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Faith Life TOOLS

Advent

In “Why the Magnificat is the Perfect Prayer for Advent” (OSV News), Kenneth Craycraft asserts that Mary proclaimed the words in her Magnificat when she was “newly pregnant.” Thus, the “commencement of Advent is the perfect time for meditating on Our Lady’s words” as we prepare for the birth of Our Lord.
In “How Not to ‘Wait’ for Christmas” (Arlington Catholic Herald), Soren reflects on how to avoid the traps. He quotes a friend, “The greatest folly with the season of Advent is that we reduce it to a page-a-day (chocolate-a-day?) countdown calendar to Christmas.”
In “The Reed of God (Advent Series – Part I)” (Abiding Hearts podcast), Michelle Benzinger spoke about shifting from a posture of “I have to make Christmas happen” to allowing Advent to “unfold” and co-creating “this season with the Holy Spirit, to have him come closer.”
In “Why Waiting is so Good for Us” (Aleteia), Sr. Maria Frassati writes, “In the season of Advent, we become more alive to the reality that we are people in a state of waiting. Longing is more accurate.”
In his essay “Discover the Eucharist at Bethlehem” (Our Sunday Visitor), Fr. Patrick Briscoe quotes Pope Benedict XVI, “Let us enter into the mystery of Christmas, now approaching, through the ‘door’ of the Eucharist.”
It’s easy to forget that Advent is a penitential season. In “Opening the Word: The Soul Seeks the Word,” Fr. Joshua Whitfield (Our Sunday Visitor) writes, “It’s a reminder that, as Christians, our first task is penitential…we should first welcome Christ into our hearts, which is a matter of repentance, the forgiveness of our sins.”
In “6 Foolproof Family Advent Ideas for Failures Like Me” (Aleteia), Tom Hoopes offers some good food for thought for families. Idea #4 – “Make an Advent Mercy Jar” – is very much in keeping with Level 5 of a Trinity House – Hospitality & Service.
In “What Are the Three Comings of Christ?” (Aleteia), Philip Kosloski helps us to see St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s observation of Christ’s threefold coming.
In Soren’s “How Not to ‘Wait’ for Christmas” (The Arlington Catholic Herald), he writes, “This Advent is about rejoicing in the time we have now to prepare for the radical new life which will be ours when the Son of God joins us in our humanity.”
To help prepare for Gaudete Sunday, we recommend reading these Sunday Mass readings and “Opening the Word: Gaudete Sunday and a Reason to Rejoice” (Our Sunday Visitor) by Catherine Cavadini.
“Are you tired yet?” asks Elizabeth Foss in “Traveling the Holy Way” (The Arlington Catholic Herald). It is a timely end-of-Advent reflection on our need to allow Jesus to revive us with his joy.
In “Dad’s Christmas Dilemma,” (The Arlington Catholic Herald), Soren reflects on how his dad led an annual Christmas tradition that invited his family beneath the “surface” and into the spiritual core of Christmas. Each dad (and mom), Soren argues, can do so much more at Christmas than simply hovering at the surface.
In Fall 2021, we enjoyed a delightful visit with Aleteia Editor-in-Chief Fr. Patrick Briscoe, O.P., at Trinity House Cafe. His “5 Ways to Keep Peace This Christmas (That Actually Work!)” is definitely worth your time. His #1 way is “prioritize your personal prayer.” Amen to that!
In “Getting to ‘Yes’ this Advent,” Soren suggests 7 “yeses” to make the most of this Advent.
“Consider our homes as sanctuaries for souls,” writes Elizabeth Foss in
“Don’t Give Up Christmas” (The Arlington Catholic Herald).
Print up these “Advent Reflections from the Women Doctors of the Church” (Our Sunday Visitor) as an inspiring Advent resource.
“4 Words to Guide Your Advent” (Aleteia) by Fr. Robert McTeigue offers a helpful set of images to carry with us in the weeks before Christmas.
From carols to lessons to video reflections, and more, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Advent resources page is a helpful tool.
In “Making the Family Spiritual Pilgrims (Virtually)” (Crux), Ken Balbuena at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. offers 5 ways the Shrine can be a resource for your family this Thanksgiving and Advent.
In “Christ is Coming: Are We Ready?” (Our Sunday Visitor), Joe Grabowski points us to Mary: “Advent provides us with an opportunity to make room in our lives for the choice of Mary and to set aside, at least for a time, that of Martha… This season is about preparing to welcome him, clearing out our spiritual homes and bestowing them fittingly so that, when he comes, we can just listen to him, learn from him.”
Check out “Holy Hygge: A Catholic Approach to Easing the Winter Blues” at Holy Cross Family Ministries.
“Need a Spiritual Boost? 4 Ways to Cultivate Light in Winter Darkness” at National Catholic Register

