By
In many Eastern monastic communities, it is tradition for one monk to be tasked with going round to each of his fellow monks in their daily duties, stop them, look them in the eye, and say “Brother, we are going to die.” Far from being as morbid as it seems, this strange practice constantly refocuses […]
Memento Mori: Your New Halloween Playlist Read More »
By
The Feast of the Archangels is upon us, a time to reflect on these often mysterious messengers of God, and the help they never cease to provide to us in our spiritual struggle. While there are innumerable “bodiless powers” in heaven, the Church celebrates three in particular for the integral roles they have played throughout
9 Fascinating Facts About the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael Read More »
By
So you know your way around a Byzantine liturgy, but do you really know how things roll in the Eastern Orthodox Church?
How Well Do You Really Know the Eastern Orthodox Church? Read More »
By
When Katharine Drexel was born to a wealthy Philadelphia couple in 1858, it was expected that she would someday marry a suitably wealthy husband, inherit a slice of her father’s $400 million estate, and perhaps engage in some quiet and respectable philanthropy. Few could predict that she would become a religious sister; no one thought
5 Times St. Katharine Drexel Won Against Racism Read More »
By
From the patriarchy deliver us, O Lord. 1. When Judith broke bad for the good of the Jewish people The Jews were in a tight spot. The notoriously bloodthirsty Assyrians were invading led by the most notoriously bloodthirsty Assyrian, Holofernes, and no one had the stones to do anything about it. So your girl
6 Times The Saints Made Catholic Feminists Say “YAAAASSS” Read More »
By
Spiritual abuse is an unfortunate reality for millions of people of almost every religious affiliation. It is a source of deep spiritual, psychological, and even physical trauma that can cause a lifetime of distrust, pain, and turmoil. How can we, as Christians, respond to people who have been hurt when our religion has been used
What To Say to Victims of Spiritual Abuse Read More »
By
Saints like King Louis of France and King Edward the Confessor are well-known for their illustrious and holy reigns, and the Church celebrates its kingly saints with great fervor. However, the Church’s queen-saints were also pious and able rulers in their own right. They used their power to help the poor, spread the faith, and
5 Amazing Queen-Saints You Need To Know About Read More »
By
We’re often called “Christianity’s best kept secret.” Ask your average Western Christian of any denomination what they know about the Eastern Churches and they’re quite likely to say that they didn’t even know the Eastern Churches existed! Many Catholics want to learn more about their brothers and sisters in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic
5 Ways To Learn More About Byzantines and Eastern Orthodoxy Read More »
By
In 21st century America, the prospect of martyrdom is unthinkable for most Christians. We’re free to go to church, catechize our children, and practice our religion without fear of reprisal or violence. If we think about martyrdom at all, we usually think of the persecutions that countless Christians like St. Polycarp and St. Barbara suffered
“It Doesn’t Matter, They’re Christian”—The Coptic Orthodox Church’s New Martyrs Read More »
By
Big names like Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine of Hippo are go-tos if you want to do some spiritual and theological reading. But why not add some variety to your spiritual diet by turning to some heavy-hitters from the East? These Church Fathers haven’t quite made as big an impact in the Latin world as
5 Eastern Fathers You Need To Put On Your Reading List Read More »
By
It’s no secret that we do things a bit differently in the East. Our churches look (and smell) different, our hymns sound different, and our liturgical calendar has feast days that don’t even occur in the West. It only follows that our Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany traditions should differ too. Here’s how the Byzantines deck
The Christmas Experience Every Byzantine Understands Read More »
By
Which lung of the Church is your personality most like? Start playing and find out!
Are You More Western Catholic Or Eastern Catholic? Take this quiz and find out! Read More »
By
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” —Matthew 5:9 America is a dramatically more emotional place than it was the morning of November 8th. It has nothing to do with crime, war, or revolution, but rather peoples’ treatment of one another. Donald Trump is going to be the president, and
St. Francis and Peacemaking In Post-Election America Read More »
By
So, last time, I did Christendom a service by summarizing the long and often difficult books of the Old Testament in GIFs (I know. I’m so helpful. Please hold your applause til the end of the post). Now it’s time to complete your internets theology degree with the GIF versions of all the books of
Every Book of the New Testament Summed Up With GIFs Read More »
By
The Old Testament is famously hard to get through, even for scholars. All those laws, genealogies, census’, and some prophet or another flailing and yelling about fire and brimstone–it’s all very important to our faith, but fallen human nature being what it is, our attention lags when there aren’t lasers or explosions or inter-dimensional space
Gifs that PERFECTLY Summarize Every Book of the Old Testament Read More »
By
Recently, I found myself remarking that things in the Catholic blogosphere have been getting so bewilderingly toxic that I could literally post nothing but the text of the Nicene Creed and reasonably expect at least three people to reply something like “Just like a LIBERAL/CUCKSERVATIVE. Your AGENDA is RUINING the Church! !!” I was half-joking
10 Times The Desert Fathers Mastered the Comment Box Read More »
By
People think being a blogger is easy: you roll out of bed at whatever-thirty, crack open your laptop upon your pajama clad knees and hammer out whatever’s on your mind in between binge-watching BoJack and eating Nutella with a spoon. I mean, I’m not saying this isn’t accurate, but it’s far from easy. Here’s a little
The Life Of Every Catholic Blogger, Like.. Ever – In Gifs Read More »
By
1. You gon learn today https://www.tumblr.com/catholicmemes/82699226880/person-so-why-are-you-catholic-me-cracks 2. Ssssso wasssssted https://www.tumblr.com/otherfunnystuff/113745252979/go-home-snakes 3. I would be 1000% more into Church history if it was all presented in video game memes https://www.tumblr.com/heckyeahorderofpreachers/61594777277 4. lolsob https://www.tumblr.com/cometojoseph/139620519788/%E3%83%84 5. Brutal, bruh https://www.tumblr.com/hislittleflower-throughconcrete/50587641456 6. -sips tea- https://by-grace-of-god.tumblr.com/post/64542854778/courtesy-of-matt-fradd/embed 7. Night Tumblr needs Jesus https://runofthemillsocialist.tumblr.com/post/128811434833/me-especially-those-most-in-need-of-your/embed 8. Only
20 Times Catholic Tumblr Was Literally The Best Thing Read More »
By
Pope St. John Paul II knew what he was about when he said that the Church must “breathe with both lungs”, those “lungs” being the Eastern Rites and Roman Rites (y’all have more than one too, y’know). The Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church are in full communion with Rome, but our liturgical and theological
10 Frustrations Every Eastern Rite Catholic Understands Read More »
By
Unless you’ve been on retreat this summer, you’ve probably been witness to roving packs of people of all ages with their phones out, searching for Pikachus and Charmanders in parks, vacant lots, and even busy intersections. They’re all playing the wildly popular new Pokemon Go, a mobile game that uses GPS and emergent virtual reality
7 Hilarious and Accurate Ways the Saints Would React To Pokemon Go Read More »
