Lent is, well, a pain. In recent years, it’s turned into something that I personally struggle with into something that I also have to wrench my family through. It’s a desert, alright. A big, fat, empty, pain-in-my-rear-end desert. So why do…
Why I Bother with Lent
Seeking Hearts of Humility
At times I struggle to live humbly. One could assume that because I am a mother of young children whose activities keep me pulled in so many directions I can barely cook a decent meal and whose honesty rarely shies…
Lent: A Time for Prayer
When most Catholics think of Lent, fasting, meatless Fridays, and preparing for Holy Week are the first things that come to mind, but Lent is also a time for prayer – an opportunity to reconnect with our Lord. Amidst the…
Quality Time with Loved Ones
One significant step in my journey back to the faith happened during Lent. Like most lukewarm Catholics I used to give up beer or chocolate or something like that for Lent. That year I decided to pray the rosary every…
Truly Catholic Mercy
Most religions in the ancient world were local, national cults. The Egyptians worshiped Isis and Osiris. Athens was named after the goddess Athena. Ephesus was the center of the cult of Artemis. But when the Church was born on Pentecost…
Trusting God
If anyone asked you if you would trust God implicitly in all things, all the time, could you say yes? If you’re anything like me, the first words out of your mouth, without hesitation would be: Yes, yes I will!…
The Faith of Our Fathers
On the first Sunday of Lent, my priest surprised me when he brought up the New Evangelization during his weekend homily. Part of what caught me by surprise was his reference to it in the first place. I know he’s…
Millstones and Mitres: Recovering the Lamb by Forgiving the Wolf
As I write this a week before it goes live, Cardinal Mahoney is slated to attend the upcoming papal conclave. There are numerous calls for him to respectfully decline to attend. I don’t usually go in for armchair episcopacy, and…
Bishop Sheen on Politics
By now, the disappointing results from the last election have settled in. There were many disappointments on issues that Catholics consider non-negotiable. At the core of voter differences are those who follow their religious convictions pitted against those who say…
The Scandal of Childlike Faith
Catholics have a very intriguing view of the faith life of children compared to many other American Christians. It is perhaps absurd practice to nonbelievers of every shade. Many Americans–some Evangelicals as well as secularists–eschew Catholics for the involuntary system…