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The latest from CHNetwork

This week’s episode of The Journey Home was a fascinating look at the spiritual trajectory of Jack Williams from EWTN Radio.

On the latest Deep in Christ, JonMarc Grodi concluded his series on prayer by sharing how to persevere through difficulties and distractions.

In a new On the Journey short, Ken Hensley made the point that nobody truly reads Scripture objectively.

In our latest written story, Fr. Jerry Brown, a former Episcopalian, shared the joys and sorrows along his journey to Catholicism and the Catholic priesthood.

And on a new Insights, Jennifer Southers, a former Quaker, shared how she has worked through some of her struggles with Catholic teachings on Mary.

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CONVERTS AND CONVERSION

Gayle Somers published her new book on Marian typology from her perspective as a Catholic convert.

Jim Wahlberg shared the role that Mother Teresa played in his return to the Church.

Keith Little interviewed former Baptist pastor Scott Oakland about his journey to the Catholic Faith.

And on their podcast, The Popcorn Cathedral, former Baptist Rod Bennett and his son Jack concluded their series on the age-old question: Why didn’t Indiana Jones convert?

APOLOGETICS PICKS OF THE WEEK

Jeff Miller reflected on the theology of time travel in sci-fi stories and the Sacrament of Confession.

And Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, himself a convert, shared a pastoral letter on mental health in which he shared some of his own experience of mental health difficulties.

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A member preparing for their first confession since entering the Church at Easter, another member who’s praying their children will return to the sacraments, and all our members who just entered the Church at Pentecost — these are just a few of the people we are praying for and working with at The Coming Home Network. Please help us continue to support those on the journey by visiting chnetwork.org/donate today!

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“We must often remember what Christ said, that not he who begins, but he that perseveres to the end, shall be saved.”

St. Philip Neri

Feast Day: May 26th

The post The CHNetwork Weekly Roundup #406 appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

Jennifer shares how by reflecting more deeply on the Scriptures, and understanding Mary as the first disciple of Jesus who saw through his mission from the Annunciation to Pentecost, helped her see that there was much more to Mary than she’d ever noticed before.

Watch Jennifer on The Journey Home

Read a written version of Jennifer’s testimony

The post Struggling with Devotion to Mary – Jennifer Southers appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

Is it possible to read and interpret the Bible objectively?

Watch the full episode

The post OTJ Short – Nobody Reads Scripture Objectively appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

In this final installment of our series on prayer, we look further at what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about overcoming distractions in prayer.

The proper response to the inevitable reality of distractions is summed up well in Paragraph 2729:

“To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart: for a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him and lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be purified.”

The post The Journey of Prayer Part 7: <BR>Conquering Distractions – Episode 78 appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

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The latest from CHNetwork

This week’s episode of The Journey Home was a great discussion with John Bacon, a former Anglican priest, about what led him to the Catholic Church.

On the latest Deep in Christ, JonMarc Grodi discussed what the Catechism says about overcoming distraction and dryness in prayer.

In a new episode of On the Journey, Kenny Burchard concluded his conversion story by sharing what finally led him to decide to become Catholic.

In our latest written story, Dr. Matthew Harrison shared how his pro-life convictions played into his journey to Catholicism.

And on a new Signposts, Derek Rotty shared how reflecting on Church history — and his own family history — helped lead him to the Catholic Faith.

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CONVERTS AND CONVERSION

A bishop in Sierra Leone has said that most of his priests came from Muslim families.

Stephanie Mann remembered the passing of a convert friend who was active in the Wichita Chesterton Society.

And Jayme Clune shared how she and her family felt spiritually attacked as they went through the process of entering the Church.

APOLOGETICS PICKS OF THE WEEK

The Vatican published new norms for how it reviews alleged apparitions and other spiritual phenomena.

Joseph Pearce shared how, in the Catholic understanding of faith and virtue, some fiction can actually be true.

And Jimmy Akin wondered what a liturgical calendar might look like on a planet or moon that had a different cycle of days and years than we do on Earth.

