This week, Jackie Angel puts out her first solo video on the new Jackie and Bobby Ascension Presents channel, Matt Fradd tells us about fasting from the internet for a month, Fr. Banecker reminisces about the good old days of baseball, and Fr. Josh Johnson offers some of his own tips on how to enjoy Halloween. Find all of this and the rest of Ascension Media’s latest content below.
Ascension Presents
Jackie and Bobby Angel
Aching to Find a Spouse?
Are you aching to find a spouse who understands you and your Catholic faith?
Being called to the married life when you don’t have a spouse can make you feel like you’re putting your life on hold, waiting for someone to come along so you can live out your vocation. Jackie offers five tips to remember if you’re having a hard time being single.
Fr. Mike Schmitz
Reminder: God Loves You
Father Mike Schmitz forgot to say one thing in his video “We’re Not Just Cosmic Accidents” – God loves you. In his previous video Fr. Mike made comments on The Greatest Showman song “This is Me”. To elaborate on his original message, he quotes Pope Benedict XVI, saying, “Until I am accepted and loved by another, I cannot accept and love myself. But even then the sense is fragile, because all human acceptance is fragile. Ultimately, we need a sense of being accepted unconditionally. Only if God accepts me and I have become convinced of this, do I know definitely it is good that I exist.”
Encountering the Word
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In this week’s Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. You may need to sign up for our exclusive content to view this video.
Matt Fradd
The Spiritual Value of Fasting from the Internet
As Matt Fradd thought about fasting from the internet for the entire month of August, he felt this sense of terror and freedom come upon him.
After buying a no-internet flip phone, telling his wife to change the password on his computer, and doing a bunch of other things that made internet access nearly impossible for him, he spent the month going on drives (and getting lost without Google Maps), spending more time with his kids, and reading The Brothers Karamozov. He enjoyed it all so much he now plans to give up the internet for a month annually. Learn more about how it went in this video.
The CFRs
The Value of Struggle
When Brother Isaiah kept praying to God, “Lord, I’m struggling …” he heard God tell him, “I don’t know if that’s such a bad thing.”
At first this just added to his struggle, as if God was downplaying Brother Isaiah’s pain, but then the friar asked God why he was answering his prayer in such a way. God revealed the importance and beauty in his struggling.
Ascension Podcasts
You Need More Sleep!
This week we are talking to and about the sleep-deprived—which probably means you. Whether you are lacking sleep because of insomnia, illness, small children, worries, work, or all of the above, you need more sleep and this week’s show offers ideas for ways to get the rest your body needs to be physically, mentally, and emotionally your best every day.
My newest book, You Are Enough: What Women of the Bible Teach You About Your Mission and Worth, is available! Click here to order!
Halloween, Children at Mass, and Maid of Honor
Fr. Josh answers questions about dressing up in costumes for Halloween, what to do when you have fussy children at Mass, and how to choose a maid of honor for a wedding. If you have a question, comment, or response for Fr. Josh, email us at askfrjosh@ascensionpress.com. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!
St. John Paul II and Who You Really Are
“You are not who they say you are. Let me remind you of who you really are.” St. John Paul II reminds us that our identity does not lie in fear, anxiety, or any extrinsic force. This quote is an echo of what Christ teaches us, reminding us of our real identity as children of God. Listen to podcast …
Doctors of the Church Part 1: Catherine of Siena
Today we begin our 5 part series on the women Doctors of the Church by first exploring the life of St. Catherine of Siena. St. Catherine was a preacher, influencer, writer, miracle worker, and mystic. In this episode, we chat about Catherine’s example of intimacy with God, her fiery heart and voice of conviction, how her hidden life fueled her passion for the Church and restoration, and how we can follow her example in specific ways.
Becoming Dust Jackets for Truth: The Art of Storytelling!
Mastering the art of storytelling is an extremely effective way to spread truth.
Spoiler alert! Jeff talks about the ending of the popular dystopian book, Fahrenheit 451. In it, scholars who memorize books in the hopes that they will be written down again call themselves “dust jackets for books”.
We too, are “dust jackets for books”, especially when it comes to the Bible. We are responsible for remembering important parts of the Bible so that we can share them with others, especially our kids and grandkids.
Ascension Blog
A Guide to 5 Key Marian Apparitions (#3 Is Hardly Known)
by Nicholas LaBanca
One of the most comforting aspects of the Catholic Faith is the Communion of Saints. Scripture tells us about the “cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us. Even after physical death, the saints remain alive, and are even keenly aware of what is taking place on earth among the Church Militant (see Revelation 5:8). Some of the greatest indications of this communion of saints come in the form of Marian apparitions. Read More …
What’s Ailing Baseball Is Also Draining the Life of Our Culture
by Fr. Eric J. Banecker
I am a big baseball fan. At least that’s how I thought of myself.
Growing up, my dad taught me to root for all the Philadelphia sport teams, and I did (as hazardous to one’s health as that can sometimes be).
But baseball was always my favorite. It’s the sport I most enjoyed playing, watching, even reading about. Read More …
A Catholic Response to a So-Called ‘Black Mass’
What is the appropriate Catholic response to a “black mass”?
October, also the month dedicated to the Rosary, is a popular time for the satanic ritual commonly referred to as a “black mass”. The term itself rings false—there really is no such thing as a “black mass”—the qualifier denigrates the power of the real Mass.
Confession: A Love Story
by Merridith Frediani
“This is wrong,” the voice in my head told me. “Don’t do it.” I didn’t listen to that voice. I did it. Then I regretted it. I didn’t have to tell that story about that person the way I did. There were other, kinder options, including just keeping my mouth shut. I could have chosen one. I didn’t. I knew I should go to confession, but I didn’t want to. Read More …
Featured photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels
Fr. Josh is great! Loved his podcast – he stressed the importance of the “official witness” roles for a sacramental wedding, encouraged families to bring their young children to Mass even if they will cry or fuss, and offered appropriate Halloween costume choices (with All Hallows Eve history and context)…All in less than 30 minutes!
He is so clear and on target – and very relatable as “one of us”. I enjoyed the ’embarrassing’ Halloween story from his youth too! 🙂