After high school, I made the decision to attend Oregon State University and major in horticulture. I had become captivated with growing flowers and vegetables through the gentle tutelage of my beautiful third grade teacher, Mrs. Pavelek, who led a 4-H horticulture group for kids. My father helped me dig a garden in ourContinue reading “How to Produce the Sweetest Fruit”
Tag Archives: Catholic faith
How do Catholics deal with periods of stagnation and dryness?
To Catholics, faith is rooted in having an intimate, profound, lively and maturing relationship with God. Faith resides within the will, in our choosing to believe in God and in the truth He has revealed to us, no matter how we are feeling or how our thoughts might mislead or confuse us. But sometimes weContinue reading “How do Catholics deal with periods of stagnation and dryness?”
Why do Catholics Honor Saints?
Let’s begin with the key point: Catholics do not worship saints. We honor or venerate saints, but we do not consider saints in heaven to be a kind of god or goddess that we worship. Then why do we talk about praying to saints? In Latin, there are two words that can be translated intoContinue reading “Why do Catholics Honor Saints?”
What does the word “Catholic” mean?
The believers of Jesus Christ were first called followers of “the way” in the Acts of the Apostles. Later, they were given the name “Christians” in the city of Antioch, still during the era of the New Testament. The term “Christian” literally means “little Christ”—which perfectly represents what happens to a person who is aContinue reading “What does the word “Catholic” mean?”
How do Catholics Understand Spiritual Growth?
The life of a Christian is a life of discipleship—we are apprenticed to the Master, so to speak, and our entire life is a process of becoming more and more like our Master, Jesus Christ. Unlike some Christian denominations that focus more on the initial conversion experience—of being “born again” and giving one’s life toContinue reading “How do Catholics Understand Spiritual Growth?”
What is a Catholic vision of family and home life?
Our Catholic Church claims that it is within the family that the love of God is most clearly expressed and lived out. That the family is the basic cell of all human organization, all human society. God designed the family, from the very beginning as Jesus explains in Matthew Chapter 19, to be founded onContinue reading “What is a Catholic vision of family and home life?”
What’s the Point of Praying for Others?
Prayer is lifting our hearts and minds to God—seeking and strengthening our relationship with Him. If prayer is intimate communication with God, why turn it into anything but a “me and Jesus” moment? In addition, what good is it to pray for someone else? God already knows what they need and He already knows whatContinue reading “What’s the Point of Praying for Others?”
How do Catholics face temptation?
Let’s clarify a couple of big truths that help us get the “lay of the land” about the Catholic approach to temptations to sin. First, temptation itself is not a sin! We are human beings—a complicated and mysterious collection of impulses, thoughts, feelings and desires, over which, sometimes, we have little control. And temptations doContinue reading “How do Catholics face temptation?”
How do Catholics view faith?
The word faith is used in so many different ways—we can speak of faith as something we cling to or guard or grow or lose. We talk of “losing faith,” or of “practicing the faith,” or of having faith in someone or something. We refer to blind faith and sure faith and lukewarm faith. ButContinue reading “How do Catholics view faith?”
Flourish Catholic 