Be Not Afraid! Advent Week Four
Is fear keeping you and me from a sense of peace? We imagine that there was a great sense of peace in the Virgin Mary’s heart when she reflected upon … Continue Reading Be Not Afraid! Advent Week Four
That Means You. Advent Week Three
Do the following words from the Bible have only the prophet Isaiah as their subject? Are they prophetic words that apply to Jesus, the Christ — but to Jesus only? … Continue Reading That Means You. Advent Week Three
The Coming of Spring
Although my knee injury is improving, it’s still giving me trouble (see last week’s post) so this week’s reflection will be brief. We are more than halfway through the holy … Continue Reading The Coming of Spring
Fat and Ashes: A Lenten Preview
How much of your daily life is fat? How much of your daily life is ashes? The holy season of Lent is approaching, and it begins with two big days: … Continue Reading Fat and Ashes: A Lenten Preview
Hi, My Name Is Christina
I am naturally and nearly insatiably curious. In this world of identity politics, if I were to identify as anything it would be as a student of life, or to … Continue Reading Hi, My Name Is Christina
A Prayer before Eating
This is the famous 1918 photograph by Eric Enstrom called “Grace”. It has hung in the dining room of my parents’ house since before I was born. Interestingly, although … Continue Reading A Prayer before Eating
Favorite Things: Quotes from Saint Therese
It’s a human inclination to want to be famous, wealthy, or influential in some grand way. I want to be a successful author, with big dreams of making bestseller lists and overcoming my … Continue Reading Favorite Things: Quotes from Saint Therese
5 Steps to Letting God Love You
Apparently, it’s common blogging knowledge that people like lists. Who knew? Bloggers are suggested to write posts like “Top 10 Famous…” or “5 Easy Ways to…”. Personally, I’m not much … Continue Reading 5 Steps to Letting God Love You
Pauses
Tomorrow, my father is undergoing cardiac catheterization. He’s almost 69 and this procedure is fairly routine, but… This is one of those moments that gives us pause as human beings. … Continue Reading Pauses
The Heavy-Laden One
Who amongst us isn’t wounded? Who amongst us isn’t crippled in some way? Who amongst us doesn’t bear the scars of past hurt or the pain of present heartache? To be … Continue Reading The Heavy-Laden One
She at Pentecost
On creaking knees, worn with repeated hours on earthen floors making bread and coaxing coals into flame, she now knelt in the upper room in the city — and prayed. … Continue Reading She at Pentecost
Obedience Is Nothing without Love
One question that I asked as a nonbeliever and that I still quietly wonder about as a believer is this: when Jesus rose from the dead, why did he only … Continue Reading Obedience Is Nothing without Love
Joy: Why Are You so Happy?
People often tell me that I am a happy person, saying it with surprise and wonder as they look at my crumpled up body in a wheelchair. I’m no longer … Continue Reading Joy: Why Are You so Happy?
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
Limited but Able
Reality Check – In my last Divine Incarnate post, I wrote this: “I wasn’t there when they crucified my Lord, but I am here, now, when the dying are crying … Continue Reading Limited but Able
First Friday and the Will of St. Francis
In a shadowy recess of the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Beaupré, I caught sight of a dimly lit bas-relief and felt myself drawn to it… and even changed by … Continue Reading First Friday and the Will of St. Francis
