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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…
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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…
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Embrace Your Suffering
This has been an exhausting year full of suffering for so many. Our world is as divisive as ever. There are so many things to capture our attention and upset our peace. And in the time between writing and posting this, the world has been flipped upside down with war in Ukraine. Winter brings its own host of issues with cold weather, short days, and illness. Lots of illness this year. And regardless of what is going on in the world around us, our own lives carry on as usual, with all of its demands and stresses. It can feel overwhelming. For our family, illness has been rampant this winter,…
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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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Mary’s Poverty
We all have areas of poverty in our lives. These are areas where we seem to lack something. Areas of deep emptiness and deep suffering. If you need help identifying these areas in your life, consider one where you feel as though you have no control. If you feel out of control, you are likely suffering deeply in this area. This is an area of poverty for you. This is also an area of great promise and potential. Why? Because God works most fully in and through our nothingness. Being in a position of need reminds us of who we are before God – beggars. It reminds me of a…
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Miscarriage, Gemma, and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Day
October weighs heaven on my heart this year. At the end of this month we were due to welcome a sweet new baby into our hearts and home. It is an emptiness I am acutely aware of. But life seldom meets our expectations. Sometimes it exceeds them far beyond our wildest imagination, but sometimes it falls so very short. Suffering miscarriage is, honestly, something I never thought would happen to me. It happens all the time, but deep down, I never thought I would have to go through it. It’s a painful experience, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. It’s hard to let go of someone you didn’t know but so desperately…
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10 Reasons You Need to do a Marian Consecration
Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation! This is the day I have done a consecration to Mary for the past several years. But what exactly is Marian consecration? It starts with Mary’s special mission. When Jesus gave us the gift of Mary as our mother when he was on the cross, she also received a special mission to lead and form us, her spiritual children, into saints. So when you consecrate yourself to Mary, you give yourself to her in order to help her lead you closer to her son, Jesus, and thus in holiness. Fr. Michael Gaitley, author of the “33 Days to Morning Glory,” which is one version of…