Going to adoration is the shortest route to coming to know Him better outside of the sacraments. What we fail to understand is God always longs for our attention, our presence. We grow bored with everything, even ourselves. However God does not weary of wanting us, or of our not understanding the infinite depth of His love. God gives us clues though, with the infinite nature of the sky, the diversity of life on this planet and the ever constant... Read more
My youngest is preparing for Confirmation. I remember deciding upon my patron saint and preparing for my service project. The Holy Spirit has always been a good friend to me even before I received this sacrament. Having watched this happen multiple times, I’m still surprised at how much I look forward to this moment for them, when they take their first step into adult faith life. The person in charge of the program asked, “What do we want for our children?” ... Read more
In August, my husband and I attended a concert as part of our anniversary celebration. The band played one of its hits, “Marry Me.” and all throughout the audience, couples stood, swaying and singing the lyrics. Behind us sat three twenty-something women who kept cooing about how sweet it was, to see the people singing as though there were no other people at the concert. “It’s very romantic.” one said to the other. Honestly, I looked around and wanted... Read more
This week, God keeps putting people in front of me who want or need prayers. This person lost their mother and though it has been a few years, the grief keeps rearing up, reminding her that it feels fresh. Another is going to care for her mother. The stories come at unexpected moments, but they remind me, October is the month of the Rosary, the month to call on our most Blessed Mother, Mary, adoptive mother of all of us.... Read more
Recently, there’s been a spate of deodorant commercials. I’m not sure when Americans got so stinky we needed an entire product line to cover our scent, but between the Mandalorian and the Luminescent, apparently we need about five different means of application to cover all our parts. It struck me as excessive but as a marketing plan, perfect. If a different product corrects odor for a different place, people who are concerned about such things will part with dollars to... Read more
Our God is Love. God promises us His love, every day and always. However, in our fallen state, we constantly construe His love to mean what we want. God does not promise us a life without trial. –See Moses, King David, Joseph and his brothers, all of Exodus, all of history. He does not guarantee that a faithful life will be uninterrupted by evil. Go read the story of Susanna, of Ruth, the Book of Tobit, or the Holy Family’s... Read more
When you read Saint Paul, a week after reading Saint James, you should feel convicted. We all know, we’re not patient, and we’re not kind. Love does not envy but we do. Do we put on airs? Yes. Do we boast? Are we proud? Yes. Unfortunately so. We self-seek, we are prone to anger and keep a running tally of wrongs. As a society, we cherish revenge and come uppances, and karma, hoping that the universe will inflict what we... Read more
A current meme starts with “I don’t know who needs to hear this…” and then says something. I’m going to use my little corner of the internet to say something. Our country, we’re responsible, but we don’t got this. We don’t got whatever it is that needs getting. We’re not sure what it is we have, except we know one thing. This country? It’s a mess. Everywhere we look, the messes pile upon each other. All the systems and institutions... Read more
It’s not entirely true. One can learn a discipline and convey it to others, but if you want to convey love of the thing, you must love it yourself. So people who do not love the faith can teach the tenets but because they do not love the One who is the essence of our faith, there will be something amiss. The lack of passion comes through, just as surely as the passion for a thing is inescapable. When a... Read more
“Easy for you to say God.” my brain things. You know already the outcome. However, for all of us in the Church Militant, the worries of this world, they can crowd out the spiritual life. There isn’t enough time for everything, which means we should recognize when we reprioritize away from God. It’s so easy. We put it on the list and let it drift through the day. I’ve had this happen enough times to know, if I don’t jump... Read more
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