Living
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9 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving for An End to Corona Virus
So I’ve had a lot of time to think as I’ve been painting some walls in my house (#oraetlabora keeping me sane during quarantine) and I had an idea — and I’m really hoping you will join me! This is the idea: Starting today, what if you and I started 9 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving for an end to the Corona Virus? You don’t have to be Catholic or even a Christian to join in. In fact, my guess is if you’re not, that your prayers will touch the heart of the Father just as much as mine do — maybe even more, because you’re taking a bigger leap…
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How Ora Et Labora Is Keeping Me Sane During Quarantine
Hello everybody! I don’t know about you, but the lines for computers are long around here, as all music lessons and classes have gone to livestream or pre-recorded for the foreseeable future. Which means I’ve decided to try to post on Saturdays, instead of Fridays, and also to share one post from the week of posts I’ve shared over on Instagram and Facebook. Some will have additions and be in a longer format, but it’s the best I can do when life is so upside down around here. Stay safe and well and keep praying! I know I am! Without further ado, thoughts on how St. Benedict is helping us…
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When Beauty Broke Through
“Beauty will save the world” Fyodor Dostoevsky This is a story that didn’t begin so well. It begins with a family of 8 on a bus, weaving around narrow highways to reach the top of a mountain. Don’t get me wrong. The views were fantastic, and it was the only way to get to the top of this mountain without paying an arm and a leg for a 5 minute cable car ride. But I happened to be in the front of the bus with the little guy and the rest of my family was in back — growing ever more nauseous as the bus twisted and turned around the…
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Fighting the Culture of Busy
We are just all so busy — so very busy — and I feel like so many of us are trying to prove our value but what we do in a day. The busier we are — the more important we may feel. And there’s nothing wrong with trying to fill our day with doing good things — but “busy-ness” doesn’t necessarily translate to doing good things in the world. In fact, if we allow ourselves to get too busy — we will quickly begin to lose sight of our humanity and the humanity of the people around us — until our activity just becomes a mindless, pointless distraction from…
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To Be Pro-Life is To Love Those Who Have Chosen Abortion
I write this on the morning of the 47th Annual March for Life. Three of my own kids are in attendance and they’ll join likely half a million other people for the largest human rights demonstration in the world. In this increasingly divisive, politically-charged, climate that we find ourselves in, I think that it’s important that we all remember that being pro-life is not about politics — it’s about people — and it always has been. In fact, if you go to the March for Life — you will not find condemnation for those who have had abortions. You will find love — and lots of it! But a regular…
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Dream Bigger
Full disclosure: the early years of marriage and babies weren’t always easy. In fact, I dare say they were the most challenging years of my life — but they also were the biggest years of growth for me. Coincidence? I think not. In fact those early years with babies involved a lot of pruning — the cutting back of the selfishness, the self centered-ness that I had no idea was so prevalent in my life. Am I still selfish — yep! But the subtle shift from “me” to “we” has taken root in my life. My greatest aspirations have shifted from “my dreams” to “our dreams” — both John’s and…
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New Year, New Word
Well hello there, and Merry Christmas! One of my very favorite things about being Catholic is the fact that Christmas isn’t just a day — it’s an entire Season — definitely a huge perk, if you ask me. To be honest, it can be a bit confusing as to exactly how many days of Christmas there are. Some say we have 12 days of Christmas, ending on Epiphany January 6th. Then there’s the “old-schoolers” that celebrate Christmas until February 2nd, with the feast of the Presentation. The Church currently celebrates Christmas until the Baptism of Jesus, which happens to be on January 12th this year — but that date changes…
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I Wish You a Merry Christmas!
As this is my lost post before Christmas, I figured it was the perfect time to wish you a Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas Season is beautiful and full of so much joy you can hardly stand it! Try to let go of ridiculous expectations and keep the celebrations light-hearted and focused on the people in your midst. One of the things I love about being Catholic is that Christmas is a Season — which means there isn’t as much pressure to get all the Joy of Christmas packed into one day. We have days and weeks to celebrate and let the Joy of Christ really sink deep into…
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Bringing the Heart to the Home At Christmas
The phrase, “the woman is the heart of the home” may result in very different reactions, depending upon the circles you find yourself in. Some women find the title offensive and belittling — while others are totally on board with it, and can’t figure out what all the fuss is about. The truth is that our culture seems to value things like “heart” and “home-making” very little in comparison with job titles and worldly success. It tells us a lot about how out-of-whack our priorities have become, but I totally understand the struggle to make peace with a term like “heart of the home” in the career-driven culture that surrounds…
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Advent: The Light Shines in the Darkness
“The Light Shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 For us, Advent begins in darkness — not a complete and utter darkness –but a palpable one. I love the poetry and symbolism that fills our Catholic faith, and Advent is in many ways one of the more poetic times of the liturgical year. During Advent, the themes of light and darkness are front and center, and if you take the time to meditate upon those things, you are meant to find yourself changed at the end of the 4 weeks time. Slowly darkness fades as more candles are lit on the Advent wreath with…
