Category: The Catholic Family

Intentional Dementia
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Intentional Dementia

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by on Aug 01, 2013 in Disability, Sickness & Suffering, Featured, Health & Fitness
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During Mother’s last few months, conversations were extremely difficult to follow because her mind seamlessly switched from one decade to another. Isaac Singer writes, “Sometimes she’d tangle one story with another and couldn’t find her way out” (In My Father’s Court). Within one statement, she would toggle between viewing me as a teenager in the […]

Empowering Our Youth to Make a "Mess"
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Empowering Our Youth to Make a “Mess”

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by on Jul 31, 2013 in Featured, Live in Christ, Parenting
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In one of his World Youth Days homilies, Pope Francis told the throng of enthusiastic young adults that he wants “a mess”. “I want trouble in the dioceses!” he exclaimed. The participants embraced his words, reacting with the customary jubilation we have come to expect every time the Holy Father addresses the crowds. The Holy […]

Church Interior
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Inviting Others to Come Home

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by on Jul 30, 2013 in Featured, Live in Christ, Men
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One day last summer, I received an email message from Nick, a man who works for the same company as me. I know him a little. I knew his wife, Michelle, better since she trained me in my job before she had her first baby and chose to be a stay-at-home mom. Nick had great news. […]

Calling the Case for Early Marriage into Question
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Calling the Case for Early Marriage into Question

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by on Jul 29, 2013 in Dating & Singles, Featured
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I crack me up as I car-shop. I crack me up because I like the coupe but I think the sedan is smarter. This is because my current car has been my car for 10 years, which implies my next car could be my car for 10 years, too. If it is, I imagine (hope, […]

Spoiled Children are Spoiling the Summer
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Spoiled Children are Spoiling the Summer

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by on Jul 26, 2013 in Columnists, Featured, Parenting
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Q. It’s the dog days of summer and I’m out of ideas to entertain my kids. For the past week, I feel like all I do is open my wallet and shell out more money to keep them from complaining. They are bored and plugged into electronics all day. My suggestions for things to do […]

Mother-in-Law Words of Wisdom
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Mother-in-Law Words of Wisdom

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by on Jul 26, 2013 in Columnists, Featured, On Media, Parenting
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I love Marie Barone in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.  Sure she’s a bit meddlesome. Admittedly she’s even a tad overbearing. Maybe she’s even off-putting to some. But her motivation is pure. She’s committed to her family. She really never puts herself first—even if we are led to believe that she does. If we are […]

The Best Parenting Advice
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The Best Parenting Advice

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by on Jul 25, 2013 in Featured, Parenting
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When you care a lot about your vocation as parent, you think carefully about many of the choices you make: how to discipline, how to educate, how to feed them, keep them healthy, celebrate holidays, lead them in faith…. Big choices and little choices but most of them deliberate, though not always perfect. The problem […]

Breaking Silence: Catholics, Contraception, and Same-Sex Marriage
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Breaking Silence: Catholics, Contraception, and Same-Sex Marriage

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by on Jul 24, 2013 in Contraception & Abortion, Featured, Marriage, The Homosexual Agenda
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As the dust settles on the Supreme Court’s marriage rulings, Catholics and other defenders of traditional marriage have stepped forward with new energy and comprehensive strategies to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. On Redstate.com, Ryan T. Anderson sees the dissenting opinions of Supreme Court Justices Alito, Roberts, and Scalia in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) ruling […]

Big-Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families
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Big-Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families

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by on Jul 24, 2013 in Featured, On Books, Parenting
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Patti Maguire Armstrong and Theresa Thomas, who previously paired up to write and compile the wonderful “Stories for the Homeschool Heart,” have now come together to create Big-Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families (Scepter Publishers, 2013). What makes a family big-hearted? It is a spirit of generosity with a focus on putting God first. “The […]

Peter's Story
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Peter’s Story

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by on Jul 23, 2013 in Disability, Sickness & Suffering, Featured, Health & Fitness, Those in Need
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When I was 19 weeks pregnant, an ultrasound of my baby revealed markers for a condition called trisomy 18. We were offered amniocentesis, which we refused because we didn’t want to risk hurting our baby. We were told we would have more choices if we knew for sure. We said we would never abort our […]

The Window Fans
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The Window Fans

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by on Jul 23, 2013 in Featured, Humor, The Catholic Family
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Even on the hottest nights of the summer, my father knew how to make our house ice cold. We lived in a modest two-story home typical of the ’60s and ’70s — red brick on the bottom, white aluminum siding on the top. There were four bedrooms upstairs and a master bedroom downstairs (my parent’s […]

The Beauty of Worn Rings
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The Beauty of Worn Rings

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by on Jul 23, 2013 in Featured, Live in Christ, Marriage
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One Saturday not long ago, I was sitting in my living-room and Colin, my 5-year-old grandson, was on my lap. I don’t remember what we were doing — watching “Peppa Pig” on TV or reading a Dr. Seuss book or playing out another episode of “Good Guys vs. Bad Guys,” I’m sure. Colin grabbed my […]

Why Do We Homeschool?
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Why Do We Homeschool?

