Posts by Erin Szurgot
Memento Mori
During the end of Liturgical Year and beginning of Advent the readings focus on the end times. This is because the Church desires us to reflect both on the humble first coming of Christ as a baby as well as His glorious second coming as King and Judge. Death as a Motivator First, why does…
Read MoreHow to Discern
Practical Tips for Discernment: In today’s Gospel our Lord spends an entire night in prayer before choosing His 12 disciples. Like Our Lord, we should also pray and ask the Holy Spirit for light before making a big decision. But how do you actually do that? First, you should set aside a few days where…
Read MoreThe Problem of Evil
In St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, one of the objections he gives to the existence of God is the problem of evil. How could an all-loving God allow so much evil to exist? Why is there so much suffering in this world? This question is something that many people find incredibly difficult to understand. The…
Read MoreSt. Augustine
Today is the Feast of St. Augustine, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church. St. Augustine is one of the most well-known saints, largely due to his incredibly influential book Confessions as well as his influence on theological thought throughout the centuries. St. Augustine was born in 354 in Africa. His mother, St. Monica, was a…
Read MoreMustard Seed
In the Gospel for today Our Lord says: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come…
Read MoreThe Importance of Faith
In both the readings for today the theme that stands out most is faith. In the first reading, the Lord tells Abraham that his wife Sarah will have a son. Sarah, being quite old, laughs and does not believe. The Lord reprimands Sarah for not believing all things are possible for God. This is the…
Read MoreThe Parallels of Childbirth and the Passion
Parallels Between the Natural and Supernatural: There are so many things in our lives where the natural tells us a deep truth about the supernatural. Having just given birth to my second child a few weeks ago, I’ve been praying a lot about childbirth, which fits so well into today’s Gospel. “Unless one is born…
Read MoreHow to Love God
In today’s Gospel our Lord speaks about the first commandment, which is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Christ then affirms what the scribe says that loving God and neighbor is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. So how do we love God with all our heart,…
Read MoreNo Human Being Must Separate
In today’s Gospel, Our Lord speaks about a very difficult teaching: no divorce. Throughout time this has always been a difficult teaching to accept. We can see this clearly from both the Pharisees and disciples’ questioning of Jesus and reaction to His answers. Divorce is quite common today, and we have all probably been touched…
Read MoreLove and Obedience
Why was God pleased with the animal sacrifices required of the Jews in the Old Testament? The first reading today makes clear that these sacrifices do not take away sin. The only sacrifice that cleanses us from sin and opens the doors of Heaven is Our Lord’s death on the cross. The Psalm for today…
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