If heaven is like a wedding banquet, then purgatory may be understood as preparation for a great celebration. It is not a dreary waiting room at the D.M.V., but a place of lively hope.
Joe Laramie, S.J.
Joe Laramie, S.J., is the national director of the Pope’s Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). He is the author of Love Him Ever More: a 9-Day Personal Retreat with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. Information and excerpts at JoeLaramieSJ.com.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Dear Pope Francis: Thank you for your words on the Sacred Heart
Pope Francis, your encyclical on the Sacred Heart, “Dilexit Nos,” is beautiful and heartwarming. And for Catholics in the United States, the timing was perfect.
Posted inFaith in Focus, Politics & Society
We’ve got two weeks until the election. Catholics, let’s ‘make a mess.’
The time is short: two weeks until this election. Can we change these candidates’ minds? I don’t know. Can faithful Catholics get their attention? Yes.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Eucharistic Diary: Holy chaos at the Eucharistic Congress
A nun with lightsabers. 100 priests hearing confession. Spontaneous song. Prayers over pizza. Toddlers at Mass. The Eucharistic Congress is chaotic, loud, fun—and glorious.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
The Eucharistic revival and Catholic diversity: Lessons from my two years preaching across the U.S.
As a national preacher for the National Eucharistic Revival, I’ve preached in sunbelt parishes, humble rural churches and suburban auditoriums. All of them have been filled with God’s grace.
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 inExplainer, Faith
Explainer: What’s the deal with Holy Days of Obligation?
Why do Catholics celebrate holy days of obligation? Should we?
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
7 tips to make running a spiritual discipline
Both running and our spiritual lives teach us to start small, embrace imperfection and recognize progress over time.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Pope Francis’ first major document holds the key to understanding the synod
I believe that the apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel” holds the key to understanding Pope Francis’ hopes for the synod. And that is why I’m hopeful about the synod.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
‘Where does Father live?’ We need to rethink housing for parish priests
The rectory is dead. Long live the rectory!