Patrick Madrid reflects on the wave of criticism surrounding the phrase “thoughts and prayers” after the tragic school shooting in Minneapolis. He says that while politicians and public figures often use the phrase, many in the mainstream media and entertainment world mock it, treating it as an empty cliché. 

Take a look at Patrick's written reflection on this topic and what he suggests as a solution:

Secular figures mock the phrase “thoughts and prayers” for several reasons.

Some do not understand prayer. To them, prayer is nothing more than wishful thinking or a sentimental slogan. When they hear “thoughts and prayers,” they perceive it as a meaningless platitude and, in truth, it often is, when repeated reflexively without any real prayer behind it.

Some know what prayer is but choose not to pray. Many were raised Catholic or Protestant yet have either drifted from the faith or rejected it altogether. For them, the idea of offering prayer in response to tragedy feels hollow because it is disconnected from their lived reality.

Some are adversarial toward religion itself. They are hostile toward theism in general, Christianity in particular, and Christians most specifically. To such people, steeped in a secular mindset, the very notion of praying to a God they doubt or even deny exists seems absurd. In their eyes, it is empty talk that achieves nothing.

Others confuse prayer with passivity. Even if they grant that prayer might have some spiritual value, they argue that “thoughts and prayers” is used as a substitute for real action, especially in the wake of mass shootings and other public crises.

What they fail to recognize is that Christian prayer is not merely, or even mostly, a plea for protection from harm. Jesus Himself said: “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Authentic prayer extends far beyond asking for safety or self-preservation. We pray for our enemies, for forgiveness, for the souls of those who die, for fortitude in danger, for consolation of the grieving, for strength to endure suffering, for God to thwart the designs of the wicked, and for courage and hope in the face of death.

And here is where, ironically, the critics have a point. The phrase “thoughts and prayers” has been diluted by overuse into something that often sounds trite and perfunctory, like slapping a ribbon decal on a car to virtue-signal support for [fill in the blank] cause.

To bear authentic, heart-changing public witness to the real power of prayer and, more importantly, to God’s presence, we Christians must be intentional and specific in our prayerful solidarity. Instead of merely saying “thoughts and prayers,” we can say:

“I am praying that God will console and comfort those affected by this tragedy.”

“I am praying that in His justice God will thwart the evil intentions of those who plan to harm others.”

“I am praying that God will protect the innocent in moments of danger.”

“I am praying that when tragedies do occur, the Lord will guide us to act wisely and courageously so such suffering is not repeated.”

Such words do not reduce prayer to a hollow gesture or an empty platitude. They testify to real faith in the living God, who hears and responds, and they remind us that prayer and action are not enemies but companions.

Prayer does not replace action; it inspires, strengthens, accompanies it. By grounding our response to tragedies in authentic prayer, we prevent the phrase from being reduced to a trivial sentiment and remind the world that God is present and hears our prayers even in our darkest hours.

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The History of the Brown Scapular

Way back in the 1200s, in Aylesford Priory, England... St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite monk, had this famous encounter: Our Lady of Mount Carmel appeared to him and showed him the Brown Scapular.

For religious folks, the scapular is part of their habit. For laypeople, it’s the mini version: two little squares of cloth, connected by strings, worn under your clothes.

Important to remember: Wearing it is not a magic ticket to heaven. Patrick really hammers this home.

What’s the Point of Wearing It?

Patrick explains it this way:

It’s like a wedding ring.
→ The ring doesn’t literally make you married, but it’s an outward sign of an inward reality.

The scapular is an outward sign that you’re asking Our Lady to pray for you, to help you love Jesus more, and to remind yourself to live for God.

The Big Misunderstanding

There’s a lot of rumors floating around:
“If you wear the Brown Scapular, you’re guaranteed heaven.”
“You’ll skip purgatory and go straight up the Saturday after you die!”

Patrick is super clear here:

-The Church does not teach that.

-There’s no record of Our Lady promising that to St. Simon Stock.

- Patrick says that salvation depends on dying in a state of grace, loving God, repenting from sin, not on religious accessories.

Why Still Wear It, Then?

Because:

-It’s a beautiful sign of devotion to Mary.

-It reminds you daily to love God and neighbor.

-Our Lady does intercede for those who ask.

-It helps you stay close to Jesus, but it’s not a magic amulet. 

Bonus: Does Patrick Wear It 24/7?

Yes... under his shirt, like most folks.
He takes it off for showers or swimming (no, you’re not spiritually vulnerable if it’s not on — again, not magic!).

