Catholics: Think twice before you bury poor St. Joseph upside down in your front lawn when trying to sell your house.
Faith in Focus
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Feel like you ‘failed’ Lent? God is still close to you.
Despite all my prayers and preparations, I struggled to commit to a single Lenten promise for 40 days. Does this mean I failed at Lent?
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
My daughter told me to give up criticizing myself for Lent. Thank God she did.
When my grown daughter let me know how my words had impacted her, I regretted every time I said something negative about my body, not realizing the harm I was imprinting on my perfectly made young girls.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Many teens feel forced into confirmation. We can still make Jesus real in their lives.
The sacrament of confirmation is the pathway to an adult faith life for young people. As their teachers, it is our job to help today’s confirmation class students meet and love Jesus and live his Gospel. But our job today poses unique challenges.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
How’s Lent Going? A 5th-grade class reports on their plans vs. reality
At the beginning of Lent, America asked a 5th-grade teacher to share what her students would be doing, or giving up, for Lent. Their responses reveal the joys and struggles of the Lenten season.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Why are most Catholics so bad at almsgiving?
One study showed Catholics donated the least amount of money of all denominations surveyed.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
A Lenten feast you’ve probably never heard of: Lazarus Saturday
For Orthodox Christians, Lazarus Saturday, with its brightly colored vestments, its relaxation of fasting and its little sweet-smelling pastries, is a joyful time.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Father James Martin: How I fell in love with Ireland
My trip was short but introduced me to faithful people, powerful history and a beautiful land.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
The best gift you can give Pope Francis on his 11th anniversary? Praying with (and for) him.
The pope’s monthly prayer intentions reflect the tension between the comfort and challenge of the Gospel. On March 13, the 11th anniversary of Francis’ papacy, there is no better gift than to pray with and for him.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
I find ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ hard to accept. Maybe that’s the point.
Amid all the wrestling with theology we do, maybe our job is also to notice what is being done to us. To behold the way God uses vexing things like conflict in the church to work on us, to purify us.