The black leather case hinges and latch were stiff and flaky with rust. Inside was my grandmother’s violin. The case had been unearthed during the archeological dig in my basement that began in February. I was reluctant to open the case. I didn’t want to know if mildew had grown inside. For over thirty years, from one house to the next, I’d carted around this violin. I moved back in with my grandmother when I was in my early twenties,... Read more
O my Jesus, I beg you on behalf of the whole Church, grant it love and the light of your Spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to you, O Lord. Lord, give us holy priests. You yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil’s traps and snares which... Read more
O Mary, Mother of Jesus you were with Jesus at the beginning of His life and mission. You stood beside Jesus when He was lifted on the cross and gave His life for all. We ask you now to be with our priests, who give themselves in service to God’s people. Intercede for them that they may grow in holiness; proclaim God’s word with courage; celebrate the sacraments with joy; and be among God’s people as Jesus, the Good Shepherd,... Read more
It’s Easter and I’ve been asked why I am Catholic. For me there is no other religion that allows such intimacy with the Creator—in whichever person as God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit I choose to draw near—or more liberating. At any time I can go to the Adoration chapel and sit, face to face, with Our Lord physically present in the Blessed Sacrament. I am assured that God takes as much delight in my stopping in to say hello as I do at being... Read more
On Palm Sunday we heard the Gospel reading from Luke 22:47-51 about the angry mob coming for Jesus. There is one man in the mob that has always held my attention; the priest’s slave. I imagine hearts quickened with adrenalin, eyes widened, and mouths ran dry with fear or anger. In front was Judas leading a priest who had decided this crime against God would end that day, and whose wrath had grown beyond reason. They and the mob’s hate... Read more
I am hungry for spring, for the scent of black loamy soil, for the sight of yellow-green tips of hardy bulbs, for the return of determined blue-birds and argumentative red-winged blackbirds. I long to feel the warmth from sunlight on the smooth bark of poplars and willows, to draw down the tips of budding trees and deduce the patterned bud to be leaf or flower. I have loved the fierce beauty of this winter’s storms. But I am tired of... Read more
Most loving Jesus and our Lord, who have redeemed the world at the price of your Most Precious Blood, look mercifully on poor mankind, which in a greater part, lies in the darkness of error and in the shadow of death. Shine on it the fullness of the light of truth. Multiply, Lord, the apostles of your Gospel. Make them fervent and fruitful. Bless with your grace their zeal and their pains so that through them all unbelievers may come... Read more
I am eager to get out and walk the grounds at the retreat center with the garden society volunteers. This group of dedicated women and I have been together for many years. Ten years ago when I began the mission to create gardens of prayer and memorial on the campus, I had not anticipated a disabling condition. The challenges of my inabilities are affecting all of us in our little society. They are helping me to adjust and picking up,... Read more
Lord Jesus, we your people pray to You for our priests. You have given them to us for OUR needs. We pray for them in THEIR needs. We know that You have made them priests in the likeness of your own priesthood. You have consecrated them, set them aside, annointed them, filled them with the Holy Spirit, appointed them to teach, to preach, to minister, to console, to forgive, and to feed us with Your Body and Blood. Yet we... Read more
They called it “Spend-Down.” The Department of Human Services said this is how it works: “Some people have too much income to qualify for Medicaid. This amount is called excess income. Some of these people may qualify for Medicaid if they spend the excess income on medical bills first. This is called Spend Down” Disability is not a lot of money, there is no need for a savings account to hold excess income. Disability teaches humility and frugality. The Social... Read more
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