Bottom Line (aka “What You Tell Your Friends”)

The Brown Scapular is:
-A beautiful, centuries-old Marian devotion.
-A reminder to live for Jesus.
-Not a spiritual hack or shortcut to bypass repentance and grace.

Love Our Lady, trust in her prayers, and keep your eyes on Jesus.

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Image via Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.

The Moment in St. Peter's Square

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio (aka “Dr. Italy”) was in the square when the white smoke billowed. He witnessed:

-Electric joy: He saw people from every nation rejoicing as one big Catholic family.

-A moment of peace: When Pope Leo came out, his voice was calm, his presence gentle yet.

Why the White Smoke Matters

Dr. D’Ambrosio explains it beautifully:

-Biblically, clouds resemble God’s presence (think Sinai, Transfiguration)

-The smoke is a visible sign the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church.

Who is the Pope, Really?

John and Dr. D’Ambrosio remind us:

-The Pope is not a CEO or a political figure – he’s the successor of St. Peter.

-Yes, St. Peter was flawed, but he was given the keys.

-The Pope carries that charism of truth, so we should:

-Respect him
-Listen attentively
-Expect God to speak through him

What Does Pope Leo XIV Bring?

-Strength of a lion (like his namesakes, Leo I & Leo XIII)

-Gentleness of a lamb – a peacemaker, a unifier

-A call to all of us to be bold in truth, gentle in love, and committed to unity

How Can We Support Pope Leo?

-Pray for him.
-Read his words. (His writings are all over social media)
-Be peacemakers in our own circles.
-Trust that the Holy Spirit is working through him.

This is our spiritual family moment. Like a good family, we don’t sit back and critique from the couch. We pray, support, and walk with him.

The Church is alive, and so are we in it! 

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Paul from MA calls in with a praise report that will warm your heart. Just last week, he asked Fr. Rocky and Maggie to pray for a breakthrough – after 37 years of struggling to get his VA benefits as a veteran.

Well, guess what? This week he received a letter confirming his honorable discharge — finally giving him the green light to access the help he’s long deserved. His voice is full of gratitude and awe.

God hears. Prayer works. 

Let us know how God has answered a prayer request in your life!

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

In a time when markets are booming and many Americans are sitting on appreciated assets, Drew Mariani sits down with financial expert Joe Chickey to explore how Catholics can approach charitable giving with both strategy and heart. From gifting appreciated stock to using Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs, Joe walks you through practical, tax-savvy ways to support the Church and the causes you care about... without unnecessary financial burden.

You'll also hear about legacy giving, why so few Americans have wills, and how thinking ahead can allow your generosity to have lasting impact beyond your lifetime. Whether you’re preparing for retirement, sorting through your investments, or simply wondering how to align your finances with your faith, this conversation is full of smart advice, real-life stories, and encouragement to start asking the right questions... no matter your age or income.

Want to create a will? Relevant Radio can help through our own resource called Catholic Legacy. It's absolutely free and will give you peace of mind that your estate is going toward a faith-based cause. 

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

In this episode of Trending with Timmerie, guest host Brooke Taylor takes a Catholic look at the rise of embryo genetic testing and why it clashes with Church teaching on the dignity of life. The focus is on Orchid, a Silicon Valley startup offering parents the ability to screen embryos for genetic traits before conception. While the company markets this as “protecting children,” Brooke exposes how it reduces human life to a product; they are discarding embryos judged less “fit” and promoting a modern form of eugenics. It's truly heartbreaking to learn about this. 

You'll hear part of Ross Douthat’s New York Times interview with Orchid’s founder, Noor Siddiqui, while Brooke mentions the moral dangers of treating embryos as disposable. Siddiqui argues parents should optimize their child’s genome like they would a career or diet. But as Brooke says, this logic denies the truth that every human life is created in God’s image. She cites Cardinal Sarah’s warning about a “dictatorship of perfection” and the Vatican’s instruction on bioethics, which condemn embryo selection as a serious violation of human dignity.

Brooke also shares her personal story of infertility, miscarriage, adoption, and parenting a special-needs child. Her witness reveals how Catholic teaching offers a radical “yes” to life, even when suffering is involved. She asks you to pray for those tempted by these evil technologies.

We must embrace the call to protect life at its most vulnerable stage and resist cultural pressures to play God with creation.

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

On Family Rosary Across America, Fr. Rocky and Maggie lead a special evening of prayer for all those impacted by the Minnesota Catholic school tragedy at Annunciation School in Minneapolis. Father reminds you of the importance of prayer and fasting to drive this darkness away. We can imitate the example of St. Monica who never gave praying for her son, St. Augustine, in his early years.

