McGrath Institute Blog

The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is coming up on February 11th. Tomorrow, we’ll post some ways to celebrate this great feast of Our Lady, but today I wanted to share with you one of our favorite family activities for the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes—baking a grotto cake!

I read a lot. And for 2019, I made a commitment to be more intentional about what I was reading. I wanted a book list that was not only relaxing, but also fulfilling for my mind and my soul. So, I created this list of 19 Catholic books to read in 2019.

As a professional athletic trainer, I have worked with Olympic-caliber athletes and coaches all the way down to adolescents and kids. In my work, I have noticed one thing that consistently sets apart the best athletes and coaches from all the rest: discipline in preparation. Preparation is far and away the defining factor between a championship team and a team that “just didn’t have it.” Of all the different aspects of sports, preparation is the one that fascinates me the most. It’s also the one that has had the greatest impact on my own life - both spiritually and otherwise.

In Mexico, we eat tamales all year long, but Candlemas on February 2 has its own special traditions. On this day, we celebrate the presentation of Jesus in the Temple by gathering as a community, clothing the Baby Jesus in special garments, honoring him on our family altars and singing the Baby Jesus to sleep.

Please, God, please! Let Tom Brady play well tonight. Please, help my team to win!

My middle school self (please forgive me, but my team pride cannot help but highlight that the Patriots have been playing in Super Bowls for that long!) knelt at her bed, begging God to help her team win. Haven’t we all, from children to seasoned fans, done this? Look at the stands at any close sporting match and you’ll find people with eyes closed and hands clasped together in prayer as the clock winds down. We’ve prayed and bargained and pleaded with God when a game is on the line. And when victory is ours, we exclaim that God was on our side. However, does God really care?