Catholicism

Choosing Christ Over Treasure: Walking the Way, the Truth, and the Life

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 10:26-33

Dear Friends in Christ,

Imagine a man named Jose, standing at a crossroads in his life. After years of hard work, Jose suddenly loses his job. He’s anxious about his future, not knowing how he’ll provide for his family. Friends and colleagues gather around him, each offering their advice—some well-meaning, some not so much. “Jose, you just have to do whatever it takes to make money,” one says. “Forget about your scruples. In this world, you have to chase after gold and treasure, or you’ll be left behind. Cut corners if you need to. That’s how people get ahead.”

Jose listens, but deep down, he feels unsettled. He remembers how fulfilled he felt working at the parish food pantry, helping families in need and comforting the lonely. He isn’t sure that chasing money at all costs is the answer. Instead, he feels drawn to serve, to lift others up, and to find meaning in loving his neighbor. Yet, the pressure mounts. Bills don’t pay themselves. The voices pushing him towards worldly success grow louder, and Jose finds himself torn between the world’s promises and the quiet tug of his conscience.

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Saint Anthony of Padua: More Than a Finder of Lost Things

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Every June 13, Catholics around the world celebrate the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua. For most, he’s the quick miracle worker who helps recover misplaced keys, lost wallets, or that library book you swear you just had. But Saint Anthony was much more than a “patron saint of lost things.” He was a preacher, a teacher, a scholar, and a spiritual guide whose life still points us toward Christ today.

I have a personal connection with Anthony that goes beyond anecdotes. My oldest son shares his birthday with Anthony’s feast day, which somehow makes the saint feel like a family friend. Growing up with ADHD, I’ve had my fair share of forgotten items, most memorably my car keys during a summer music camp away from home. Thanks to Saint Anthony, they were found, though it involved my mom driving up to unlock the car. Moments like that, small and practical, are reminders of the saint’s intercession, but they also hint at a deeper truth: Anthony helps us find what is lost, both in the tangible and spiritual sense.

Born Fernando in Lisbon around 1195, he grew up in a noble family and was initially part of the Augustinian canons. He studied Scripture and the Church Fathers, preparing for the life of preaching and teaching that would later define him. Around 1220, Fernando encountered the memory of early Franciscan martyrs who had gone to Morocco to witness the Gospel, even risking death. Inspired, he left the Augustinians, joined the Friars Minor, and took the name Anthony. Though his missionary plans were curtailed by illness, he embraced the Franciscan way with zeal, eventually becoming Provincial Superior in northern Italy, preaching tirelessly, and guiding his fellow friars until his death near Padua in 1231.

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Living the Eucharist: Sharing Christ’s Love in Everyday Moments

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of John 6:51-58

Dear Friends in Christ,

Before our children moved out of our home, most evenings, the five of us would gather around our kitchen table. The table wasn’t always perfectly set—sometimes it was just a simple meal, a pot of soup, a loaf of bread, maybe a few apples. But every night, we laughed together, shared stories from our day, and always took a moment to pray—thanking God for His blessings and asking for the grace to follow Jesus in all we do.

I remember one winter when our neighbor Jimmy, a Vietnam veteran who had become a dear friend, fell seriously ill. Jimmy was a man who had seen much in life and was quietly fighting his own battles every day. Moved by the Holy Spirit, our family knew we had to help. We began inviting Jimmy to share our meals whenever he felt up to it. My children and I would stop by to visit him and help with his yardwork, while my wife checked on him regularly and made sure he got to his doctor’s appointments.

These weren’t grand gestures—just small acts of kindness, offered from the heart. Yet as we cared for Jimmy, we felt a new sense of peace and warmth in our home—a gentle grace that lingered long after the meal was over, a reminder of God’s love alive among us. In these moments, we realized that living the Eucharist means letting the love of Jesus flow through us, sharing His presence not only in church but in the everyday ways we serve, encourage, and lift each other up.

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Small Pilgrimages: Evangelizing Your Kids One Step at a Time

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Sponsored: This article is made possible by Pockets of Heaven, supporting quality and engaging Catholic content.

Evangelizing children isn’t always about complex theological lessons or far-off mission trips. Sometimes, the most powerful encounters with God happen right in your own backyard or even your living room. Just as adults benefit from pilgrimages that draw them closer to God, children can encounter Christ through small, intentional “journeys” of faith that fit within everyday life.

