July 4, 2015

I like the quiet. I plan to stay here a while. Everywhere I turn, there are people talking about a Presidential election that is so far down the road that I can’t get excited about it. They have stopped talking about Jenner and his version of menopause. They are abuzz with things to say about gay marriage and the Supreme Court. And I find myself just wanting to be quiet. It’s nice here. I invite you to join me. I... Read more

June 25, 2015

This is the kind of day when worlds collide. They intersect, at least. I met editors I have known by name only. Just a name in an email address line, a diocesan column attached, a SEND button. For ten years it has been like that. And today, I started meeting them. I’d see the nametag first, and then it would hit me. I know you. You are the editor at … We’d shake hands. I’d feel awkward. Make sure they knew... Read more

June 23, 2015

Elizabeth has gone into labor. Is everyone ready to welcome St. John the Baptist into the arms of St. Elizabeth? Can you imagine the joy of that moment? Can you see Mary standing at her side, happy tears in both of their eyes? Hold that thought. Ponder it for a little while. The Messiah is growing in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary even as Mary looks at Elizabeth who holds a newborn John. This is the prophet of the... Read more

June 22, 2015

I tend to leave up comments that are mildly anti-Catholic and even some that take pot shots at the Catholic faith and teachings. I delete those that take aim at the Eucharist and the priesthood. Yesterday, I gave my priest a father’s day card. The words I wrote were heartfelt. I blinked back tears as I wrote. How does one thank the one who guides us to Jesus Christ, who brings us Jesus Christ, who stands in the sandals of... Read more

June 21, 2015

If you travel to Israel, you have to sail on the Sea of Galilee. And if you sail on the Sea of Galilee, you have to visit the Jesus Boat Museum where you will see a boat that dates back to the time of Jesus and the Apostles. When you hear the gospel reading like today at Mass, and you envision Jesus sleeping on a cushion in a boat–a boat that would fit all 12 disciples, you will have a... Read more

June 21, 2015

Guest post from my husband, reposted on Father’s Day 2015 Originally posted 2/17/09 on his personal blog: I’m conflicted these days about a lot of things. One that keeps smacking me in the face is the whole immigration issue.  I see both sides. Side A: California is showing a $40 billion budget deficit while they pay an estimated $13 billion annually to support illegal (not “undocumented”) aliens (not “immigrants”). States across the US are similarly burdened. Our federal immigration laws are... Read more

June 15, 2015

In the month of May, we walked 80 miles—from Nazareth to Ein Kerem, where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived. We ended our journey during Mary’s month– on May 31st, the Feast of the Visitation. Get ready. Elizabeth’s baby is almost here. He’s coming on June 24th, and we are getting ready to return to Nazareth with Mary, because that is exactly what Mary did after the birth of St. John the Baptist. The first virtual pilgrimage was such a hit that... Read more

June 9, 2015

As an educator, I have known it for a long time. When I taught Spanish, I was sure of it. When I taught geography, it was radically apparent. English? Not so much. But still, it needled at me when we covered authors whose works were rooted in “place.” To read Robert Frost, you needed to go to New England. To study Shakespeare or Chaucer or modern British writers, you needed to visit England, to walk through Poet’s Corner at Westminster... Read more

May 31, 2015

A number of years ago, I taught religion in a very small Catholic school. The students ended their daily Rosary with the Morning Offering. Oh, my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I wish to offer all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings–all that this day may bring, whether good or bad–for the love of God, the conversion of sinners, in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and for the prayer intentions of the Holy Father, Pope … At... Read more

May 30, 2015

I lived with Mary and Elizabeth for six months. That’s how long it took to write the book Gifts of the Visitation. The proposal took six months, and the waiting for the manuscript to morph into a book took another ten months. That’s how it is. Writing a first book takes longer than I had imagined. So, while Mary only remained with her relative Elizabeth for three months, we lived there together in the hills of Judea—at Ein Kerem, or... Read more


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