Affability In An Angry World

Is it just me or do people today seem more angry, desperate, and defiant? The news must think so because they often describe the U.S. as a divided nation. They write stories about family members who yell at each other, of hostile neighborhoods and workplaces where sides have been taken. The picture they paint is…

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The 7th Commandment – Justice & Human Dignity

When I tried to foresee what challenges my wife and I would face as parents, I never imagined that one of them would be stealing. To me, “Do not steal” was such a basic Commandment – sort of like “Do not kill.” Only really bad people committed these sins – or people with major psychological…

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The 6th and 9th Commandments – Teaching Respect

As parents we want desperately for our children to understand and embrace God’s loving plan for their lives, including God’s plan for their bodies, as they grow into adulthood. In other words, we want our children and ourselves to learn how to honor the Sixth and the Ninth Commandments. Please Pray That Parents will live…

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Let’s Be Reasonable

My son proclaimed at the dinner table one night, “The Bible is homophobic!” He was hoping to get a rise out of me. It almost worked. But I controlled my emotions and began engaging my son in a discussion instead. Not only did we have a great dinner conversation, but hopefully my children learned a…

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A Great Virtue for the New Year

A friend and I were discussing the fallout from last year. I admitted to him that I caught myself saying, “I don’t know what or who to believe anymore,” nearly every week. He agreed that discerning the truth was a daunting task made more difficult because people seemed to make decisions based on how they…

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Hope: Trusting God Through the Chaos

Your family needs the virtue of Hope, now more than ever. There is no doubt that you are raising your family in tumultuous times. Confusion and chaos abound in both the culture and the Church. It would be easy to throw our hands up in despair and cry out, “Why even bother? What’s the use?”…

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The 5th Commandment; Do No Harm

Do you assume that keeping the 5th Commandment is easy because you’d never commit cold-blooded murder? Well, Jesus challenges us to live this Commandment on a deeper level, valuing each person’s life and dignity. This month’s article shows you how to keep the 5th Commandment even when you start feeling resentful or angry toward your children, and how you can model the virtue of meekness so your children can learn how to value others as well!

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Longanimity: Patience for the Long Haul

Our culture is broiling with anger and turmoil. Pandemic, lockdown, riots, and political vitriol surrounding presidential elections are making us irritated, frustrated, and angry. We could all use a greater strengthening of this month’s virtue: longanimity. Also known as “long-suffering,” longanimity refers to patience over a long period of time. The word literally means “long-souled” and is closely related to the term magnanimity, which means “great-souled.” Being willing to put up with suffering and frustration, especially out of love for others, is one way we express the greatness of Christlike love. In our parenting, longanimity means playing the long game, putting up with current challenges in order to help your children become who God created to be. Learn more about this powerful virtue in this month’s “Circle of Virtue” article.

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Church & Chicken: Keeping the Lord’s Day

One of the most important traditions in my family growing up was Sunday dinner. Our family would go to Mass, then sit around the kitchen and talk while the air filled with smells of baking chicken and winter squash. We’d then sit around the table for a formal family meal. My parents expected good manners…

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