Maggie shares her personal connection to the parish, remembering how her aunt attended Mass there when she was in college. She reminds you that, even in times of violence and confusion, God’s grace does not abandon us: “Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.”

Mark calls in praying for a young boy who tried to shield another child during the Annunciation School shooting, echoing Christ’s words: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

We pray for healing, strength for families, and renewed faith for children and schools everywhere. 

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

John Morales welcomes Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary, to respond to the tragic school shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. With many of his students from the Twin Cities, Monsignor Shea says the grief feels especially close to home. He calls the news “devastating and deeply disturbing,” but insists that it is precisely in such moments that the Catholic Faith shows its true witness.

Msgr. Shea mentions Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s immediate pastoral response as a source of real comfort. Archbishop Hebda spoke as a man of the Gospel, reminding us that the ultimate answer to evil and violence is not found in worldly solutions alone but in the hope of Jesus Christ. Monsignor reflects on the “mystery of iniquity” that runs through every human heart, quoting St. Paul’s call to put on the armor of God. He reminds you that the devil is the “father of death,” but Christ has already conquered sin and evil on the cross.

Christian hope, he stresses, is not naïve optimism. It is realistic and deeply rooted in the truth that darkness will never triumph over light because Christ’s victory is definitive. Monsignor Shea urges you to pray for the victims and their families; he encourages all believers to hold fast to the mercy and grace of Jesus, who alone can heal the human heart and bring peace in times of unspeakable suffering. Relevant Radio is joining Msgr. Shea in this important prayer for all who are affected. 

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

On Marriage Unhindered, Doug Hinderer unpacks Pope Leo’s recent audience on forgiveness and shows how the Pope’s teaching speaks directly to husbands and wives. You can listen to the entire episode here.

Pope Leo recalled one of the most striking moments in the Gospels: during the Last Supper, Jesus extended a morsel of food to Judas. The Pope called this act “love’s last attempt not to give up… to love until the end.” 

Pope Leo went further, teaching that “true forgiveness does not await repentance, but offers itself first as a free gift, even before it is accepted.” Doug applies this to marriage, pointing out how easy it is for spouses to withhold forgiveness until the other apologizes. Many think, “I’ll forgive when they say they’re sorry,” but as Doug emphasized, Pope Leo calls us to forgive even when the wrong is not acknowledged, because forgiveness frees the one who gives it.

The Pope also taught that “to forgive does not mean to deny evil, but to prevent it from generating further evil.” Doug explains that this is exactly what happens in marriages when resentment takes over. If a spouse has hurt us, whether through infidelity, neglect, or indifference, refusing to forgive allows anger and bitterness to dictate the future. 

At one point Pope Leo reflected on Judas’ betrayal: “After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him… and yet God does everything, absolutely everything, to reach us, even in the hour when we reject Him.” Doug notes how this truth applies to marriage: even when our spouse seems unreachable, God’s grace can still shine through a humble gesture of love and forgiveness.

The Pope added: “How many relationships are broken, how many stories become complicated, how many unspoken words remain suspended! And yet the Gospel shows us that there is always a way to continue to love, even when everything seems irredeemably compromised.” Doug encourages you to let these words sink in, especially if you feel stuck in a painful, loveless marriage. 

Finally, Pope Leo taught that forgiveness is not weakness, nor is it ignoring pain. It is, he said, “the ability to set the other free while loving him to the end… It is not forgetfulness; it is not weakness. It does not allow evil to have the last word.” Doug drives home the point that in every marriage, choosing forgiveness prevents evil from multiplying and opens the door to peace.

As Pope Leo put it, even the darkest betrayals can become “an opportunity for salvation.”

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

In this episode of Father Simon Says, Eric calls in with a question about Catholic marriage: if someone didn’t finish all the required Pre-Cana classes or missed some of the canonical steps before the wedding, would that invalidate the sacrament of Matrimony? He's worried about his own marriage because of this.

Fr. Simon explains that the validity of a marriage doesn’t rest on completing every preparatory step, but on what actually happens at the altar. What truly matters is the couple’s free and public exchange of vows and whether they enter into marriage with the right intentions. He shares the three essential promises every Catholic couple must embrace: fidelity to one’s spouse, permanence of the union until death, and openness to the gift of children.

He makes it clear that infertility does not invalidate a marriage, but each spouse must give the other the right to children. Even if circumstances lead a couple to postpone children through chastity or natural family planning, both spouses must still remain open to life. If one spouse were to refuse from the start one of these commitments, that could indeed raise questions about validity.

Fr. Simon reassures Eric that his marriage sounds valid and encourages him to live out his vocation with gratitude.

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.