Our society is very fond of euphemisms. We like to wrap up difficult ideas and realities with words that make us feel warm and fuzzy, or at least distract us from the real meaning behind the word or phrase we are using. Phrases like pass away, friendly fire, and letting someone go, litter our vocabulary. We don’t even notice that we are stepping back from the truth when we use phrases like this because it is so common. Last week,... Read more

When I was in elementary school I was fascinated with WWII genre novels. I especially liked the novels in which someone took a stand against the Nazis to save a Jewish neighbor. As I read the books, I would always think, “That would be me. I would risk my life.” One day I mentioned this to my mom and she looked at me for a moment with pride but then became very serious and said, “Theresa, we never know what we would... Read more

Ah, pure bliss. Some people associate certain memories with smells or particular foods. I associate books with different time periods in my life. High school senior year was Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. The book that rose above all other books when I lived in Miami was Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, (incidentally, not the best book to read during hurricane season). I am currently on vacation from the convent. My first phase of nun training... Read more

I am at war – but not with my fellow sisters. My enemy is the devil. Ignitum Today, a social networking site for the JPII and B16 generations, has published an article that I wrote concerning the LCWR news and the “liberal/conservative” divide among Catholics in the US. Check it out! I think internal division is one of the most important issues facing the US Church today and we can do something about it. Read more

I imaginatively named my very first teddy bear – Bear Bear I was eight when my youngest sister Mary was born. She was the first girl in my family to have blond hair and blue eyes like me and that contributed to me imagining myself as her surrogate mother. Whenever I got the chance, I carried her around, dressed her, fed her, scolded her, and basically was up in her face 24-7.  Did this have anything to do with her... Read more

      Let’s start tearing it up. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. – Joel 2:13 This Lent, I decided that I was going to focus more on internal penance while not forgoing externals. I simply felt called to put more emphasis on charity and regulating my internal state of being, rather than external penances. Little did I know that this Lent would be one big roller coaster ride of travel, family emergencies, illness, and discernment hysteria. Yes,... Read more

Refreshing water – this is what God is for our soul. The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?” – John 4: 28-29Sometimes we are so familiar with a Bible story that we miss out on the gems meant just for us at a certain moment in our lives. We read quickly or listen half-heartedly and assume... Read more

Just not the same as bread… “Three types of bread are to be asked from the Lord when using the formula, ‘Give us our daily bread,’ that is the word of God, the Eucharistic bread, and bread for the body.”    – Blessed James Alberione Every morning, the sisters in my convent meditate on the day’s Gospel for a half hour before morning prayer. Recently, I was sitting in chapel meditating on the Lord’s Prayer. I was specifically meditating on... Read more