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A member struggling to find community in their new parish, another member whose spouse has finally expressed interest in becoming Catholic, and all our members who are preparing to enter the Church at Pentecost — these are just a few of the people we are praying for and working with at The Coming Home Network. Please help us continue to support those on the journey by visiting chnetwork.org/donate today!

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“The fullness of Joy is to behold God in everything.”

St. Julian of Norwich

Feast Day: May 13th

The post The CHNetwork Weekly Roundup #405 appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

But in studying history — not just world and Church history, but the history of his own spiritual trajectory — he began to see that the God he had pushed to the side for years had been with him all along.

Derek shares how his faith and his marriage have helped him to see that despite all the wounds of his family experiences and mistakes of his background, he was always being called to be part of God’s family in the life of the Church.

Watch Derek on The Journey Home

The post Joining God’s Family – Derek Rotty appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

Kenny Burchard joins Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley to share the story of how he finally ended up becoming Catholic.

Having left Pentecostal ministry, Kenny ended up looking at a few possible church environments that he thought he and his family might be able to call home.

But at the end of all of it, he found that God was calling them to the last place he ever expected: the Catholic Church.

The post On the Journey, Episode 147: <BR>God Said, “Become Catholic!” – Kenny’s Story, Part VII appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church identifies some of these: discouragement, dryness, hesitancy about what God may be calling us to do, and even the darkness within our own hearts.

However, it is by exposing these things to the light that we can seek healing and forgiveness. The Church reminds us that it is crucial to anticipate and meet these apparent “failures” in the journey of prayer with a right mind and heart, ready to turn these obstacles into greater victories of humility and faith.

The post The Journey of Prayer Part 6: Failure at Prayer – Episode 77 appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

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The latest from CHNetwork

This week’s episode of The Journey Home was a fascinating discussion with former minor league baseball player Dan Venezia about how his faith was reawakened through his experience of adversity.

On the latest Deep in Christ, JonMarc Grodi continued his series on prayer by discussing what the Catechism says about obstacles to prayer.

In a new episode of On the Journey, Kenny Burchard shared the circumstances that led to him stepping down as a Pentecostal pastor.

Our CHNetwork Community shared how they wrestled, and continue to wrestle, with the idea of Mary as Queen of Heaven.

And on a new Insights, Matt Gerald talked about how he came to appreciate the spiritual motherhood of Mary.

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CONVERTS AND CONVERSION

Angelus News reported on the crop of converts that entered the Church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles this Easter.

Joseph Pronechen interviewed a college convert about the role Mary played in her decision to become Catholic.

Fr. Patrick Briscoe reflected on the Marian conversion of Raissa Maritain, the wife of Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain.

Abel Camasca shared the conversion story of a quadriplegic man who could be on the road to sainthood.

And Catholic News Agency reported on the possibility of Catholic convert St. Edith Stein being named a Doctor of the Church.

APOLOGETICS PICKS OF THE WEEK

Tom Hoopes encouraged us to embrace the strangeness of the Ascension of Jesus.

And Jeffrey Bishop reminded us that our own resurrected, glorified and ascended bodies will be in continuity with the bodies we have right now.

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A member thinking of leaving the staff at his nondenominational church, another member who’s praying for their children to be open to joining them in exploring Catholicism, and all our members who are preparing to enter the Church at Pentecost — these are just a few of the people we are praying for and working with at The Coming Home Network. Please help us continue to support those on the journey by visiting chnetwork.org/donate today!

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“I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.”

St. Damien of Molokai

Feast Day: May 10th

The post The CHNetwork Weekly Roundup #404 appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

Later on, that got him thinking: if we give a special honor to our own mothers, how much more honor should we give to the mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who he himself honored by following the commandment to honor father and mother more perfectly than any of us?

Read more of Matt’s testimony

The post A Methodist Discovers Mary – Matt Gerald appeared first on The Coming Home Network.