This weekend, we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension, Christ joining God the Father, and promising to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. To those who do not understand the reality of the Resurrection, the Ascension likewise makes no sense. To those who believe that God intends and invites us continually to come to His great feast, death is not the end, and there is a joy possible even amidst great grief, because grief does not reign forever. ... Read more
I’ve tried to explain to my children and my classes, that books aren’t just assignments that you hunt down, kill and mount on the wall like a stuffed boar head. (Seriously there was one in the old beach house, creepiest thing ever). Books are a means of walking through another person’s mind –and granted, some aren’t so interesting, but if you stick with it, you will find a great many minds worth knowing beyond your own. With that in mind,... Read more
My brother posted this list on his page. I started checking the names. Thurston High School. Columbine High School. Heritage High School. Deming Middle School. Fort Gibson Middle School. Buell Elementary School. Lake Worth Middle School. University of Arkansas. Junipero Serra High School. Santana High School. Bishop Neumann High School. Pacific Lutheran University. Granite Hills High School. Lew Wallace High School. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School. Appalachian School of Law. Washington High School. Conception Abbey. Benjamin Tasker Middle School.... Read more
“Come and stay at my house” These are the words of Lydia in today’s first reading. The words kept resonating in my heart. If we think of ourselves as the many rooms Jesus has prepared, when we receive, we are saying, “Come and stay in my house.” and when we minister to others, it is Jesus inviting them into His interior castle. We always think we are doing something for God, but in reality, when we serve others, God is... Read more
And the rains came and started our basement project early. We bailed. We pulled up carpet. It was a mess. As a bonus feature, our washer and dryer quit last week…so towels are at a premium. The new appliances arrive Tuesday. I admit, I always feel betrayed when my machines quit…like I’m still here. I’m still going. However, I’ve come to know, vacuums, dishwashers, dryers and washers age in dog years in my home…and I am kept young by the... Read more
There’s lots of ripe fruit for Catholic bloggers right now, I want none of it. Instead, I’m going to daydream about what I hope happens this summer. Last summer got cut short by Cancer, surgery and recovery –and I taught summer school because I’d signed up for it before I knew I had breast cancer. So this summer is going to be summer, with ice cream, sangria, and grilled everything. 1. I hope I finish writing my book. 2. I... Read more
The beginnings of thoughts on the horrific shooting and violent deaths of ten people in Buffalo, and what the rest of us need to do as a consequence: https://www.osvnews.com/2022/05/16/after-the-violence-in-buffalo-pray-for-conversion/. After you read it, consider donating money to a local food bank in Buffalo, New York so that the residents who do not for the moment have access to their grocery store, won’t struggle with food scarcity in addition to the grief of being witness to such unchecked rage, hate and death... Read more
To be a disciple is to deny one’s self, to discover how dependent on grace we are not to be depraved –not just today but every day. The seduction of the world is a constant press, which disguises itself as a means to a “greater good.” When ministry becomes an end in and of itself, as opposed to a means, it ceases to be a ministry. It becomes a carnival with a barker. It means that we are not witnessing... Read more
Each month is a different intention (focus) in my prayer life. Since I have ten children and a husband, each of us gets a month deliberately dedicated with petitions. What I can tell you, is I see the results. I don’t tell the kids which month is theirs, or even that I’m doing this, but there is a visible tangible difference. A favorite priest of mine (has a podcast) talked about his family having a day a week devoted, which... Read more
“The road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions” is not actually something we should hold to be true. | God sees our heart, our intent, our desires and our works. He hears all our prayers. He recognizes what we seek to do. He knows our whole hearts. This is the great mercy of our God. God is not seeking a reason to keep us from Him, He’s searching our hearts for a “yes,” for an assent on our part... Read more
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