The Victor's Crown

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- As Planned This Lent has been harder than I expected. And certainly not for the reasons I would have expected. But I feel like that’s usually how Lent goes. You come up with a plan. And then, as Mike Tyson famously said, that plan gets thrown out the window as soon as you get hit in the mo...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Self Improvement There are things that we do as Catholics that the wider world might also do—but not for spiritual reasons. You can cut out social media to be more productive. You can fast to lose weight. You can give money to feel good about yourself. There’s a bit of a trap here for us d...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- See “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Isaiah 5:20-21 Depending on how much you get sucked into the news, or politics, or the wider world at large, I think this is what we see. T...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Thirst Now “If God ever causes you to suffer from thirst as He guides you through this life, it is because He will give you drink and plenty in the next life without any fear of it ever failing you.” — Saint Teresa of Ávila Lent can be a time of hunger and thirst in quite a literal way. Bu...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Sanctify Your Work "Sanctity, for the vast majority of men, implies sanctifying their work, sanctifying themselves in it, and sanctifying others through it. Thus, they can encounter God in the course of their daily lives." — Saint Josemaría Escrivá For the vast majority of us, our faith, o...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- The High Price “For highly valued things are not obtained except at a high price.” — Saint John Chrysostom Saint John Chrysostom was reflecting on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew. James and John’s mother comes to Jesus and asks that her sons be seated at His right and left in the king...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Want to Be Great Over the weekend, we had a bit of warm weather that, at least for the Northeast, made it feel like spring was just around the corner. I was able to get outside with my kids and play catch. My son is particularly excited about this season, asking questions like: "Dad, do yo...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Fight Bravely Lent is not a warm, fuzzy time. It’s challenging—physically, emotionally, spiritually. Self-reflective in a way that can be uncomfortable. Especially when we reflect on our sinfulness. But the opportunity in Lent is this: from that sinfulness, we can return to the Lord. Follo...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Active and Passive I recently came across a helpful distinction when we talk about mortifications. We think of mortifications as the disciplines or the things we give up—the way we embrace sacrifices during Lent. But there are actually two kinds: active and passive. Active mortifications a...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Keep the Cross in Lent “If anyone wants to possess Christ, never let him seek him without the cross.” — Saint John of the Cross This quote is such a good reminder for us in Lent. Think back a couple months ago to Christmas. Christmas is a joyful season. It’s so idealized in a sense—even th...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Look at the Altar During the season of Lent, we offer up prayers, fasting, and almsgiving to God. If we want to know how to make that offering, we can look at the Mass. We can look at the altar. And it’s pretty simple: we offer God our best. Look at the tabernacle. The candles. The chalice...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Hollow At Mass yesterday, a thought hit me: our prayers can be empty. Hollow. What I mean is this: you can be kneeling, head down, eyes closed, mouth moving, saying the prayers—but if your heart is not in the prayer, it’s empty. I won’t say it’s meaningless. I don’t think that’s my place t...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Same Lent, Different You It's a blessing that Lent happens every year. It makes me think of hearing a song you loved when you were younger. Or picking up a book you read years ago. The song can take you back. It breathes some youthful life into you, remembering bygone days. There's nostalg...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- What the Fall Broke Last week, I talked about the three big areas where we face the greatest stress: work, family, and health. On further reflection, it hit me that this isn’t random. This makes perfect sense. Because these are exactly what was affected by the Fall. Work: Yes, we were made...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Season With Salt In Leviticus, God commands that all offerings be seasoned with salt. "You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt." The whole...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Just Come Back Last weekend, my son went to confession for the first time. Anytime your kids receive the sacraments, it's a unique opportunity to re-approach them yourself. You think about your own journey—the mistakes you made, the ways you drifted, the times you wandered off. And you pra...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- The Little Things There are probably three big areas that challenge us the most, test us the most, where the greatest stress lives: Work. Family. Health. Those are the big ones. Speaking for myself—sole provider, five kids under 10, always something going on health-wise, sometimes bigger,...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Nourishment, Not Reward The Eucharist isn’t a reward. It’s nourishment for our weakness and for the road ahead. I think sometimes we treat the Eucharist like something we have to earn. “When I’m good enough, then I’ll let myself receive.” But that’s backward. We don’t receive the Eucharist...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Is This Worthy? Is this behavior worthy of a good Christian? It’s a good question to ask when you’re in a grey area. Or at least when you tell yourself it’s a grey area. Something might not be sinful. Not directly harmful. Not obviously hurtful. But that doesn’t mean it’s worthy. Instead o...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- For Your Good This week I’ve been writing about trials—how not to be surprised when they come, how to be ready for them. Today, another angle on the same truth. Imagine you’re working with a personal trainer, walking through a weight room. You’re just walking through, chatting, getting the...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Be Ready Yesterday we talked about not being surprised when trials come. Today, I want to talk about being ready for them. There’s a difference. Back in college, I played baseball. During the winter, we’d work out in the old basketball gym—a converted airport hangar. Dusty, stuffy, hard to...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Don't Be Surprised Here's some advice we could all take to heart: Don't be surprised. When you first hear it, it might not mean what you think it means. My wife was telling me about a mother whose cause for canonization is open. One of her characteristics? She was never surprised when her...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- The Right Tool "Men are only instruments which God makes use of for the salvation of souls. We have to make sure those instruments are in a good state of repair so that God can use them." —St. Pius X We are tools in God's hands. A hammer is different from a screwdriver. A shovel is differe...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- A spot of joy When we read the New Testament, emotions can get a little muted. We think of Jesus as super chill, super calm, very mellow. But then we get those peak moments—Jesus in the temple pulling out a whip and driving the vendors out. When you really think about how intense that must...

 Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com --- Give Him Your Will "He who gives his goods in alms, his blood and scourging, his food and fasting, gives God what he has. But he who gives God his will gives himself, gives everything he is." —St. Alphonsus Liguori We can give God a lot of things. Our money. Our time. Our sacrifices. Our d...