The best way I can describe the suffering from my divorce is it was like a heavy weight strapped to my back, combined with a gnawing ache in the pit of my stomach. It was always there. The only relief I would get was when I slept. Unfortunately, the second my eyes opened, the pain […]
The pain was very evident in her voice and on her face as Ellen described how, because of their emotional distress, her two youngest boys were actually pulling out their eyebrows. Ellen had gone through a bitter divorce three years earlier. She and her ex were still waging war daily for some reason or another. Most […]
I was recently at an arcade with my children when I encountered Sean, a young 12-year-old boy. He had approached my kids, who had nearly run out of money and tickets. They had been conspiring as to how to combine their ticket-earnings to redeem for a toy which would be pleasing to both when Sean […]
The Catholic Church is the source of Christ’s truth. While you may not always understand or agree with that truth, it is the truth nonetheless. Because it is of God, truth has by its very nature a healing and comforting aspect to it. Although sometimes difficult, the truth will always lead you to the right […]
Mercy is experienced when God, who is love itself, loves us. It is a great form of love because it is given to us even though we don’t deserve it. We don’t need to do anything to earn God’s love. He pours it out to us freely. The greatest example of God’s mercy is when He […]
“You’re getting warmer!” my sister yelled from the other side of the yard — my heart beating faster in gleeful anticipation. My siblings and I were engrossed in one of our favorite childhood games. We would hide something, and then the one who was “it” would have to find the object with the help of […]
At a recent Recovering from Divorce session, we were discussing the always popular topic of dating and intimacy as a divorced Catholic. There is always a yearning for clarity from the participants on this highly charged, and often controversial, topic. I was presenting the Church’s teaching on chastity when one of the participants blurted out, […]
“It had been more than fifteen years since I had been to confession.” Steve reluctantly revealed to the group during a Divorced Catholic session. He went on to tell us how he finally worked up the courage to get in line one day after Mass and go. It was a huge milestone for him. While […]
SPLASH! The cold water now drenching my running shoes yanked me back into reality. I was outside with my four-year-old son watching him play with water balloons. He was getting a big kick out of filling them up and throwing them at the brick wall of the house and the bed of my pick-up. Him […]
Often, I find myself asking our Lord to help me with a problem or to grant a certain outcome. I put all my trust in Him that He will grant my request. After all, I know that He loves me and wants what is best for me. Who better to know what is best for […]