Angels and Saints

The Reed of God (Amazon) by Caryll Houselander is a beautiful meditation on the Blessed Mother.
In “Four Ways to Celebrate ‘Holywins’ with Your Family on the Eve of All Saints” (National Catholic Register), Aci Prensa suggests ways to celebrate the eve of All Saints.
In “Which Saints Are Honored on All Saints Day?” (Aleteia), Philip Kosloski explains that All Saints Day honors all “holy men and women who are united to God in heaven.”
Unbreakable: Saints Who Inspired Saints to Moral Courage by Kimberly Begg “helps Catholic parents raise strong children able to resist the soul-endangering temptation to ‘get along’ to ‘get ahead’ in the world” and also “continues a long tradition of helping families build a Catholic culture in their homes that can be passed on for generations.”
In “How St. Thérèse’s Mom Inspires Me Through Her Struggles,” (Aleteia), Cecilia Pigg offers some great insights about St. Zelie’s struggles as a parent.
“8 Things to Know and Share About the Guardian Angels” (National Catholic Register) by Jimmy Akin is a helpful resource to teach your kids about their guardian angel.
In “The Month of May, the Virgin Mary, and Your Family’s Future,” (Aleteia), we shared 7 simple ways for families to deepen their devotion to our Blessed Mother.
In May, Mary is honored in various ways just as the people who honor her are varied (National Catholic Register).
Consider how Mary serves as a model of a perfect mother in “Mary and the Meaning of Mother’s Day”(Denver Catholic).
In “How to Pray a Family Rosary,” Catholic News Agency provides suggestions for praying the Rosary together as a family.
Stephen Foley offers “Three Ways to Honor Mary as a Family” (Relevant Radio).
For St. Patrick’s Day, consider how you as a family can deepen your faith together. In “Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the Catholic Way,” (Catechist’s Journey) Julianne Stanz suggests, “You can renew your baptismal promises, pray some of St. Patrick’s prayers, enjoy a special meal together as a family, and give thanks to God who often pardons, in the words of St. Patrick, our ‘folly and carelessness.'”
In “Invite the Saints into Your Home,” we share three practical ways to build awareness of the saints in your home.
Let’s go back to the sources. We find a compilation of Scripture verses (OpenBible.info) on saints and a compilation of passages (Catechism of the Catholic Church) about our call to become saints to be helpful.
Check out any of these video reflections by Bishop Robert Barron on the communion of saints and prayer. In particular, “Saints and Smartphones” offers guidance from saints and spiritual masters.
“How Mary’s ‘Yes’ is Renewed by Every Saint and Martyr” (Aleteia)
For the Solemnity of St. Joseph, why not watch “Saint Joseph: Our Spiritual Father” as a family? This free, 1-hr. documentary from the Knights of Columbus features interviews with leading experts, providing viewers with a glimpse into one of the most incredible lives in all of human history.
“A Prayer to St. Joseph When You Can’t Get Your Work Done” (Aleteia) by Sarah Robsdottir encourages us to “work in the spirit of penance.”
In “St. Thomas More and the Bishop of Rome,” Bishop Robert Barron provides an accessible overview of St. Thomas More’s life.
In “Thomas More: Saint in a Time of Political and Cultural Crisis” (Church Life Journal), University of Notre Dame professor, Cyril O’Regan, writes, “The Christian will have to make a choice. However reluctantly, you have to choose one or the other: the singular beauty of the Word of God, or the world with its beauties of the flesh and its beauties of speech and rhetoric and their power to persuade and influence.”
In “These 10 Married Saints Teach Us How Marriage Can Lead to Holiness” (Catholic Link), Becky Roach reminds us that “God uses marriage to help us grow in holiness.”
In “12 Saints Who Were Married” (Aleteia), Philip Kosloski teaches us that these married saints “achieved the heights of sanctity through extraordinary acts of virtue as well as ordinary tasks of daily life.”
Read about “10 Married Couples Who Have Been Canonized or Who Are On Their Way” by Meg Hunter-Kilmer in Aleteia.
For an overview of married saints, “List of Venerated Couples” is a quick reference (Wikipedia).
It’s easy to get tripped up on an important distinction about saints—we “honor” them, not “worship” them. If you want to brush up on this, here’s a helpful article on this point.
On March 9^th, the Church honors St. Frances of Rome. In “The Saint Who Shows Us What To Do When Life Isn’t Going As Planned” (Aleteia), Cecilia Pigg gleans helpful lessons from her life.
Check out our reflection on Divine Mercy, “Jesus I Trust in You.”
Here’s a paperback version of St. Faustina’s Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Amazon).
Watch this beautiful and brief introduction to “St. Faustina: Prophet of Mercy” that includes a reflection by Immaculée Ilibagiza, a Rwandan genocide survivor and author of Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (Amazon).
If you’d like to take a deep dive into the extraordinary message of Saint Faustina, we have two recommendations: (1) an inspiring 58-min. talk – “St. Faustina and the Image of Divine Mercy” by Sister Gaudia Skass and (2) a 1-hr. documentary (Polish, with English subtitles) – “I TRUST IN YOU, The Message of Divine Mercy, St. Faustina’s Story.”
Need a primer or refresher on how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet? Check out this step-by-step explanation (www.thedivinemercy.org) or pray along with this recitation of the entire prayer (YouTube).
“25 Secrets of Spiritual Struggle that Jesus Revealed to St. Faustina” (Aleteia) offers a striking compilation of quotes from St. Faustina’s Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul. For example, “When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart.”
“Feeling Alone or Isolated? Pray this Prayer by St. Faustina” (Aleteia).
In “Elizabeth of the Trinity: A Saint for Our Time” (National Catholic Register), Anthony Lilles writes, “The Trinity is, for her, an interpersonal and dynamic mystery: the Father beholding the Son in the fire of the Holy Spirit.”
In “Saint Brigid and the Love of the Trinity” (The Way of Beauty), Deacon Lawrence Klimecki writes, “We need to cultivate a sort of secular blindness from time to time in order to focus on the spiritual. We need to find a quiet space to listen as God speaks to us, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

