The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics

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What's The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics about?

The Catholic podcast where we take three to five minutes to see and embrace the opportunities embedded in our busy, messy lives that are meant to help us move towards heaven. Together, we walk the tension between living this life fully while being on our way to the next.

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The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics episodes:

12.10.2022
Pursuing Real Freedom
Freedom is tied in the very identity of God and who we as his children made in his image and likeness. Understanding the real meaning of freedom revealed to us by Christ, will help us respond to the evils of...
12.09.2022
Solidarity and Subsidiarity
Solidarity is the idea that we are one, we are together. It is rooted in empathy for the person or groups who may not have advantages we have. GoFundMe Campaigns are an example of people living out solidarity. It is...
12.08.2022
Commenting with Charity and Clarity
Engaging on social media with charity and clarity in 2020 is not easy. Inspired by St.Thomas Aquinas, I offer a few principles to help us respond to issues and conflict on social media in a productive and charitable manner. If...
12.07.2022
It's the Little Things That Matter
In our pursuit of holiness, we tend to overlook the little things in life. It’s the small moments in life that can either push us upwards towards heaven or pull us down towards evil. Snippet From the Show: “Little things have a...
12.07.2022
Test 2022
12.07.2022
An Assault of Beauty Can Be an Encounter with Christ
Colin talks about a time he had an encounter with Christ while listening to beautiful music that brought him to tears. As he was irresistibly drawn in, he realized that art, music, culture, and beauty can be opportunities for evangelization. Colin...
08.31.2020
Crying out “Abba! Father!”
In this final episode of the Tightrope, I leave with you with a powerful scripture verse from Romans about the Fatherhood of God. When we root ourselves in our truest identity as children of God and cry out to the...
08.24.2020
Offer It All Up
When we unite our suffering to Christ and offer it all up to the Father the way Christ does, everything changes. Our joys, work, hearts, and sufferings can all be offered alongside Christ and given back to the Father. When...
08.17.2020
Finding Joy in a Pandemic
Although the pandemic has shifted many of our plans and disrupted our normal routines, we can still choose to rejoice because we know the Lord is close to us in our suffering. Today, I encourage you to choose joy in...
08.10.2020
School, Saints, and Little Sacrifices with Leo MacIver
Sainthood is possible no matter the circumstances. Today, I am joined by a very special guest to discuss schools reopening and the gift of the diverse group of saints we have in the Catholic tradition to help us in our...
08.03.2020
Talking to Your Family About Faith
Research indicates that talking about faith in the family plays a critical role in our commitment to the faith as we grow up. Today, I encourage you to go deeper with your family by having intentional conversations about God and...
07.27.2020
5 Things I've Learned in 2020
2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. In the midst of the uncertainty and chaos of this year, there are still good lessons we can learn from our experience. Today, I reflect on 5 things that I...
07.13.2020
Fall 2020: Planning for Uncertain Times
What’s going to happen in the fall? Will kids be in school? What will religious education and sacramental prep look like? In this episode, I discuss the importance of remembering our goal of reaching heaven as we plan for...
06.22.2020
The Saints, Social Media and Cancel Culture (with Aimee MacIver)
Navigating social media with love is a challenge we all face today. Looking at the lives of the saints and Jesus himself, Colin and Aimee MacIver discuss why cancel culture is incompatible with the Gospel and how to use social...
06.08.2020
Seen Everything but Christ
Near a spot where Colin takes his son fishing, there is graffiti on the side of a building. There was a new one however, which caught his eye. "Seen everything but Christ." Snippet From the Show _For the world to see Christ,...
06.01.2020
The Center Did Not Hold
Racism is present in our nation, and there is tension between races and classes. There is a danger of the center not holding politically. When Walker Percy wrote, "the center did not hold," in Love in the Ruins, he wasn't...
05.25.2020
Offer Good News and Ask Good Questions
Today, Colin shares how the basics of conversation from his son’s perspective, sharing good news and asking good questions, are the basics to evangelization. _Snippet From the Show Perhaps part of the reason we experience good things is so we can...
05.18.2020
Identity, Purpose, and Desire: Living as Children of God
This week, we pause to meditate on our identity, purpose, and desires. Identity: We are the children of God. It’s who we are at the center of who we are. Ask God, who am I? Purpose: If we are the children...
05.11.2020
What Will Happen as Parishes Reopen?
There’s likely going to be two types of people who will need to be reached once the churches reopen. Those who have become used to not going to Mass and won’t come back to church once the doors reopen. Then...
05.04.2020
This Is Not the New Normal
If the world is a ship, then right now it’s taking in water. We’re pulled apart right now, keeping in touch through virtual means, but we must acknowledge that we cannot maintain a digital existence in perpetuity. This cannot be...
04.27.2020
How Can We Rejoice in Our Sufferings? - Colossians 1:24
Colossians 1:24 indicates that Jesus left some things undone, not in himself, but in each of us. St. Paul says, ““I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking...
04.20.2020
Pandemic Life and Screens: The Battle Intensifies
As stay-at-home orders extend, we’re relying more and more on screens. They’re one thing that keeps everyone pacified, and it’s especially tempting to keep kids entertained in exchange for a few hours of quiet. There are definitely positive uses for...
04.13.2020
Resurrection and Mission
As we enter into this Easter season, we see that the Resurrection is not just a reason for joy and hope, but invites us to go on a mission to spread the good news and make disciples throughout the world....
04.06.2020
Holy Week - We Can’t Save Ourselves
If this Lent didn’t go the way you wanted it to, you are not alone. But God can take our disappointments and failures, and use them to do something good in our lives. One good thing is to humble ourselves...
03.30.2020
Urbi et Orbi: At the Threshold of the World
The extraordinary “moment of prayer,” the Urbi et Orbi blessing of March 27,2020 was the first ever of its kind offered apart from the election of a pope, Christmas, or Easter. On a bleak Friday during Lent and in the...
