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His 4 tips will help you understand your feelings better.

St. Ignatius Loyola gives such revealing, accurate, and universal advice in his book Spiritual Exercises that it can be used in many life situations. The founder of the Jesuit order was a profound psychologist long before psychology was even a field of study, and two centuries before the term itself was invented.

The book contains practical words of advice for dealing with feelings — whether pleasant or negative — which can be summarized in four points:

Identify

The book by the founder of the Jesuits is full of visual descriptions of emotions. For example, Ignatius writes:

“(…) I use the word ‘consolation’ for every increase in hope, faith and love and every inner joy that calls and attracts to heavenly things and to the salvation of the soul, calming it and soothing in the Creator and Lord …” “By ‘desolation’ I mean (…) the darkness and disturbance in the soul, attraction to what is low and of the earth, anxiety arising from various agitations and temptations.”

Identifying one’s own emotions is not always easy. In psychology, much is said today about being in touch with our feelings. And we can struggle with this, especially if we’re told from childhood that what we want and how we feel is not important. In such a situation, a child focuses on survival and hiding his feelings deeply. Even if he later finds friendly souls, he will often have great difficulty revealing his true feelings. Such difficulties can also arise as a result of traumatic experiences.

Any of us, however, can at times be “in denial” about our own feelings, or somewhat blind to them, if we’re focusing too much on what we think we should be feeling, or on other people’s feelings, etc.

Accept

Allow me to repeat a platitude: feelings are neither good nor bad. Every one of them, even rage or jealousy, are merely information for us. After that, the choice is ours to make either good or bad decisions.

St. Ignatius knew this very well. In Spiritual Exercises, he didn’t chastise, scorn, or condemn the negative emotions, and neither was he too enthusiastic about consolations. For example, he soberly observed that when a person is in the early stages of the spiritual path, the path of virtue is for him sweet, easy and joyful, but when he attains a particular stage of intimacy with God, he begins to feel sadness and discouragement. He doesn’t say either is better than the other; he considers both to be natural.

Understand

The conversion of St. Ignatius began with his awareness that while reading stories about knights and quests, he first felt enjoyment and excitement, but later it was followed by sadness and disappointment.

One of Canada’s leading anti-euthanasia physicians is warning about a little-known Health Canada recommendation that would require doctors and nurse practitioners to raise the possibility of euthanasia with patients they believe might be agreeable to — and eligible for — Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Vancouver family physician Will Johnston, head of B.C.’s Euthanasia Resistance Coalition, said implementing Health Canada’s Model Practice Standard for MAiD, published in 2023, would coerce medical professionals and lead to a troubling rise in euthanasia deaths.

“Whoever is in charge of ‘Death Canada,’ as I’ll call them, seems to have forgotten the promises that were made to the medical community when euthanasia was first proposed — that no one would be forced to become complicit in it,” Johnston said in an interview. 

“And now they’re simply reneging. They’re violating that promise by insisting on compelled speech.”

A Health Canada spokesperson said in an email to The B.C. Catholic that the Model Practice Standard for MAiD was developed by a task group convened in September 2022. Members were chosen for their expertise in MAiD practice and professional regulation.

“Draft versions of the model were subject to a thorough review and extensive feedback from the majority of regulatory bodies across the country, health professional associations, clinicians, as well as provinces and territories,” said media-relations officer Karine LeBlanc.

While Health Canada issued the guidance, the federal government cannot compel provinces or health authorities to adopt it. A limited review by The B.C. Catholic found no evidence that any public agency has done so.

Meanwhile, Vancouver’s Catholic health authority, Providence Health Care, explicitly prohibits its employees from initiating a discussion about MAiD.

“We don’t proactively mention MAiD as an option to consider,” Providence spokesman Shaf Hussain said in an email earlier this year. “We never initiate an offer of MAiD.”

By contrast, there is widespread anecdotal evidence from the public system that doctors and nurses do initiate such discussions.

After Canada legalized MAiD in 2016 — and expanded eligibility in 2020 to include people not dying but suffering from incurable diseases — numerous reports have surfaced of patients being pressured about euthanasia options.

The B.C. Catholic first exposed the problem in a 2021 investigation, Patients being offered euthanasia contrary to Fraser Health policy, B.C. Catholic investigation finds.

Canadian culture of life organizations breathed a sigh of relief after the federal government tabled its 2025 budget Nov. 4, which left the charitable status of pro-life non-profits intact.

These groups were on edge in the lead-up to the budget, as recommendations 429 and 430 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance’s (FINA) 2024 pre-budget consultations report called for removing charitable status from pro-life and advancement of religion non-profits, respectively.

Organizations, individuals, and media outlets — including The Catholic Register — sought a clear answer from the Department of Finance on whether pro-life charitable status would be upheld or revoked, but no response came before budget day.

A finance department communications officer did confirm, however, that “the Government of Canada is not considering amending the Income Tax Act to remove the advancement of religion as a qualifying charitable purpose or to revoke the status of faith-based charities.”

Jeff Gunnarson, national president of Campaign Life Coalition, the political arm of Canada’s pro-life movement, said Oct. 30 he was “deeply alarmed” by the department’s silence. Six days later, he was able to celebrate.

“The Liberal government was right to listen to ordinary citizens and faith leaders and ultimately reject these outrageous recommendations,” said Gunnarson. “Thanks be to God; Canada lives to see another day without a dark cloud of persecution hanging over religious and pro-life organizations.

“This victory belongs to the concerned citizens across Canada who took the time to sign a petition or write a letter to their MP or the Finance Minister. This proves that when enough people speak out, good things can happen.”

