Do to others as you would have them do to you. Easier said than done. How quickly we forget our own failings when someone hurts us. It is easy to think, “I would never do that,” or “I would never treat someone like that.” We feel offended and think we are better, but we are […]

Memorial of Saint Monica For thy hands, O my God, in the secret purpose of thy providence, did not forsake my soul; and out of my mother’s heart’s blood, through her tears night and day poured out, was a sacrifice offered for me unto thee; and thou didst deal with me by wondrous ways. (Saint […]

The other day I noticed a charge on my bank statement that shouldn’t have been there and felt annoyed; I had already spent a long time on the phone with the bank the previous week, and now I had to call them again. They couldn’t find my account. I was angry. Not only was I […]

When I think of my first communion, I’m reminded of a time when my faith was simple, when the mystery of transubstantiation was accepted with a heart unencumbered by the desire to understand. I remember the devotion of your youth, how you loved me as a bride (Jeremiah 2:2). As we grow up, in our […]

The gift of self is the only proof of true love. (Saint Peter Julian Eymard) When a priest for whom singing is not a gift, sings during the Liturgy, my heart is deeply moved. It feels as though I am witnessing a very intimate moment between Jesus and his priest, a moment of pure love. […]

One day, a friend posted a picture of her group at a local “sip and paint” event. They proudly displayed their finished artwork. They were beautiful; each painting looked the same. As they followed the step-by-step tutorial, they were able to make a good copy of the original work, but I felt something was missing. […]

Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:1-3). The fact that they completed […]

In today’s gospel, we hear the last words Jesus spoke at the Last Supper, just before he left for the garden. Jesus raises his eyes to heaven and addresses the Father. In what I find to be some of the most moving words in Scripture, we find Jesus praying for us.… I pray not only […]

Feast of Saint Matthias Remain in my love…I have told you this so that my joy might be in you, and your joy might be complete (John 15:9-11). This past Easter day, there was an empty seat at our table; our oldest son was not able to join us because of the social distancing restrictions […]

Back in 2006, our family embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. The boys were young, 2, 9 and 13 at the time, and since we were already homeschooling, we decided to go on the road and travel with my husband, who was always having to leave town for work. We sold our house in […]