The Soulful Catholic
Stirring up faith, one soul at a time.
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As a journalist for the Catholic press for more than 20 years, the deep desire to continue penning words that pointed to Jesus has never diminished. In fact, it blossomed and gave birth to this blog! I attribute that zeal to the grace of God who in 2010 allowed me to meet and become adopted by the persecuted Christians of the Middle East. Their authentic witness to Christ in the midst of deep suffering reignited my faith and set me on a path that continues to unwind before me.
What follows are soulful meanderings into what it means to be a disciple of Christ living in a broken world redeemed by God.
Recent Articles
Sometimes we delve into current issues (what do you expect from a political science major?) but it’s always through a lens of faith. The Soulful Catholic likes to write about what God is doing in our lives today, right here and right now. Faith in Christ changes everything.
Be countercultural, and while you’re at it, use less plastic
The phrase jumped out at me and set off alarm bells:
“The growing burden on this sandwich generation weakens careers and quality of life…”
The Soulful Catholic’s quiet perusal of the Sunday-morning edition of the Wall Street Journal is generally not fraught with consternation. And yet this seemingly innocuous turn of phrase had her taking screenshots for further reflection.
The article in question was examining the challenges faced by the sandwich generation, referring to those adults charged with the care of both young children and elderly parents or grandparents.
As someone who navigated that season of life not so long ago, I sympathize with the struggle. But a burden? A drag on my career? A lower quality of life?
Uh, no. Definitely no.
Our joy will attract others to faith in Christ. Outrage and vitriol? Not so much.
“Next week, don’t be the same person you were last week. Let’s start to live a more radical response to the gift of the best news ever … I beg you to respond by sharing the Gospel with confidence, by rejoicing in his love even when life is really hard.”— Chris Stefanick, National Eucharistic Congress, July 21
Of all the powerful statements that were uttered at the National Eucharistic Congress, this is the one that stays with me.
Many of us seem to have lost the sense that the Gospel is, in fact, good news. When faith becomes caught up in debate and politics and keeping score, the heart of the Gospel is lost. When we become cynics who are quick to complain, criticize and condemn, we forget to share the joy we should have from being a disciple of the Lord Jesus. We forget what Jesus told us: “I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 12:47).”
Gift of joy transforms an otherwise painful moment into encounter with Christ
“Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!” Evangelii Gaudium #10
That has to be one of my favorite quotes from The Joy of the Gospel, the 2013 Apostolic Exhortation penned by Pope Francis. And it reminds me of Marlin, a radiology tech I’ve come to know over the last 20 years.
I’m not making this up.
Meet Joyce
The Soulful Catholic
Wife. Mom. Regular, everyday person. God allowed me to write for The Catholic Sun for nearly two decades (not the Rosary kind, but more on that later!) I’m also a catechist and the editor of a community newspaper.
A conversion experience in 2010 changed my life forever and led to the writing of two novels about the plight of persecuted Christians. A third book, Daily Inspiration, rounds out my current titles.
I’ll speak to any group of one or more about God’s great mercy and how He intervened in my life in a miraculous way. Sometimes that means a parish mission or retreat but it might just be over tea.
