Becoming a mountain-climber is not a one-time event. You don’t just “go climb a mountain” without ever having done it before. It takes knowledge, hours of practice, patience and perseverance. It’s hard work! But what compels a man to climb a mountain? If he’s never been...
Can you imagine the Church today without the influence of one of the greatest priest-saints of the 19th century, St. John Vianney? It easily could have happened. The world could have been completely unaware of the existence of the man named Jean Marie Vianney, if he...
We live in an age when life moves fast, information comes nonstop, and sometimes it may seem the best way to deal with millions of options is not to lock into any of them. That’s the consensus of a number of studies on fear of commitment,...
Many saints struggled with temptations; some even led very sinful lives prior to their conversions. As St. Paul said, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Rom 7:15). What does this tell us about holiness? We become holy...
We hear a lot about how important prayer is in the Christian life, and especially when discerning one’s vocation. It’s the the essential way we connect with God. So it’s obvious that prayer is important — but maybe it’s less obvious what prayer actually is. Understanding prayer...
Take a moment to consider some big questions: Did God make you for a definite purpose? Or can you be happy choosing any number of courses for your life? If God already knows your future, do you really have free will? If you were ordained a priest, would...
Celibacy isn't just about "not having sex." There's an aspect of celibacy that is more important for a man to consider when discerning the priesthood: the inclination to natural fatherhood. Healthy men usually have a natural inclination to want children. They are, after all, one of...
There are lots of charming Catholic women who want to get married to a good Catholic man. The problem is, when a man feels called to marriage, all these women go into hiding. But when a young man begins to discern a vocation to the...
Ask most seminarians, and they can remember the precise moment when they told their parents they felt called to the priesthood. Some received overwhelming support right away. Some encountered raised eyebrows. And some found themselves having to defend their decision against Mom or Dad's vehement opposition. Once...
“How I long for a poor Church for the poor!” Pope Francis voiced this urgent desire shortly after his election, and much of his papacy has been devoted to encouraging the Church to live Christian poverty. But what exactly is Christian poverty? The Holy Father questioned...