The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics

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An Unlikely Advent Meditation Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

Advent brings forth this image of the perfect family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) that few of us can relate to, but we forget the the family tree of the Holy Family is actually pretty messy.

If you go back in Scripture, there is a lot of sin and suffering in the lineage of Christ on earth. But God can use our broken family stories to bring about his salvation.

In this Advent season, let us pray and hope and invite Emmanuel into our lives.

Snippet from the Show
“The God who saved us through the blood of his son is not unaware of how terrible the reign of sin and suffering and death is. God is breaking into the brokenness of our family situations, into the mess of the Church.”

3 Ways to Practice Gratitude Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

We know we should “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) but what does that look like from day-to-day? It’s one thing to practice gratitude one day a year, but let’s carry this practice in our families, workplaces, and communities.

Here are three ways to get in the habit of thanksgiving:

Conversational gratitude - talk to others about what you’re thankful for every week. A good way to do this is by talking about the highs and lows you’ve had throughout the week. You can also get in the habit of singling out one person everyday and sincerely thank them for being a gift.
Interior gratitude - cultivate an interior practice of thankfulness everyday, especially when it comes to hardships and challenges, because God gives us everything for a purpose—to sanctify our souls.
Eucharistic gratitude - “eucharist” literally means “thank offering.” Offer up your gratitude to God at each and every sacrifice of the Mass.

Snippet from the Show
“As soon as an intentional practice of gratitude becomes a prayer, it becomes apparent to us that our very existence is a gift, that we are loved, and that everything we are going through is an opportunity to be more united with Christ.”

Jesus is King with St. José Luis Sánchez del Río and Blessed Miguel Pro Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

The title of Jesus as Christ the King has been at the forefront lately with the release of Kanye’s album, Jesus is King. But Kanye isn’t the first to proclaim the kingship of Jesus. As we look forward to celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King this Sunday, let’s take a look at a couple of great martyrs who offered their lives up for Jesus Christ: St. José Luis Sánchez del Río and Blessed Miguel Pro.

St. José Luis Sánchez del Río was a fourteen-year-old boy who was tortured because he proclaimed Christ to be King. They told him they would stop and let him go if he would just deny Christ, but he refused, even unto death.

Blessed Miguel was a Jesuit priest who operated in secret and refused to stop offering the sacraments to his flock. He was caught and executed while crying out, “Viva Cristo Rey!” or “Long live Christ the King!”

This Sunday, remember those who so believed in Christ the King that they offered up their very lives for the sake of his kingdom.

Snippet from the Show
“Proclaiming Jesus to be the king of our lives and our hearts means that our salvation, our power, and our strength come from him.”

Tech, Parenthood, and TikTok Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

It’s difficult to protect our kids from everything online, but there’s a simple thing you can do that can have an impact: check their phones.

This will 1.) reinforce the fact that nothing posted online is anonymous and 2.) give them an excuse to opt out of questionable sites and behaviors because they know their parents will be periodically checking up on them.

This goes for apps like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and even gaming platforms. Just having eyes on what your kids are up to on their phones can have a big impact on their online habits.

Snippet from the Show
“What happens online is not anonymous.”

Principles to Make “The Talk” Less Awkward Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

Many of us are familiar with “The Talk”—the extremely awkward conversation you had with your parents where they vaguely referred to birds and bees and flowers and everyone avoided eye contact.

It doesn’t have to be that way!

By rooting “The Talk” in JPII’s Theology of the Body, we can hopefully change the conversation to be less about sex, and more about the beauty of God’s plan for men and women.

More than a single conversation. Don’t wait until your kid is in high school to begin talking about this. There are ways to talk about the goodness of the body and marital love in age-appropriate ways.
Call it like it is. Refer to body parts by their actual name. Let them know that these things are not bad things, they are private things, deserving of respect.
Reinforce that the body is a good. What we do with our bodies is how we express love. Sex is an extension of what we are and who we are. We were made for love, and union, and sex gives us the opportunity to partake in the creative power of God. That is a very good thing.
Pay attention to the questions. If your kids have questions, and don’t get satisfactory answers from you, they will look elsewhere.
Be aware of your own views and past experiences of sex. If you have been hurt in this area, acknowledge your brokenness and seek healing and help.
Seek advice when needed. Talk to other parents about how they approach this topic. You may find support and ideas that would be helpful.

