As Christians and non-Christians alike have made counseling and self-help books a greater part of their lives, it has become increasingly common to hear stories of healing journeys. People today have become comfortable with the idea that they are wounded (emotionally...
Saints and Holy People
Bodily Anxiety and Jesus
The post emphasizes the importance of listening to our bodies, which signal needs and emotions, such as anxiety. It advocates seeking fulfillment through Christ for peace and healing from emotional struggles.
Victims of Love
So, Lent is here. Which means that many of us have prepped 50+ impossible commitments because we want to be holy. After all, Lent is about sacrifice. And sacrifice makes us more like Jesus. Which in turn makes us holy and helps us save souls. But is making so many...
Joy is Contagious
So, we all know scripture is pro-life. There are many verses from the Old Testament especially about the life in the womb. And while Jesus never says anything about the child in the womb, Jesus’ life and his very body proclaim the wonder of life in the womb. In...
Superpowers in Heaven
Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? Believe it or not, Jesus wants you to be a superhero—both now and in the world to come. Sometimes we close our minds to the possibilities of the supernatural and of heaven. Many of us know the catechism definition of heaven that...
When Fainting Was Good
I have had a number of times in my life where I have fainted. Nearly all of them were anxiety related, where the stress in question was just too much for my mind and body to handle, and so my body decided to "disappear" for a moment. I am reminded of Queen Esther from...
Learn From Your Mama!
For Mother’s Day, I decided to reflect on what Mother Mary teaches all of us—women and men—about the feminine posture of receptivity. So, I read Pope Benedict’s Mary: The Church at Her Source regarding the Magnificat. Mary speaks of “magnifying the Lord.” What does...
Pope Benedict: Good and Faithful Servant
A special blog by Monica Ashour, honoring Pope Benedict XVI’s death and thus his entrance into eternal life. When my friend and colleague, Sheryl Collmer, texted me this morning, “Rest in eternal joy, dear Benedict,” I smiled and said, “Well done, good and faithful...
John Paul II’s Feast Day
October 22, 2022 Happy Feast Day, St. John Paul! “Are you Monica Ashour?” a stranger said to me. We were on a train to Rome for St. John Paul’s Canonization on April 28, 2014. Shocked, I said, “Yes. Do I know you?” She said, “I’m Mary Sladek, and this is my husband,...
What St. Michael Teaches Us About the Body
September 29 is the Feast of the Archangels, but this day has also traditionally been called “Michaelmas,” and has a long history of religious and harvest celebrations connected to it (start looking up those Goose recipes!). The traditional story of St. Michael as the...