An unexamined and rigid view of sin does not bring us closer to God.
We’ve got the wrong idea about sin
U.S. CatholicAuthor: Teresa Coda
Don’t let comparison steal your joy
U.S. Catholic
Comparison is toxic. God lives in moments of bliss and misery.
This Jewish Blessing for Special Occasions Is Great for Catholics, Too
Busted Halo
As a Catholic, I embrace the idea that God exists within the context of my everyday life, and I welcome the Shehecheyanu as a verbal manifestation of that idea. It helps me put words behind my feelings of joy and gratitude, and moves me to verbally recognize God’s abundant blessings in the everyday moments of life. As I continue on in this year, I have a feeling that I’ll be saying the Shehecheyanu a lot more.
Is smoking marijuana a sin?
U.S. Catholic
Q: It’s now legal to use marijuana recreationally in my state. Would it be a sin if I partook in this?
Pie-Chart Progress: A Fun Visual That I’m Using for Self-Improvement
Amendo
Becoming better versions of ourselves — learning more, growing kinder and stronger, expanding our perspectives — is hard work that takes introspection, honesty and discipline. Pie charts are a fun way to guide yourself on the journey…and to make it a little more colorful along the way!
We haven’t baptized our pandemic baby yet. It’s fine.
U.S. Catholic
There are moments when I wonder if I’m trying too hard to control the circumstances of my daughter’s baptism, if—with both a nagging perfectionism and an air of hubris—I’m trying to micromanage the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps I am. Then again, Jesus turned water to wine during the wedding at Cana even though everyone would have survived without it. A crass utilitarian he was not. He did the unnecessary—the extra—in favor of celebration and delight. If the Son of God himself wasn’t a “check the box and be done with it” kind of guy, then, well, I don’t have to be either. I’m holding out for my daughter’s baptism with patient hope and joyful anticipation.
Ask an Apostle: My priest says limbo is real
U.S. CatholicQ: My priest keeps talking about limbo and purgatory. Don’t such teachings fall into the discarded stuff after Vatican II? How should I address this with him?
Finding Peace in Ambiguity: Learning to Flourish in Life’s Gray Areas
Amendo
I had the thought a year or two ago to ask a mentor of mine, who works in a position that involves frequent interviewing and hiring for various level positions, about the number-one quality that she looks for in applicants.
Her answer was quick and clear: a tolerance for ambiguity. She went on to explain how rare it is that answers are straightforward, next steps are clear, and making decisions is easy. Instead, the people with whom she works need to be not only comfortable with grey areas, but able to flourish within them.
As she described this quality, I found myself both agreeing with its value for all sorts of jobs and circumstances, and determining that it was a quality I wanted to prioritize cultivating.
The Words of Wisdom That Got Me Through This Year: It Was Never Going To Be Easy
Amendo
Often, my approach to challenging phases of life is to grit my teeth and shoulder through the difficulties while repeating the mantra “there’s no way out but through.” But this year, I found that a different aphorism — one that just popped into my head one day, like a missive from the universe — helped me deal with my pandemic-related struggles: “It was never going to be easy.”
Ask an Apostle: My son won’t baptize my grandson
U.S. CatholicQ: My son is not living up to his responsibilities raising my 6-year-old grandson in the faith. He starts first grade in the fall and hasn’t been enrolled in CCD. My son is Catholic but only goes to Mass when I visit, and the last couple of times I was visiting we brought my grandson with us to Mass. My daughter-in-law is also Catholic but hasn’t practiced since high school. What can I do? I am concerned about my grandson not being raised in the faith.
—Concerned Grandparent
Teresa Coda 