How to Listen to the Spirit (Instead of the Flippant Opinions of Others) in Your Vocational Discernment
I started going to daily Mass when I was in college and continued doing so over my summer breaks. There, I encountered an unexpected hurdle: the other regular Mass attendees...
St. Josemaria Escriva: Embracing the Ordinary
I think we all have a friend who seemingly has been our friend forever, and we can’t even really pinpoint when that friendship began, or how. We just know that...
Practicing Humility in an Achievement-Driven Culture
Ever notice how the virtues we pray for grow in proportion to the number of times they’re tested? It’s common sense, really, but somehow it always still seems to surprise...
The Annunciation: One "Yes" at a Time
The Annunciation is a marvel to me. As it should be, I suppose. You see, unlike so many women who hoot and holler with joy at the news of a...
Helping Our Daughters Be Free and Confident
Throughout the Gospels, there seems to be a growing awareness, astonishment, and even discouragement in the disciples about how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God: When the...
Finding Joy in the Teen Years (Plus Advice from the Trenches)
I recently Googled “parenting teens” just to see what would come up. To my complete lack of surprise, here are some of the articles that popped up on the first...
Set Your Own Lands: Sanctifying the Small
I have to confess, I’m not a big news follower. I get my 3-minute blip from the local NPR station, and sometimes even that is too much (especially if the...
Spiritual Darkness
As a child, I used to wonder why we called Good Friday good. As I get older and grow more and more in love with God, days like those of...
Lent for the Married
Andrew and I were passing ideas back forth—sweets, alcohol, eating between meals. What to give up for Lent? I could do the typical, but I want this year to be...
Love is Rooted in Freedom
I recently finished a short, ambiguous novel called Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous (yes, the author remained anonymous!). This was, unfortunately, yet another memoir-type account of obsessive, unhealthy...
Why You Should Get Away With Your Spouse and How To Actually Do It
After navigating the early years of parenting, our family has solidly entered middle-childhood. Although the frustrations of potty-training and sleepless nights have shifted to arguments over bedtimes and screen time,...