Jesus said to [Thomas], “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29). For two thousand years, St. Thomas has been remembered more for his doubt than for his bravery. Every Easter we hear from St. John about how Thomas steadfastly refused to believe that Christ had risen from the dead “unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into... Read more
HOPE is keeping me going this week, and, man, have I had some tangible signs this week: Baseball. I am a wee bit baseball obsessed. I love tee ball. I love Little League. I loved when my children played high school ball. I love that I can watch the college baseball team play from my classroom on campus. Most of all, though, I love the Boston Red Sox. Fenway Park is my happy place. When my children were little, I actually... Read more
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad (Ps. 118:24). Like everywhere else in mid-March 2020, Catholic Answers closed its office because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were all sent to work from home. Fortunately, the IT department managed to get us all working remotely without hiccup. I transitioned from going into the office every day to working from the dining room table, but as a natural introvert I didn’t mind the lack of... Read more
This is a continuation of our Lenten Series: Sick Pilgrim’s Progress on pilgrimage. You can read our introduction here, week 2 here, week 3 here, week 4 here , week 5 here, and week 6 here. When I started Lent I mentioned that I was at an impasse with my Catholic faith, and decided to go on a pilgrimage of the soul to learn new names for God, broaden my view of her, and respectfully learn about other faiths. I did what I always do when I... Read more
A few years back, as I was struggling to get a chronic illness managed, my primary care doctor—who is made entirely out of awesome—looked me squarely in the eye and said, “You only have so many good hours in a day. You need to really think about how you spend them.” That was a life-altering moment for me, right there. I had long talks with my husband and with my boss, and we made significant adjustments to my workload.... Read more
[Christ Jesus] humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). This Easter will mark my twenty-fifth year as a Catholic. I spent seventeen of those years working as a staff apologist for Catholic Answers, an independent lay apostolate in the Diocese of San Diego, California. When clients asked tough questions about the Catholic faith, our job was to present the faith in the best possible light. Using Scripture, the Catechism of... Read more
This is a continuation of our Lenten Series: Sick Pilgrim’s Progress on pilgrimage. You can read our introduction here, week 2 here, week 3 here, week 4 here , and week 5 here We are coming up on Palm Sunday, so my pilgrimage journey is nearing the end. Here is what I have done so far: Fell into an internet rabbit hole reading about pilgrimages and shrines. I read about sites considered holy by Catholics all over the world, as well... Read more
If you don’t like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.” ― Mark Twain After a few days of unseasonably warm weather, last week ended with bitterly cold temperatures and a howling wind. Then Saturday morning, BOOM, it was SPRING. The past two days here in the Blackstone Valley have been absolutely gorgeous. It was sunny, temperatures in the high 60s. There is still one sliver of snow along the shady edge of my property, but... Read more
I’ve loved yoga for years, but since the pandemic, I’ve committed to its practice with a new fervor. Almost every single day of the past year, yoga has been my nonnegotiable. Not that I have the time for it. With three children at home, two of whom are involved in online school (and the other one still nursing), someone needs a piece of me at all times. And that’s before I think of my work obligations, which are full-time and... Read more
This is our fifth article in our Lenten series about pilgrimage, Sick Pilgrim’s Progress. You can read week 1 here, week 2 here, week 3 here, and week 4 here. Pilgrimages have been indispensable to faith journey. I have found much healing in my almost daily pilgrimages hiking, biking, snowshoeing and walking here in New Hampshire. Rain or shine, day and night being in the elements has helped me to process and heal from my 20 years in a highly authoritarian... Read more
Sick Pilgrim
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