03.23.2020
A Rule for Your Domestic Monastery
Catholic parents have become the abbots and abbesses of 1000’s of domestic monasteries. Like all good monasteries yours needs a workable schedule and a focus. Unlike most monasteries, yours may or may not include brooding teenagers, sassy six year olds,...
03.16.2020
Love and the Little Prince in the Age of Social Distancing
As many of us are practicing social distancing, we’re confronted by the things right in front of us. For me this brings to mind this line from The Little Prince, “It is only with the heart that one can see...
03.09.2020
The Holy Spirit as the Origin of Lent
“What does Lent mean to you?” This question really made me think about why Lent exists. We know it’s derived from Jesus’ forty days in the desert, but what caused Jesus to go there in the first place? Matthew 4:1...
03.02.2020
Prefer Nothing to Christ: St. Benedict’s Rule as a Help for Lent
If you’re struggling with your Lenten commitment already, that may be a good thing because the purpose of Lent isn’t to do it perfectly, it is to reveal the things we’re putting before Christ. When we realize that there are...
02.24.2020
The Holy Face at the Edge of Lent
A face-to face encounter can be a powerful thing. I experienced this with my own son while praying for someone who was sick and suffering. His sincere prayer for their deliverance brought me to tears. It’s something we can all...
02.17.2020
Preparing for Lent
How should we be preparing for Lent? By enjoying the good things God has made (celebrating Carnival/Mardi Gras) and planning out our fasting, almsgiving, and prayer for the forty days of Lent. Here are some resources to help you plan...
02.10.2020
Do More, Love More
What is love? It’s seen as a feeling, but more than that, it’s two things: Desire and willing the good of another. The first part craves unity with the beloved, and the second part wants the best for the other....
02.03.2020
Pettifogging: When You Lose Sight of the Big Picture
What is pettifogging? It’s what happens when we put undue emphasis on petty details—which many of us do a lot in our spiritual lives. Pettifogging is the first thing St. Ignatius of Loyola warns against in The Spiritual Exercises. He...
01.27.2020
Not Getting Through? 3 Things to Consider
You’ve repeated yourself multiple times, you’re getting frustrated and flustered, you’re raising your voice—you’re just not getting through to other people. We’ve all been there. By looking at the reasons why we’re not getting through, maybe we can approach these...
01.20.2020
Communicating Love Is Core to Parenthood
Of course parents love their kids, but we may not realize how little we communicate that love to them. Using the five love languages, we can uncover the most effective way to show our love. Whether that’s writing a letter,...
01.13.2020
The Three Epiphanies
Epiphany is the feast where the Magi come to pay homage to the infant Jesus, but it can also be used to describe a moment of sudden revelation or insight. In the life of Jesus, there are three epiphanies, and...
01.06.2020
Spiritual Resolutions from a 9-Year-Old
One of the biggest witnesses to the gospel in my life is Leo, my nine-year-old son. His strategy for growing closer to Jesus in 2020 is to pray, listen to his parents, go to Mass, and go to Adoration, which...
12.30.2019
Developing a Vision for 2020
This January, don’t just make a list of goals for the new year—try developing a vision. I don’t mean a vision for your career, your finances, or even for your family. I'm talking about a deeper, more integrated vision that...
12.23.2019
Have a Holly, Jolly, and Scriptural Christmas
The Nativity is an invitation to learn more about Scripture and ponder it as Mary did. The excitement, beauty, and power of Scripture can be lost on us Catholics if we only hear the Bible at Mass. Let’s dive deeper...
12.16.2019
Dealing with Christmas Stress
If you’re struggling with stress and anxiety as we get closer and closer to Christmas, you’re not alone. There are stressors that reemerge for each of us this time of year, from family struggles, to holiday preparations, to aches connected...
12.09.2019
3 Lessons from Our Lady
As the feast of the Immaculate Conception passes, we turn to Mary at this point in Advent. Her sinlessness, virginity, and virtue are especially important to us as we look to grow in holiness. Our Lady has many things to teach...
12.02.2019
An Unlikely Advent Meditation
Advent brings forth this image of the perfect family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) that few of us can relate to, but we forget the the family tree of the Holy Family is actually pretty messy. If you go back in...
11.25.2019
3 Ways to Practice Gratitude
We know we should “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) but what does that look like from day-to-day? It’s one thing to practice gratitude one day a year, but let’s carry this practice in our families, workplaces, and...
11.18.2019
Jesus is King with St. José Luis Sánchez del Río and Blessed Miguel Pro
The title of Jesus as Christ the King has been at the forefront lately with the release of Kanye’s album, Jesus is King. But Kanye isn’t the first to proclaim the kingship of Jesus. As we look forward to celebrating...
11.11.2019
Tech, Parenthood, and TikTok
It’s difficult to protect our kids from everything online, but there’s a simple thing you can do that can have an impact: check their phones. This will 1.) reinforce the fact that nothing posted online is anonymous and 2.) give them...
11.04.2019
Principles to Make “The Talk” Less Awkward
Many of us are familiar with “The Talk”—the extremely awkward conversation you had with your parents where they vaguely referred to birds and bees and flowers and everyone avoided eye contact. It doesn’t have to be that way! By rooting “The...
10.28.2019
All Saints and All Souls Day: Our Reminder to Keep Striving
The body of Christ stretches throughout time and space, and the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls Day remind us of that supernatural reality. One of the ways we know the saints are in heaven is because of their...
10.21.2019
Christ the Redeemer: Center of Your Universe?
Reflecting on Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptor Hominis, Colin reminds us that Christ the redeemer is the center of the entire universe and all of human history. But is he the center of your own personal universe and your...
10.14.2019
Our Prophetic Calling: Afflicting the Comforted
If you were baptized, you are called to be a prophet. That doesn’t mean that you’ll be predicting the Second Coming, but you are called to speak the truth with clarity and charity. This means comforting the afflicted, and afflicting...
10.07.2019
To What Shall I Compare the Kingdom of God?
Jesus used parables to explain the Kingdom of God to his disciples to help them understand supernatural truths by relating them to everyday occurrences. So what would a modern-day parable look like? Maybe it would involve a backpack, lost in...