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by on Jul 22, 2013 in Education, Featured
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“Why do we homeschool?” Often when we begin homeschooling there is something that prompted us to begin. It may have been a child struggling with school, a negative socializing experience, or any number of issues. Once the mom begins, she may feel conflicted that her children will miss out on some great academic experience. She […]

My Slogan: "Practice Saved Sex!"
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My Slogan: “Practice Saved Sex!”

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by on Jul 21, 2013 in Contraception & Abortion, Featured, Marriage
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NFP Week is July 21 – 27, 2013 I am a journalist and a convert. That sounds like an oxymoron. Two years after joining the Catholic Church, my wife and I began practicing Natural Family Planning (NFP). I found that the chastity required to get through the periods of abstinence caused profound changes in me. […]

Are You Dating a Terrorist?
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Are You Dating a Terrorist?

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by on Jul 20, 2013 in Dating & Singles, Featured
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In today’s troubled world, we sadly have the word “terrorist” presented to us on a regular basis.  When we hear that word, our thoughts are immediately drawn to those who perform public acts of violence and destruction with an intent to kill people. Did you ever give any thought to the possibility that the person […]

Sex Ed: Parents, It’s Your Job and You Can Do It
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Sex Ed: Parents, It’s Your Job and You Can Do It

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by on Jul 19, 2013 in Featured, Parenting
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“I just don’t even want to talk about it.” A mom confided she’d buried her head in the sand.  Yes, her daughter could reasonably expect her period sometime in the next few years.  But Mom just wasn’t ready yet. Moms and Dads: We have to get ready.  It is our job to teach our children […]

Dinner Bells and Other Lost Sounds of Summer
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Dinner Bells and Other Lost Sounds of Summer

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by on Jul 18, 2013 in Featured, Humor, The Catholic Family
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I long for the sounds of summer I knew as a kid. In the ’60s and ’70s, you see, most of our neighbors kept their windows open day and night, allowing the outside sounds to come in and the inside sounds to go out. I woke every morning to the birds chirping outside my window […]

If At First . . .
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If At First . . .

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by on Jul 18, 2013 in Featured, Live in Christ, Parenting
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We tried.  Our cat….the one I have dubbed “Cat’…is indispensable and obviously knows it.  Our son found ‘Cat’ outside his apartment a few years back and called to see if we could give her a home.  He named her ‘Sheba’–but I’ve never quite settled into that name, so for me she remains – ‘Cat.’ I’m […]

Gay Friend Offers Teachable Moment
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Gay Friend Offers Teachable Moment

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by on Jul 17, 2013 in Columnists, Featured, Live in Christ, Parenting
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Q: Recently, a boy at my daughter’s Christian high school revealed to his lunch table buddies that he is gay. The group was caught off guard, but not surprised. After a few days, the novelty of this news wore off and the general feeling on the part of the kids is, “Whatever.” In short, it’s clear […]

God and Parenting Woes
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God and Parenting Woes

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by on Jul 17, 2013 in Featured, Parenting
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Remember when you had all the answers about parenting—in other words, when you were single? Then you got married, conceived your first child, and were instantly unsure of yourself. You decided you must consult the experts. At least, that’s what happened to me. I spent my first pregnancy reading Dr. Sears and Greg and Lisa […]

Pro-Life Things You Should Start Doing Today
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Pro-Life Things You Should Start Doing Today

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by on Jul 16, 2013 in Contraception & Abortion, Featured, Women
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For the last week or so, thousands of people in blue have flocked to Austin to show their support for the unborn among us and their mothers.  Thousands of marchers have shown up from places all over the state to speak out for the voiceless. I love their passion and admire their dedication.  I keep […]

Do You Feel Worthy of God's Love?
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Do You Feel Worthy of God’s Love?

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by on Jul 15, 2013 in Featured, Live in Christ, On Books, Women
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Do you see yourself as worthy of God’s love? Many women don’t. Due to sin, disappointments in life, and voices in the outside world, Satan is often able to convince women that they have lost God’s love and these women in turn give up hope. “Satan wants nothing more for us than for us to […]

Can't Pray? Jump Out of a Plane
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Can’t Pray? Jump Out of a Plane

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by on Jul 13, 2013 in Featured, Live in Christ, Men
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I went through an extended period last year during which I had difficulty praying. The stretch lasted many weeks in which I couldn’t find the words to speak to God as I usually did, couldn’t sit silently in His presence as I usually did because I wasn’t certain He was there and struggled simply to say the […]

Bad Breath: A Simple Gift Simply Returned
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Bad Breath: A Simple Gift Simply Returned

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by on Jul 12, 2013 in Featured, Marriage
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“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  (Colossians 3:13) There is no Scripture verse that reads, “Fret not thyself because of morning breath; thy husband knoweth and doth also have it.” Too bad. For at least a month after our wedding, in […]