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Let Him Fight for You
In college, I was so afraid of allowing God to show me his plans for my life, especially my vocation. I remember talking with a vocations director from a religious order because I was so confused. I had an intense fear of being called to religious life and a strong desire to be married. The idea of allowing God to show me what he wanted left me spiritually paralyzed for quite some time. But that sister said, “It’s time to raise the white flag.” But I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what that meant when she said it. Maybe it should have been obvious, but I learned that the white…
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My Domestic Church: Catholic Culture at Home
“The world is thy ship and not thy home.”-St. Therese of Lisieux These words are a stark reminder from a saint who knew this message all too well. Therese lost her beloved mother to cancer at the age of four. She lived knowing four of her siblings never made it past childhood or infancy. Finally, she watched her father lose his faculties to dementia after suffering a stroke. All from the confines of her cloister. “The world is thy ship and not thy home.” In other words, we are pilgrims, travelers, sojourners in a strange land. We are passing through to our heavenly home, don’t get too comfortable! In many ways,…
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My Domestic Church: Taking Your Children to Adoration
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 Take my children to adoration? Take my kids to sit in church? In silence? And pray? Are you kidding me?! Nope! Taking your children to adoration probably feels like a daunting task. However, Eucharistic Adoration is such a great gift to give to our children and something we shouldn’t avoid because it’s hard. Some time ago, I went to adoration and a grandmother came in with who I presumed to be her grandson, probably around 7 years old and full of energy. I had seen them…
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My Domestic Church: Parents are the Models
Have you ever noticed how young kids are like tape recorders? You really have to watch what you say around them. One day I was driving Lucy somewhere and I was getting really frustrated. At one point, I said “Geez people!” in a very frustrated tone and a moment later I heard that little voice from the back seat “geez peee-ple, geez peee-ple.” Little ones don’t limit themselves to what they repeat, however. Hence the reason it’s so important to watch what you say. Children absorb so much from their parents. When they are young, it’s important to watch what you say, but this doesn’t change as they get older.…
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My Domestic Church: Jesus in the Toilet
My toddler went through a phase where she threw everything in the toilet. Wash cloths, headbands, diapers, toys, you name it. She probably tried to get it into the toilet water at least once. One particular morning I was getting ready in my bathroom and Lucy was playing. This day, I watched her out of the corner of my eye grab something off my night table. She then ran with it into the bathroom, opened the toilet lid, and threw said item in with a plop. I looked down and saw my St. John Paul II crucifix in the toilet. The one-sided conversation that ensued was something like this, “WHY…
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Follow Me
This daily reading reflection was originally written for the Nativity Parish blog for Friday, May 29, 2020. You can read the corresponding mass readings here. Follow me. These words echo through my heart whenever I read this Gospel. But before Jesus’ command to follow him, we see a divine display of mercy, a threefold opportunity for Peter to heal and restore his threefold denial of Jesus. An exhortation for Peter to become the next Shepherd of the church on earth. A foretelling of the manner in which he would lay down his life in the ultimate sacrifice for the Kingdom. And finally, the call to action. Follow me. Isn’t this…
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Have Peace in Me
This daily reading reflection was originally written for the Nativity Parish blog. You can read today’s mass readings here. Fr. Jacques Philippe, a favorite spiritual author of mine, said in his book Searching for and Maintaining Peace, that “all the reasons that cause us to lose our sense of peace are bad reasons.” He dedicates a whole section to this very topic. When I read that phrase, I found myself coming up with excuses as to why all my worries and anxieties were justified. Regardless of the severity of whatever it is on my heart and mind, I kept coming back to a few realizations. First, I can control virtually…
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To all the Sorrowful Mothers
As Mother’s Day rolls around again, to all those sorrowful mothers out there – you are on my heart. As I delve deeper into motherhood myself, it is not lost on me that it is a double edged sword of joy and sorrow. And for some in particular, the sorrow is especially acute. And, after all, as a friend once told me, the trouble with being open to life (and thus motherhood) is that you’re also open to death. Life and death, joy and sorrow, light and dark. Life isn’t all joy all the time. We live in the vale of tears right now, longing for our heavenly home. But…
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You Can Still Go to Confession!
Just a friendly reminder that you can still go to confession! I spent most of the quarantine so far lamenting that there aren’t any opportunities for more creative ways to receive the sacraments like I see in other places. Or that Easter doesn’t feel quite the same this year. Then I “went” to mass with Fr. Mike Schmitz on Divine Mercy Sunday and was convicted. I realized there are some sacraments that I do still have access to and I really don’t have any excuses. I need to step up and take ownership. In life in general, waiting on other people to make things happen for you means you could…
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Living Hope.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…” 1 Peter 1:3-4 I have grappled long and hard with hope. What is it, really? How do I hope? Why do I even need to hope? Last year felt hopeless and difficult. I felt like my prayers were useless. My sentiment was generally “Why do I even pray if I’m not going to get what I so deeply desire?” In my heart,…