We recently and randomly declared it “Treat Yo Self Day” in the Sick Pilgrim community*. We were encouraged to do a little something extra (“lagniappe,” if you speak Cajun) for ourselves and share a picture of how we went out of our way to treat ourselves. And since Sick Pilgrim isn’t Rich Pilgrim, our treats were less about costs and more about little joys. Treat Yo Self Day was a not-so-subtle reminder that SELF CARE IS IMPORTANT. It’s easy to... Read more
The word “perfect” makes me cringe. It conjures images of syrupy-sweet holy card saints, and thin, smiling women with nary a stray (or gray) hair in sight. Perfect is a seed that carries with it the fruits of foreboding and failure, shame and lack. Can anyone ever be perfect enough? Thin enough? Rich enough? Holy enough? Perfect takes my small, sick attempts at finding God and grinds them in the dirt. Perfect is my enemy. At least, it was –... Read more
A few thoughts on Beyonce’s pregnant body: It is breathtakingly beautiful. It is unashamedly sensual. And it is holy. Full stop. No qualifiers. Watching Beyonce’s Grammy performance, I nearly wept. We’ve seen stylized photos of pregnant celebrities before–they’re hardly controversial at this point. But I can’t remember seeing a pregnant woman on stage at a mainstream cultural event, doing her thing–being an artist, interpreting, performing, working–instead of hiding her “delicate condition.” (Vanessa Williams immediately tweeted:“They never showed my pregnant belly when I sang... Read more
I stared up at the Basilica in hate. I hated them. Every single one of them. I did.Yet more than anything I hated the Church in general. The Catholic Church. I held the Catechism of the Catholic Church deep gripped in my sweaty teenage hand. I stared up at the peak of the tower. It hailed over me in unapologetic grace. Unaware of me. Uncaring. I stared at the towering mural of Jesus and the Virgen de San Juan del... Read more
…while Nye dreams of outer space, it’s his own DNA that worries him. “My family has an affliction called ataxia,” he said. “My sister has it real bad. You walk like you’re drunk. And my sister has a walker. That’s how she goes everywhere. And apparently it’s not a strength thing. It has to do with your balance, which comes from your cerebellum.” “But you don’t have symptoms of this?” “Yeah, I do. Two years ago I noticed it.” “For... Read more
On the first Sunday of the year, my priest printed out slips of paper with saints’ names on them. He told us to choose one out of a basket after mass. Whomever we got, he assured us, would pray for us and be our patron for that year. It seemed like a good idea. But knowing the way God usually deals with me, some obscure saint I never heard of would probably pick me and I would have... Read more
Maybe I missed out on a fundamental aspect of being a Cajun. Maybe my ancestors roll over in their graves when I admit this. I’m not a big fan of Mardi Gras. I can pretend it’s because of a noble reason – that the modern celebration of Mardi Gras has little to do with the authentic celebration of feasting before the long Lenten fast preceding Easter. The truth though is that Mardi Gras brings out two of my worst enemies... Read more
*This is the second post in our series of features on the writers, musicians and artists who will be speaking and performing at the Trying to Say God Conference, June 22-24 at the University of Notre Dame. One of the reasons that Catholic literary culture has become, in the words of Kaya Oakes, a “funeral for multiple corpses,” is that genre fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, and weird fiction, are often left out in the cold when these sorts of discussions... Read more
5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the [a]mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 “[b]Blessed are the [c]poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the [d]gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for... Read more
This post begins our series of features on the writers, musicians and artists who will be speaking and performing at the Trying to Say God Conference, June 22-24 at the University of Notre Dame. “Talking about spiritual activity to a secular audience is like doing card tricks on the radio,” Mary Karr, bestselling author of and “unlikely” Catholic convert, told Terry Gross. I remember hearing Karr on Fresh Air as I pulled into the parking lot of my desk job after a... Read more
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