The concept of sanctification of time is nothing new, and it is an idea that is found not only in Christianity but also within other religions. In the Jewish faith it is an important concept. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “Judaism is a religion of time, aiming at the sanctification of time.”  For Christians, the sanctification of time takes on a new meaning because we believe God not only created time, but also entered time. In a General Audience in... Read more

When I was about ten years old on several cold, blustery evenings before a crackling fire, my Dad read me The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I loved the story. I was intent on my Dad’s every word and urged him to read it every night until he finished the tale of Bilbo’s adventures.  Needless to say, I was excited to see the first movie in what is to be a trilogy based on the book. I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy... Read more

I am interrupting my blogging fast to share my latest article on Ignitum Today with a last minute Christmas gift idea! The Daughters of St. Paul are praying our Christmas novena now as we approach the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth. I lift all of the intentions of my blog readers up to our good Lord who listens to all of our needs. May you have a blessed Christmas. To read the article on Ignitum Today click here. Read more

 A woman wrapped in silence and the waitOf silence was her heart that heard These words are from a classic narrative poem by John Lynch. “Wrapped in silence” is a beautiful phrase to describe Mary but it could also apply to the entire season of Advent. Mary was a woman wrapped in silence. Her life was a contemplative response to the action of God in her soul. Our Advent is also meant to be wrapped in silence, enabling us to respond to God’s... Read more

Anarchy in the USCCB… I am a notorious political waffler. In early high school, I considered myself an anarchist. Later, I became obsessed with Ayn Rand’s Objectivism. After college, I attended Quaker meetings and my political views were influenced by Quaker values. I have voted for Republican, Democrat and third party presidential candidates.  And most recently, I found myself reading First Things, an amazing magazine, and surprised myself by exclaiming loudly, “Maybe I am a conservative!” (Reading articles by R.R. Reno can do that... Read more

Artists know they are tapping into something infinite when they create. Most artists will admit that what they create comes from something outside of themselves, something greater than their own mind, something universal and unifying. People of faith will say that art is a participation in the very creative nature of God. Recently, while I was reading Blessed Pope John Paul II’s letter to artists I was struck by one particular line: The [artistic] intuition .. springs from the depths... Read more

I love the many layers of meaning in Scripture. Skeptics may think I am just a creative thinker who could find multiple layers of meaning in a rock. But let me give you an example. Take the parable in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus tells about the rich man who does not have enough room to store all of the grain from his farm’s harvest. The man decides to build storage for the grain so that he can “rest, eat, drink,... Read more

Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. – Mt 18:3Jesus urges us over and over again in the Gospels to become like children. But to be honest, I have always been turned off by the idea. To me, becoming like a child suggests some sort of drastic change in personality and way of life. It makes me feel like I need to start dragging a blanket around and sucking my thumb. And honestly, I don’t... Read more

I spent the summer after 7th grade lounging around my neighborhood pool listening to a cassette tape of Led Zepplin’s greatest hits, reveling in my teenage angst. My mother became rightly concerned about her daughter who just a couple years earlier would have chosen to serenely read Anne of Green Gables by the pool. Instead, I disdainfully discarded Anne and opted for Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar while listening to Stairway to Heavenover and over again. Recently, I thought about those... Read more