an ethereal clump of moss Photography is all about light. I know very little about photography but one of my friends said this to me recently and it has changed the way that I take pictures. Now, I look for the right light, and take pictures over and over, contorting myself into strange positions until the object I am photographing is illuminated just right. One day recently, as I did my strange little photographic light dance around a small clump... Read more
Some Catholic speakers dazzle with their amazing intellect. Others draw you in with tales that make you feel like you are there. And still others astonish their listeners with surprising ideas never fathomed before. Then there are the Catholic speakers who are all of the above, plus more. The best of the best Catholic speakers are the kind of people who see their work as a service, not as a form of self aggrandizement. They humbly love God and strive to help... Read more
For many years the pro-life and pro-choice movements have been speaking past each other.Pro-lifers yell, “Life begins at conception!” while pro-choicers yell, “An individual’s conscience determines when life begins!” The pro-choice movement gives a cacophony of different criteria for determining when life (that has a right to live) begins, uniting in the universal plea to respect an individual’s conscience. This line of thinking leads to believing that the only thing that protects a child from abortion is birth, (and sometimes not... Read more
There are some people we just don’t want to understand. They are not worth the time or energy, and frankly we believe that they do not deserve our love or understanding. We live in a society where the people who can express hatred with the most wit and semblance of class get congratulatory slaps on the back and more cocktail party invites. Building walls and throwing a certain group of people within them gives us permission to let out our suppressed... Read more
Sorry, not gonna sing the praises of this latest article… I am a reader of America magazine, the national Catholic weekly put out by the Jesuits. I appreciate the international perspective, as well as many of the stories. As long as I overlook some of the subtle (and not so subtle) jabs at hierarchy, I find it an interesting read, even though I don’t always agree with the angles the writers take. This week America came out with an online... Read more
You would think I had enough of this after the last extremely controversial post, but no. Many people are not happy that I am writing about this subject but today I received a message from a close friend who disagrees with me, but did so with love and understanding. And even though we disagree, my friend was grateful that I am writing about this from a loving perspective. It brought tears to my eyes. We really can talk about this... Read more
I think humans like extreme situations, or at least creating extreme situations in their minds, because this allows us to behave in a way that is otherwise socially unacceptable, sometimes violent in speech and action, and usually not truthful or charitable. Extreme situations warrant taking the gloves off, and I think we humans secretly like that. TV shows and movies create these extreme situations all the time because they allow the hero to run around doing dubious things while the... Read more
Who is getting hung out to dry? The sisters or the bishops? Or us all? Check out an article I wrote for Ignitum Today on the LCWR and an interview that their president Sr. Pat Ferrell recently gave on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. LCWR and NPR – Airing Dirty Laundry If you are wondering what my angle is, well I try not to have an angle, except that I am a faithful Catholic trying to make sense of these... Read more
Doin’ a jig on my path to God The path of the just is like shining light, that grows in brilliance till perfect day. – Proverbs 4:18 First of all, don’t let the title of this blog post worry you. I am not going all Friedrich Nietzsche on you. When people find out that I am in the process of becoming a religious sister, they often ask me difficult questions. I don’t mind this; I like to live an analyzed life... Read more
Joy riding old school… I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. – John 15:11 Joy is like an old ship that was headed to some adventure, but sinks instead like a slow rock under the heaviness of life, waiting to be unearthed. It takes a while to uncover joy. It usually is under several feet of murky... Read more
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