My formal, reserved church could take a cue from those who pray with raw urgency.
Faith in Focus
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When is it O.K. to joke about God?
I have more or less settled on the idea that we’re meant to speak to God in our native tongues, and if that means humor, then that’s legitimate. But it’s important for there to be a line.
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Catholic dating is already hard. Then Covid-19 hit.
Dating as a young-adult Catholic in non-pandemic times was hard. Covid-19 isolation made it harder. It also gave me a new perspective.
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What is your spiritual love language?
Knowing your spiritual love language can help you better understand how you show and experience love for the divine in your daily life.
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5 signs you are hearing God’s voice (and not your ego) in prayer
Not every word or phrase that pops into your head while you are praying is coming from God. But occasionally, we are free enough that God enters our consciousness with words or phrases that startle in their immediacy.
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Yes, the church needs to listen to former Catholics—and not just with an agenda of winning them back.
Is the church really interested in listening and learning from former Catholics? Or is it only “listening” to get them to come back to Catholicism?
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My white mom’s marriage to a Black man outraged my grandma. But she learned to love us.
My little family is living proof of the fact that change is possible. My grandparents went from fury to admiration of my parents’ love, and from shame to pride in their mixed race grandchildren.
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Fewer kids go to Catholic school today—but there’s reason for hope.
Enrollment in Catholic schools is at its lowest point in 50 years. But there are also reasons to hope that Catholic schools still have a vibrant future.
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Five spiritual tips to help you avoid pandemic despair
The pandemic is a terrible reality, but it is not hopeless. James Martin, S.J., offers a few tips drawn from Christian spirituality that have helped him avoid despair.
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When this historic Black Catholic parish was closed, its tight-knit community fought back—and won.
St. Adalbert’s-O.L.B.S. was the first Black Catholic parish in Cleveland, and we drove eight hours from New York City to Fairfax to make a short documentary on their history and rootedness. That was “the plan.”