Since Covid began, our family has said evening prayers in one form or another. A typical weekly schedule includes the following: • One night for the Divine Mercy chaplet (the kids love it because it’s so short) • One night for intercessions • One night for Catholic art or religious imagery • One night for catechesis or apologetics • On...

Pride month begins tomorrow but in the United States, it’s been going on for at least a week. My local ShopRite began displaying rainbow shopping bags last week. No matter where you look, pride flags are everywhere. I can’t really think of a company that isn’t doing something for Pride month, even the pet food store. It’s worth thinkin...

We spend a lot of time striving. We work towards a greater income. We aim to be successful. We maintain our stuff so that it will last longer. We manage our time. We take vitamins and work out in order to live longer and be healthy. A question I’ve often pondered deals with the interplay between what God can do in all of this and what ...

“My name is Mike and I’ve got a problem: me.” While I’ve never been to an AA meeting, one of the great principles of any recovery program is the acknowledgement of a problem and that starts with me. A healthy look in the mirror is good for all of us. One of my favorite political and social commentators is Jason Whitlock. He’ll tell you...

Happy Easter! It’s good to say this, even after the Big Day. The Church reminds us that the Easter season is longer than the Lenten season (50 days vs. 40 days). How did your Lenten fasting-almsgiving-praying go? Now is the time to consider how you might sustain those practices OR modify them in the post-Lenten time we are in. Here’s a...

It’s a Friday in Lent so you know what that means: no meat. By dinner time, you’ll likely have eaten a lot of carbs and are feeling cranky. If I’m being too honest, forgive me! Fasting for me is a weekly thing, throughout the year. When Lent rolls around, my body (and mind) have been somewhat used to fasting. A few years ago, I decided...

Hi friends, Lent is wrapping up but that doesn't mean that your Lenten alms-giving has to end. As you may know, I have the privilege of serving as the Executive Director for the Catholic Campus Ministry Association. We provide vitally important training and support for those on the front lines of college campuses (campus ministers and ...

What does a good experience of prayer look like for you? For me, it’s about 30 minutes of quiet space, scattered with some reading and reflection on the Gospel, the Liturgy of the Hours and some journaling. If I’m docile enough, I might brave into deep silence and hope to find the Lord there as well. Now, what does prayer actually look...

Depending on how you experience prayer, fasting and alms-giving, you likely have a certain disposition towards or even against the season of Lent. I get a kick out of some of the Catholic branding around Lent. A “Lent for Men” website reminded me of a Delta Force movie, replacing AK-47 machine guns with cold showers for 40 days. A popu...

A week ago Sunday, I told Cary that I felt I was coming down with something. The next morning, I tested positive for Covid. A buddy of mine texted me with, “Wait, people still get that?” While at times it felt like a “lost week” of my life, it was also a tremendous gift. While I did lose five days of work, missed my first board meeting...

Happy Friday! A few weeks ago I wrote about how we were a few weeks into the New Year. Rather than focusing on popular New Year’s Resolutions, I asked about your morning prayer routine. Since then, I’ve been thinking about my own routine. Showing up each morning is the biggest part of it for sure. The components of my routine? They’re ...

Hey, there and happy new year! It’s hard to believe but we are already half way through Month One of 2023. That went fast! Just a quick check in: how are you doing with your morning prayer time? Any adjustments you want to take in order to retool, revamp, polish your time with the Lord in 2023? Where do you feel He is nudging you at ho...

If you’ve followed this news story, you’ll note that the Vatican has removed Frank Pavone, longtime pro-life advocate, from the priesthood. The Church has disciplined many “famous” Catholics over the past two thousand years. It’s within its charge. It happens. What’s fascinating is how those who are disciplined deal with it. In recent ...

Today’s Mass and the Responsorial Psalm come from Isaiah 45. One line stopped me in my tracks, “I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD–for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land.” This nearness-of-salvation means a great deal to me because I remember what I was...

Many of you know that I work within the higher education sector, American colleges specifically. A common refrain among those who work with university students is that far too many kids lack the skill of friendship. As a result, the ability to make and maintain friends must be taught. It’s fascinating when 18 year olds discover (again)...

