Growing up seemed inevitable, filled with hardships and failures, but In that moment I was reminded that God sees me, takes care of me, and remembers the desires of my heart…

I had borrowed a necklace from one of the girls in my class and being the responsible child I was, I promptly lost it. I was worried for days. I finally decided to pray to Saint Anthony to help me find it and, on that day, I got off the bus and found it on the pavement in the gas station!

Where does fear have the right to grab a hold of our tongue? Where does fear get off to stop us dead in our tracks? How dare you fear! Fear has no regard! Especially in those essential times when we know that truth must be expressed. We need to face them head on... and with love.

Anxiety and panic course through our veins as we struggle to make sense of a world that eludes our grasp at every turn. This occurs in situations like:“How could God let this happen?” “Why won’t these pills make me happier?” “I’m earning more money, but I feel empty”

It’s easy in these days of fear, panic, and isolation to be angry, with our family, our leaders, or our God. It’s easy to say, “Woe is me!” as you are stuck at home on your couch with nothing to do. It’s easy to just “go to class” and watch your favorite streaming service afterwards. It’s easy to just give up. But that’s not what St. Thomas Aquinas did, and that’s not what we should do either.

I want heaven so much more than this cruel world. I didn’t pray to die like I did last Thanksgiving when I was so sick, but I was tempted.

This is why The Chosen is so good. All the hard work of Lectio Divina and the imaginative prayer of the Jesuits is done for you by the creators of this show. It provides us a window into a possible interpretation of the day-to-day life of Christ with details the Gospels leave out, all while gently leading us away from daily concerns with its high production value

That’s it, in my book. Those are the only reasons not to discern religious life. I’m writing this because I remember the plethora of “reasons” I invented to not discern. I remember my intense desire to run away from the question “Is God calling me?”

Why would St. Paul make a point of instructing the troubled Roman church to practice this habit? Because it bonds people, connects them in love, and requires them to listen well and care for one another.

I had fallen short with everything that I had decided to do. When I told Father this, he just laughed! Maybe I had something on my face, but I’m pretty sure he had heard that same thing more than once that day. What I realized is that Lent isn’t supposed to be easy.

I suffer from both depression and an anxiety disorder. When I was diagnosed with these illnesses, I felt a self-imposed pressure that begged some serious questions: If I am a woman of faith, how can I be so anxious? How can I be depressed? If I truly trust the Lord, how can I feel this way?

Many may be wondering, like me, “What should I do? What can I do? What is the right thing to do?” And to answer these questions simply – the Christian is called to love.

I asked St. Therese, known as the “Little Flower”, to ask God if He would let her send me a rose so that I would know that the little one we lost was in Heaven. At the time I was teaching Kindergarten. One of my students drew me a picture of a little person holding a flower. I asked her, “What kind of flower is the person holding?” She replied “A ‘roz’”

There are many parallels we can draw between this coach’s dedication to building a strong foundation for long-term success and our lives. Whether our goals this year are to improve our physical or mental health, dive deeper into our relationship with God, or achieve a major dream, we must approach them differently.

I stood in front of the priest, Fr. Solanus Casey, who asked me “Do you believe in God?”, and I responded with “Yes, I believe in God!”. He then laid his hands on my head and blessed me…

For the same reasons the Christians read The City of God 1500 years ago, we can read The City of God today. We must, then, review The City of God under the principle by which it was written.

When Elijah waited for the Lord, he stood at the entrance of the cave and heard, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God calls us by name and begs us to stop and answer that question – What are we doing?

I couldn’t calm myself down. My mom couldn’t either. So, she called my brother (who was a firefighter at the time) and he hurried over with some of his firefighter friends. They couldn’t calm me down, and the next thing I knew, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

As I swerved, I saw flashing lights on behind me. I hit the brakes... and my car stopped. I don’t remember unlocking the doors, but the cop was able to open the door. I had already been crying, and just sobbed even harder. I couldn’t believe he had stopped me. He looked me in my eyes and asked if I was okay. I just kept crying.

Everyone knows the famous quotation from St. Therese of Liseux, “do small things with great love,”