The question as old as Christianity is, “Why would a good God allow bad things to happen?” It is the moment when many give up faith. It is the question upon which much doubt still hangs, even for the most faithful of people. It is true that some of us suffer greatly. Family members have … Continue reading What’s to Be Done with Suffering?
Author: kayceemonnenscortner
An Intersection of Traditions
I once got into an argument with a man at the South Dakota State Fair. A farmer, obviously, and slightly intoxicated, he confronted me with a rude dubiousness at the very idea of using a horse to move cattle. “Why wouldn’t you just use a four wheeler?” he said.
What Rekindled My Fire? A (Re)Conversion Story
It all started with a boyfriend, albeit one I dated for less than a month. Sweet and caring, he was a nondenominational Christian. He knew his Bible and was proudly anti-religious. I was a proud Catholic but didn’t know why. Inevitably, the conversations turned to religion: I’d tell him what I believed, he’d question it, … Continue reading What Rekindled My Fire? A (Re)Conversion Story
Love is a Gaze: How Jesus Looks at Us
As I settle into married life and find a routine in my new home, I wanted to share something seemingly minute, yet very powerful, which I was pondering for a few weeks leading up to my wedding: the gaze of Jesus Christ. Photo by Kaycee Monnens Cortner. What do I mean by that? Picture this, … Continue reading Love is a Gaze: How Jesus Looks at Us
Wait… You’re Not Living Together?
It has to be one of the most commonly asked questions since my engagement. After all, all dating and engaged couples live together nowadays, right? After explaining that I will not move in with my fiancé until we are married, I am often met with an appraising look, as if the person is trying to … Continue reading Wait… You’re Not Living Together?
Offering More Comfort: Reflections on Suicide
There is one pair of green, Hondo boots featured in my website’s header that are no longer with us, but will be kept there for a long time in honor of the wearer. It’s been a couple weeks since Wacey took his own life, and many of his friends and family are still reeling from … Continue reading Offering More Comfort: Reflections on Suicide
Catholicism: The Religion of “Stuff”
I’ll never forget the passage that I read in college which made me entirely rethink the religion I had grown up with. Turns out, I didn’t know much about my faith at all. Like many, I was under the impression that anything I could enjoy was inherently wrong. Drinking was bad, sex was bad, feasting, … Continue reading Catholicism: The Religion of “Stuff”
Food: The First Sin, The Final Hope
But in His true fashion, Our Father had written that this sin, the desire to eat, would be reciprocated in the most precious of the sacraments. While the food eaten in Genesis was poison for the soul, the food eaten in the Gospels is the antidote.
Resolutions that Are (Actually) Good for Your Soul
Clearly, the things that society values–followers, money, and position–don’t bring true joy. But the renewal of society begins in the home and within ourselves. It is my hope that these will help you find true joy and true faith in this world that has lost hope, lost happiness, and lost sight of Heaven.
From a Cattle Stall
The devil hates that Our Lord was once small. Jesus Christ was incarnate in a virgin’s womb, and thus began the one and great salvation story of mankind. Our Lord was once a baby–what’s more, a baby that wasn’t even destined to be born in a proper bed, but languished in the manger with cows gazing at him in their feed trough. How could Satan possibly understand this, with his bloated pride and hatred for all things small and good?
The Preservation of Fire 