In her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul", St. Thérèse of Lisieux describes an inner struggle that many of us can relate to. As she describes it, she was oversensitive, overly dependent on other people’s opinions of her, and convinced that her happiness was dependent on her ability to please others. More »

Scripture tells us that certain people were filled with great expectation when Jesus was about to be born. Both Mary and Joseph knew this child was very special. Anna and Simeon were in the Temple, waiting eagerly for the Messiah. Zechariah and Elizabeth and the baby John were excited about the coming birth of Jesus as well as their own role in this amazing act of God. Each of these people in their own way had a sense that God was about to do something very important. More »

By late August, my friend Helen takes on a panicked, wild-eyed look. "It’s Christmas,” she replies when I ask what’s bothering her. “I’ve got so much to do to get ready!” More »

A few years ago, my whole family witnessed a terrible accident involving eight cars. Shattered glass was everywhere. More »

Is this letter for real? Did Jesus really want the members of the church in Sardis to produce nothing but “perfect works”? If that’s the case, then maybe it’s true that very few people indeed will make it to heaven. After all, who among us can confess to having done everything perfectly? More »

In June 2002, a gunman entered Conception Abbey in Missouri and killed two monks before killing himself. The man had no known connection to the abbey or any of its monks. No motive has yet been discovered. More »

My last boyfriend called it “stacking.” “You’re stacking,” he’d say, when he caught me unnecessarily reviewing every problem that I might possibly have in a lifetime all at once, rather than dealing with problems that were present and solvable. More »

Millions of people drink coffee every morning. For many of them, it’s the one sure thing that will get their “batteries” charged for the day. More »