How to Activate Your Small Catholic Business’s Uniqueness

Do you want your business to stand out in the sea of Internet-noise?

Be like John the Baptist. Do something different.

Eat locusts with a dab of honey. Record yourself chomping on these crunchy bugs. ๐Ÿ˜‹

Don’t worry, I said you can have honey on it.

Now, if aren’t near a grassy field you can order dried locusts online (link in the comments).

๐Ÿ˜ณ

๐Ÿฆ—

๐Ÿ™„

You might be reading this thinking, “Surely, you must be kidding!?”

I’m only half-kiddingโ€” about the locusts.

*Reader breathes a sigh of relief*

But I was serious about being LIKE John the Baptist.

Do something different.

I mean with your blogging strategy on your website.

“But we post once a month.”

We live in a fast-paced world. And it’s weird.

Heck, people video record themselves eating things much stranger than locusts (and in a much greater volume than John the Baptist did with those bugs)

Posting once a month isn’t enough to distinguish your business from every other one.

Going back to weirdness…

Last month, the priest at my local parish talked about how we need to keep the weirdness in Catholicism. This was in the context of our Corpus Christi procession.

Being weird isn’t bad.

It captures people’s attention.

John was weird with his Nazarite vows and yelling “Repent” or “Behold, the Lamb of God”.

And if you have a small Catholic business, we are compelled to preach the oddness of the Gospel.

This doesn’t mean making up new doctrines or stretching the truth.

But it does mean being different.

And if you don’t have a current blog on your website the first step to being different is starting one.

I provide blog writing services for small Catholic businesses.

Reach out to me if you want your business to stand out and attract new customers. More details by clicking on: https://thesimplecatholic.blog/writing-services/

And the best part?

I won’t ask you to eat locusts…unless you want with them with honey. ๐Ÿฏ

Thank you for sharing!

Discover the Surprising Connection Between Laughter and Holiness

Did you know that laughter can bring you closer to God? ๐Ÿ™

Okay, okay, hear me out: as someone who has suffered from serious-syndrome, I used to think that holiness and humor were mutually exclusive.

Then I encountered a quote by Maya Angelou:

“I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh.”

๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿ˜ฎ๐Ÿ˜†

Bold claim I know.

But it got me thinking.

Laughter Leads to Joy

Smile like Pope Francis today. ๐Ÿ™‚

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that laughter is essential to a joyful and holy life.

This occurred from I was reading The Wizard of Oz to my daughter.

I witnessed the delight of whimsy and wonder in my childโ€™s eyes as I was reading about Dorothy’s strange journey.

Telling her about the cyclone, Kalidahsโ€”hybrid bear-tiger creatures, yes these are a thing that the movie left out…

(maybe that’s where the โ™ซ Lions, and Tigers, and Bears…oh my! โ™ซ came from)

…and the encounter with the Witched Witch renewed my own spirit of wonder and awe.

When life throws curveballs, sometimes the best thing to do is laugh it off, just like Mark Twain said, “The human race has only one effective weapon and that is laughter!”

And let’s be real, life throws a lot of curveballs.

Humor is a Shield during a Stressful Week

Some weeks feel like every day is a “Monday”. ๐Ÿ˜ญ

But I’ve found that humor can help us face those challenges with grace and joy.

That’s why I’m passionate about creating Catholic content that is both faithful and fun.

Laughter limits one’s pride and makes others comfortable around you. More open to receive the Good News. ๐Ÿ™

From reading “The Wizard of Oz” with my daughter to discovering unexpected moments of wonder and awe, I’ve experienced firsthand how humor can lead to holiness.

There’s no better saint that combined faith and funniness than Philip Neri. ๐Ÿ˜†๐Ÿ™‚๐Ÿ™

Saint Mother Therese put it this way, “Joy is the net of love by which we catch souls.”