Evangelization

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ For Your Marriage is currently featuring our post, “Sharing Heaven with Strangers.”
In 2022, we traveled to Irondale, AL, to the EWTN studios to record this two-part interview on family life and cultivating a faith-filled home on the At Home with Jim and Joy show.
In “Evangelization Cafe” (Aleteia), Caitlin Bootsma argues that places like Trinity House Café “remind us that evangelization can and should take place anywhere.”
Tom Hoopes at Aleteia distills a step-by-step guide to sharing the faith: “Have You Evangelized Today? Pope Francis on our ‘Daily Duty.'”
In a new pastoral letter, “‘In Tongues All Can Hear,'” Bishop Burbidge of Arlington reminds us, “As Christians, this desire is in our DNA: communicating the hope of Christ in times of trial is what Christians do. Our calling is to help people come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior who is alive, by their side, in times of joy and sorrow.”
“After the Pandemic, the Church Has an Opportunity to Seize a New Moment of Evangelization” by Deacon Larry Oney (Our Sunday Visitor) offers some great concepts, including the call to “invitational excellence.” How can each of us step up our evangelization efforts with a simple yet personal invitation to others?
In “Storytelling As a Tool for Evangelization,” Joe Paprocki points to Jesus’ use of the parables. “One of the ways we ‘speak’ in the Kingdom of God,” he writes, “is through stories, namely the parables of Jesus, which reveal the logic and language of the Kingdom.”
This piece of news— “Survey: Only 35% of US Catholic Parents Highly Value Passing on Faith” (Aleteia)—should bring us to our knees and compel us to redouble our efforts to share the joy of our faith with everyone, beginning with our own children in daily family life!