Let’s explore how these small pilgrimages can help pass on the faith to your kids while strengthening your domestic church.

new evangelization

The Domestic Church: Where Evangelization Begins

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us of the parents’ vital role:

“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule… Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children” (CCC 2223).

In many ways, the home itself becomes a sort of permanent pilgrimage site, a sacred place where children encounter God daily through prayer, forgiveness, service, and love.

As I’ve written before, even small actions like having holy images in your home, praying before meals, answering questions during Mass, or visiting a local Catholic bookstore create micro-moments of evangelization. One of my daughters, for example, loves flipping through pamphlets about the Eucharist. That small curiosity leads to natural conversations about the Real Presence. These little moments plant seeds that the Holy Spirit can grow over time.

Adding sacramentals and liturgical resources to your home can also help foster these everyday encounters. Catholic businesses like Pockets of Heaven provide beautiful, handcrafted tools that help families create prayer spaces, celebrate feast days, and make the liturgical year come alive for kids in simple but meaningful ways.

You don’t need a master’s degree in theology to evangelize your kids. What matters most is creating a loving environment where faith is part of daily life, where Christ is present in both words and actions.

Pilgrimages Teach Kids That Life is a Journey Toward God

Father Dave Pivonka wisely reminds us that “Every single one of us is a pilgrim on a journey. For us Christians, as Pope St. John Paul II said, this journey should ultimately lead us to the heart of the Father.”

Pilgrimages, whether big or small, teach kids that faith is not static. It’s a living, breathing adventure toward God’s heart. And this journey doesn’t require international travel. While trips to Lourdes, Fatima, or Rome are beautiful, they’re not necessary to experience the graces of pilgrimage.

Small pilgrimages could include:

  • Visiting your diocesan cathedral for Mass.
  • Spending an hour in adoration at a nearby chapel.
  • Walking as a family to a local Marian shrine.
  • Going on a nature walk while praying the Rosary.
  • Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead on All Souls’ Day.

These intentional acts pull kids out of their daily routines and help them encounter God anew. As Fr. Pivonka puts it, “Do something intentional that takes you out of your ordinary routine. Seek to encounter Jesus. You will be amazed what God can do in your heart.”

The Sacraments: Theological Rest Stops Along the Journey

Life is exhausting. I’ve written before how my own fatigue nearly led me to despair. Yet, in that weakness, I was reminded of Bishop Paul Swain’s beautiful words:

“Sacraments are not the end or graduation of the Catholic life, rather sacraments act as theological rest stops to give us strength.”

Confession, for example, is like a pit stop where we release burdens and receive grace to keep walking. As the Catechism explains, “The sacrament of Penance repairs or restores [fraternal communion]” (CCC 1469).

The Eucharist provides nourishment for the journey ahead — our manna in the desert:

“The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus… Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet” (CCC 1391).

And marriage? It’s not simply a contract but a covenant of mutual sacrifice. As I’ve joked before, marriage often feels like a holy war against pride, impatience, and selfishness. But it’s also a place of peace, where we strategize, rest, and receive grace for the road ahead.

When we bring our children into these sacramental rest stops by taking them to Confession, preparing them for First Holy Communion, and witnessing the beauty of a sacramental marriage, we’re showing them how to draw strength for their own pilgrim journey.

Penance, Solidarity, and Thanksgiving — Lessons Even Kids Can Learn

Pilgrimage isn’t always comfortable. Fr. Pivonka shares stories of pilgrims enduring blistering heat, unexpected thunderstorms, and travel mishaps. Yet these struggles become opportunities for offering penance, teaching kids a profound lesson: suffering can be united to prayer.

On a small pilgrimage to a local shrine, a child might get tired or frustrated. That’s a chance to gently explain:

“You can offer this tiredness for Grandma who’s sick, or for a friend who’s struggling.”

Solidarity is another beautiful fruit of pilgrimage. Whether walking together as a family or participating in parish events, kids learn that they’re not alone in their faith. They belong to the wider Body of Christ — a Church filled with fellow pilgrims, saints, and sinners all journeying home.

Finally, pilgrimages naturally lead to thanksgiving. As Fr. Pivonka writes about his own Camino de Santiago:

“Going on pilgrimage does something to our hearts and to how we see the world… We begin to see [God] in places where we didn’t before.”

