The Long Dark Night of Mother Teresa
September 6, 2017 by Charlie McKinney
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Books, Charlie McKinney, Dark Night

Saints have told of their spiritual torments and feelings of abandonment by God. In the sixteenth century, St. John of the Cross described the experience as “the dark night of the soul.” But we would be hard-pressed to find another saint who suffered a darkness so thick or a night so long as Mother Teresa suffered. John of the Cross and others wrote poems and spiritual canticles to describe their... Read More
Why Human Suffering?
July 27, 2017 by Dylan Jedlovec
Filed under Avila Institute, Dylan Jedlovec, Spiritual Life, Spiritual Theology, Suffering, Therese of the Child Jesus

Theology of Divine Mercy, Conversion, and Human Suffering One of the beautiful things about the Catholic Church is its willingness to ask tough questions in pursuit of the truth. Popes, theologians, and saints have never been afraid to ask the hard questions about human suffering. The tradition of the Church is full of people pursuing answers to the hardest questions about the meaning of life,... Read More
Avoiding Bitterness in Suffering
June 6, 2017 by Dan Burke
Filed under Dan Burke, DI Radio, Resources Edition, Show Notes, Suffering

Description: When faced with tragedy, loss, failure, illness, or any difficulty in life, how can we learn to suffer well? Author Dr. Ronda Chervin uses the lives of the saints to help us cope with suffering in her book Avoiding Bitterness in Suffering: How Our Heroes in Faith Found Peace Amid Sorrow. Topics/Questions covered in the show: What was the motivation for this book? How did the saints... Read More
How Your Suffering Can Help Make the World a Better, Kinder Place
November 15, 2016 by Vicki Burbach
Filed under Book Club, Vicki Burbach

How Your Suffering can Make the World a Better, Kinder Place Beautiful Mercy (Week 4 of 5) Nothing makes us more effective ministers of comfort than having suffered ourselves. Not one of your tears of pain will be wasted if you allow them to be redeemed in the life of another. God can use every ounce of what you have been through to make this world a better, kinder place. “Beautiful... Read More
Fighting for Marriage – St Teresa of Calcutta’s Wisdom on Prayer
September 6, 2016 by Anthony Lilles
Filed under Anthony Lilles, Marriage Spirituality, Prayer

Fighting for Marriage St Teresa of Calcutta's Wisdom on Prayer One of the ways Mother Teresa of Calcutta fought poverty was that she taught families to pray together. Typically, she would teach the Rosary. Getting parents to pray with each other and their children gave people hope where there seemed to be none and it helped married couples find love when love seemed most absent. Ironically,... Read More
St. Teresa of Calcutta Canonization – Saint of Mercy
September 4, 2016 by Liz Estler
Filed under Canonizations, Liz Estler, Mercy, Prayer, Videos

Saint Teresa of Calcutta – Canonization Saint of Mercy Saint Teresa of Calcutta – it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Today, the Church officially canonizes she who was revered as the “Saint of the Gutters” during her lifetime. This world admires her for what it sees as her social work and humanitarianism and for her selfless charity. But, she could not do anything... Read More
Living God’s Mercy – Mercy Mission (Part III of III)
April 7, 2016 by Fr. Najim
Filed under Church Teaching, Fr. Najim, Mercy, Spiritual Direction, Videos

Living God's Mercy Mercy Mission (Part III of III) Today, we bring you part III of the “Mercy Mission” which Father Michael Najim preached just prior to Holy Week. In part one, he spoke of understanding God's mercy. Part two dealt with experiencing God's mercy. And today, Father will focus on living God's mercy and giving it to others. Part three of this “Mercy Mission”... Read More
Aridity and Dryness in Prayer Series
January 16, 2016 by Dan Burke
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Dan Burke, Dark Night, Dryness in Prayer, Prayer, Purification

A comprehensive listing of spiritual direction posts on this site regarding dryness in prayer, or aridity, and the difficulties this can cause with one's prayer life. Some posts on the dark night which touch on dryness or aridity, are included as well. Click on the titles of the post to access them. Adoration, Silence and the Lamp of Fire – Part II of II Aridity – Navigating the Interior... Read More
The Rosary Is Our Spiritual Weapon of Mass Destruction Against Satan
October 7, 2015 by Peter Howard
Filed under Dr. Peter Howard, Mary, Prayer, Rosary

“The Rosary Is Our Spiritual Weapon of Mass Destruction Against Satan” I just returned from leading a retreat in Los Alamos, New Mexico. It was organized by those belonging to TOOL, which stands for “Teams of Our Lady”. What an exceptional group of Catholics, who witnessed to me while I witnessed to them. Considering the location, you might say the retreat was radioactive! Now, if you... Read More
How Do We Know God’s Will?
August 11, 2015 by Anthony Lilles
Filed under Anthony Lilles, God's Will, Spiritual Direction

How Do We Know God's Will? Many people after discovering the faith soon realize that it is sometimes difficult to discern God's will in a given situation. Most people think that knowing God's will is impossible. After all, He gave us our natural capacity to reason and He has revealed Himself to us – so the rest is up to us. There is some truth to this, especially at the beginning of the... Read More