I love Lent as much as I hate it. It’s depressing and sad with no choruses of Alleluia. It’s painful for all the giving up and fasting and abstinence we do (abstinence from meat for you non-Catholics. We don’t go all season without sex. Even Catholics aren’t that crazy). But it’s a beautiful time of […]
Faith
When the rain doesn’t come
I was dry. The vigor and excitement and intimacy I had felt about God was waning. Nothing was wrong. Nothing had happened. I just felt distant. I still loved God and my faith, but the intimacy I once felt was missing. For a time I felt so close to God He felt like one of […]
A Trust Fall
How can I not trust God with my simple earthly needs when Jesus trusted Him with it all?
How to take kids to church every day
I’ve been taking my kids (5 & 6 when we started) with me to daily Mass nearly every day for the past year. People will stare at me slack jawed when they find out our daily ritual. Some probably think I’m crazy. Some may even be envious or incredulous at the ability. “I wish I […]
What about me?
That morning’s Gospel reading at Mass was a doozy. Hooey! I wanted to take this reading and stitch it on a pillow and give it out to all those “so-called Christians.” This will show all those on the other side of the political spectrum what Jesus thinks of them! Booya! Mic drop! I was filled […]
Sprinting to the Cross
There came a point in my second pregnancy where I was gripped by such a white hot fear I wanted to jump out of body. I was lying in bed somewhere around month 8 trying to settle myself and this little melon of perpetual motion that had taken over my body so at least one […]
Bringing Elephants to Church
Herds of elephants are quieter. Between the stomping of boots to get the snow off, the nylon rustle of the winter coats, the not-so-whispered discussions, by the time we got our gear off and settled down in the pew, several sets of eyes had darted in our direction. I’m sure my fellow parishioners were just […]
Longing for Perfection
I remember that Mass on March 15, 2020. The world was starting to close in. An illness that had been somewhere else and someone else’s problem was closing in on us. Areas were closing down. Awareness had become nervousness. Nervousness was becoming panic. It was all beginning to feel so real. The blood of Christ […]
Ashes & Mascara
Lent is approaching rapidly. Ash Wednesday is this week. I’ve avoided the questions of “what are you going to do for Lent,” but soon those questions will be in present tense rather than future tense and I won’t be able to dodge any longer. I actually love Lent and look forward to a mostly depressing […]
Curing Insomnia With A Word
One of the oldest criticisms of Catholics is that we don’t read the Bible. This is both true and false. It’s false because we listen to several readings of the Bible every time we’re in Mass. It’s true because most Catholics do not actually pick up a Bible and read the physical tome. The Bible […]