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The Hidden Holiness of Parenthood
Do you ever feel like being a parent isn’t “holy”? Some days I’m left feeling the monotony of parenthood. Other days I’m left feeling inadequate. Still, some days I feel as though I failed my children, whether it’s because I lost my temper again or spent too much time looking at my phone. Raise your hand if you can relate. When I was discerning back in college (and for several years after), I couldn’t shake the idea that being a religious sister was the holier option. Religious sisters get time built into their schedule every single day for mass, prayer, silence, and yet still more prayer and time to be…
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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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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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Learning to Pray with Scripture: Ignatian Prayer
Here’s post three in a series that will include instructions, tips, and ideas on how to pray in different ways. If you didn’t read the intro post, check it out here. Today, the name of the game is Ignatian Prayer. This is an imaginative type of prayer established by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Before I dive into how to pray in this manner with scriptures, I want to share a bit about St. Ignatius and how his spirituality came about. St. Ignatius and the Imagination St. Ignatius, in his earlier days, had a severe leg injury from his days in the military. The ensuing days and months left him laid…
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When Prayer Doesn’t Work
Before you begin, read Mark 5:21-43 I have been thinking about prayer a lot lately. Not necessarily how do I pray or what should I pray, but rather what is prayer, really? How does prayer work? Why doesn’t prayer work better? I mean, let’s be honest, I feel like most people (myself included) have wondered why God isn’t answering their prayers. Now, this is such an incredibly broad topic I won’t be able to talk about it from every aspect. So today, I’m addressing the “big” stuff. Why did I have a miscarriage even though I lifted up desperate, incessant prayers that it wouldn’t happen? Why did my daughter/son/mother/father not recover…
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Have No Fear
Before you begin: Read Matthew 14:22-33 I can think of few things that steal my ability to live abundantly more swiftly than fear. I know I’m not alone in this, but sometimes it feels that way. Does anyone else have this incredible ability to be afraid of things, whether or not they are rooted in reality? At one time I was afraid of having too many kids, now I’m afraid of not having any more. I fear suffering, loss, pain. As my husband was leaving town this week for a business trip, I told him to drive safely because I need him to come home alive. He responded that he…