Misguided ideas about gender and sexuality have infiltrated schools, homes, families, marriages, parishes, and communities, causing many Catholics to feel lost in how to approach conversations related to those topics. 

The possibility for conflict and tension around these subjects is high, and our tendency is usually to do one of two things: ignore/avoid those who think differently than we do OR beat them over the head with objective truth in an effort to ease our consciences. 

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In his encyclical Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis talks about faith as being a guiding light for us. I remember reading it with my psychology lenses on, and thought I'd share a few thoughts I had, especially as we now find ourselves in such dark times.

The introduction to the encyclical reminds us that Christ says, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” It is this distinction between the light and the...

"Where is the line between praying to “go unnoticed” and really wanting not to feel invisible or forgotten about?”

This question was asked by a member of our Integrated Life community during a Live I once hosted in which we were talking about humility. Her question related specifically to the line in the Litany of Humility in which we pray “that others may be praised and I go unnoticed.” It's an important question, but a tough one to answer!

Maybe you...

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...

It's easy to fall into thinking in “once/then” terms when it comes to holiness. 

This kind of thinking can sound like "Once I figure out my vocation, then I can really pursue sanctity!" or "Once I get married, then I’ll get serious about my faith." or "Once the kids get older, then I’ll start praying more regularly." 

Thinking in this way reveals an underlying belief in an insidious lie though. The lie tells us that until our life circumstances...

Failure.

The word itself is enough to give some of us a mild panic attack.

Generally seen as something to avoid at all costs, the fear of failing (or of being considered a failure) is enough to paralyze us when faced with the decision of whether to take a risk or try something new.

Maybe you’ve experienced that stifling fear of failure.

It takes different forms and can result in preventing us from attempting to make forward progress. It can sound like:

What if it doesn’t work?
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A quick Google search on “Catholic guilt” results in all sorts of interesting (and many distasteful) articles and cartoons. 

Despite the fact this is largely unscientific data, I’d say it’s accurate to conclude that most people do not consider Catholic guilt a positive thing!

In one (crass) article highlighting the differences between Jewish and Catholic guilt, the writer quipped “The Jews set aside one day each year to atone for their sins. It’s...

God designed our humanity in such a way that even from the very first moment of our existence, we are dependent upon other people to survive.

As humans made in the image of a trinitarian God who is a communion of persons, we aren’t meant to go through life alone. We’re made for communion - with God and with others. Or to put it simply, we are made out of relationship and for relationship. 

However (as I’m sure you’ve noticed) we live in a fallen world. And that...

Excerpt from Being Human Podcast Episode #123: Fake Science and Real Compassion

Although I don’t watch TV often, I recently had some downtime (which also doesn't happen very often!) and decided I wanted to veg out a bit. While perusing through the streaming channels for documentaries, I thought it might be interesting to find a show that would teach me how “the other side” thinks. 

I landed on a talk show hosted by Jon Stewart (who I think it’s safe to say...

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...