All Saints and All Souls Day: Our Reminder to Keep Striving Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

The body of Christ stretches throughout time and space, and the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls Day remind us of that supernatural reality.

One of the ways we know the saints are in heaven is because of their good work on earth. On All Saints Day, we praise God for the example of the saints and we ask them to intercede for the souls on earth and in purgatory.

On All Souls Day, we pray for the “saints-in-waiting”—the souls who are in purgatory. These souls wait to behold the face of God, but the pain they experience in purgatory is productive, perfecting them and preparing them to meet their creator.

Those of us on earth who hope to be saints deal with difficulty each day, but there is nothing we go through that is wasted suffering. Our striving on earth can be offered for our salvation and for the salvation of those suffering in purgatory.

Let’s all strive to be saints. Let’s offer everything we experience in union with the Mass so we can become the saints we were created to be. And if you think you can’t be a saint, remember: your mess is not more powerful than the power of the death and resurrection of Christ.

Snippet from the Show:
“There is only one tragedy in the end, not to have been a saint.” -Leon Bloy

Christ the Redeemer: Center of Your Universe? Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

Reflecting on Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptor Hominis, Colin reminds us that Christ the redeemer is the center of the entire universe and all of human history.

But is he the center of your own personal universe and your own personal history?

As Catholics, we need to re-situate Jesus Christ as the center of our reality. Everything we do, say and believe should orbit around him.

The devil is looking to sidetrack us and lead us to focus on anything other than Christ the redeemer. For Catholics, it might be Church politics, our families, our work— even a specific spiritual practice— but if we place any of these at our center, we need to re-calibrate our lives and put Christ back in his rightful place. Only when our lives are reordered around him will we be fully redeemed.

_ Snippet from the Show:_

Christ the Redeemer is the center of the entire universe and of human history, but is he the center of your universe?

Our Prophetic Calling: Afflicting the Comforted Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

If you were baptized, you are called to be a prophet. That doesn’t mean that you’ll be predicting the Second Coming, but you are called to speak the truth with clarity and charity. This means comforting the afflicted, and afflicting the comforted.

Comforting the afflicted often mean reassuring people of God’s love for them, and his plan for their life. Afflicting the comforted often means speaking harsh truths that people don’t want to hear.

3 Steps to Afflicting the Comforted

Make sure you’re actually speaking the truth of God, and not just your personal opinion.
Be willing to be rejected and even ridiculed.
Be genuinely charitable.

Snippet from the Show
“A prophet doesn’t speak their own words, they listen to the Word of God and then speak it with clarity and charity.”

To What Shall I Compare the Kingdom of God? Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

Jesus used parables to explain the Kingdom of God to his disciples to help them understand supernatural truths by relating them to everyday occurrences. So what would a modern-day parable look like?

Maybe it would involve a backpack, lost in a field, that is finally restored after much searching and anxiety. Perhaps there is more joy in finding one lost backpack than in having 99 at hand.

Snippet from the Show
“When Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God, he used familiar things.”

St. Thérèse: A Little Way to Wellness Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Isn’t it funny how the things that we consider good for us are also in line with Church teaching? Trendy wellness practices like daily gratitude, fasting, and meditation are all things great Catholic saints have been doing for centuries.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s Little Way is a great example. By focusing on heaven, St. Thérèse was able to radiate joy in this life.

Here are three good practices for wellness and heaven from St. Thérèse.

Gratitude - not just gratitude for the good things in life, but also for our suffering.
Acts of love - looking for opportunities to serve others throughout the day, no matter how small.
Building up others - going out of our way to seek the company of those who are on the margins.

Snippet from the Show
“Those who live for heaven are far more joyful than those who are looking for satisfaction here on earth.”