranteed.  Sometimes, in fact, it takes something that dramatic to force us to ask the right questions. Here’s the truth that I live with: I’ve always had enough to eat, I’ve had a roof over my head, I’ve had the luxuries of a good education, of books and fr...

What’s the point of coloring? How does that draw me closer to God?The mindful practice of coloring books specifically for prayer and meditation is something we’ve been talking about here for a while. We’ve looked at how coloring can help you de-stress and take a step back from the busyness of your life. We’ve shown how coloring can play a similar role in your interior life to the ancient practice of walking or following a labyrinth.There’s another practice that the ...

By now, it’s not news to anyone that adult coloring books are tremendously popular as ways to de-stress and promote mindfulness. And if you’ve been reading our articles, it’s probably not news to you that Pauline Books & Media offers a whole series of Catholic coloring books for adults meant to aid in prayer and meditation.But what you might not know is that this practice is not new. In fact, it offers many of the same benefits as those accrued by our “spiritual&rdquo...

by Jackie AngelI hated planning our wedding.Thinking about this one-day event for nine months about made me want to stick a chopstick in my eye.Not because I felt like I did it all by myself (I didn’t), nor because I don’t like having fun (I do), or because I hate sparkly things (I love sparkly things), but because in a Pinterest-obsessed world where everyone is competing to have the most creative centerpieces that are way better than yours and a wedding that is the most original sin...

The Ignatian examen is a way of prayerfully reviewing your day in the presence of God. It’s actually an attitude more than a method. It’s a time set aside for thankful reflection and for connecting your everyday life back to God.There are five steps to the Ignatian examen, which only take about ten minutes to complete. It’s a simple way to see what worked and what didn’t in the day that’s behind you, and prepare for the day to come.God bless you! Ask God for light. ...

Loss. No one wants to think about it. When a loved one dies, we can rejoice that they are safe with our Father in heaven; but—humanity being essentially self-centered—our first thought is generally about how we feel. Our loss. Our grief. Our loneliness.And if that’s true for adults, it’s particularly true for children.In fact, grief is far more difficult for children to navigate than it is for adults. There are a lot of reasons for this. Preschool children generally perce...

Slow down. Take a deep breath. Still your mind. It’s good advice for anyone who wants to feel calmer in the midst of what often feels like the frenetic pace of life; but saying it, and doing it, are often two different things!As Catholics, we know that God is often found in that “still, small voice” that’s generally hard to listen for—unless we’re deliberate about making the time and space to really try and hear it. But when you set aside time to meditate, exa...