Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com If you could summarize the gospel in one word, it would be LOVE. “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:34) To love requires forgiveness when we are hurt by others. Jesus forgiving his executioners from the Cross is the ultimate example of mercy and forgiveness. If you’ve ever been truly hurt or betrayed, you know how difficult it can... Read more
With the stress of school and standardized tests this week, our girls have been asking for an ice cream run, which we finally went on this evening. Their anticipation was rewarded with double scoops of S’mores and Peeps (yes, you heard right… ’tis the season!) ice cream from Cammie’s Old Dutch tonight. Think of a time when you were really looking forward to something – a vacation, a promotion, a party – and recall the excitement and anticipation you felt.... Read more
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com Meticulously manicured lawns, flawless makeup, perfect Instagram pictures… not bad things in themselves. What do they all have in common? They are all things we use to create an attractive image of ourselves. They are attractively-wrapped packages for the product that is “me.” In today’s world, pervaded by the internet and social media, we utilize external and visual means to draw others to ourselves to try and create meaning and meaningful relationships. We’ve become obsessed... Read more
Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and the month of April is Autism Awareness Month. Unless you have someone on the autism spectrum in your family or among your friends, it can sometimes be difficult to understand and know how to approach a person with autism. The diagnosis is often associated only with its difficulties and challenges, which can discourage and prevent neurotypical individuals from getting to know autistic people and developing relationships with them. Because they think differently and... Read more
Photo by Jonas Kakaroto on Pexels.com Laetare Sunday – a day of rejoicing. The halfway point of Lent. The celebration of Easter Sunday is within our sights! It’s almost Alleluia time! While driving my daughter to her Confirmation catechetical session today, we were running late, of course, and I was driving just a tiny bit over the speed limit. She told me to stop speeding, at which I replied that I wouldn’t call it speeding. It was more like hastening,... Read more
Photo by Trang Doan on Pexels.com If you would rather eat an apple than take a pill to prevent and treat illness, you may be in luck. The age-old wisdom that food can be used to treat illness is gaining increased acceptance in some studies. As Hippocrates stated, “our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.” A variety of nutritious foods should be consumed every day. Reach for 5-13 servings of fruits and vegetables a... Read more
The battle for the culture of life is fierce; we need as many soldiers as possible engaging the enemy in the conflict. Armed with the spiritual weapon of choice, the rosary, students from Catholic schools in the Mobile area are joining the fight by praying for the unborn on Fridays during Lent at the Women’s Resource Center. Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com The young people are gathering each Friday to participate in the 40 Days for Life campaign being held across... Read more
Keeping in shape is hard work. It involves scheduling time in a busy day to work out, sometimes conquering inertia and lack of motivation to get up and go, and developing the self-discipline it takes to actually put in the work of performing the exercise. It’s sweaty and grueling, and not for the faint of heart. Growing in the spiritual life is similar; it requires diligent labor and effort. We can not grow and mature spiritually without putting in time... Read more
Photo by Daniel Watson on Pexels.com For awhile now I have tried to employ the practice of preparing for the Sunday liturgy by reading, studying and reflecting on the upcoming Sunday gospel reading to help me to fully understand and meditate on the reading and to more completely live out the particular liturgical season or feast we are celebrating. This coming Sunday, the Third Sunday in Lent, we encounter what I find to be a challenging and serious lesson that... Read more
Examining the life of St. Faustina, we can see that God can speak to us at all times and places and in any circumstance. Saint Faustina was born Helena Kowalska in 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland. After requesting permission from her parents at age 18 to enter the convent and being refused, St. Faustina says in her Diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul, that, “I turned myself over to the vain things of life, paying no attention to the call of... Read more
The Way of the Wildflowers
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