Posts by Kollin Petrie

In the chaos and busyness of Dad-life, it’s easy to lose sight of the most important things – our relationships with God, our spouse, and our kids.  We know how important it is to pray regularly and make time for our wives, but how do we make the most of the limited time we have…

The author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, was somewhat famously a devout Catholic. The influence of his faith can be clearly seen in various aspects of his literary works. Let me share one fine example with you. First, in case you’re unfamiliar with The Lord of the Rings, I’ll…

In the Gospel for this weekend, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we hear about the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with her relative Elizabeth. Mary is greeted by Elizabeth, who proclaims the words we now recite in the Hail Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Elizabeth…

Evil surrounds us, and whether we like it or not, whether we realize it or not, we find ourselves fighting for our lives. The Evil One seeks to drag us down with him into despair. He snags us with the serpents of sin and temptation, selfish attachments, and the seeds of self-doubt. Meanwhile, Christ the…

Happy feast of Saint Nicholas! In 2025 we will celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The fathers of this council had some heated debates about the nature of Christ.  They were trying to define who, or perhaps more precisely what, Jesus was and is. Many bishops sided with Arius, who argued that…

It’s not Christmas yet, despite the fact that Menards has had inflatable Santas on display since before Halloween.  You probably know that Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas, but the full meaning is far deeper. I want to share one thing with you that will totally change how you look at Advent… What…

The nights are getting longer, but we believe that the Light shines in the darkness. Jesus started his ministry by telling people to repent, because “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” The same holds true for us today. Perhaps, more now than ever, we need to repent. We must examine our lives and root…