Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest, writer, theologian, and teacher (who taught at esteemed institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School), wrote the following: The word community has many connotations, some positive, some negative. Community can make us think of a safe togetherness, shared meals, common goals, and [...]
It was a hot August day. In a few days, I’d be moving over an hour away from the town I grew up in so as to begin a new teaching job. Trying to eke out every last minute of summer and the close proximity to my friends, I texted Julia, “hey, are you around?” [...]
We’re all called to forgive people, regardless of whether or not they’ve apologized sincerely, or even at all. When someone hurts me, a sincere apology goes a long way. It tends to melt my heart quickly, expeditating my ability to forgive that person. And yet *sigh,* when it comes time for me to apologize to [...]
“People are scheduling hookups now,” one teen exclaimed, “Literally, using Tinder to find someone to hook up with and then seeing when it will fit into each other’s agendas. That just seems so awful and awkward. I don’t get it.” “It seems like sex before marriage is becoming more and more widely accepted, people seem [...]
"And they fell in love and lived happily ever after.” Go ahead, roll your eyes. But deep down — guys and girls alike — isn’t this the moment we’re all waiting for, the moment we’re all hoping for? Don’t we want to believe that true love is possible? Don’t we long for deep, meaningful relationships?Today’s [...]
In a world of digital technology and modern medicine, the Middle Ages may seem irrelevant. However, in reading St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Hildegard of Bingen, we see that their mystical theology, which is closely linked to love, can lead one to a greater understanding the sacrament of marriage. Contrary to the hookup culture [...]
dis-cern-ment: (noun) a decision-making process that determines and honors God's will for one's lifean 11 letter word that, when spoken in the Catholic realm, often invokes a series of questions and a plethora of promised prayers For many years, I've desired marriage, motherhood. But as I've grown in my knowledge of the faith I've had [...]
It was days before Christmas, the church was filled with poinsettias and Christmas trees, an array of white candles were placed before the altar, the nativity scene glowed serenely in the distance. I was surrounded by beauty, but rather than marveling at it, I knelt before the tabernacle and sobbed. My boyfriend and I had [...]
