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Person & Relationships TOOLS

  • For the 150th anniversary of St. Therese’s birth, Pope Francis wrote this letter “on confidence in the merciful love of God.”
  • In “St. Therese: My Spiritual Companion,” Heather King shares the story we cited in our reflection.
  • In “The Church Asks Us to Focus on ‘4 Last Things’: What Are They?” (Aleteia), Philip Kosloski shares helpful Catechism references for each of the four. Consider how you can build your domestic church as a reflection of heaven.
  • Check out the six-part series “Into the Breach: The Mission of the Family” (Knights of Columbus) to hear reflections about working toward the goal of sainthood for you and your family.
  • If our “A Vision and Plan for Family Life” (The Word Among Us), we discuss the five levels to building a Trinity house. 
  • In “Being Too Busy Impedes the Spiritual Life,” Constance T. Hull (Catholic Exchange) writes, “Being busy does not equate to holiness, in fact, it can be an impediment on our journey to holiness. Many of the saints, as busy as they were fulfilling God’s appointed mission for each one of them, were entirely focused, centered, and in communion with the Most Holy Trinity at all times.”
  • Speaking of summer reading, political philosopher Matt Feeney’s Little Platoons: A Defense of Family in a Competitive Age states that the family is an “irreplaceable zone of human connections” that can offer “a living critique” of the world around us. Feeney takes on challenges such as digital media and calls on parents to help their children “develop a robust inner life, a zone of private reflection.” Read more in Kay Hymowitz’s review (Institute of Family Studies blog) and “10 Online Ways to Reignite Your Faith, Now” (The Arlington Catholic Herald) by Soren.
  • Check out our post on “The Habitually Peaceful Household” (For Your Marriage). 
  • In “Note to Self When Working from Home” (The Arlington Catholic Herald), Soren suggests: “Make your work an offering to the most Holy Trinity.”
  • Read the transcript or watch the video of “Becoming a Living Trinity House” by Most Rev. Paul Loverde (Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Arlington). He asserts: “There is time in Advent for the family to reap new beginnings, make new inroads, so the family can become what it is called to be—this domestic church….The family can become a living Trinity House: welcoming, listening, serving.” 
  • Soren encourages us to “Put Down the Phone” (The Arlington Catholic Herald) and spend quality time with others.
  • Dr. Gregory Popcak points out that the “Pandemic Sparks a Renewed Focus on Idea of ‘The Domestic Church'” (Angelus News) and that the focus on the family church must continue past the pandemic.
  • In “‘Imperfect People Need Not Apply’ Does the Domestic Church Discriminate?” (Patheos), Rachel Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak encourage us to build domestic churches which reflect a ‘Trinitarian vision of love’ at ‘home and in the world.’ 
  • We recommend “St. Elizabeth of the Trinity: Lessons on Living in the Heart of the Church” (Catholic Exchange). Consider this question: What is the link  between daily life and the Trinity? 
  • In a thoughtful reflection on the past year, “Despite Hardships, Family Life Blossoms During the Pandemic” (Our Sunday Visitor), Bonnie Engstrom writes, “This was a time to shore up the foundation of our family with prayer, teamwork and honest conversations.”
  • In “What Every Child Needs Right Now” (Institute for Family Studies), Justin Coulson focuses on being heard by others, humor, help, and hope.
  • Dr. Janet Smith’s essay, “The Family: A Communion of Persons” (lifeissues.net) provides a deep and rewarding dive into the family as a communion of persons.
  • In a recent interview with the American Enterprise Institute, Nobel Laureate and economist James Heckman comments, ‘Nobody wants to talk about the family, and the family’s the whole story…it’s the whole story about a lot of social and economic issues….I wish the family would get back into more of the center of our lives.’ Amen to that. 
  • In “Families, Lift Up Your Eyes” (The Arlington Catholic Herald), Soren writes: “Look at your expectations of your home, your spouse, your family, and ask yourself if those expectations align with the reality of your faith, which has constantly entrusted you with the ‘first responsibility’ of your children’s education and the ‘grave responsibility’ to give them good example(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2223).
  • In “Revitalizing Society Through the Family: Vision of John Paul II” (EWTN), Fr. J. Michael Miller writes, “Revitalizing Western society cannot bypass the family. When family life and values are debased, then society becomes corrupt… If the family is strong, self-confident and respectful of human dignity and work, solidarity and subsidiarity, then social-political life will be enriched and society will flourish.”
  • To better understand the role of the family, we’d recommend St. John Paul II’s Familiaris Consortio (On the Role of the Family in the Modern World).
  • In Pope St. John Paul II’s Christifideles Laici (On the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World, 40), he writes, “It is above all the lay faithful’s duty in the apostolate to make the family aware of its identity as the primary social nucleus, and its basic role in society, so that it might itself become always a more active and responsible place for proper growth and proper participation in social life.” 
  • In “Opening the Word: The Mystery of Family Life” (Our Sunday Visitor), Dr. Timothy P. O’Malley writes, “Family life is a mystery” in anticipation of the Feast of the Holy Family.
  • In a poignant essay, “Love in the Time of Coronavirus,” Techwise Family author Andy Crouch makes an important point about our opportunity to renew home life amidst this difficult moment.
  • In “Family is Key to a Deep Spirituality of Subsidiarity” (Crux), Fr. Jeffrey Kirby gives a very accessible introduction to this powerful principle of subsidiarity.
  • In this 5-page PDF on temperance (Diocese of La Crosse), you’ll get a great refresher course on how to strengthen temperance in your daily life. In addition to looking at how St. Thérèse of Lisieux demonstrated temperance, you’ll find practical suggestions that can help when you feel the next tug toward dopamine.
  • In “The Virtue of Temperance Can Offer Life Balance” (Diocese of Little Rock), Paula Standridge writes, “Temperance is realizing when enough is enough of any of the worldly goods God has given us.”

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