Did Jesus call his disciples (then and now) to be fishers of men (humanity)?? ๐Ÿค”

If you want unboring content that’ll make you laugh and bring you closer to God and capture your audience’s attention faster than ๐Ÿป๐Ÿป to ๐Ÿฏ, DM or email me at chicoine.matt@live.com.”

P.S. You’ll only regret it if you’re a curmudgeon.

 ๐ŸŒŸ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ™

Thank you for sharing!

Introducing Two New Creative Content Series for The Simple Catholic

Saint Philip Neri wrote, “A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one.” He is the patron saint of laughter and humor. Humor has acted as a spiritual aid during many times of doubt and trial in my life.

When I started as a writer in my college and graduate school years, most things I wrote were serious in nature. Research papers, books reviews, and theological theses.

There definitely is a place for serious and academic writing but over the years, and especially since becoming a parent, I’ve realized humor can be a means to holiness.

You catch more people’s attention with honey than with vinegar. I have applied this sentiment to evangelization: you can cast a wider net with humor and can include aspects of the faith within funny memes or theological jokes.

Along with Catholic Meme Mondays, I am planning on including two additional creative weekly post series: Holy Haikus and What If Theology.

These will largely feature on my social media accounts (Instagram and Twitter). Here’s a preview on what to expect with these new content series:

Is humor a path to holiness?

Share your favorite Catholic joke and/or comedian in the comments section. ๐Ÿ˜†๐Ÿ™

Thank you for sharing!

The Origin Story of The Simple Catholic

This is the real life origin story of how The Simple Catholic began:
My name is Matthew and I have run The Simple Catholic blog since 2015. It was a fruit born out the suffering from losing my unborn son Jeremiah (miscarriage). Writing was a healing balm for my heart, mind, and soul.
I earned my Master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and had teaching experiences. Personal and family circumstances caused me to leave teaching but the desire to help others learn about Jesus and His Church remained. The blog blossomed into a mission: to inform others about the Catholic faith and show how joy can be found in daily life (even in the suffering).

Finding Strength in My Differences

I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and it is one of my “super-powers” as it allows me to make connections between seemingly unconnected things.
I have had to learn over the years my neurodivergent mind wasn’t a weakness but it can be a strength. Through the help of my wife (a special education teachers) and my four kids along with the Holy Spirit I have been able to learn how to harness my differences and quirkiness with my passion for Catholicism.

Paper Football

In this picture, I celebrated my paper football victory over my oldest son: 60-24. ๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜‚

The Healing Power of Humor

Humor is a big part of my life. It acts as a stabilizing force during the times my depression and anxiety flare up.
My favorite show is The Office (a great way to get me attention in the sea of emails I receive is to make a reference to this show). Threat Level Midnight or A.A.R.M are my favorite episodes.
I also enjoy reading (no less than 8 books simultaneously). I’m a literary omnivore but I do tend to enjoy theology, sci-fi, and comic books more than others.
I am also an avid football fan and love tossing the frisbee around.
Because of my ADHD I tend to enjoy lots of other things too:
  • Platypuses
  • Cheetahs
  • Watching bees carry pollen
  • Writing
  • Looking at the moon
  • Drinking Dr. Pepper, Coffee, and Bai Teas (not together)
  • Listening to Bon Jovi
  • Reading anything Marvel
  • Playing board games
  • Reading about board games
  • Watching video about board games
  • Talking about board games
  • Making Seinfeld and The Office references on an almost daily basis
Share a bit about yourself in the comments below.

 

Related Links

Finding Joyโ€“My Accidental Discovery of St. Philip Neri

How God Continues to Bring Joy (Out of a Sorrowful Miscarriage) on All Souls Day

How Playing Paper Football Led to Prayer

Bonding over Backgammon


P.S. If you’re a small Catholic business owner who enjoys the content I create and share and need help generating content for your website please email me at: chicoine.matt@live.com. I also offer marketing services. For more information please visit Writing and Marketing Service Rates.
Even if you don’t own a Catholic business but love my content drop a comment below!
Thanks for your support!!! ๐Ÿ˜Š
Thank you for sharing!