AuthorChristina Chase

Although crippled by disease, I'm fully alive in love. I write about the terrible beauty and sacred wonder of life, while living with physical disability and severe dependency. A revert to the Catholic faith through atheism, I'm not afraid to ask life's big questions. I explore what it means to be fully human through my weekly blog and have written a book: It's Good to Be Here, published by Sophia Institute Press.

Posted March 5, 20156 Comments Faith Facilitators

The God of Silence

What does God’s love feel like? Is it warm and fuzzy? In opening our hearts to let God love us, do we experience pleasant sensations, like an encouraging embrace? I … Continue Reading The God of Silence

Posted February 26, 20153 Comments doctrine

What Does That Mean? The Law of Christ

An app for random Bible quotes spit out this piece of Scripture the other day: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.”[1] Briefly breaking … Continue Reading What Does That Mean? The Law of Christ

Posted February 19, 20152 Comments doctrine

Lent: Getting over Yourself and Finding Yourself

Fasting and abstinence, ashes on the forehead, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa… And so Lent begins. It may look like Catholics are a bunch of sorrowful, gloomy, … Continue Reading Lent: Getting over Yourself and Finding Yourself

Posted February 13, 20151 Comment in the world

The Heaviness of Snow

Snow is a heavy burden to bear. It’s just past midwinter and there are feet of snow on the ground and the rooftops. Buildings and people groan beneath the weight. … Continue Reading The Heaviness of Snow

Posted February 6, 2015 Faith Facilitators

Unhidden from You

My faith facilitator for this First Friday? The haunting, inescapable truth of Psalm 139, which I have come to know most intimately: LORD, you have probed me, you know me: … Continue Reading Unhidden from You

Posted January 29, 2015 doctrine

Is Faith Necessary?

As an atheist, I came to know the existence of God – not through something that somebody told me or something that I read – but through silence. In silent … Continue Reading Is Faith Necessary?

Posted January 23, 20152 Comments biographical

“Can I Get an Amen?” Probably Not from Me.

Why can’t I say “Praise God” when someone is telling me good news? Why don’t I say “God has blessed me with…” in conversation, when I am sharing something for … Continue Reading “Can I Get an Amen?” Probably Not from Me.

Posted January 15, 20154 Comments poetry

Beyond Grasping

What sparks jump between two lovers, what intimate whispers and erotic juices flow from flesh to flesh, when hand is holding hand? It is merely possession, some may say, a … Continue Reading Beyond Grasping

Posted January 7, 20154 Comments biographical

Deformity and Disfigurement

I’m a hunchback. Really. As a two-year-old, I was already showing a hint of the deformity, which has gotten much worse over the years. But, I didn’t always think of … Continue Reading Deformity and Disfigurement

Posted January 2, 20152 Comments Faith Facilitators

Peace

Better late than never… I’m grateful that I was able to observe this First Friday by participating, sacramentally, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In other words, I got … Continue Reading Peace

Posted January 1, 20159 Comments biographical

Perspective

My aunt is an artist and she has cancer. It’s a rare and aggressive kind. I know neither the specific details of her treatment nor what will happen. But it’s … Continue Reading Perspective

Posted December 18, 20142 Comments holy days

Job’s Christmas

“And you beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow…” There is so much suffering in the world. … Continue Reading Job’s Christmas

Posted December 11, 201411 Comments doctrine

All the Smells and Ills

The human body isn’t always pretty. Oh no. We all suffer, or will suffer, from one weakness or another, aches and pains and afflictions of countless kinds. Sometimes, just the … Continue Reading All the Smells and Ills

Posted December 6, 20141 Comment Faith Facilitators

First Friday and the Incarnate Image

Last year, I was searching for a Madonna and Child print to hang in my bedroom. I had thought that I wanted an icon or medieval painting. After looking at … Continue Reading First Friday and the Incarnate Image

Posted November 26, 20144 Comments biographical

One Year of Blogging – and Still Thankful

We pass many life milestones through the years and, at each one, we tend to not only measure our progress, but also measure ourselves against them. Like me, now, with … Continue Reading One Year of Blogging – and Still Thankful

Posted November 22, 20142 Comments doctrine

Christ the King – What is Truth?

Sunday is the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, the end of the Church’s liturgical year. (Advent starts next week!) … Continue Reading Christ the King – What is Truth?