Aflame for Christ

Aflame 130 - Mary And the Incarnation

Behind every great man is a great woman, as they say - and during Advent we frequently reflect on the role of our Blessed Mother in bringing the Word-Made-Flesh into the world. Let us examine how God prepared her for such an august and amazing mission - and how we can foster a devotion to her and imitate her virtues!

Dash Through Catholic Spirituality 4 - Transcendentals

St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that God reaches out to us in one of three ways: through truth, beauty or goodness. These are classically called the "Transcendentals", and they are ways in which God woos every human being. How can we see God through these paths, and why are they windows into God Himself? Tune in to find out!

Aflame 129 - In It For the Long Haul

When someone is fully committed to something for a long time - a sports team, a parish, a family, community - they will do everything possible to make it as great as it can be. When God took on flesh, He "threw His lot in" with humanity, committing to stay with us forever. Hence, He has a vested interest in making us the saints we were created to be!

Dash Through Catholic Spirituality 3 - Spiritual Warfare

On our journey to God, we have an Enemy who hates us - Satan, the devil, Lucifer. Find out how he impacts our lives and attempts to thwart our spiritual progress, and how we can use the tools that the Church gives us to overcome the snares of the Evil One so that we can reach Heaven safely!

Aflame 128 - A God With Skin On

Our Gospels make it clear that the Incarnation is not the same as the ancient myths of a god-man. Rather, He truly took on flesh in a historical context. He is not an apparition, but a true human, because what He did not take on, He did not redeem - and we desperately wanted to have our God as a Divine Friend - a God with "skin on" so we can see and love Him!

Dash Through Catholic Spirituality 2 - Stages of the Spiritual Life

How do we know if we are making progress in the spiritual life? There IS a goal - union with God. But are there any guideposts to understand how far we've come, whether we're on the right path, and how far we have to go? Yes! Through the teachings of St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, we can outline a beautiful path through the stages of the spiritual life to reach the very presence of God.

Aflame 127 - Far More Than We Bargained For

The prophets predicted that God would raise up a person to restore Israel to its former glory. We ended up with so much more - God incarnate, the Alpha and Omega, Who has come to save the entire universe and restore all creation in Himself. We begin our series on the Incarnation by looking at the radical nature of this Jesus - what do we believe about His humanity and divinity?

Dash Through Catholic Spirituality 1 - Basics of Prayer

We all know how to "say prayers" but what does it mean to pray? Prayer is nothing else but a conversation with God. Every conversation involves speaking - we speak to God through Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. We listen to God through the Scriptures, music, the liturgy, and in many other ways. Today we dive into the basics of prayer - how to have a real relationship with the God Who loves you!