Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues

Seven Deadly Sins in Dante's Purgatory

The Seven Deadly Sins are not particular sins at all. Rather, they are vices – or patterns of immoral choices. Most of them are the abuse of something that is otherwise good. They are defined by the phrase “inordinate desire,” meaning a desire that is “out of order” with human health, happiness and holiness. The…

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Lasting Friendships – Not Even Death Can Destroy True Friendship

Lasting Friendships: Two Old Friends Hugging

Cultivating and nurturing good Christian friendship is an important part of Catholic spiritual growth. Unfortunately, there are some influences in our lives that make it difficult for us to even want to put the effort and energy into cultivating lasting friendships. Nurturing friendship is hard work! Depending on your age, it might surprise you to…

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Catholic Spiritual Growth Requires Faith Community!

Catholic Spiritual Growth Requires Faith Community!

In this spiritual growth tutorial on practical prayer, we have seen how important it is to focus our spiritual growth and prayer on our personal relationship with God. We then discussed why we need to continue to learn about our faith so we can grow in intimacy with God. In this article we’re going to…

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Four Elements of Catholic Spirituality That Will Bring You Fulfillment

Once you have started getting control of your time, you are ready to work on the second foundational Key to Spiritual Growth – developing a habit of spirituality. While I have been a Catholic my whole life, I really rediscovered Catholic spirituality when I took my master’s degree in theology. The Institute for Pastoral Theology (at the…

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Catholic Prayer is a Personal Relationship with Jesus

Catholic Prayer is a Personal Relationship with Jesus

Do Catholics believe in a “personal relationship with God? It may surprise you to learn that the answer is yes. However, what we mean by this term is quite different from what other Christians may mean. For Catholics, having a personal relationship with God means to enter into the Mystery of Divine Intimacy. But properly…

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Four Ways to Build Your Inner Sanctuary

First Key to Spiritual Growth: Taking Control of Your Life through the Virtue of Prudence Are You Overwhelmed by the World? When I talk to people about the obstacles they face in growing in their Catholic spirituality, one response that I get quite consistently is the problem of being distracted by the world. The world…

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