Just One Small Thing Podcast for Catholic Parents

For several years Pope Francis has been outspoken about the love and care we should offer those with disabilities, in particular, we need to make sure that those who are disabled have access to the sacraments. This means more than having functional elevators and sign language interpreters. It means welcoming those with sometimes several mental disabilities.   The care for those who are disabled is...

Health Care is the first of five that the US Bishops include in the fourth theme of Catholic Social Teaching: Care for the Poor and Vulnerable. JPII reminds us that we should not only care for the poor, but practice a preference for the poor and vulnerable, as often they need special defending in our world.    The Church defends that Healthcare is a basic human right. Since all humans were made in...

Today we are tackling the third and final topic in the Rights and Responsibility section of Catholic Social Teaching, as laid out by the USCCB: Freedom of Religion.   Following the Second Vatican Council, the Church taught that all people have a right FROM and FOR religion. This means that we can't force people to be part of a certain religion. It also means that a person can not be hindered or pr...

Today's discussion dives into Immigration, which the USCCB has placed under the third theme of Catholic Social Teaching: Rights and Responsibilities. Immigration is a tricky topic that is regularly in the news, especially in this moment as Title 42 expires here in the US, and around the world as war engulf the Sudan and many countries are struggling with terrible famines.   The USCCB lay out three...

Criminal Justice is the first topic we are discussing under the third theme of Catholic Social Teaching as laid out by the USCCB. The third theme is called Rights and Responsibilities. In this section we investigate the rights each person is entitled to, simply because they are human and created in God's own images. But, it is not enough to simply defend our own rights. We also have a responsibili...

The second theme of Catholic Social Teaching laid out by the USCCB is the call to family and community. Although the topics we have been talking about recently might sound quite different from Civic Duty and Political Activism, they are related. Humans are social beings and we need each other. We are training in the family--the school of love--but at some point we need to go beyond our family and...

Today's discussion will equip you to discuss marriage and same-sex marriage with your children. Too often we think that Homosexuality and (Same-Sex) Marriage are the same topic, but they are not. Here are some important points to keep in mind as you discuss (Same-Sex) Marriage: Marriage is a covenant relationship between a man and a woman ordered toward the creation of children and formation of a...

Today we are discussing an important and emotional topic: Homosexuality. With family and friends living homosexual lifestyles, this will likely be one of the first topics we have to cover with our children (unfortunately) and we need to be ready!   A few important things to note on the topics of homosexuality: We need to differentiate between homosexual attraction and homosexual acts.  The Church...

Today we are continuing our discussion of our call to marriage and family, as laid out by the USCCB and discussed in our new book, CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING FOR YOUTH.    Divorce is likely the very first topic from this book that you will need to address with your children. That's how it worked for us! Unfortunately many people we know, both family and friends, have been through divorce, and that i...

In today's episode we continue to discuss issues laid out by the USCCB that define our call to marriage and family. This topic specially discusses the use of artificial birth control and why using anything to prevent conceiving a child, inside or outside of marriage, is always wrong.   The Church teaches beautifully on this point, specifically through JPII's Theology of the Body. Sex and marriage...

For the next several episodes we will be exploring God's plan for marriage and family and the variety of ways Satan's lies attack that plan. Today we start with sex outside of marriage.   Now, it is important that we don't just teach the "rule". Instead we need to share with our children what is good and beautiful. God's plan for sex is so good! The reason why we know that sex outside of marriage...

All of Christ's faithful are called to the virtue of chastity. Chastity allows us to love in an appropriate way everyone that we encounter. Chastity is how we honor God's plan for our own sexuality and the sexuality of others.   Chastity is not just abstinence. In order to be chaste we must make sure that everything we do is pure, from the way we dress to our thoughts and our speech.   All people...

Today we are taking on what is likely the most controversial and emotional topic of our time: Transgenderism. Much has been said about transgenderism and it needs to be noted that they Church has yet to issue an official teaching on this topic. However, using what the Church has already said, let's explore a Catholic response to this issue, both on the societal level and when it comes up in our pe...

Today's episode of the Just One Small Thing Podcast explores pornography. Pornography is a big deal (despite what society might claim) and it violates the dignity of three different groups of human beings: The actors/models used as objects for the lustful desires of others. The consumer who is settling for a counterfeit of love, when they were made for so much more. The spouse (or future spouse) o...

In this episode of the Just One Small Thing Podcast we are exploring slavery and human trafficking and why treating a person as an object and denying the freedom to direct their own life is a sin against the dignity of that human person.   A few important points made in this episode: Slavery still exists in the world today. It is more often called human trafficking. Today millions of people are tr...

Let's continue our exploration of Catholic Social Teaching as we await the launch of our new book, CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING FOR YOUTH, which will be available sometime in May. Stay tuned!   Today's episode explores the BIG topic of Medical Ethics. Basically, how do catholics decide if a specific medical procedure or treatment is ethical? To this end, the Church has outlined for criteria which we c...

Suicide is, unfortunately, something that has touched each of our lives. Whether it was a family member, friend, classmate or just someone in our community, we have all felt the deep sadness when someone chooses to take their own lives.   Speaking about suicide in the context of Catholic Social Teaching is a bit different than other topics. Where we need to argue that Abortion or the Death Penalty...

Although most of us will not have to deal directly with the issues of Euthanaisa or Doctor Assisted Suicide, other issues that are closely related, like the topics of death, chornic illness and suffering are things we will have to deal with. And, even more importantly, we will have to teach our children about these topics in a way that is life-giving and true to the Catholic Faith.   In this episo...

In this episode we continue on in our series on Catholic Social Teaching. Today we discuss the 2nd (of 31 topics), the Death Penalty   The Death Penalty is interesting because Catholic Social Teaching on this topic has changed! As the world advances and in most places societies have the ability to keep a violent, dangerous person away from the population, the Church no longer sees the use of the d...

Today we are starting on a 31 episode long series that explores ALL of Catholic Social Teaching. We are kicking things off with Abortion. It is my hope that the stories I share here will help you recall and share your own stories as you discuss this important topic with your children.   I have no memory of my parents first telling me about abortion. It is just something we always spoke about. I al...

Ready to hear about the BIG project we have been working on the past 2 years?!?!?!? Catholic Social Teaching for Youth is a massive book (with an IMPRIMATUR from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis) that covers ALL of the sticky moral and social issues we are navigating today. From transgender to abortion to death penalty to workers rights, animal rights, health care, immigration, war, con...

This is the fifth episode in a row where I have been talking about the Sacred Heart of Jesus. All of the episodes leading up to this one have been important, but this one tops them all. Today we will be discussing the incredible way that Jesus loves us.   Afterall, at the most basic level, a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an exploration in the love of Jesus Christ. We fall deeper and dee...

There is still work to do once we leave the confessional. This is a hard truth that I have been learning as I dig deeper into a devotion to Jesus and His Heart. There are actually a lot of things we need to clear away before we can be open to receiving the love of Jesus Christ. In this episode we investigate 5 obstacles that will keep us from being fully united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Thes...

Let's dive deep into the five key parts of a devotion to Jesus and His Most Sacred Heart. As outlined in this episode, these parts are: Rejection of Sin Faith in Jesus Desire to Love Jesus Development of the Interior Life Total (even Reckless) Trust in God In this episode I look at each of these parts and investigate my own need to be more fully converted. Do I protect myself from even the possibi...

Explore with me a few key areas of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And, please remember, that most of this has grown out of my own prayer and relationship with Jesus. I hope that you find it helpful, but please don't be limited by what I share. I'm sure there are many depths which I have not reached.   The Eucharist is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This has been proven through several Eucharis...