What's The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics episodes:

Pursuing Real Freedom

Solidarity and Subsidiarity

Commenting with Charity and Clarity

It's the Little Things That Matter

Test 2022

An Assault of Beauty Can Be an Encounter with Christ

Crying out “Abba! Father!”

Offer It All Up

Finding Joy in a Pandemic

School, Saints, and Little Sacrifices with Leo MacIver

Talking to Your Family About Faith

5 Things I've Learned in 2020

Fall 2020: Planning for Uncertain Times

The Saints, Social Media and Cancel Culture (with Aimee MacIver)

Seen Everything but Christ

The Center Did Not Hold

Offer Good News and Ask Good Questions

Identity, Purpose, and Desire: Living as Children of God

What Will Happen as Parishes Reopen?

This Is Not the New Normal

How Can We Rejoice in Our Sufferings? - Colossians 1:24

Pandemic Life and Screens: The Battle Intensifies

Resurrection and Mission

Holy Week - We Can’t Save Ourselves

Urbi et Orbi: At the Threshold of the World

A Rule for Your Domestic Monastery

Love and the Little Prince in the Age of Social Distancing

The Holy Spirit as the Origin of Lent

Prefer Nothing to Christ: St. Benedict’s Rule as a Help for Lent

The Holy Face at the Edge of Lent

Preparing for Lent

Do More, Love More

Pettifogging: When You Lose Sight of the Big Picture

Not Getting Through? 3 Things to Consider

Communicating Love Is Core to Parenthood

The Three Epiphanies

Spiritual Resolutions from a 9-Year-Old

Developing a Vision for 2020

Have a Holly, Jolly, and Scriptural Christmas

Dealing with Christmas Stress

3 Lessons from Our Lady

An Unlikely Advent Meditation

3 Ways to Practice Gratitude

Jesus is King with St. José Luis Sánchez del Río and Blessed Miguel Pro

Tech, Parenthood, and TikTok

Principles to Make “The Talk” Less Awkward

All Saints and All Souls Day: Our Reminder to Keep Striving

Christ the Redeemer: Center of Your Universe?

Our Prophetic Calling: Afflicting the Comforted

To What Shall I Compare the Kingdom of God?