Holy Fathers – Are Comparisons Fair?

May 31, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

Since shortly after the moment his name was announced, Catholics who are active in the blogosphere and social media have been making comparisons between Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. Perhaps we can’t help ourselves, and perhaps such conversation is better than being completely unabsorbed in the working of the Church… my jury is still out on that. But even the Church herself seems ready to begin to draw parallels and point to divergences. Case in point, this beautiful video... Read more

Will You Be Joining Pope Francis in Prayer?

May 30, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

I’m looking forward to Sunday, June 2 — the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ — when we’re all invited to pray with the Holy Father as part of a worldwide initiative. Rome Reports has the story: I haven’t really done the math in my head, but I do believe the initiative in my own home diocese is staggered somewhat from Pope Francis’ appointed time. According to the National Catholic Register: VATICAN CITY — For the first time... Read more

Lawn Chair Catechism Intro: On Discipleship & A “Lived” Relationship with God

May 29, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

Today marks an exciting day over at CatholicMom.com — the launch of our summer “Lawn Chair Catechism” series, a study of Sherry Weddell’s awesome book Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus. I find myself in the enviable position of being a “follower” in this situation, with my dear friends Sarah Reinhard and Jennifer Fitz taking the lead on this group learning initiative. What this means for me is that I can actually pray my way through this online... Read more

What Have I Given Up to Follow Jesus?

May 28, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

I’m sort of in love with the daily opportunity to watch Pope Francis preach via Youtube. Today is no exception: To follow Jesus means to follow His path, not for power but by our witness and service. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass. Reflecting on the Gospel of the day, the Pope said that we should not follow Jesus because it is a question of culture: “I am a Christian, I have this culture”, but... Read more

Matt Maher Groupie Alert

May 24, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

Perhaps it’s shameful to admit this, but I am a huge — indeed perhaps the hugest — Matt Maher groupie. So I took note this morning when this Rome Reports video landed in my inbox: In it, we hear Matt’s plans for an upcoming tour and his participating this summer in a music festival in Brazil for World Youth Day. If you don’t already know and love Matt’s music, treat yourself to a visit to his website. If you’re on... Read more

Light of Love: Help Make a Film about Religious Vocations

May 23, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

LOS ANGELES – With less than one month until production, Catholic vocations organization Imagine Sisters is proud to announce a ﬁlm about the beauty of religious life: Light of Love. The ﬁlm will be centered around ﬁve interviews with sisters from around the United States and will include a ﬁrst-hand look into the prayer, service, and love of religious sisters. Beginning in Los Angeles, CA, the team will travel to the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los... Read more

When Evangelism is Offensive

May 23, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

I’m still mulling over a treadmill “conference” I had with a dear friend this morning at the gym. This particular person is very religious, but not Christian. My friend shared the recent experience of being invited to a “dedication” (Baptism type ceremony) for a friend’s newborn child. The ceremony occurred within the context of the regular Sunday church service at a large, local, non-denominational Christian church in my hometown. Many friends of the baby were invited to attend — several of them... Read more

Learning to Live from Someone Who Has Died – Zach Sobiech

May 22, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

This video has been making the rounds since the world said goodbye to Zach Sobiech on May 20th. Gone too soon, but having touched so many in immeasurable ways, Zach tells us in his own words in this video about living life to its fullest. Please take 22 minutes today and watch this video. Then get busy living. Today. About the Video: Zach Sobiech is a 17 year old diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. With only... Read more

The Great Gatsby: Four Faith Takeaways

May 21, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

With the most sincere of apologies to my AP English teacher Brother Aquinas, I never read The Great Gatsby. And owing to old age, any knowledge that I had of the plot from my perusal of the Cliff Notes version has been lost through the years. So I went into today’s viewing of Baz Luhrmann’s take on this classic work of American literature with very little bias. I’ve never even seen Francis Ford Coppola’s 70’s version with Robert Redford. The... Read more

Real Men Pray the Rosary: 33 Day Rosary Challenge

May 16, 2013 By Lisa M. Hendey

Editor’s note: While we’re already well into the month of May, it’s not too late to jump on board with this wonderful prayer initiative! I thank David Calvillo, author of Real Men Pray the Rosary: A Practical Guide to a Powerful Prayer, for sharing the following. LMH Real Men Pray the Rosary: 33 Day Rosary Challenge “The Rosary is for old ladies and funerals.” Yes, I was one of THOSE people. I thought I was way too cool and sophisticated... Read more