The virtue of charity is one that should be reintroduced and resurrected in today’s world. What is charity? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” (CCC 1822) As I was reflecting on this virtue, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to remember the story of Our Lady of Charity, which I learned... Read more
It’s summer and time for Vacation Bible School across the country. I recently taught a kindergarten class at our parish’s VBS, where the theme reinforced the lesson that in all circumstances “God is good.” When life is sad, when life is scary, when life is good…”God is good,” was the rallying cry for the children and adults participating. Being surrounded by the young people singing and praising God was a much-needed boost in faith for me and the other adults... Read more
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” (Jn 15:12) In a world that can be cold and unfeeling, how do we love one another when many of us have been harmed and injured by other people, by institutions, and by their own sins and the sins of others? Healing of the heart is needed. What does God tell us about healing? The New Testament reveals that it is through the Passion and death of Jesus that... Read more
June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Pope Leo XIII, in Annum Sacrum (On Consecration to the Sacred Heart), describes that Heart as “a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another.” In his June 9, 2019 Angelus address, Pope Francis spoke of the Sacred Heart as such: “Popular piety highly prizes symbols, and the Heart of Jesus is the ultimate symbol of God’s mercy... Read more
When I was growing up in the 80s, our culture was centered upon and shaped by celebrity: popular music, MTV, movies, and other forms of entertainment. As Generation X teenagers, our culture raised up role models for young women such as Madonna and encouraged us to aspire to look and dress like the bone-thin models of fashion magazines. Not much has changed, unfortunately. We are still enthralled with pop culture celebrities, many of whom do not embody traditional Christian values... Read more
On retreats as a teenager, I remember going on trust walks. We were blindfolded and lead around by another person around obstacles, twists and turns, and through narrow doorways, the object being to instill trust and confidence in God through the one leading. The feeling of loss of control and helplessness is overwhelming and frightening. At every step, we felt as though we would fall down into a gaping hole or hit a stone wall. In the beginning, it could... Read more
I just returned from a trip to New York City, and was amazed and impressed with its size and the excitement present. It was, to me, a city of extremes and contagious energy. The most striking hallmark of New York is the constant, energetic motion with which it operates. The city is teeming with a hopping mishmash of eclectic people, each going their own way and doing their own thing. What struck me most is that many of these busy... Read more
“Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander, like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation for you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus... Read more
School is officially out for summer. I drove our children to school for the last time this year and realized that we had prayed the Morning Offering prayer every morning since the first day of school in August, effectively “offering up” our entire school year to God! It was very comforting to know that we had given God all of our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of the entire year for him to use as he wishes. We will not... Read more
Everyone desires to “belong” to something: an institution, an organization, a cause. We are comforted when we belong to another person or group. Our marital and other family relationships provide us with stability and solidarity with something bigger than ourselves. All of these ties and bonds supply us with love, security and direction. However, there is no peace and security comparable to the safety and soundness of belonging to Our Lord. Pope St. John Paul II modeled a most excellent... Read more
The Way of the Wildflowers
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