The Victor's Crown

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- When He Wills It One of the challenging parts of following Christ is trust. Or as the saints call it: abandonment to Divine Providence. We trust that God wants the best for us, but in any given moment, we don't see the whole picture. We might desire to be somewhere else, to be different, t...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- No Proxy Conversions "We cannot forget that conversion is a profoundly inward act, in which the individual cannot be replaced by others and cannot make the community a substitute for him." —St. John Paul II There's no such thing as conversion by proxy. The trap is thinking that because we...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Begin Again “All human creations are the result of unwearied new beginnings.” —G. Chevrot Chevrot is talking about works of art, sculpture, books—the products of our labor. But he’s making a deeper connection to the spiritual life. Excellence doesn’t come from getting it right once. It com...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- One of the Five "How I wish your bearing and conversation were such that on seeing or hearing you, people would say, 'This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.'" —St. Josemaría Escrivá What a line. Not "This man is perfect" or "This man has it all figured out." But "This man reads the life...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Little Skirmishes "Today, as yesterday, heroism is expected of the Christian, a heroism in great struggles if the need arises. Normally, however, the heroism will be in the little skirmishes of each day." —St. Josemaría Escrivá A number of saints have talked about this idea, and I need to...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Change My Face I remember back in college when a few friends informed me that I have a bit of an intimidating face. My wife says that my resting face can look a little stern. Apparently, I need to smile more. But the other day after receiving the Eucharist at Mass, a prayer came to mind. U...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- The Path Is Lit Our Lord lights our path. He shows us the way. But sometimes that's by candlelight—we can barely see a few feet ahead. Sometimes it's a flashlight in the dark—we see our destination but we're not sure how to get there. And sometimes God lights up the path like an airport ru...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Merry Christmas I'm so grateful you're here. Thank you for spending part of your days with me this year—for reading these reflections, for wrestling with these ideas, for growing in faith alongside me. Today we celebrate the moment everything changed. God became man so that man can be with...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Don't Miss Jesus The last thing you want for Christmas is to miss Jesus. I don't mean that's the last item on your list. I mean that's the very thing you want to avoid—missing Jesus when He comes on Christmas. In the Bible story, people actually missed Him. King Herod was too threatened to...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- The One True Light The Christmas story has become so visual for us. We’ve seen nativity scenes, heard the story countless times, watched recreations. It’s familiar. Mary and Joseph searching for shelter in the cold night. Shepherds tending their flocks at night. Wise men following a star....

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Preparing the Way It's not hard to see why Saint John the Baptist is a figure we return to in Advent. He came to prepare the way of the Lord, and he is also a model for us. He didn't do the work of Christ. He didn't heal the sick or cast out demons. He didn't convert hearts—that's the work...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- "Go to Holy Communion even when you feel lukewarm, leaving everything in God's hands. The more my sickness debilitates me, the more urgently do I need a doctor." —Saint Bonaventure Are any of us actually worthy to receive the Eucharist? It's too great of a gift. Every time we approach, we...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Making the Stop "A good Samaritan is he who stops to relieve the suffering of another, no matter who or what he is." —Saint John Paul II We know the parable. It's dramatic. Life-or-death. The kind of suffering you can't miss. But what I love about Saint John Paul II's words: relieving suff...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Joy Beyond All Joy Advent and Christmas are seasons of joy. There's joy in the waiting, in the preparation, in the anticipation. We hear it everywhere in these weeks—Mary's soul rejoicing in the Magnificat , John the Baptist leaping for joy in Elizabeth's womb, the shepherds receiving joyf...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Deception The day before Thanksgiving, I got scammed by someone impersonating my bank. Fortunately, no real damage was done. But what frightened me was how convincing they were—they even made their call appear to come from my bank's actual support number. Apparently scammers can do that no...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Advent is a season of waiting and preparation. We’re patiently waiting for Christmas Day. We’re patiently waiting for the coming of our Lord. Our kids are (somewhat) patiently waiting for the joy that comes with Christmas morning. What we often miss is: are we being patient with ourselves?...

Welcome to The Victor’s Crown - a Catholic podcast about pursuing the imperishable crown of Heaven through daily prayer, wisdom from Scripture and the saints, and conversations that challenge us to grow in holiness. Today’s reflection is part of our First Victory series. Every weekday we release a reflection to ground your morning in prayer. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, so by His grace you c...

“My house shall be called a house of prayer.” We hear this line a few times in Scripture—first in Isaiah, then when Christ quotes it in the New Testament. I think we can take a moment to reflect on this very practically. It’s not too far-fetched to think we want the same for our own homes. We want our homes to be houses of prayer. Now, it’s not going to be a house of prayer in the same way a Carme...

Welcome to The Victor’s Crown - a Catholic podcast about pursuing the imperishable crown of Heaven through daily prayer, wisdom from Scripture and the saints, and conversations that challenge us to grow in holiness. Today’s reflection is part of our First Victory series. Every weekday we release a reflection to ground your morning in prayer. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, so by His grace you c...

Welcome to The Victor’s Crown - a Catholic podcast about pursuing the imperishable crown of Heaven through daily prayer, wisdom from Scripture and the saints, and conversations that challenge us to grow in holiness. Today’s reflection is part of our First Victory series. Every weekday we release a reflection to ground your morning in prayer. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, so by His grace you c...

Welcome to The Victor’s Crown - a Catholic podcast about pursuing the imperishable crown of Heaven through daily prayer, wisdom from Scripture and the saints, and conversations that challenge us to grow in holiness. Today’s reflection is part of our First Victory series. Every weekday we release a reflection to ground your morning in prayer. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, so by His grace you c...

Welcome to The Victor’s Crown - a Catholic podcast about pursuing the imperishable crown of Heaven through daily prayer, wisdom from Scripture and the saints, and conversations that challenge us to grow in holiness. Today’s reflection is part of our First Victory series. Every weekday we release a reflection to ground your morning in prayer. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, so by His grace you c...

Welcome to The Victor’s Crown - a Catholic podcast about pursuing the imperishable crown of Heaven through daily prayer, wisdom from Scripture and the saints, and conversations that challenge us to grow in holiness. Today’s reflection is part of our First Victory series. Every weekday we release a reflection to ground your morning in prayer. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, so by His grace you c...

Welcome to The Victor’s Crown - a Catholic podcast about pursuing the imperishable crown of Heaven through daily prayer, wisdom from Scripture and the saints, and conversations that challenge us to grow in holiness. Today’s reflection is part of our First Victory series. Every weekday we release a reflection to ground your morning in prayer. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, so by His grace you c...

Welcome to The Victor’s Crown - a Catholic podcast about pursuing the imperishable crown of Heaven through daily prayer, wisdom from Scripture and the saints, and conversations that challenge us to grow in holiness. Today’s reflection is part of our First Victory series. Every weekday we release a reflection to ground your morning in prayer. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, so by His grace you c...