I have to be honest: I’m a reluctant evangelist at best. I don’t want to go face-to-face with anyone about religion or, really, anything. I don’t want to pretend to discuss something that’s going to turn into a defense or…
Praying for the Holy Souls
It’s November and Catholics are reminded to pray for the release of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. While growing up, I was taught to pray and attend Mass on All Souls Day, November 2, for the souls. It wasn’t until…
What Jesus Did
As Catholics and Christians, we study the life of Jesus in the Gospels and strive to emulate His example. For us, WWJD becomes What Jesus Did (WJD). Jesus had presence in His public ministry. He didn’t rant or rave and…
Clean Your Heart, Simplify Your Life!
There’s always been something about a clean space that has made me think, work, and create better. Perhaps that’s one way I am made in the Image and Likeness of God; for, He too began with a clean slate… actually,…
Preparing for Peace
As a working mother of four, I’ve had more than my share of annoying detours from peaceful living. Perhaps the most edifying detour, however, occurred a few years ago when my oldest daughter returned from a short trip with the…
Weeding
I live in the land of year-round yard work. And sometimes it gets old. Last weekend the dead marigolds on one side and the weeds choking my rose bush on the other demanded attention. First stop, Home Depot Garden Center. …
Making the Year of Faith More than Another To-Do
Most of us know the Latin phrase “Non quod non possis” as “You can’t give what you don’t have,” and we accept it as true. How often, though, do we attempt to deal with a full day’s schedule of work,…
Participating in the Paschal Mystery
In this Year of Faith, as we work on our own faith, we’re being told to read the Catechism. I read the whole thing when I started college. Perhaps it was simply a grace that I never asked for, but…
An App for the Year of Faith
The Year of Faith is, without a doubt, an exciting opportunity. It is, without fail, a chance to great things. It is, I must admit, completely overwhelming to me right now. Imagine my relief, then, to find that the Diocese…
Faith Like a Child
What does the phrase “we must have faith like a child” really mean? How can we mature in faith yet act like a child? The phrase came from one of Christ’s own teachings. Jesus told His disciples, “Amen, I say to you,…