Catholicism

The Domestic Church at Bedtime: Prayer Meets Real Life

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

There’s something about the rhythm of a day that either drags us down or draws us closer to heaven.

Morning rush, midday crash, evening blur, bedtime chaos… then late-night scrolling. Then we wake up and do it all again.

But what if our messy, snack-filled, Lego-strewn, kid-powered day could become prayer?

That’s the gift of the Liturgy of the Hours—also called the Divine Office. It’s the Church’s invitation to sanctify time. Not just Sundays. Not just in silence. All of it.

So this week, we decided to dive in as a family and pray Night Prayer. Just one night. That was the goal.

We made it four days in a row.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

From Weeds to Wheat: The Transforming Mercy of God

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 13:24-30

Dear Friends in Christ,

There was once a boy, not much older than fourteen, who wandered the dusty back roads near a small farming town at the turn of the century. He was an orphan, left to fend for himself in a world that hadn’t shown him much kindness. Hungry, alone, and desperate, he became a thief—not by nature, but by necessity. He learned to move in the shadows, taking just enough to survive. One night, while slipping into a barn to steal some bread and milk, he startled the farmer’s dog and in his scramble to escape, he tripped and broke his leg. He lay there, helpless, expecting the worst.

But what happened next changed his life. The family who owned the farm—devout Catholics—found him in the morning. Instead of anger or condemnation, they showed him mercy. They tended his wound, gave him food, and offered him a place to stay. They prayed together at meals, went to Mass on Sundays, and worked the fields side by side. Slowly, the boy’s heart softened. He learned about Jesus—a savior who welcomes the lost and heals the broken. He became a son in every way that matters, growing from a frightened orphan into a young man with hope and purpose.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

What St. Kateri Tekakwitha Taught Me About Risking Everything for Christ

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

Every year, there are a few saints who surprise me.

Not because I had never heard of them before, but because I finally slowed down enough to really learn their story.

That happened to me this past school year while teaching history to my third-grade class. We were studying the 1600s and the discovery of the New World, and part of that journey included learning about St. Kateri Tekakwitha. I had known she was the first Indigenous North American saint, but reading her story alongside my students gave me a much deeper appreciation for her remarkable witness.

Sometimes teaching is one of the best ways to learn.

Known as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” St. Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in present-day Upstate New York. She was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and an Algonquin Catholic mother. At just four years old, a smallpox epidemic claimed the lives of her parents and younger brother. Though Kateri survived, the disease left her scarred, partially blind, and orphaned.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

The Forgotten Miracle Worker of the Catholic Church

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

Those words can feel startling, almost too great to be true. For a long time, John 14:12 raises a simple question in the mind: did Jesus mean this as literal reality, or as a symbol? I wrestled with that question before. While researching St. Vincent Ferrer, I found myself returning to John 14:12 with new clarity. What I found in his life helped make Jesus’ promise feel less distant.

The Impact of a Name

For years, St. Vincent Ferrer was mostly a familiar name. My father is named Vincent, so the Dominican preacher naturally came up as one of his patron saints. Still, if we’re honest, “Vincent” often triggers a more common association, St. Vincent de Paul, and the mind doesn’t always go further.

That changed after an unexpected conversation with a Catholic bookstore owner. While helping him with an order for Voyage Comics (another matter entirely), we drifted into saints. At some point he said something that pulled me up short: “St. Vincent Ferrer was one of the greatest miracle workers in Church history.” I was skeptical. Stories like that can grow larger over time, and every generation seems to add to the glow.

But curiosity won out. I began reading, and what I found was enough to force another question: why don’t more Catholics seem to know him today?

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

Rest for the Weary: Trusting Jesus to Lighten Our Burdens

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 11:25-30

Dear Friends in Christ,

I want to begin today by sharing a story that might sound familiar to many of us. There was a family in our parish—a mother, a father, and three young children—who, just last year, found themselves walking a path they never expected. The youngest child, only seven, was diagnosed with a chronic illness. Suddenly, life became a series of hospital visits, sleepless nights, and endless worries. The bills stacked up. The parents, already stretched thin, began to feel the weight of the world pressing down on them. Even the simplest tasks—preparing dinner, helping with homework, taking a moment to breathe—became burdens too heavy to carry.

At first, the family tried to manage everything on their own. They told themselves they had to be strong, that they couldn’t show weakness. But as weeks turned into months, exhaustion set in. Tensions ran high, patience ran low, and the joy that once filled their home seemed lost beneath the stress and fear.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

A Cup of Cold Water: Serving Christ in the Little Ones

/ chicoinematt / Leave a comment

Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 10:37-42

Dear Friends in Christ,

There’s a house on the edge of town, old but warm, with wide porches shaded by tall trees. In it live Mary and Joseph—an older couple, married nearly fifty years. Their children are grown, the rooms are mostly empty, but their hearts have only grown larger with the years. They’ve made a quiet promise to God: if someone is lost, hurting, or needs a place to begin again, their home will be open.

One winter, a man named Tom came knocking. He’d once worked with Joseph, years ago, when things were easier. But Tom’s world had unraveled—alcoholism, a painful divorce, and now, jobless, he was left with two small children and nowhere steady to go. He was ashamed to ask for help, but Joseph and Mary didn’t hesitate. They welcomed him and his children in. Mary cooked warm meals; Joseph sat with Tom late into the night, listening, praying, helping him plot a way forward. For months, Tom lived in that house. The children slowly smiled again. Tom found sobriety, and eventually, work. He moved out, but he never forgot the gift of shelter and hope—given not because he could repay it, but because he was in need.

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!

Don’t Let Go of His Hand

/ chicoinematt

By: Madeleine Karako

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of being a mother. When we got pregnant on the honeymoon, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Then we lost our first child to miscarriage after being married for 2 months. My husband was in a different state for Officer Training School in the Air Force, so I didn’t see him until a month after we lost our child. I went through it without him, which made the experience all the more painful. Even in those darkest moments, God was taking care of me. I couldn’t see it then, but looking back now I see all the little miracles He gave me. 

  1. My mom (who lived in a different state) showed up for a visit the day before I started miscarrying, so I had her with me through it all. 
  2. My dear friend, Lizzy, showed up at the hospital when I had to have an emergency D&C because I was hemorrhaging. She held my mom’s hand and prayed a rosary with her while I was in surgery. 
  3. My Dad cancelled an important business trip to come and be with my mom and I during that first week after our loss. 

Those are the big ones. There were many more little miracles, but I couldn’t see any of them at the time. I cried most days and felt like my heart was being ripped apart. The whole thing felt so backwards, so cruel. Going through labor, feeling all that pain, enduring emergency surgery; those were the “easy” parts. Going home without a baby, feeling the emptiness in my heart, doubting God’s love; those were the hard parts. 

Continue reading →
Thank you for sharing!