Family Prayer

You can find the Surrender Novena on Hallow here or through a quick Google search. Novena Cards has just come out with a very nice accordion-folded version here.
Here’s a reflection published recently by Columbia on the key principle: “Surrendering Together.”
Watch a 3-min. video (YouTube) that introduces the key themes of the book, Living Beyond Sunday: Making your Home a Holy Place.
“As the domestic church, the family is the privileged place for Christians to learn about prayer,” (Crux) offers some great insights on learning to pray within the family.
“Why (and How) to Bring Your Kids to Adoration” (Catholic Link) by Sara Estabrooks offers some helpful suggestions, including: “Start small: try five minutes, ten, fifteen, back to five…work your way up to a reasonable goal.”
In “Note to Self When Working from Home,” (The Arlington Catholic Herald), Soren suggests to “Make your Work an Offering to the Most Holy Trinity.”
Fr. Justin Freeman at the National Catholic Register offers practical tips for the “Renewal of the Domestic Church.”
The Archdiocese of Detroit’s Unleash the Gospel initiative offers a practical challenge for each day of the week in “Family Challenge: The Monastery of the Home.”
In “How to Make Your Home a Domestic Monastery,” Fr. Pablo Straub reflected on how poverty, chastity and obedience are operative in homes.
“How Families Can Make the Most of the Mass at Home” suggests to have a “space that is set apart” and that is “the focal space of Eucharistic devotion.”
In “The Domestic Church in Quarantine Makes Good Use of Home Altars” (National Catholic Register), you can read about how home altars reminded families of the domestic church during the pandemic.
In this helpful “Catholic Straight Answers” column, Fr. William Saunders (Diocese of Arlington) explains that when the gift of piety is active, “a person approaches prayer or worship at Mass not as a task or burden but as an act of joyful love.”
For some current research on religious habits of U.S. teens, review “Family Religious Practices” (Section 4 of the Pew Research Center Study).
In “Month of the Holy Family” (Catholic Culture), Archbishop Chaput writes, “The Holy Family models for us what family life should exemplify. It is a school of virtue for both parents and children. There we find God, and learn how to connect with God and with others.”
In “February is the Month Dedicated to the Holy Family” (National Catholic Register), Joseph Pronechen outlines a number of practical ways to follow the example of the Holy Family. He includes a brief consecration prayer to the Holy Family.
In “12 Ways to Honor the Holy Family this February” (Aleteia), Annabelle Moseley outlines some great ideas, from having a holy water font at your front door to naming your home.
For a quick read, Check out “‘It is Good’ 3 Messages to Take to Heart in the New Year” (OSV News) by Elizabeth Scalia.
When it comes to forming our children with the Word of God on a daily basis, we can’t say enough about how much the Magnificat devotional has helped us. Our kids take turns doing the Scripture readings, and over time, we’ve seen how praying the Church’s own liturgy as a family has strengthened their understanding of God’s Word.
Subscribe to the daily readings via email from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Make your family’s prayer corner or “oratory” more beautiful and inviting with this excellent resource: The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home.
“How to Pray the Rosary” (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) is a great resource for learning how to pray this powerful prayer.
“First; we need the Rosary to strengthen families,” says Gretchen Crowe (Our Sunday Visitor) in “Not Sure About Family Prayer? Maybe This Will Convince You.” Second, she writes, “We need the Rosary to break through the noise—the cacophony really—that follows us wherever we go these days.” Amen.
Dr. Mike Scherschlight offers a daily rosary meditation and reflection on his Rosary podcast (Daily Rosary Meditations).
“The family that prays together stays together,” said Fr. Patrick Peyton. You can watch the remarkable story of his life by renting “Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton” (Amazon).
There are free resources on building the domestic church from the Knights of Columbus, including a guide to praying the Rosary.
To go deeper, here are a few of our favorites on the topic of family prayer: “Carrying Communion Through Your Week” (a wider framework about the importance of family prayer is in the spiritual arc of your week); “Your Home. Your Monastery” (an explanation of how your home can be a place of prayer); and “Jesus I Trust in You” (our overview of the Divine Mercy Chaplet).
“How to Pray with Your Spouse: 4 Simple Steps” (For Your Marriage) uses the structure of the Mass as a springboard for practical suggestions for married couples.
In this excerpt of writing from St. Francis de Sales, consider whether you’re in fact too busy to pray.
“Catholic at Home: Seize the Hope that is Before Us” (The Catholic Telegraph) is a reflection on our need to pray with our spouses, prepare well for Mass, and have Christian art in our homes.
Jeanne Scheuerman, the mother of a friend of ours, wrote this Rosary meditation. We have both been blessed by her witness in this meditation.
Consider using these prayers to print and include for your next family prayer time: one from Bishop Burbidge and the other from Archbishop Gomez.
Check out A Short Guide to Praying as a Family: Growing Together in Faith and Love Each Day (Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia).
The Augustine Institute’s FORMED is a kind of ‘Netflix’ for Catholic content, from movies and audiobooks to much more. If your parish has access to this online subscription, take advantage of this great way to delve deeper into the faith.

