The Narrow Gate Blog

This article was originally published by Decided Excellence Catholic Media. September marks the month of the Sorrowful Mother, Mater Dolorosa, the woman who faithfully stayed with the Lord through his most vulnerable and physically weak moments on earth. In order to understand Our Lady’s role (especially during the Passion), we must first look to her Son, who set the stage for this great drama of our redemption. It is within his Passion that our suffering is made sweet and by which our frai …

This article first appeared at: catholicweekly.com.au The Saturday night rosary was a cornerstone of my family life growing up. After dinner was finished, all 12 of us would gather in the living room, sitting on the couch, chairs or the floor.The lights would be switched off and the candles next to the statue of Our Lady holding the child Jesus would be lit.Mum and Dad would then list all the people we were going to pray for and if any child had anybody else to add to the list they could do so. …

This article first appeared at: fireupministries.com With all the confusion and harmful agendas being pushed on children in society today, it can be a scary time to raise a family. It is understandable to be concerned about the world our children are being brought into.But, will you be paralysed by fear and withdraw from the world, or will you step up, fire up and answer the call for our time? The best way to fight evil is with good!Every time I notice myself getting worried about the attacks on …

This article first appeared at: fireupministries.com Several years ago, I was part of a community service group at my parish that visited the elderly in a nursing home once a month. I looked forward to these visits so much. I always felt proud of myself for doing something good for the elderly, but I never realized how much they could and would do for me. God introduced me one day to an elderly man that would radically impact my life and my outlook on love.As I entered the nursing home one Sunda …

This article first appeared at: stpaulcenter.com Amidst the somber beauty of the many readings at Easter Vigil Mass, there’s a line from the prophet Isaiah which feels rather jarring: “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will take you back” (Is 54:7, NABRE). For souls whose hearts have been pierced by deep suffering, this verse might feel disconcerting. Why would our loving Father ever abandon us, even for a brief moment? And does that mean He might be abandoning me r …

This article first appeared at: spiritualdirection.com My co-workers at the large Christian Apostolate where I worked as Director of Strategy Development used to call me “Nuke.”That’s because I was always one irritation away from going off, raining emotional shrapnel on everyone in the vicinity. In some ways, my rage was working for me. Professionally, I was challenging and piercingly to the point to those in authority. I was solving problems and saving the company millions of donor dollars. Bel …