"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" – Matthew 5:9-10 Seeking justice and peace can be a tumultuous endeavor. Pope Francis reminds us of that in his reflections about the beatitudes from his recent apostolic exhortati...

Matthew Kelly, in the concluding video of Dynamic Catholic's Best Lent Ever series, poses the question: "What part of your life needs resurrection?" What a great topic to ponder at the beginning of this Easter Season. We are celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the victory of life over death, of love over sin, of hope over despair, of God ...

​Recently, my sister sent me a video showing a children's ministry at a church event where the group was being led in exercise and dance while singing words from Scripture. Where does this fit in the big picture of evangelizing families? There is so much competing for family's time and attention. Some churches are getting caught up in trying to res...

Paul VI invited us to deepen the call to renewal and to make it clear that renewal does not only concern individuals but the entire Church. Let us return to a memorable text which continues to challenge us. "The Church must look with penetrating eyes within herself, ponder the mystery of her own being… This vivid and lively self-awareness inevitabl...

Few words are as misunderstood in the contemporary English language as is the word spirituality. Probably the biggest misconception is regarding spirituality as something "other-worldly" and separate from us. Our spirituality is not "out there" but rather it is the transcendent within us. Spirituality is not some paranormal activity, an unachievabl...

Note:In February 2018, the Center for Ministry Development will launch their annual workshop series entitled: "Accompanying Youth on Their Journey of Faith and Discernment." See the workshop outline, sites, and dates here: https://www.cmdnet.org/accompany (Excerpt from the journal article by the same title provided in Youth Ministry Access) In Octo...

"In this day and age, unless Christians are revolutionaries, they are not Christians. They must be revolutionaries through grace." – Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy   The events of this past year have shown why we need to be open to grace moving in our lives. There were times when it felt like the news was continuously looping deadly shootin...

I love Christmas! Celebrating the precious gift of Jesus, who perfectly embodied God's love for us, gives me such joy and hope. Just as God gifted us with Jesus, we too are called to be gifts to others. That's why I think it is so important that we encourage our young people to give of themselves to those most in need. Gifts can be self-serving and...

​"Where there is no vision, the people perish…" Proverbs 29:18 What's your vision for ministering with young people? I have been part of the interviewing group for hiring parish and diocesan youth ministry leaders and inevitably this question comes up. This is probably a question that we've been asked by a supervisor or by someone considering joini...

Twice in the last several months I've had priests tell me to pray, "Jesus, I trust in you." One was to help me through my little sister's journey through pancreatic cancer into the loving arms of our heavenly Father. The other was in Confession, when I shared that it was a struggle to accept her death. I've been reflecting on trust ever since. The ...