"Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope"- 1 Peter 3:15
Fasting is a touchy subject for me. As a devout Catholic, I can see the fruit of fasting. I know it is good for spiritual growth, a strong form of prayer, and is pleasing to God. At the same time, it can be a challenge for me because what I eat is extremely important for …
When I was a freshman in college, one of the women in my dorm invited me to a Bible study. It was the first time I had ever participated in a Bible study. What I remember most is feeling completely inadequate. There I sat in the grass with my “Extreme Faith” Bible and essentially zero knowledge …
On paper, our friendship seems fairly improbable. They are queer witches. I’m a Catholic who fully embraces Church teaching. There are obvious differences in what we believe, and several of our beliefs and identities would put us at odds with each other. After spending hours talking with them during a visit, my heart was so …
The other day, I got into a discussion about whether or not Jesus would have been pro-choice. Yes, really. The conversation quickly turned into a discussion about suffering. I totally get that the existence of suffering is a huge hindrance for the faithful. I know that it can often be the breaking point for people …
When I go on retreats or to religious conferences, I have the bad habit of packing way too many books. With my trip to a Steubenville conference as a chaperone, I was determined to only pack one book besides my Bible. However, on a Saturday, I was blessed with some unexpected free-time and decided to …
Over the last couple of days, I’ve been diving into some great Sterling Jaquith books. I’m excited to share my reviews of both books in this post. Not of This World: A Catholic Guide to Minimalism Ben has been talking to me about minimalism for a while. We’ve had some interesting conversations, but there was …
There are three reasons I am thrilled to share today’s post with you. It is the first guest post I’ve had on Stumbling Toward Sainthood. My ultimate goal behind this blog is to help others grow in holiness by finding someone with whom they can relate as they struggle to live their faith. Hosting a …
We live in a frightening time. A culture of death targets people based on what they contribute rather than their inherent human dignity, resulting in abortion and euthanasia. The amount of people addicted to porn is wild. Drugs and alcohol are presented as answers to deep emotional and/or spiritual pain. The government is thwarting its responsibility to …
Something new to me is how intentional Catholics are about the marking of time. Obviously, every part of our lives should be oriented toward serving God, but the Catholic Church provides very tangible ways. From prayers at certain times of the day to Liturgical seasons, there are so many beautiful ways to observe the passage …
Abby Johnson is a great model of how the pro-life movement should be. 2023 note: Though I really admired Abby Johnson and her pro-life efforts when I initially wrote this post, over the last few years, she has demonstrated a number of concerning behaviors that negatively represent the pro-life movement. I made some edits in …