National Eucharistic Revival - bread and wine wheat and grapes
Liturgy and Sacraments

Understanding the Eucharist as Part of God’s Plan

The Eucharistic Revival is a great opportunity for catechesis on the Eucharist, and one approach is to help families see the Eucharist as part of God’s plan. Too often, we Catholics receive our sacraments without a deeper understanding of how they connect with the overall narrative of salvation history: how God, throughout history, has continually rescued, restored, and reassured his people. Without this understanding, we run the risk of approaching the sacraments as something that […]

Pop-Up Prayer hosted by Joe Paprocki
Prayer/Guided Reflections

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Tom Quinlan

We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, Tom Quinlan talks about the need to create a disposition of receptivity when it comes to our personal prayer. Tom is Ministry Director at the St. Joseph Educational Center for the Diocese of Des Moines, IA, and the author of Excellence in Ministry. Be sure to check out the many […]

Pop-Up Prayer hosted by Joe Paprocki
Prayer/Guided Reflections

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest David O’Brien

We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, we learn from David O’Brien, Regional Director of Project LIFT, a non-profit organization that helps at-risk young people struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues. The former Director of Adult Education and Lay Ministry Formation Director for the Archdiocese of Mobile, David talks about the importance of teaching […]

Pop-Up Prayer hosted by Joe Paprocki
Prayer/Guided Reflections

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy, Director of the Office of Religious Education for the Diocese of Honolulu, talks about the need to stop, look, and listen when it comes to prayer. Jayne is the author of Cultivating Your Catechists: How to Recruit, Encourage, and Retain Successful Catechists. Be sure to check […]

raising of Lazarus - Elena Mertin/iStock/Getty Images
Scripture

Proclaiming the Miracles (the Mighty Deeds) of Jesus

When a company promotes a product, it goes to great lengths to convince us of what it can do for us. When candidates seek votes, they will provide long lists of accomplishments as proof that they can deliver. When we invite others to embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, we need to provide “evidence” of what Jesus has done, is doing, and can do for each of us. A crucial part of the […]

Pop-Up Prayer hosted by Joe Paprocki
Prayer/Guided Reflections

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Dr. Ansel Augustine

We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, Dr. Ansel Augustine, Director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, talks about the need to see prayer as both an ongoing conversation with the Lord and something for which we need to carve out time. Be sure to check out the […]

Pop-Up Prayer hosted by Joe Paprocki
Prayer/Guided Reflections

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Elsy Arévalo

Welcome to our new summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! We could all use some tips when it comes to prayer, especially during these very difficult and challenging times. In this episode, Elsy Arévalo, Instructor and Assistant Director of the Center for Religion and Spirituality at Loyola Marymount University, explains that prayer is not about us reaching out to God as […]

GRACE: Cultivate Radical Hospitality - text on green background next to cover of "Braving the Thin Places"
Spiritual Growth

Cultivating Radical Hospitality

As we continue our series delving into practices that can help us create a space for grace, let’s explore the concept of radical hospitality and receiving others as Christ would receive them. To do this, I want to share a few insights from my Irish background and culture that might be helpful. In general, the Irish are known for their effusive hospitality and the warmth of their welcome. Indeed, the Irish expression céad míle fáilte, […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Prayer/Guided Reflections

Pop-Up Catechesis: Speaking God’s Language Through Silence

When I was in high school, I remember being told by a Jesuit priest (one of my teachers) to listen for God in the silence. This was no easy task. First of all, it was not easy for me to find a quiet place in a home that I shared with my eight siblings! Second, when I did find some silence, I never heard God speaking to me. When I related this to the priest, […]

Parable of the Good Samaritan - TonyBaggett/iStock/Getty Images
Scripture

Teaching About the Nearness of God Through Jesus’ Parables

Jesus’ words reveal to us that we have direct access to a God who is neither remote nor distant, but present. Jesus told parables that present an image of God as one who is relentlessly searching us out and as one who takes great joy in our return to his arms. Our God is accessible, not aloof, withdrawn, or reserved. God is in pursuit of us and will not be satisfied until he has drawn […]