Feast Days and Liturgical Living

With the Solemnity of St. Joseph just around the corner on March 19th, why not plan ahead and mark this special day with your family? For some inspiration, check out our “Go to Joseph.”
Check out “6 Family-Friendly Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day” (Aleteia).
In “5 Memorable Ways to Celebrate Christ the King as a Family” (Aleteia), Theresa Civantos Barber suggests five ways to honor the King of Kings.
Consider these “10 Reasons the Holy Name of Jesus is So Powerful” (Aleteia) by Tom Hoopes.
On the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (the last Sunday of the liturgical year before the start of Advent the following Sunday), we encourage you to make the most of it by discussing these readings with your children.
In “Why the Feast of Christ the King?” (National Catholic Register), Joseph Pronechen provides a great refresher on the significance of this Sunday in our liturgical calendar.
“In Matthew 24 – get out your Bibles, take a look at it again, read it prayerfully – in that passage, we find the criterion by which to determine whether we are following that King or not,” says Bishop Barron in his probing and challenging sermon “The One True King.”
For the celebration of Epiphany check out “4 Beautiful Epiphany Traditions for Your Family” (Aleteia).
Wouldn’t it be amazing to pray the Holy Spirit Novena individually, or as a couple or family? Beginning 9 days before Pentecost, start to make the most of the time leading up to Pentecost.
May is the month of Mary! Read this article from Catholic News Agency for daily reflections and devotions to our Blessed Mother throughout the month!

