Real Men Stay
I should be dead, but I’m not. I should be a forty something-year-old in a nursing home, but I’m not. I should be miserable, but I’m not. Why? The reason … Continue Reading Real Men Stay
Eternal Passion
Is all human suffering the same suffering — the suffering of God who is a man? Did he not exist before all of us? Did he not live in the … Continue Reading Eternal Passion
The Whole Offering
I, someone with a progressive disease, disabled since infancy and gravely dependent on others, have been told to offer up my sufferings to God, so that He will make something … Continue Reading The Whole Offering
The Gift
A bit of poetry, musing on Creation, Autumn … and Mother … She, the flora of forests and fields, gives herself beautifully in the berries that she yields and the … Continue Reading The Gift
Are My Prayers Lazy?
I didn’t get the cure that I wanted, the cure for my debilitating disease, for which I and countless others prayed. Why not? Didn’t Jesus say that all we ask … Continue Reading Are My Prayers Lazy?
Am I Willing to Sacrifice?
As I pray for all Christians to humbly and respectfully witness to Christ’s self-sacrificing love for each and every human, I meditate upon His perpetual gift to us: the Eucharist. … Continue Reading Am I Willing to Sacrifice?
A Pandemic of Mercy
I’m struck by all of the sacrifices that people are making during this coronavirus pandemic of 2020 — staying inside, denying themselves social gatherings, even losing income. And for what? … Continue Reading A Pandemic of Mercy
Stripped
“I am poor and needy.”[i] Since I was a baby, and throughout my life, I have been slowly and relentlessly stripped of strength and abilities by progressive motorneuron disease. Crawling, … Continue Reading Stripped
Real Men Stay
I should be dead, but I’m not. I should be a forty something-year-old in a nursing home, but I’m not. I should be miserable, but I’m not. Why? The reason … Continue Reading Real Men Stay
Bloodthirst: Our Language of Violence
There is so much violence in the world… Why do we, human beings, seem to want to punish each other? Husbands and wives, daughters and mothers, sons and fathers, coworkers … Continue Reading Bloodthirst: Our Language of Violence
As He’s Brushing My Teeth
As my father was brushing my teeth one night, I started thinking about what this very act does to him… or for him. When my motorneuron disease weakened me to … Continue Reading As He’s Brushing My Teeth
Redemptive Suffering
The womb that cannot bear new life is, instead, bearing pain. Seemingly meaningless and devoid of promise, for the hard grip – twisted deformed rocks – makes it unrecognized as … Continue Reading Redemptive Suffering
For My Mother
With Mother’s Day coming, I decided to share this letter that I wrote to my mother nine years ago. For those of you who don’t know me, it’s good to remember, … Continue Reading For My Mother
Descended to the Dead
Have you ever submerged yourself under water, like a lake or a pool, and gone down, down, down? The light, if visible, is far-off and distorted, while all around you, … Continue Reading Descended to the Dead
May
In the month of May, we honor motherhood — and the dead of war. All over the Earth, mothers watch their sons go off to war every day. The baby … Continue Reading May
The Human LORD
If you knew you were going to die, what would you do on your last day? The liturgy of Holy Thursday begins the holiest part of Holy Week, the Easter … Continue Reading The Human LORD
Christina Chase 