Variety is an important part of human life. How blessed we are that the Church gives us cycles of feasting, fasting and ordinary times in the liturgical year, as each mode causes heightened appreciation for the others. We need normal, ordinary days; we need times of extra-hard work and penance; and we need times of feasting, merriment and celebration. This is how human beings thrive. And yet we so often forget to live this way. In particular, while we are sometimes good at self-indulgence, in our atomized and hopeless society, we struggle to find ways to live with authentic celebration and joy ..read more

The first podcast that I ever listened to was a true crime podcast. After I listened to all 12 episodes on a cross-country road trip, I immediately re-started the series, desperate to find any detail or clue I might have missed the first time around, expecting to form the correct conclusion on who was guilty while I was driving on some of America’s longest highways. I learned later that the victim’s family, a family who tragically lost their teenage daughter and for decades thought they had closure on who had taken her life, were opposed to the podcast’s production. After years of peace, all o ..read more

Imagine a room. It is empty except for a few necessary things — maybe a chair, a fireplace and a lamp. You can just sit and be quiet, with no distractions. You can simply be in the present moment. Now, imagine that room is your heart. It is not crowded. There are no distractions; there is simply enough empty space for you to focus on what is truly important. Want more Radiant? Sign up for our weekly newsletter! You’ve probably heard of minimalism at this point. It is a term used in pop culture, in fashion and on social media. Some people are very intense about it and choose to get rid of all b ..read more

I doubt anyone has ever been called “weak” and blushed a shade of rose while uttering a humble “thank you.” By most standards, such a qualification would be considered a criticism, not a compliment. So, how must women receive the fact that, for all of history, we have been denoted “the weaker sex”? The more common, knee-jerk reaction is, of course, that of modern feminists: prove that we are not the weaker sex, but rather we are just as strong as men. The far less popular response is to recognize the unique beauty of women and endeavor to understand the power of weakness. To do so, we must cas ..read more

I sat in adoration, conflicted. I knew what the Lord wanted me to do, but as a people pleaser, it was hard to send someone “bad news.” The Lord, however, was persistent and clear, so out went the text to the guy I had a date with that evening, stating there would not be another date. And then I sat there some more just looking at Jesus. I had recently returned to the dating world after about a year away, and there I sat staring at Jesus, and Jesus looking at me, pressing on my heart to stop dating again. This time of not dating would be different, though. Instead of avoiding dating altogether ..read more

Working as a Catholic communications professional kept me busy. I rarely had the opportunity to sit down and read for pleasure. For years, I had wanted to read “Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska,” but somehow time kept slipping away from me. However, during Lent 2023, I was forced to rest due to a long-term illness. At the time, my eyes were fatigued, and reading a book was not feasible for me. Instead, I listened to the audiobook and found much comfort in it. Want more Radiant? Sign up for our weekly newsletter! While this book speaks about the second coming of Christ and the Divine Merc ..read more

Mercy: “compassion or forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” I’d never thought of mercy quite that way, that God has the power and the right to punish us when we fail. As Deacon Steve Greco said in the Catholic Journal, God’s mercy is “undeserved and unmerited divine grace.” It is a gift of love. Our God chooses to listen, to guide, to love and to forgive. We will never be worthy, but that is the beauty of his love. Pope St. John Paul II described Divine Mercy as the presence of a love “which is stronger than death and sin.” Want more Radiant? Sign up for ..read more

You’re busy. You’re being pulled in a million different directions, distracted by a million different hopes, worries and fears. Maybe your health isn’t great. Maybe your job isn’t thrilling. Maybe you’re worried about the economy or gas prices or the state of the Church. You get the picture. It’s easy to get so caught up in the whirlwind of daily life that we forget why we’re even alive. So, today, I encourage you to try something different. Turn off social media. Turn off the TV. Go find a quiet place where you can block out the noise. Pause. And think of heaven. Want more Radiant? Sign up fo ..read more

Almost 11 years ago during a semester abroad in Rome, some classmates and I opted for a day trip to Orvieto, Italy. We visited the Orvieto cathedral, praying in front of the famous Eucharistic miracle, and had a scrumptious lunch before splitting ways to explore the city. Though there was much to see, a friend and I set out with one quest in mind: finding the Church of San Domenico, known for housing the crucifix that spoke to St. Thomas Aquinas. As pranzo descended upon us — Europe’s midday break during which churches close — we enjoyed the sights along the way. We sauntered through the quain ..read more

‘Fiat lux’ — let there be light “For as bats eyes are to daylight so is our intellectual eye to those truths which are, in their own nature, the most obvious of all.” — Aristotle, Metaphysics It was an autumn evening; the sunset was rich and golden blanketing the sky in a honeyed haze. It was lovely; but I was nervous. My hands were clammy as I parked on the side of the street across from a little 1930s stone parish. I didn’t know any Catholics, except through beloved authors I had met in books — giants like G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien. And although I carried some of my favorite books w ..read more