St. Therese is generally regarded as a cute saint.

In her autobiography, she wrote the types of things that might make adults quip, “Kids say the darndest things! Isn’t she adorable?”

Therese wrote that she desired to spend her time in heaven sending roses to people on earth. Cute.

She did happen to be a very cute little French girl, that's true. But she also wrote with the boldness of someone who didn’t seem to care what anyone else thought. And if you take a few...

Contains excerpts from The Mindful Catholic.

Our difficulties begin the moment we learn to doubt.

Think about it. The Garden of Eden was paradise until the slimy serpent planted seeds of doubt in Adam’s and Eve’s minds. Since then, the human experience has been fraught with a multitude of problems that stem from doubt. Our own lives begin without much complication until the moment we start to worry if everything is really going to be OK.

For instance, have you ever had a...

Let nothing disturb you. 
Let nothing frighten you. 
All things are passing away. 
God never changes. 
Patience obtains all things. 
Whoever has God lacks nothing. 
God alone suffices.

This short prayer/poem by St. Teresa of Avila hits the nail on the head as she reveals the reality of God's providence and pervasive presence in our lives. In it, she encourages us to recognize that no matter what, all truly will be well and that all we truly need is God - the only One...

Have you ever read a passage from the Gospel and asked yourself, "I wonder what Jesus was feeling in this passage? What emotions was he experiencing here?"

(I would be willing to bet it isn’t all that often.)

For some reason, it’s easy to forget that Jesus actually felt things as we tend to gloss over the real experience of Jesus. 

In his humanity, he knew what it was to feel sadness, joy, and amusement … the sting of rejection, anger, apprehension…

To...

A short reflection for Epiphany, 2021. 

The year 2020 reminded us that it’s really scary to not be in control; to live in time where things can change rapidly from moment to moment.

We learned that what we take for granted now might be gone tomorrow, and that we have no way to know what will happen in our future.

With everything going on in the world right now, it can feel dark and frightening. So many people I've spoken to find themselves entering this new year with more...

With Christmas approaching next week though, you may be feeling as if you can't rest just yet because of all that needs to be done to prepare for the holiday.

It's important to recall simple ways we can increase peace and joy in our lives and the lives of those around us as we prepare to celebrate the Incarnation - one of the most incredible events ever to take place in history.

The good news is that research shows there are five categories of human experience that, when given time to...

Our Lady of Guadalupe is such a fascinating apparition of the Blessed Mother. First of all, she poses a real problem to non-believers as she left behind scientifically scrutinized, undeniable proof of a miracle. There is no honest way for “I’ll believe it when I see it” atheists to exist (or protestants who don’t believe in the importance of Mary for that matter). If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Google is your friend. Look up “scientific...

How many times have you set out to get somewhere and you surprise yourself when you get there? “Oh wow, I’m here already?!” If you were driving, you might wonder if you actually stopped at a certain red light because you have no recollection of it, or you wonder in amazement at the fact that you know a route so well you can travel it without thinking about it.

Chances are, you were still thinking, just not about where you were going. Your mind was probably...