Lent

In “Leaning into Lent: Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Tips for a Fruitful Penitential Season” (National Catholic Register), Fr. Mike Schmitz says, “When considering fasting, we can ask: ‘What do I need to get rid of in order to be more free to love and serve the Lord?'”
As you prepare for Lent, check out these “3 more easy Lent traditions for families with kids” (Aleteia)
In this sacred season of Lent, we encourage you to go to Confession as a family. Here is a brief reflection we shared on this: “Confession Breakthrough.”
“Challenge Your Kids to Embrace a ‘Carlo Acutis’ Lent” (Aleteia) includes a challenge to dial down the amount of screen-time.
In “Find Silence” (The Arlington Catholic Herald), Elizabeth Foss writes, “We need to wake up to the power of silence” during Lent.
In “Starting Seeds” (Abound in Hope), Eric Welter, encourages us in the days before Lent to start some seedlings. He writes, “Are there some seeds we can start in our hearts now to give them a chance to grow roots before Lent arrives?”
In our post at For Your Marriage (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), called “Old School Lenten Resolve,” we provide practical tips for how your kitchen might be an edifying and renewing place that supports your Lenten resolutions.
What is Lent? Brush up on your understanding of the basics of this sacred season. Check out videos, calendars, daily reading sign-ups, and more at “Lenten Resources” (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).
Bishop Barron’s homily, “Three Levels of Temptation” (YouTube), is filled with insight and encouragement for our Lenten journey.
“Authors: Find Moments of Silence this Lent, Connect Three Pillars of Season” (Crux) includes a quote from Paul Jarzembowski: ‘During spring training, you practice on the fundamentals…so that when it’s time for the regular season, … you’ve had this time to practice. During Lent, (practice) moments to just shut it down.’ The article argues that these moments to ‘shut it down’ are important to “gift yourself with moments of silence, pause, and reflection.”
“10 Acts of Kindness to Do Before Lent is Over” (Aleteia) includes some good ideas like calling a friend or asking a senior to share some stories about their past.
Check out suggestions for “Doing the Stations of the Cross with Your Kids” during Lent (Teaching Catholic Kids.com).
“8 Ideas for a Family Lent 2022” (National Catholic Register) by Erika Ahern is a great place to start talking to your family about ways to grow closer to the Lord together during Lent.
In “A Reflection on Lenten Fasting” (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), Fr. Daniel Merz shares seven reasons for fasting.
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, here is a “Daily Inspiration for Your Lenten Journey.”
Gretchen Crowe (Our Sunday Visitor) encourages us to examine our map for Lent in “Drafting Our Lenten Roadmap,” which recalls that our ultimate destination is heaven.
As you look to Palm Sunday, has your family considered veiling the statues and crucifixes in your home as a way of entering more deeply into Holy Week? Check out “Why Do Catholics Cover Crucifixes and Statues During Holy Week?” (Aleteia) and consider adding this rich dimension to your family.
Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “4 Reasons for Fasting” provides a helpful overview. Consider watching this video as a family and then having a family conversation about fasting.
“What’s the Point of Fasting, Anyway?” (Catholic News Agency) offers a good overview of the basics of fasting—from its history, to its biblical basis, to looking at our motivation.
“During Passiontide, the Church Doubles Down on Lent” (National Catholic Register)

Holy Week and Easter

Does your family have Holy Week traditions? Check out “5 Triduum Traditions to Help Your Family Celebrate Holy Week” (Catholic Link) by Drew and Katie Taylor to consider adding some new traditions.
In “From the Gates of Jerusalem to the Foot of the Cross” (Our Sunday Visitor), Scott Richert writes: “the entire range of human existence is found in the events of Holy Week.” We encourage you to enter deeply into the readings and liturgies of Holy Week and to encounter our Lord in a new way!
“How to Make the Easter Triduum Meaningful for Your Kids…Without Stressing Out” (Aleteia) by Theresa Civantos Barber includes this: “We pray the Stations of the Cross together as a family on Good Friday.”
In “How to Spend Holy Week with Mary” (Aleteia), Tom Hoopes writes, “We forget that Mary is not simply the downcast Lady of pious statues — she is also ‘fair as the moon, bright as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.’ She is a fierce queen, fierce as any mother whose children are being threatened. So I want to wait with Mary on Holy Saturday for her victory to come on Easter morning.”
“Holy Week: Ideas for Families” (Teaching Catholic Kids.com) can help you and your family to find special little ways to celebrate Holy Week and prepare for Easter.
“Holy Week Preparation” (Catholic Culture) by Jennifer Gregory Miller is another good resource. Here’s one idea that stood out: “Good Friday: This day has a somber mood. Technology is ‘unplugged.'”
Read this article to find out “Why Eastern Christians Call the Days after Easter ‘Bright Week'” (Aleteia).
Read “An Easter Octave Guide for Catholic Families” (National Catholic Register) to consider ways of living out Holy Week.
Memorable Catholic Easter Traditions to Try Right Now (Ora et Schola)
Read Urbi et Orbi Message of His Holiness Pope Francis and his Easter Vigil homily (2022) on the women of the Gospel account and how “they saw, they heard, they proclaimed.”
“How to Begin Each Morning During the Easter Season” (Aleteia) by Philip Kosloski is a reminder that Easter can be a “holy time of prayer.”
Watch this video by Bishop Robert Barron to learn “3 Lessons of the Resurrection” (YouTube).
“How We Celebrate Holy Week and Easter as a Young Family” (National Catholic Register)
“A Catholic’s Guide to Holy Week” (Dynamic Catholic)
“Holy Week is a Time to Reflect on Where We are Broken” (Maria Shriver)

