Prayer
-
First Sunday of Advent: Bearing Life into the World
Nine months pregnant. Aching back and feet. Exhaustion. And on top of it, traveling by donkey for three whole days in order to fulfill a command from a far-off governor to count the inhabitants of Bethlehem. Yet – Mary never claimed exemption because of her circumstances. I probably would have tried to claim exemption. I have claimed an exemption for jury duty for much less than three days on a donkey at my due date. Why didn’t she refuse to go or claim an exemption? Why didn’t she make it easier for herself? Caryll Houselander puts it in hauntingly simple terms: “...Mary never claimed exemption from the common lot, from…
-
Advent Emptiness
I decided that for Advent this year I would read The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander. It’s a book I’ve attempted before without success. As I perused the first chapter, I realized this is what I need. And as I read through the first chapter entitled “emptiness,” I realized how perfectly it makes for a pre-Advent examination of our hearts. Please join me as I share some reflections as we prepare to enter into a new church year and the penitential season of Advent. In the coming weeks I hope you continue with me in my walk through The Reed of God. If we are to receive fully from the…
-
Learning to Surrender (The Sequel)
If you haven’t read Learning to Surrender, that’s part one of this story, so be sure to read that first. The week after learning baby was breech, I headed into the hospital for my version. I was pretty certain baby had already flipped back to head down, but I went to the hospital and asked for a quick ultrasound before they tried to place an IV. When they put the wand on my belly, it was very clear that baby was already head down. I was thrilled! All the pieces were in place to have a vaginal delivery, just a waiting game at this point. Jesus, you took care of…
-
My Dad’s Heart Attack and the Power of Prayer
Lucy and I had just finished meeting the family’s newest addition (her cousin, my nephew). He was two days new, tiny and sweet. We only had a few minutes before we had to get back home so Jon could get to his regular holy hour. I was pulling away from their house and I got a phone call from my brother. It was short and succinct. I could hear him take a breath and he said, “Dad collapsed tonight.” I responded “WHAT?” CPR. Sedated. Intubated. Dad is stable now, but we don’t know what happened. Words you hope you’ll never hear in the same sentence about either of your parents.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
Rest and Receive
One week into social distancing and I got the bright idea to potty train the two year old. I figured, hey, if we can’t leave the house, we may as well get her out of diapers, right? Now we are one week into potty training and we have realized that the gratification of being out of diapers is not instantaneous. It’s a lot of work and rather exhausting getting there. But it is important to note the power of one chocolate chip. It is enough to lure a toddler to do almost anything, including pee on a potty. Two chocolate chips still isn’t enough to lure this toddler to do…
-
Learning to Pray: Eucharistic Adoration
When I was 14, my heart was touched in a totally new way by an encounter with Jesus. It was night two of the Steubenville Conference. There were 2,000 teens kneeling and in awe of Jesus at Eucharistic Adoration. Despite the crowd and the music, I experienced his personal love for me. It was as though everything else around me fell away for a moment. I suddenly became aware that Jesus’ love for me was real. His presence, the freedom I experienced, the weight that lifted from my shoulders was real. It changed everything. I went home and saw the world with new eyes. I loved going to mass, I…