Know Thyself by St. Teresa of Avila on the Spiritual Life, Why Not Beautiful Churches, and More!

The Best in Catholic Blogging

Know Thyself: Ten Reflections by Saint Teresa of Avila on Spiritual Life – J. E. Foyer, Saint Peter's List

Why Not Beautiful Churches? Updated – Elizabeth Scalia, Patheos/The Anchoress

U.K. Deputy Minister: Catholic Church Should be Forced to Have Gay Weddings by John Bingham of London's Daily Telegraph newspaper - Big Pulpit

The Right Stuff: The First Thing Single Catholic Girls Need To Know – Katie Rose, St. Joseph’s Vanguard

Advent for Sacred Music – Jeffrey A. Tucker, The Chant Café

Five Steps to Better Mental Health, According to Saint Paul – Msgr. Charles Pope, Archdiocese of Washington

New Catholic Homeschooling Radio Show – Joseph Pearce, Saint Austin Review/Ink Desk

Should I Pay My Spiritual Director? A Lay Spiritual Director Responds? – Dan Burke, Catholic Spiritual Direction

Chastity: The Seventh Lively Virtue – Anthony Esolen, Crisis Magazine

Miracles Jesus Could Not Do – Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Integrated Catholic Life™

A World Class Spiritual Vacation: A Catholic Disneyland! – Ben, Two Catholic Men and a Blog

Ten Bible Verses Almost Nobody Notices – Micah Murphy, Truth & Charity

For the latest on the best punditry, analysis, and news in the Catholic blogosphere click on Big Pulpit.

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis