Readings for January 13, 2013: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord At first glance, the scene makes little sense. John’s strident call to repentance provokes an overwhelming response. People of all shapes and sizes flock to him in the…
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Being a Whole Saint
St. Therese, the Little Flower, once said that a person “cannot be half a saint. We must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” Only the most obtuse will deny that most people in this world would be…
Finding Intentional Charisms
I recently finished reading Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell. As I’ve said in an earlier article, it’s a how-to book on newly-evangelizing yourself; then your parish; and then the world. I mark up books like this and later go back…
Evangelizing Your Spouse
Shortly after we were married, Mike and I invited some old friends to visit. One of them, a former choir mate of Mike’s named Bill, took me aside. ““Tell me,” he said, “how did you get Mike to be so…Catholic?”…
Behold Your Mother
Earlier this month, we celebrated the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It is a great feast day of Mary’s maternity, of her motherhood of Christ. What kind of mother is she? She is, like any mother, the kind that…
Homosexuality and Marriage
Editor’s Note: This is the follow-up of W.L. Grayson’s previous post, Homosexuality and the Modern Problem. I wrote in an earlier article about the modern problem when it comes to winning the cultural war regarding homosexuality. To sum up the…
Intimacy in the Virtual Age
Living in the technology age can be enticing at times. As a mother of four young children whose noise levels rise immediately whenever another human body gets within a two-mile vicinity of our home, the idea of conducting my day-to-day…
Mary’s Yes and Mine
I wonder what Mary thought about the gifts the Magi brought, which were odd for a baby, but not so odd for the Savior of the world. Did Mary know what they foretold or did she just accept them graciously…
The Coming of the Magi
Readings for January 6, 2013: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Up until now, all has been quite humble. A donkey-ride to a dusty town south of Jerusalem. Hotel rooms all booked up. Giving birth in a stable and…
Give the Gift of Epiphany
The end of the Christmas season is upon us. We first waited and prayed, preparing ourselves for the coming of our Lord at Christmas. We celebrated with friends and family with great joy, attended our favorite Mass, praised our children’s…