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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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O, Death, Where is Thy Sting?
When I was in college, noon mass on Fridays was typically celebrated by Fr. James Albers (now Abbot). At the end of mass, we would always sing The Ultima, a Benedictine prayer asking Mary to intercede for us that we may have a happy death. Fr. James would always remind us to keep death before our eyes, not in a morbid sense, but to remember the hope and glory before us in eternal life with Jesus. Those words have been on my mind a lot lately. Do you keep death before your eyes? Do you keep the end in mind, that you may not forget the goal of this earthly…
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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…
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Seen. Known. Loved.
The desire to be seen and known and loved is a basic longing of the human heart. We all long for this, whether or not we know it. We seek it from our parents, peers, coworkers, friends, bosses, teachers, professors, siblings… you can add whoever you’d like to this list. We seek to be seen and known and loved because we were created to be seen and known and loved by our Creator, the only one who can fill these infinite desires. The truth is, though, people fall short and disappoint us. There will be people in our lives who we give too much power, such that when they fail…
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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…