2013

It was an accident, actually – one of those things that come upon you when your mind in in a totally different realm, and God takes you by surprise and snatches you up. The “accident” I’m referring to is my new spiritual exercise.

The exercise began with my new “job” this summer, which is to plant and tend the garden boxes in our back and side yards. That’s (more…)

Today in his Wednesday Audience address, Pope Francis spoke with strength and conviction about unity – unity within the Church as the Body of Christ, unity among denominations, unity among peoples, and unity within the family.

When I think about the word “unity,” I’m immediately drawn to the first and last letters – u and y. I see them as not only letters in a word, but also as symbols of the words that they phonetically represent: you and why. I use this as a mnemonic device to remind myself of our calling as (more…)

In recent months, I’ve been sent some fantastic books to review. The problem is, I have so much on my plate right now that I haven’t had a chance to give these wonderful tomes the attention they deserve! So, I put them in my basket of books awaiting review, hoping that magic will happen and they will review themselves. They didn’t, and so here in my virtual Book Basket, I’ll try to give them at least some well-deserved play. (more…)

Join Relevant Radio’s “Morning Air” host Sean Herriot and I tomorrow, June 13 at 6:15am CST as we chat about Mary and Joseph as a model of holy parenthood for dads. “Mary as a model for fathers?” you gasp. That’s right! Listen live or catch the podcast later to find Read more

At yesterday’s Angelus, Pope Francis talked about the recently-celebrated feast, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In particular, he spoke of Jesus’ Heart as the ultimate symbol of God’s mercy. This symbol is not imaginary, as many symbols are, but it is a real symbol; it exists now and for always.

Additionally, the Holy Father told the crowd that Jesus is pure mercy. I think it might be difficult for us to (more…)

On this Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I’d like to share with you this quote from St. Anthony Mary Claret. The Nineteenth century Spanish saint’s words are both beautiful and daring. They challenge me to take my Marian devotion and spiritual life up another notch. As I go about my day today – celebrating my husband’s birthday and attending the wedding of a lovely young couple – I’ll be playing the quote in the background of my heart and asking myself, “How will I light the fire of divine love in the world?” (more…)