Catholic life

A 1074 Word Interview with Father Edward Looney

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Father Edward Looney via phone call on July 1st, 2025. We have rearranged and edited some of the questions. This provides the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

You’ve written and spoken extensively about the Blessed Mother. What first sparked your devotion to Mary, and how has that relationship deepened over time?

What really started it was—I joke—I came out of the womb loving Mary. My mother and father were separated by the time I was born. I grew up in Oconto, WI, and in my hometown, there was a woman who organized pilgrimages to Medjugorje. And I think she had a great influence on Marian devotion in our parish. I remember starting later with rosaries.

Once you realize our Catholic tradition is 2,000 years old, and once you start reading the Early Church Fathers, it only deepens your devotions. The writings and quotes of the saints inspired me too.

In your book A Heart Like Mary’s, you offer practical ways to imitate Our Lady. What’s one Marian virtue you personally find the most challenging to practice as a priest?

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Set Ablaze: Living the Paschal Mystery Through Christ’s Fire

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 12:49-53

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we gather here today, we come as we are—some of us hopeful, some weighed down, all of us in need of God’s grace. And as we turn our hearts to prayer, we remember: Jesus is here with us. He listens to the silent words we can’t quite speak, the tangled concerns and quiet requests we carry. In this holy space, the Lord leans close and whispers, “I love you, my son. I love you, my daughter. I am always with you. Come—be with me, that our hearts may be one; one with our Father in heaven, united by the Holy Spirit.” Those words aren’t just comfort; they’re an invitation. If we listen, they set something stirring inside us—a fire, gentle but fierce.

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Catholic Meme Momday— Issue 195

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Hope you had a blessed Sunday! 🙏✝️

Time for another Catholic Meme Monday.

Keep your phone on silent at Mass. 📱🙏
Gospel math 🙂😄🙏
The sacramental of Confession is biblical. 🙏
Amen! 🙏🙏🙏

*Awkward silence*
😄😄😄
Sooo true! 😄
Puts things into perspective. 🙏🙏🙏
That escalated quickly!
Good chart for future reference 🙏
In case you weren’t aware of the difference. 🐋🇻🇦😄
Even non- Catholic think this is a good point! 🙂🙏
I’m picking 2, 3 or 5. 🙏

That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’s Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing to The Simple Catholic blog.

P.S. If you prefer receiving quality Catholic humor in daily doses follow me on Instagram @thesimplecatholic.

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A 1769 Word Interview with Catholic Reads

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed A.R.K. Watson via phone call on June 30th, 2025. We have rearranged and edited some of the questions. This provides the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

What inspired you to launch Catholic Reads?

When I converted to Catholicism (from the Church of Christ) in college, I was taking a diversity in literature class. My professor said things in the class that seemed prejudiced against Catholics. I talked to the professor and she mentioned that she was actually Catholic herself. I then realized that I had projected my own anti-Catholic bias onto her.

And I was awoken to how literature can help in your spiritual growth through literature. I grew up in Tennessee (less than 3% of the population is Catholic) so I was surrounded by a lot of anti-Catholic bias. 

In Flannery O’Connor book’s Wiseblood, I was provoked by how she portrays the South. I didn’t realize as a Protestant that her book was a dry satire. Once I became Catholic I found the jokes and learned how laughter and story can be tools to fight against prejudice.

Converting was like walking around with those old fashioned 3D glasses with one lens red and the other blue. I had my gut-Protestant reaction but also saw things from the Catholic perspective. 

In your experience, what sets Catholic fiction apart from other genres? 

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Living Ready: Faithfulness, Light, and the Unexpected Hour 

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

 A reflection on the Gospel of Luke 25:35-40 

My Brothers and Sisters, 

As we gather in prayer today, we find ourselves sitting beside our Lord Jesus – unafraid to open our hearts and share everything: our joys, our struggles, our plans, our prayers. In this sacred dialogue, if we listen closely, we hear His gentle voice: “My son, my daughter, I love you so very much and am always with you. Come and be with me, and together our hearts shall become one; one with our Father in heaven and the Holy Spirit.” These words don’t just comfort us—they remind us of God’s generosity, and they point to something even bigger: great things are in store for those who are ready and faithful. 

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Ember Days: A Forgotten but Rich Catholic Tradition

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Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 states, “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant…” The inspired writer offers many examples, but the planting-and-harvesting image fits especially well. The Catholic Church moves through the year with a rhythm of feasts and fasts. While many Catholics still celebrate days like the Transfiguration of the Lord or St. Nicholas Day, they have quietly let other feasts fade from popular practice.

One such tradition is the observance of Ember Days. Known in Latin as Quatuor Tempora (“four times”), these are sets of three days—Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday—kept at the start of each of the four seasons. They are not holy days of obligation, but they give Catholics a unique way to mark the changing seasons with prayer, fasting, and gratitude.

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