Pregnancy Care Canada (PCC), a Christ-centred organization that supports 80 pregnancy centres nationwide, played a key role in defending charitable status for religious and pro-life groups.

In a submission to FINA, PCC executive director Laura Lewis urged “the government ensure charitable status continues for organizations offering medically accurate pregnancy care support, including those that do not provide or refer for abortions.”

Lewis made that appeal in response to recommendation 429 and to proposed October 2024 legislation that sought to revoke charitable status for pregnancy care organizations that do not refer for or provide abortions. She also emphasized that “religious charities play a vital role in Canadian social support systems.”

The office of Liberal MP Karina Gould, current FINA chair, affirmed that role in an email to Christian Reformed Church pastor Al Postma, shared with the Register. Gould’s team wrote: “We respect the role faith-based organizations play in communities across the country, and religious organizations continue to enjoy charitable status under the same rules that apply to all charities in Canada.”

In the same message, Gould’s office noted that the two recommendations were “made in 2024 during the previous session of Parliament, under the previous government and prior to MP Gould being a member of the Standing Committee on Finance.

Classical piano music fills my family room and kitchen in the morning as I watch my daughter play with her toys. She picks up a cow plushie and her Squishmallow cat, then carries them to another part of the room. She lays her head on them and babbles.

Listening to classical music is great for concentration and memory, and it can even release dopamine — the “happiness chemical.”

Toddlers love simple joys, and it’s a pleasure to learn from my daughter. I can’t wait for her to learn how to play the piano, as she already shows an interest in it. At home with my daughter, I sing to her often — sometimes songs written by artists, sometimes ones I improvise.

Music has always been a big part of my life. I sang in school choirs and community choirs, and once performed in the chorus for an Italian opera at a local winery, as well as singing at my parish. Each choral performance was a wonderful experience.

Music is a must-have in my mental health toolkit. I keep playlists for different moods, which help me find calm, focus, or happiness. Music helps me change my emotional state when I need it.

“Music, great music, relaxes the mind, awakens profound sentiments and is, as it were, a natural invitation to raise one’s mind and heart to God in every situation of human existence, both joyful and sad. Music can become prayer.” — Pope Benedict XVI

Sacred and worship music hold deep meaning for me, and they make me feel good — even better about myself. It’s a wonder that it has that effect. Many Christian songs have come to my aid in low moods. I sometimes get caught up worrying about all the bad things that could happen instead of being present to the moment. This causes me to feel sad and discouraged. The words of Scripture set to music bring me peace and comfort.

Medication is still needed, but with music in my day, I can do more and feel like a calmer person.

I used to play ukulele with my friend Stephanie and a group of seniors. Once, for my birthday, we went to a mall in the city that had a piano in its food court. Stephanie sat down and started playing songs I could sing along with. We had so much fun! People danced beside us, and an elderly couple said they loved our voices.

The Lord loves cheerfulness in his people. It can be a struggle to smile when I’m tired and emotionally drained, but I know that being warm and happy helps my family feel content too.

Can your feelings be sinful? 

Fr. Mike Schmitz reminds us that “sin and virtue do not reside in the emotions, they reside in the will.” Our emotions, whether positive or negative, don’t make us good or bad; what matters is how we respond to them. Use your emotions to choose and pursue the good!

What do you say when someone dies? How do you help those in their suffering? 

Jeff Cavins shares an emotional story of sitting next to a woman on a plane who’s brother just died. Follow Jeff as he takes you on the difficult but transformative experience of comforting the broken hearted.

What does it look like to turn a paycheck into purpose? In this episode of Called, Father Mike Schmitz sits down with Chris Green, President of Humanitarian Hotels, to explore how the hospitality industry can become a mission field. 

With over 35 years of experience, Chris shares how true leadership is about seeing people, creating meaningful culture, and using every gift for something greater. Discover how entire hotels are giving 100% of their profits to charity, why authentic service transforms both staff and guests, and how you, too, can step fully into the person God made you to be.

Young people—and their struggles with mental health—have much to teach us about dealing with our own mental health struggles, Archbishop Richard Smith told attendees at the Green Mass, held Oct. 24 at All Saints Church in Coquitlam.

The Green Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Smith, was offered for the work of mental health professionals and ministry volunteers in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, as well as to celebrate the launch of the Archdiocese’s Mental Health Ministry, coordinated by Jane Waldock, who welcomed those attending.

During his homily, Archbishop Smith drew on a conversation he had with a group of teenagers about mental health. After he asked how they and their friends were doing, they immediately began to speak of anxiety and described pressures faced by young people today, especially from social media.

“They told me they were getting messages and seeing images about what makes a person popular, successful, noticed,” said Archbishop Smith. “They felt they weren’t measuring up, couldn’t measure up, and told me it was leaving them and many of their peers anxious or depressed, and they even spoke of friends with suicidal ideation.”

This sense of “not measuring up” is not unique to young people, he said. “People of all ages struggle with that constantly.”

In the case of those teenagers, “they were comparing themselves with illusions spread through social media,” said the archbishop. This happens to all of us and leads to the trap of comparing our real world with the imaginary world on social media: “that classmate is so talented, this colleague is so happy, their children are so well adjusted and so on, without knowing the facts of the matter,” he said.

“We compare our real difficulties and limits with what we imagine the situation of others to be and draw the conclusion that we cannot and will not measure up to some illusory standard of happiness or false image of perfection. This can lead to frustration and despair.”

He said the conversation with the teenagers shows how natural and human it is to experience mental health challenges. While sometimes there is a clinical dimension, he said, everyone experiences such challenges at some point because of human limitation.

He added that it’s important to talk openly about those struggles. “They did not hesitate to bring their concerns out into the open with me,” he said.