Last week I came across a blog debate about moms who work. I can't find the link now (I think it was one of the countless discussions that erupted after Hilary Rosen's now-infamous comment), but you can imagine how it went: A blogger made the statement that mothers need to stay home with young children, working moms took offense, and combox insanity ensued. I've been following debates like this for years, but as I scanned through this one, I noticed that something felt different. At first I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but then I realized:

The whole discussion seemed outdated.

And I don't think I was the only one who sensed that. Even the most vocal, caps-lock-using...READ MORE

Last week I had the privilege of visiting the EWTN headquarters in Alabama for a taping of Life on the Rock (you can watch the episode here). It was the week of Mother Angelica's birthday, and as I walked around the campus of the international network, I thought a lot about its indefatigable founder. A few months before, I had read Raymond Arroyo's masterpiece biography, Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles; the stories from the book floated to mind over and over again during my trip. I would look around at the sprawling campus, which was dotted with satellite dishes that transmit EWTN programming to over 100 million households in 127...READ MORE

I regularly get emails from people who say that they've been seeking God, but haven't found him. They often express disappointment and frustration at the fact that once-promising spiritual journeys have now led to a dead end, and they want to know: "Is there anything else I can do?"

I'm not a spiritual director or a theologian, but I do have plenty of experience with spiritual dry spells and difficulties in the process of conversion, and I've spent a lot of time talking with wise people about common struggles in this department. While it's important to understand that any kind of powerful experiences of God are a gift, that there’s not some magic formula we can follow that will...READ MORE

Earlier this week, the Washington Post ran a story about efforts within the Church to modernize the image of Natural Family Planning. Religion writer Michelle Boorstein interviewed Ashley McGuire, Dr. Janet Smith, me, and a few other folks to get a feel for how modern Catholic women view NFP. (I wrote a clarification of some of my quotes from the article here.)

Not surprisingly, the piece has generated a lot of discussion. Cassie Murdoch of Jezebel picked it up, and spoke for many secular feminists when she basically rolled her eyes at the entire idea. Her main takeaway seemed to be that it's futile to even have this kind of discussion, since everyone knows that it's crazy to oppose...READ MORE

I was recently part of a small group setting in which a young priest shared a fascinating story. He'd been talking about the role of the celibate life in the Church, and he made a passing comment about an old friend whom he'd known some years back. This friend was a Protestant, and had once felt a strong call to live a life of celibacy. This friend had felt so strongly driven by this desire that he had approached his pastor about it. The pastor admitted that he, too, had felt a call to the celibate life when he was younger, but counseled the young man to try to move past it. The pastor explained that he had suppressed those feelings and pursued the married life, and he encouraged the...READ MORE

Last night I stumbled across an interesting article called The bride who was groomed for a career. Subtitled "An Ivy League mom's lament," author Lea Singh talks about how an intense focus on academic and career success left her unprepared for motherhood. She writes:

I wish that as I was growing up, the role of wife and mother had been more fully present as a respectable and important option that also needs time and training, not just an afterthought that automatically tacks on to a career. Much of the skill set I acquired in university is not very useful in the home. Although I know how to write legal briefs, I wish I knew how to sew, play family songs on the piano and cook without...READ MORE

The other day, I caught myself swooning over a gigantic house for sale in a suburban neighborhood a few miles away from mine. This thing was huge: It must have had at least five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and I just know there was a spacious study just waiting to be lined with bookshelves somewhere in there. I grabbed one of the brochures from the box attached to the For Sale sign, and saw that it wasn't terribly expensive; based on some of the interior shots, it seemed like the builder was going for sheer square footage over character or quality. In popular parlance: It was a McMansion. 

We're not in a position to buy a new house right now, and probably won't be any time soon. But...READ MORE

Ah, Easter Sunday. On this most glorious of days, my husband and I and our five young children rise early to meditate on the mysteries of the Resurrection. After an hour of prayer the kids search for their Easter baskets. When they find them, they ignore the chocolate bunnies and colorful jelly beans to ask about the saints featured on their new prayer cards that were tucked into the baskets. During a deeply stirring Mass, the full meaning of Easter is placed on our hearts in a profound way. We sing songs the whole way home, and in the evening we enjoy a lovely dinner, during which our conversation covers a variety of pious and holy topics.

...In my dreams. In reality, it usually goes...READ MORE