This marks my last of five Biblical meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries and 40 Days for Life, using Rosary Army’s Scriptural Rosary. In the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery meditation, consider Jesus’ words from the cross: “And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them;…
Fasting
One of the things the church asks us to do in lent is fasting. But why? Does Jesus really want us to go hungry? The truth is, it is not hunger that Jesus wants for us, but holiness. To become…
Just Leave me God
I want to climb in a hole. I am uttering every profanity known to the universe – sick of it all. Pushing people away is so easy. Isolating myself is the only answer. Darkness, no light. Just leave, leave me…
Invitation to Mercy: Concrete and Immediate
I’m going to propose something that sounds utterly impractical. Completely inconvenient. And, at first, flat out impossible, maybe even ridiculous. Here goes: during this Jubilee Year of Mercy (and beyond!), when we know that it’s an occasion where a lot…
High Adventure or Cautious Mediocrity?
Readings for Feb 7, 2016 the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Peter. Paul. Isaiah. Frodo Baggins. They have more in common than meets the eye. Of course there are differences, too. Peter is a small business man, trying to wring…
Come Away And Rest With Jesus
In today’s Gospel reading from Mark, the disciples have just returned from a teaching mission to the villages in the area where they were traveling with Jesus. They had followed their instructions to preach repentance and had anointed the sick,…
“Your Will Be Done”- The Most Troubling Words in Catholic Prayer
If we want to share the good news of Jesus Christ, if we want to live as adopted children of God, and if we want to reflect God’s glory through our example, we must have a solid prayer life. It…
Lent: Experiencing the Season Through Our Five Senses
As a mom, I try hard to make spiritual experiences as tangible as possible for my children. I do not want them to think of God as a far-away being but rather as Someone who is near, next to,…
You Sinner You!
I bet you know them too. Those acquaintances or relatives who loudly pronounce: “Church, if I went to Church, the whole building would fall down.” What is that anyway? Fear, laziness, inflated ego, what? That quote always seems to me…
Two funerals show me how to let God love me
Two funerals of close friends of more than 40 years were not what I planned to do in a busier-than-usual week. But funerals are never convenient; we go with the flow. Both funerals were at the same church across town…