Loving God by Loving Those Closest to Us

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 22:34-40

Dear Friends in Christ,

My mother was recently diagnosed with ALS. Things she used to do without a second thought—getting around the house, eating a meal, cleaning up, getting dressed—have become difficult. My father is in a rehabilitation center, living with dementia and mobility problems of his own. My sister does the bulk of the caregiving for our family, and my family and I help her as I can.

Some days, love looks less like a feeling and more like helping my mother. It looks like making sure she can eat comfortably. It looks like visiting my father, sitting with him, and giving him our attention even when conversation is difficult. My brother and sisters and I are learning how much patience and care these ordinary moments ask of us.

So when I hear the question in today’s Gospel—“Which commandment in the law is the greatest?”—I hear it differently than I once did. Jesus answers, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then he adds, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The whole law and the prophets, he says, depend on these two commandments.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

Christmas Village Sets: How to Create Your Own Holiday Display

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

This article is sponsored by Holy Art.

While October offers plenty to reflect on in our Catholic faith, it is also a good time to begin thinking about the traditions we hope to share at Christmas. A little planning now can leave more room to enjoy those moments with our families when the season arrives. Whether you are creating your first display or expanding a collection built over the years, you can explore different Christmas village sets to find buildings, characters, and decorative elements that fit the style of your holiday scene. A few glowing windows, snow-covered rooftops, and miniature trees can turn an ordinary shelf into something that invites us to pause. During a season when our calendars fill quickly, that small invitation can be a gift.

Christmas decorations have a way of awakening our attention. We notice light against the darkness and familiar objects brought out of storage. Children lean closer to examine details that adults might overlook. Even setting everything up can become an opportunity to spend time together.

For Catholics, the beauty we bring into our homes can also turn our thoughts toward the birth of Christ. A Christmas village offers a creative way to celebrate the season while making room for wonder, conversation, and family memories.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

How the Letter of Saint James Guides Your Speech (and Heart)

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

Editor’s Note: Post originally published on October 28, 2021.

The Sacred Scriptures contain truth and wisdom from God. These truths are eternal and ever relevant— and practical. When you live in accordance with the Word of God everything in your life is ordered. This doesn’t mean you will be free of struggles and suffering. However, you will experience an otherworldly joy and peace more often than when you don’t follow the Word of God.

Saint James the Less

One of my favorite books of the Bible is the Letter of Saint James. Despite being a short epistle (five chapters) it’s rich in wisdom and practical advice. Chapter 3 is especially relevant for my battle against sin. Saint James details out the importance of how your words can guide your spiritual life. The old adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is false. Words matter. How you phrase something helps or hurts people. The Apostle gives a few tangible examples in chapter three of his epistle showing how speech helps or hinders the spiritual life.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

Why Saint Luke is Awesome: History + Theology

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

The Historian of the Heart

Two Octobers ago, I missed celebrating the Feast of Saint Luke. It wasn’t intentional; life just got busy. Between teaching, family life, and parish commitments, October 18th slipped past. But ever since then, I’ve felt an unmistakable pull to know this Gospel writer more deeply, not just as the “beloved physician,” but as the evangelist of mercy, faith, and ordered reason.

As someone with a background in history, I’ve always admired Luke’s approach to truth. His Gospel begins not with poetry or mystery, but with method: an introduction that reads like a historian’s preface. “Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative… I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus…” (Luke 1:1–3). He’s transparent about his sources and his purpose so that we may “realize the certainty” of our faith.

There’s something deeply comforting in that. Luke reminds us that Christianity isn’t a myth or an emotional movement; it’s a faith rooted in reality, built on eyewitnesses and examined testimony. Saint John Paul II beautifully captured this when he wrote that Luke “leads us to knowledge of the discreet yet penetrating light that radiates from the Word.” Luke gives us not just the facts of salvation history but the warmth of faith that makes those facts alive.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

How Saint Teresa of Avila Cut Through My Exterior with Her Interior Castle

/ chicoinematt / 1 Comment

Editor’s Note: Post originally published on September 14, 2022.

I struggle with the sin of pride. I often hate to admit I made a mistake. Even if it is a minor one. I tend to blow the error out of proportion in my mind. This leads to me spiraling into a descent of despair. Reason goes out the window and I lash out at my loved ones.

One of the most effective saints at keeping my pride in check is Saint Teresa of Avila. I refer to her as one of the patron saints of my family. We asked for her intercession in May 2018 to protect our unborn daughter (my wife has a history of miscarriages). Since then my wife and I have sought Teresa’s help daily in our bedtime prayers.

This fall I’m am trying to get back into a regular habit of reading spiritual work. I discovered a free course on Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle featured on the Smart Catholic website. I study her work for about 20-30 minutes a day during the week.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

What St. Thomas Aquinas Teaches Us About Anger

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

Editor’s note: Our guest contributor is based in Australia, so some spelling and usage reflect Australian English.

Let’s have lunch. Let’s pack up. And let’s go to bed.

I have twin toddlers, so I say some version of that all day, and a good share of it comes back declined. By about the fourth round I can feel something arriving that I did not choose.

Which is the question I want to ask, and it sounds like it has an obvious answer. When you lost your temper last week, what actually happened? Not what set you off. What happened inside you, in what order, in the half second before you spoke.

Most of us cannot say. We have a rich vocabulary for the trigger and almost none for the mechanism. And a man who cannot describe the mechanism of his own anger will keep aiming his effort at the trigger, which is the one part of the arrangement he does not control.

The Thomistic tradition has a description of that mechanism. It is unnervingly precise, it is about eight centuries old, and it names six specific ways anger gets out of a man and into his house.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!