One verse I keep seeing a lot lately in my social media is Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—says the Lord—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” I’ve lamented before that I always wish that I knew what exactly those plans were. But some discussions with my friends have given me some perspective on God’s will. My friend Justin recently made this video:... Read more
So yesterday, I finally went to the movies to see Avengers: Age of Ultron. Whenever I go see a movie, I’m usually able to still think and talk like an actual person. Some movies, however, have the power to leave me breathless. Serenity was one of those movies. Avengers: Age of Ultron is another one. It’s no surprise, though, given that they’re both directed by Joss Whedon. I’ve been a fan of all things Whedon since my college days, but it’s not until... Read more
Given that it’s Mother’s Day, I thought it would only be fair if I paid tribute to the Blessed Mother Mary. May is Mary’s month, after all. This blog post will share stories of ordinary and extraordinary people whose love for Mary made an impact on their lives. Of course, I can’t start a post about Mary without mentioning the Rosary. If you were like me in college and had problems praying the Rosary on a daily basis, I have... Read more
From her website: Mariella Hunt is 20 years old and lives in the Treasure Valley. She writes fiction and reflections on the Catholic faith. She has been featured on TeenInk Magazine, with a poem published in their July 2013 edition. She also guest writes for Ignitum Today and for Stephanie Kehr. Mariella is currently in the process of publishing her first novel Dissonance. She summarizes her novel thusly: A mysterious ailment dooms Allie Grant to permanent confinement. It limits her contact with other... Read more
Today is the International Day of Prayer, so today I want to steal a page from Tom McDonald’s book and talk about how I pray. For the purposes of this post, I’m gonna act as if Tom is interviewing me for his How I Pray series. So here I go. Who are you? I’m Buffy, the Vampire Slayer! And you are? In reality, I am Monique Ocampo, a cradle Catholic and somewhat of a revert to the Church. I grew... Read more
It started with a comment. I shared a short version of rejections I experienced on the Facebook page of a nondenominational Protestant who was looking for stories about rejection. Then somebody replied to my comment: “Just remember that it’s by faith and not religion that we feel God’s love.” Cue flashbacks of the usual “I’m spiritual, but not religious” anthem that I hear from a lot of people. And a facepalm. I shared this incident with my friends who had... Read more
I don’t know if it’s just me, but one downside about growing up cradle Catholic is that I have this tendency of taking God’s love for granted. Sometimes, when I feel particularly melancholy, I feel as though God’s love is obligatorily given. He created me, sure, but he also created mosquitoes, roaches, and Michael Bay. He’s God. He loves me and everybody. But my mother reminds me that God cares as much for the individual just as much as he... Read more
I’ve said on here before that I’m a casual fan of superhero stuff at best. I never grew up reading comic books and my first introduction to anything superhero related was the very cheesy cartoon Superfriends. That being said, I’m very glad that I watched Daredevil. Many people compare Daredevil to Batman and Spider-man. I’ll admit that the parallels are definitely there. Like Spider-man, Daredevil has a sort of supersensory powers and fights in just one district of New York City.... Read more
My latest post from the Heart of Mary Women’s Fellowship can be read here. Read more
The episode opens at Ben Urich’s funeral. Fr. Lantom is presiding as “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff plays over the scene. Nobody says a word. Not Karen, not Matt, not Ben’s wife, not the head of the bulletin. This is the shortest cold open in the season. Karen speaks to Mrs. Urich who compliments her and says that Ben saw her as something like a daughter. Karen feels like it’s her fault, but Mrs. Urich assured her that she... Read more
Monique Ocampo Writes
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