When kids see the beauty of God in creation, family, sacraments, and community, gratitude becomes a habit that sustains their faith long after the pilgrimage ends. Even creating little “pockets of heaven” in our homes — through prayer corners, seasonal decor, or feast day celebrations — can help foster that spirit of gratitude.

 Biblical ABC Book published by Parousia Media

Start Small, Start Today

Evangelizing our kids doesn’t require perfect words or elaborate plans. It begins with small acts of intentionality, small pilgrimages of the heart, the home, and even the neighborhood.

As parents, our job is to guide our children toward Christ through daily witness, sacramental life, and occasional small pilgrimages that draw them deeper into God’s presence. With each little step, they’ll discover that their whole life is a beautiful, lifelong journey toward the Father.

As Proverbs 16:3 reminds us:

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

Buen Camino.

Thanks again to today’s article sponsor! Visit Pockets of Heaven where you’ll find resources to help your children journey with Jesus, Mary, and the Saints in the pockets of everyday life.

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The Kitchen Table and the Kingdom: Faith, the Trinity, and Eternal Life

/ chicoinematt

Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of John 3:16-18

Dear Friends in Christ,

There is a family in a small parish — let’s call them the Rodriguezes — whose story many of us who know them will never forget. A few years ago, their youngest daughter, eight-year-old Sofia, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia. The doctors were honest but grim. The family was devastated, as any family would be. But they did something that changed not only their own lives, but the life of their entire community. They prayed. Not quietly, not privately, not alone — they opened their home every Friday evening and invited their neighbors, their parish friends, and even strangers to gather around their kitchen table and pray together to God the Father, through Jesus His Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Week after week, that kitchen filled up. People who hadn’t been to Mass in years came. People who weren’t even Catholic came. They prayed the Rosary, they read Scripture, they laid hands on one another and asked the Holy Spirit to move among them. And six months later, Sofia’s oncologist called with results that left the entire medical team without a ready explanation. The cancer was gone. Completely. Sofia walked back into her school, back into her life, and back into the arms of a community that had been transformed by what they had witnessed together.

But here is the most remarkable part of the story. It wasn’t just Sofia who was healed. Something happened in that neighborhood that no one fully planned. People who had come to pray for a sick child left believing — really believing — in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And belief, as today’s Gospel tells us, changes everything. That community went on to build a food pantry, a clothing drive, a tutoring program for at-risk children. They built, in their own small and beautiful way, the Kingdom of God. And it all began because they believed.

John 3:16
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Forgiven and Sent: The Holy Spirit’s Gift on Pentecost

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of John 20:19-23

Dear Friends in Christ,

There is a family I know—a mother, a father, and three children—who arrived in America with nothing but hope and the clothes on their backs. They had fled unrest in their homeland, crossing an ocean, believing in the promise of a new life. But when they arrived, the world was not so welcoming. The language was foreign, the winters bit through their thin jackets, and neighbors eyed them with suspicion. The children were teased at school for their accents. The father’s hard-earned degree meant nothing here; he swept floors at night while the mother cleaned houses. They grew weary, and bitterness crept in. But then, one Sunday, they wandered into a small Catholic church. 

There, a kind parishioner greeted them, and soon the parish wrapped them in unexpected warmth. Yet the pain lingered—until one evening, during a prayer service, the pastor spoke about forgiveness: how it is not just for those who have wronged us, but for our own hearts’ healing. The family prayed for those who had mistreated them. Slowly, a new peace took root. Not long after, they began volunteering at the church, helping other newcomers. The love they received, and the forgiveness they offered, built something beautiful—a small reflection of the Kingdom of God, right here in their new home.

Pentecost
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Telling Tales like Tolkien: Catholic Storytelling by Writing Theme Last

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Guest post by: Justin Orr

Was JRR Tolkien a hypocrite?

When JRR Tolkien set out to write The Lord of the Rings, he included in the foreword of The Fellowship of the Ring a line about his detestation of allegory. He stated “I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence.”

And yet, Tolkien has also stated about the trilogy that it is “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.”

Is the greatest fantasy author of all time trying to pull the rug out from under us? How can these two seemingly opposite ideas about storytelling, specifically about his own storytelling, be true?

Tolkien
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