Spiritual Experience & Disciplines Archives

Holiness and the giving of ourselves thoughtfully and recklessly

November 1, 2024

“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?” –Luke 14:27-28 The idea of

The Domestic and Eucharistic Answer to the Beauty Crisis

October 28, 2024

After the front door of a home opens, both guest and resident step forward to cross a literal and metaphorical threshold between the outside world and protective sanctuary of a home. The room that serves as the landing place is known as an entry. Regardless

The Sacred Heart and the Eucharistic Revival

June 5, 2024

Editor’s Note: Father Roger Landry is making a 65-day pilgrimage on the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (eastern) Route to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. He filed this column from New Oxford, Pennsylvania. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is always a jubilant

The Rosary Draws Us Close to Jesus Christ Our Healer

May 4, 2024

Does anyone sit back after 15 minutes of scrolling, give a peaceful sigh, and say, “Now that’s what I needed! I’m in a much better place now?” The world is filled with bad news, and, while it’s responsible enough to stay abreast of what’s going on,

‘To find your people’ – How Catholics are building intentional communities

May 4, 2024

St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit is a thriving parish. Just minutes from the center of downtown Detroit, the stunning, historic church boasts a burgeoning congregation and a thriving parish life, with events including processions, galas, and a weekend-long Oktoberfest that includes a stein-holding competition and

Piety and Virtue

April 30, 2024

I should pray more. And I definitely need to be a better person. Since I am now a Catholic, I believe there is an important relationship between prayer and becoming a better person. But as a Catholic, I don’t believe that becoming a better person

Seizing the Day the Christian Way

April 30, 2024

Is “seizing the day” the solution to our modern maladies, to the anxieties that we feel? We can see that there is a way of being attentive to the present moment, of carrying out the precise task demanded of us at all times, which is

“Suffering has the power to transform us to be like Christ…”

April 22, 2024

All of us suffer. We live in a fallen world, and suffering is simply a part of life. This suffering can take many forms, and we are all affected differently by it. But why do we suffer at all? How are we to understand suffering?

The Lord Loves Us in Our Weaknesses

April 19, 2024

For 7 years, I have lived with a chronic medical condition called bile reflux disease. My gall bladder stopped working, and I had it removed in 2017. Unlike many people who have their gall bladder removed, my issues worsened rather than getting better. The medications

What Does It Mean to “Fast” for the Saints?

April 19, 2024

In general, the modern era neglects the practice of honoring excellent people. We idolize the famous and popular and leave the admirable, the truly excellent, to the teachers and textbooks. But we ought to honor the excellent. Why? Because it is part of the virtue