Jesus I Trust in You
Twenty years ago this past July, on a beautiful summer day in Krakow, Poland, we went on our first date. And that date took us to Divine Mercy. Okay, we realize we may have lost you already, so let’s back up. That summer of the Jubilee Year of 2000, we both travelled to Krakow to be part of […]
Not Your Job to “Make Christmas Happen”
Listen Now Just the other day, a dear relative said, “I need your kids’ Christmas lists!” Our pulse quickened. We had just managed to find our Advent wreath in a corner of the basement, and we haven’t even started on our family Christmas card. When we might start thinking about gifts is still very much in […]
Itinerary of Your Intentions
(To hear this reflection, read by Soren, click below.) Less than a month ago in Lourdes, our family settled in to the last row of a large outdoor pavilion located just in front of the famous baths—where so many miraculous healings have occurred. The early July sun was edging toward truly hot, and judging by […]
7 Takeaways: from Rome to Your Daily Family Life
“If only our friends could be here!” We must have had that thought a hundred times at last week’s World Meeting of Families in Rome (June 22-26), where—in addition to giving our talk on discernment (here’s last week’s full media coverage of Trinity House)—we took tons of notes on the 30+ talks we heard by speakers from nearly 20 countries. […]
Bring Peace into Your Home
Dear Friend, To hear this letter read by Ever, click here. This month marks the 40th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s landmark apostolic exhortation “On the Role of the Family in the Modern World,” or Familiaris Consortio. Anniversaries come and go. We’re all so busy. And we might be forgiven if this particular […]
All That I Have Is Yours
When you hear the word “stewardship,” do you tense up? Is there conflict in your heart between what God or the Church might ask of you and what you feel you have to give? Do you have misgivings about where you are allocating the “talents” or resources God has given you? Deep down, we all […]
Is COVID Straining Your Marriage?
Rising divorce rates. Headlines like “The Strain the Covid Pandemic is Putting on Marriage,” “Missing the Partner You See 24/7,” and “The COVID-19 Crucible: Confronting Our True Selves.” You’ve likely seen dozens of others. “Even in the best of times,” an article in last week’s Wall Street Journal reads, “marriage and relationships are hard work. But the pandemic has produced a […]
This Just In: You Need a Vacation
Dear Friend, “Fear, pain, anxiety, betrayal, stress,” our pastor said in his homily last Sunday. “Our emotions are all over the place,” he said, before drawing our attention to the words of Jesus in the Gospel reading: “Be not afraid.” Now is the time to deepen our trust in the Lord, he concluded, no matter which emotions […]
Join in the First Advent: Leave Nazareth and Take Your Family to Bethlehem
By Soren and Ever Johnson It’s Advent again—a sobering moment for every Christian parent. How will we get through the season? With every gift wrapped, but with exhausted, empty hearts? Instead of filling out our lists and getting on the Christmas treadmill, we’re sensing the call to place ourselves in the very first Advent, in […]
Spiritual Fruits of Exhaustion?
Listen Now A friend and mother of multiple young children emailed us the other day mentioning that she and her family are in a “season of extreme exhaustion.” She and her husband are bouncing back and forth between kids’ health challenges, work stress, and a physical sense of living on the edge. We’ve all […]