Resources for Men

In “From Anonymity to Fraternity” (Arlington Catholic Herald), Soren writes, “Statistically, American men have never been lonelier.” He makes the case for forging strong friendships, deepened through parish groups like the Knights of Columbus, That Man is You, and the Men’s Mornings of Recollection at St. John’s in Leesburg.
Check out this compendium of resources from the USCCB on men’s ministry.
Find out about these 5 Organizations that strengthen the faith of Catholic men and see if there is a group near you.

Resources for Women

We suggest this short read, “Six Marriage Lessons that Saints Louis and Zelie Martin Taught Me” (Letters to Women), to learn from St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s parents.
Opening Your Heart is the first bible study for Catholic women from the Walking With Purpose ministry.
Check out the USCCB compendium of resources on women’s ministry.

Personal Prayer

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius forms the backbone of so many retreats.
At Life Teen, here are “10 Reasons You Need to Go on a Retreat This Year.”
Here is a link to the audio recordings of two retreats for married couples. The speakers are Fr. James Hudgins and Msgr. Charles Pope, respectively (Diocese of Arlington).
Posted during Lent 2020, this virtual retreat by Cardinal Seán O’Malley (Archdiocese of Boston) features six 20-30 minute reflections.
The Lord is inviting us to an adventure in each present moment, as discussed in this Abiding Together podcast episode.
God is making His own bids for our attention. Chris Stefanick and Pat Lencioni share how we can hear God’s voice.
“Are you Spiritually Exhausted?” by Fr. Robert McTeigue (Aleteia)
“Facing the Spiritual Challenges of Fatigue” by Edward Monti (Catholic Standard), includes this: “Embrace your fatigue. Acknowledge that you are tired, maybe angry, and maybe sad. Realize that millions of people are too. Embrace it as okay, and then make an act of the will to find joy in small things around you.”
Fr. Columba Jordan, CFR, shares how we should approach God as children,recognizing our need for him. God wants to respond to our need for him, and it is in this encounter that our transformation begins.
“A Beginner’s Guide to Adoration” (Life Teen) includes 5 worthwhile suggestions.
Adoration: Eucharistic Texts and Prayers throughout Church History (Amazon) is a resource we have enjoyed taking with us to Adoration over the years. The book contains meditational texts that can serve as a springboard for prayer, Lectio Divina, and contemplation.
“What Do We Do in Adoration?” is an accessible 5-min. video by Fr. Josh Johnson (Ascension Presents). Check out what he means by his “ARRR” approach.
Bishop Barron “Comments on Eucharistic Adoration” is a poignant 6-minute video reflection on Christ’s presence in the “silence of the tabernacle.” It includes references to the role of Adoration in the lives of St. John Paul II, Jacques Maritain, and St. Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross).
A while back we wrote (here) about Pope Francis’ recently-released reflection on the Sacred Heart entitled Dilexit Nos. Last week, this caught our eye: “God’s Delight as Comfort and Challenge: Pope Francis on the Heart of Jesus” (Church Life Journal). It’s a moving essay on how each of us is invited in faith to a “training in delight.”

