Month: December 2025

An 1166 Word Interview with The Little Apologist

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Colleen, founder of The Little Apologist, via phone on November 12th, 2025. Some of the questions/answers have been rearranged, edited, and paraphrased to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

Your Early Start in Apologetics

You mention that you began studying Catholic apologetics around age twelve when you had to defend your faith in public school. Could you share one of those early “aha” or “uh-oh” moments from back then, and reflect on how that shaped your approach to faith and evangelization today?

I remember when I was in 7th grade there began to be certain books or content being taught in my public school classes that were directly contrary to Truth, especially from a moral standpoint. In that time, I learned how to stand up for purity and for what’s right in writing to and having conversations with my teachers. My parents helped me to frame the emails and conversations,  and my formation in Confirmation classes, along with hours of listening to Catholic Answers Live helped me to be able to articulate the Truth. The conversations with my teachers led to pushback from my classmates about different belief systems, which presented the opportunity for further evangelization and thought-provoking conversations.

At my Confirmation when I was 13, I felt a physical warmth come over me as I was Confirmed,and truly felt set on fire for Jesus and His Church. After that I was able to share my faith in a more clear, loving manner than I ever had before. So that sacrament was definitely a turning point in my life and has inspired my work in apologetics. 

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Shining Like Joseph: Building the Kingdom in Everyday Family Love

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Dear brothers and sisters,

It was Christmas Eve in a small town nestled between snowy hills. The streetlights glimmered on the dusting of fresh snow, and every window on Maple Avenue seemed to glow with warmth. Inside one house near the end of the block, Daniel—a father of three—was finishing the last of the Christmas decorating with his youngest, Anna, perched on his shoulders. As she reached up to place a paper star atop the tree, a sense of hope and quiet joy filled the room.

Daniel had always loved Christmas, but this year was different. Only weeks before, he had lost his job. The security they’d known was gone and the search for new work in their small town was slow. There had been anxious late-night talks with his wife, Grace—whispered concerns about the mortgage, the future, how they’d stretch what they had to make it through. Yet Daniel refused to let fear steal the joy of Christmas from his family. As those familiar Gospel readings filled their home, Daniel heard them with new ears. The story of St. Joseph, quietly leading the Holy Family to Egypt, called to him—not as a figure out of reach, but as a father just trying to keep his family safe and wrap them in hope.

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Is Mary Foreshadowed in the Old Testament?

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By Edalat Hope from Virtue Books

If you’ve ever watched Dead Poets Society, you might notice something about that teacher.

He doesn’t dump all the information on the students at once.

Instead, he teaches them gradually, step by step. Only once they understand one concept does he move on to the next.

God teaches that way, too.

He doesn’t reveal the fullness of His plan all at once. That would be like teaching calculus to a five-year-old.

Instead, gradually, He builds truth upon truth to form spiritually mature people.

Even in the Old Testament, God uses this same method. He puts hints of who He really is and his future plans. When you realise this, it opens your eyes to an entirely new way of reading the Bible.

Many Jews didn’t fully understand Christ. But when they understood how verses from the Psalms, Law and Prophets quietly pointed to Jesus, then they converted.

The Apostles and Church Fathers understood this hidden thread that runs through scripture.

But Christ did not just appear on earth.

God’s plan to redeem humanity happened through Mary. It was through Mary that he chose to enter the world.

Mary’s life is inseparable from Christ’s mission. God’s perfect plan for redemption was that Mary, the sinless one, would bear the Redeemer.

What is less widely known, though, is that Mary herself is foreshadowed in the Old Testament. And it’s through a little something called typology.

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TECMO-MENTUM SWING: DALLAS DIGS DEEP, STEALS TITLE IN KITCHEN-TABLE CLASSIC

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Editor’s Note: Every once in a while, the memories you make with your kids are too good not to preserve in writing. What follows is a playful, over-the-top ESPN-style recap of an 8-team Tecmo Bowl the Board Game tournament my son and I played at our kitchen table.

It was one of those nights that reminded me how something as simple as a board game can become a snapshot of childhood, laughter, and the kind of moments you hope your kids remember long after the final score is forgotten. 

By Matt Chicoine, ESPN Family Desk

The dynasty was born somewhere between a bowl of Goldfish crackers and a bent corner of the kitchen-table playmat.

Eight teams entered. One left as champion. In the process, Tecmo Bowl the Board Game delivered a tournament that felt less like cardboard and dice and more like January football glory.

FIRST ROUND: DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS… UNTIL IT DOESN’T

The left side of the bracket opened with Minnesota edging Los Angeles, 10–7, in a game that felt like a vintage slugfest. Minnesota leaned hard into its scouting report of big passing offense and tough run defense, and it showed. Los Angeles was hard to tackle but could not shake loose when it mattered.

Meanwhile, Indianapolis blanked Chicago 7–0, bludgeoning its way through with power football that neutralized Chicago’s supposed advantages of great receivers and a brick-wall defense.

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The Play That Almost Lost the Game and Why It Ended Up Saving It

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The championship game of our Tecmo Bowl the Board Game tournament came down to a moment that still makes my stomach twist a little when I replay it in my head.

For those unfamiliar, Tecmo Bowl the Board Game is a tabletop version of the classic NES football game. Instead of controllers, you use play cards, dice, and team abilities to simulate drives, turnovers, and big plays. It feels part chess, part nostalgia, and part living-room Super Bowl. It is also shockingly intense for something made of cardboard.

In the final, I was playing as Dallas and my son was playing as Indianapolis. These are generic versions of the classic NFL teams, so there are no mascots or logos involved, just colors, stats, and a lot of competitive pride.

Dallas had the ball at the five-yard line. Four chances to punch it in. Four chances to ice the game.

They went nowhere on first down. Nothing on second. Stopped cold on third.

Then we made a call that felt heroic and foolish at the same time. We went for it on fourth down.

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A Christmas (Birthday) Letter to the Infant Son of God

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Nativity.jpg

Below is a letter I dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ in celebration of his birth, December 25, 2020 Anno Domini.

Dear Baby Jesus,

In a stable, 2000 years ago, a seemingly ordinary infant was born. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, shepherds and kings from afar learned about His incredible presence. God uses the most common of circumstances to work the greatest of all miracles–the Incarnation. God so loved the world He sent you–His only Son– to bridge the great gulf, the separation caused by sin.

Wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger, you my king took the form of mankind. I have heard the Nativity story dozens of times. This Advent I feared I would take your origin story for granted. Instead, I am grateful for the opportunity to gaze on the Nativity scene through new eyes–not merely of a follower, but also as a father.

My children are a reminder of your goodness, truth, and beauty. Seeing the twinkle in their eyes when they gaze at the Nativity Scene at home or church is priceless. The smiles on my kids faces as they color “presents” pictures for my wife and I remind me the true reason for the season!

People are born everyday on this earth, but only once a year do we remember the greatest birth of all.

Jesus my servant king, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, God-hero, I adore you and celebrate with my family and friends the anniversary of your birth. I pray that my heart is enlarged to make room within the inn of my soul for you, my family, friends, and people I meet daily!

Praised be to God in the Highest and Alleluia for our Savior’s arrival.

With great love and gratitude,

Your adopted son,

Matthew

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

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