Tag: Aleteia
21 Regrets people confess on their deathbeds
Some of these seem all too familiar… We’ve all heard the old saying that “People on their deathbeds don’t say, ‘I wish I’d spent more time at work…’” More often, people’s regrets are truly about “what I have done, and what I have failed to do.” A Spanish priest, Father Nelson, has listed the sort… Read More ›
Ever heard of the Orthodox rosary called a “komboskini” or “prayer rope”?
Tradition attributes to St. Pachomius the invention of the prayer rope (a loop, usually made either of virgin wool — symbol of the purity of the Lamb of God — or of silk threads, braided with knots) back in the 4th century, making this devotional accessory as old as monasticism itself. When monks and anchorites began to… Read More ›
Seven Tips for a good confession, from a saint and spiritual guide
St. Francis de Sales wants you to get to the heart of your sins. Saying “I have not loved God as I ought” is not enough. “My child, never allow your heart to abide heavy with sin, seeing that there is so sure and safe a remedy at hand.” This is the advice of St…. Read More ›
3 Tips to help you get through spiritual desolation
For those times when it seems as if God doesn’t fully see you, hear you, or love you I grew up thinking that a relationship with God was a transaction: I gave God very minimal amounts of my time and prayer, and I was supposed to “get” something from Him. I assumed I would get… Read More ›
Hope, wishful thinking and presumption — what’s the difference?
Learning to live with true Christian hope “‘Hope!’ What a waste of energy!” No easy “greeting-cards cheerfulness” for that bitter old man. I admired that part of him. But his hopelessness? Not so much. Granted, he had earned his claim to bitterness. Life had been hard on him. His hopelessness frightened me, because I suspected… Read More ›
The difficult art of being present
How often do we miss the genuine encounter — with God and with others — because we don’t know how to be still? One year ago, when Pope Francis paid a weeklong visit to the United States, a telling photograph made the rounds on social media. The picture, for once, was not of the joyful… Read More ›
My prayers are so distracted! Are they worth anything?
Believe it or not, it was St. Thomas Aquinas who taught me not to lose hope when I lose my train of thought Do you know how many times I’ve opened my Bible or a spiritual reading book only to momentarily be summoned back into family life? Then when I do manage to escape the… Read More ›
Guilt — It’s a good thing!
It’s the spiritual equivalent of physical pain: it tells us when something is wrong. I watched far too much Comedy Central growing up, but I learned two important lessons from it: 1) you don’t have to be especially funny to get on TV, and 2) an awful lot of stand-up comedians are lapsed Catholics. And… Read More ›
The Real Story Behind the Church’s Tradition of Blessing Throats
Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. —Prayer from the the Blessing of the Throats Years ago a priest told me that when… Read More ›
Five Warning signs of a toxic faith
I know quite a few people who have been taken aback by the way Pope Francis challenges everyday Catholics along with priests, religious, and the hierarchy. It seems unfair when we compare what seem like harsh challenges with the tender way he reaches out to those on the fringes of the Church. Although it can… Read More ›