I’m Catholic, I’m passionate about my faith, but Spy Wednesday is a weird name. So I’m wiling to mock it a little (just a little) with top ten rejected activities to observe Spy Wednesday. 10) Playing “I Spy.” as you wait for mass to begin. (I promise, these bunnies were all for the baskets. Really). 9) Ratting out Mom for buying extra Easter Candy that will never see the inside of an Easter basket. 8 ) Spend the day reading... Read more
So sometimes I will wake in the early mornings and the words won’t leave me alone. Back in early October, musing over the world events of that week, I wrote a piece, “This is a Time to Get on Our Knees.” It ran this past week. Right after it ran, life went nuts at home, with multiple squabbles amongst my children that seemed to pop up like thunderstorms. The demand of my own words came to life and I found... Read more
L Whenever we encounter God, and recognize the reality, we are challenged. Christ always nvites us to grow, to sacrifice, to serve and to love where we didn’t think we needed to go. It’s why I suspect the new film Cabrini is good. It demands we look at the reality of a life of faith –having a relationship with God doesn’t shield one from harm or struggle, but it does open one up to recognizing miracles in real time. Submission... Read more
We live in an age that understands not ceasing. The internet and television stay open twenty-four seven. Every college kid knows the restaurants that never close. We are rapidly becoming a society that does not value rest, sleep, or waiting for physically or virtually anything. The cure for the exhaustion and despair that must follow living a life without rest, is silence, contemplation, God. Adoration is both the inoculation and the cure for the busy-ness our world values. However, being... Read more
Lent is a time for reflection on how far we are from God. Fasting is the great reminder to us. I know because somewhere in the middle of Lent, rationalization sets in whenever I fail at my Lenten resolution. Those in my circle who have fallen from the faith make a point of arguing, it’s not reasonable. Why does God want us to sacrifice? How does fasting do anything for the world or you? What’s the point? How does not... Read more
Painting by Katie Hall back when she was Katie Hall (my cousin). It’s the grotto and Notre Dame and the walk where my husband and I took that first fateful walk together. I also associate that university with Lent because it was there I experienced my first “successful” Lent, and a few others, where going out into the desert meant an encounter with Christ and the beginnings of a vocation. It’s also my dad’s alma mater, he sang me the... Read more
As followers of this blog know, I teach high school English. Part of teaching involves encouraging teenagers to set SMART goals –specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound. One of the ways one motivates people between the ages of 14-18 is to set a good example. Stupid me created a public SMART goal. I pointed out that for the past twenty-three years, I’d been working on learning a particular piano piece. However, because I had no end point, I’d made little... Read more
It’s almost time for Lent! Are you ready? Over the years, I’ve written pieces for Aleteia, National Catholic Register, Catholicmom, and the Catholic Standard about Lent. Some of the best ones are “What to Give up for Lent,” and “Ways to Make This Lent a Feast of Virtue,” and “This Lent, Try Becoming a Friend of Jesus,” and “Ten Tips for When Your Kids don’t want to do Lent.” At fifty-seven, I’ve experienced those Lents that can only be described... Read more
By now, scads of Catholic internet ink has been spilled explaining why February 14th being both Saint Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday is an example of God’s perfect timing. Infinite love for even that in us which is finite is the definition of God’s love, as manifested on the cross, and by His most sacred heart. With that in mind, some Catholic candy business entrepeneurs pitched custom Catholic candy hearts for the occcasion. Here at Chocolate For Your Brain, we... Read more
Back in 2007, my oldest participated in a contest which pitted teams from Catholic schools across the archdiocese. The question, “Who is Don Quixote’s sidekick?” came up. “The Man of La Mancha” is my son’s favorite musical. He wrote his initial college application essay about Cervante’s knight errant. He knew this one. “Sancho Panza,” he buzzed in. However, this was prior to the age of ubiquitous internet, and the answer key held a typo. Flip phones didn’t cut it. They... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In