Sacraments

“The Eucharist” (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) explains the real presence of Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Bishop Barron’s video on “Catholics Misunderstanding the Eucharist” covers some common pitfalls.
Soren’s article, “One Step Closer” (The Arlington Catholic Herald), challenges us to deepen our yearning for Jesus—in his Eucharist and in the body of believers.
In “Celebrating Reconciliation with Kids: 9 Ways to Get Into the Habit” (Teaching Catholic Kids.com), Jerry Windley-Daoustoffers helpful tips and talking points for common objections.
Solid examinations of conscience are so important. Here are 6 various examinations (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), a “Confession Guide for Children” (National Catholic Register), and an examination for adults (Knights of Columbus).
In “The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation” (USCCB), Joseph D. White, Ph.D. offers a basic overview of the sacrament as well as a good “family examination of conscience.”
In “Confirmation: What is Your Mission” (Catholic News Agency), Brian Pizzalato reminds us that in Confirmation, we are “anointed for a special mission…. We are supposed to move further away from sin, and closer and closer to the Most Holy Trinity, while becoming witnesses of what it means to live an authentically Christian life.”

Sacred Scripture and Doctrine

In Vibrant Paradoxes: The Both/And of Catholicism, Bishop Robert Barron considers how five pairs of seemingly opposite concepts (e.g., reason and faith) which in reality are paradoxes of the Catholic faith.
In “The Church Asks Us to Focus on ‘4 Last Things’: What Are They?” (Aleteia), Philip Koslowski includes helpful Catechism references for the four last things.
Check out Fr. Mike Schmnitz’s The Bible in a Year podcast. In addition, here is a compilation of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s brief video reflections on the Bible, including “How Do You Pray with the Bible?,” “Ways to Read the Bible,” and “Learning How to Love the Bible.”
In 2019, Pope Francis declared the 3^rd Sunday of Ordinary Time to be “devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God.” His apostolic letter Aperuit Illis (Opened to Them) is a beautiful 15-minute read that can inspire us to take up the Word of God anew.
The spectrum of Bible-study resources is endless, including: “Tools for Bible Study” (Dr. Scott Hahn), “The Great Adventure: Your Journey Through the Bible” (Ascension Presents), a women’s Bible study (Walking with Purpose), and “Immerse: The Reading Bible” (Institute for Bible Reading).
Check out the “Family Bible Project” (Diocese of Phoenix). It includes a simple how-to on Lectio Divina.
“What Our Bibles Say About Us” describes a great-grandmother’s Bible.
Consider this free sign-up from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to receive the daily liturgical readings.
“A Guide to the Lectio Divina Prayer Style” (Archdiocese of Detroit) is a quick, helpful overview of how to do Lectio Divina.
2Minutes2Virtue: The Weekly Challenge is a free weekly video from the Diocese of Arlington to help prepare for the Sunday scripture readings.
Bishop Barron’s “Welcome to Basic Training” homily spends about 1 ½ minutes on each of the 10 commandments. A great review.

Day of Rest

In “What Should We Avoid on the Day of Rest?” (The Catholic Weekly), Fr. John Flader offers a helpful “101” reminder of the Catechism’s wisdom regarding the Sabbath.
In “Workism Isn’t Working” (First Things), Michael Toscano provides thought-provoking insight on how warped our view of work has become.
Check out St. Pope John Paul II’s piece, “Rediscovering Sundays,” about the importance of the Holy Sabbath.
In “Protect Your Sabbatical” (The Arlington Catholic Herald), Soren writes, “Your next sabbatical is coming up this Sunday. Take it. And then you get 51 more — an entire 1.73 months or 14 percent of the coming year.”
In “Are You Spiritually Exhausted?” (Aleteia), Fr. Robert McTeigue asserts the importance of honoring the Sabbath – that is, that resilience involves “recharging” and “refreshing.”