It’s time for the 2nd annual Nonprofit Productivity Summit on Dec. 6th and 7th. This free and virtual event is my way of connecting faith with work. Last year, we had attendees from 29 different countries. That’s pretty cool. This year’s guests include Tiago Forte, Christina Lamas, Jason Fried and so many others who are passionate abou...

Do you find that your week starts with the best of intentions and then fades into a “limp to the finish line” by Friday? Lately, that’s been my experience and it’s really bothering me. After all, I’m supposed to be The Productivity Guy. You’d think I would have this all figured out. Hardly. I’m a work in progress and old habits are har...

Like many of you, I struggle with silence. I like it but don’t love it. It can be jarring, even for me as a strong introvert. This new podcast by the team at Asian Efficiency highlights a new book called Golden: the Power of Silence in a World of Noise. The book’s authors explain that “finding silence” has many benefits beyond the shee...

How’s your morning prayer routine? No really- do you miss it when it doesn’t happen? Does your day feel “off” when you don’t commune with the Lord at the start of your day? When you don’t drink enough water, there are real effects. You’re less sharp mentally and are prone to getting a headache. When you don’t get enough sleep, your ent...

Where do you keep a nice collection of meaningful prayers and quotes? This could be within Apple Notes or inside a paper notebook. One that I’ve been meditating on lately is from St. John of the Cross, whom St. Teresa of Avila called “the father of my soul”. High praise for the 16th century man who wrote poetically about the spiritual ...

I used to go to the gym with my friend, Al. He taught me a key lesson about staying engaged with your workouts and I think it applies to morning prayer routines as well. He said, “It’s important to change up your routine every couple of months or else you’ll get bored and it won’t feel like fun.” Lately, I’ve been using the Hallow app ...

Simple living is popular these days and minimalism is attractive for many who seek to make life more manageable. You don’t have to look far for a “simpler way to organize your home” post or podcast episode. I think that simplicity is also a hallmark of The Quiet Life. In re-reading Fr. Dennis Berry, S.T.’s book (God’s Valiant Warrior),...

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (or penance or confession depending on your preference of titles) is a peculiar one for Catholics. You go into a small room with an ordained minister whom you may or may not know and share your sins. While I don’t have empirical data, I imagine that most Catholics are quite uncomfortable with this practi...

The responsorial psalm for today’s Mass (119) begins with this, “I find joy in the way of your decrees…” (v. 14). Where can you find joy today? Where will the Lord surprise you and literally bring a smile to your face? Wait for that moment. Anticipate it. Pray for it. It may come through something you read or in a conversation you have...

It’s never been easy to be Catholic. The earliest believers lost their lives due to their faith and devout followers of Christ are still persecuted today. In America, we have a very unique situation unfolding in 2022: many of the nation’s top political leaders are Catholic. This would be a point of pride for practicing Catholics were i...

Today’s Responsorial Psalm (119) from Mass features one line which could get lost if we but slow down long enough to hear it, “May I be wholehearted towards your laws…” (v. 80). What are you whole-hearted about? Golf? Food? A new boat? The neighborhood in which you grew up? In my experience, being whole-hearted is elusive. We can becom...

What if your daily prayer routine isn’t working anymore? This question is, of course, a bit of a trick. After all, God works even when we are unaware of His movements and promptings. I’m talking about our side of things. How we feel about our daily prayer and whether it resonates more often than it does not. This isn’t about having an ...

How do you pray each night with your kids? My family tried praying the Rosary. That went over like a lead balloon. Too long and forced. Then, we tried a consecration to St. Joseph. Too speculative and again, too long. We used one of the 30 days to … books and accompanying videos. The low production value was a turnoff to the kids. Eye ...

Here’s a confession of mine: I didn’t understand the devotion to Divine Mercy until about five years ago. Today, my kids love to pray it, albeit in part because it’s much shorter than praying the Rosary. Kids like brevity. Another devotion that has been foreign to me is that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As the Church celebrates the So...

It’s Pride Month here in the U.S. You already know this because it’s become widely promoted in public libraries, at your local Target store, online through rainbow corporate logos and through “drag queen story hours” that you may read about online. Many Catholics are left without much guidance from the Church on this matter. Is Pride M...