-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Giving Thanks
Hope everybody had a beautiful Thanksgiving! Keeping this one short so I can get back to family. I just returned from a whirlwind trip to DC to see a great friend get sworn in as Ambassador to Fiji. It was beautiful. The first stop we made of our trip was to the Lincoln Memorial — and Lincoln is the first president to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday — so I figured we should give a little-shout out to Abraham Lincoln. We have Lincoln to thank for our days off and time with family — more importantly, we have Lincoln to thank for persevering in his fight for recognition of the…
-
The Goal of Prayer
Why pray? It’s a great question, and I think the answer lies in understanding what exactly prayer is. There is so much that has been said about prayer — I certainly can’t sum it all up in one post — but perhaps a simple image can help us reach the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the essence of prayer. This summer we went on a pilgrimage, and it brought us to ancient cities with beautiful monastic dwellings, hidden amidst the shops, bustle and chaos of city life. Discovering these beautiful, hidden gems and stopping for a prayer or Mass or just a moment to regain a little…
-
Why Do Catholics Do That?… The Miraculous Medal
Hi, I’m Catholic and I do crazy things like wear miraculous medals with Mary around my neck. Have you ever wondered why Catholics do that? In case you are wondering, this is not about worshipping Mary. Nope! I know that this might be hard to understand for those who haven’t grown up in Catholic circles. Trust me, I get it! In fact, there was a point in my life where I refused to say the Rosary because I also wondered if it was some sort of worship of Mary. Which now just makes me laugh — but then, it was a serious question that I grappled with. Maybe you grapple…
-
Does Happily Ever After Really Exist?
Who doesn’t want to be married happily ever after? I know that I did. Nobody goes into marriage wanting it to fail — unless the person was only after money or fame or notoriety — but that wasn’t actually a marriage in the first place. That was just a legal contract with some benefits attached to it. I am talking about the majority of people who get married. Most people enter into a marriage because they love someone and want to spend the rest of their life with that someone — to begin a new life with them. They are in it for the right reasons. So why do 50%…
-
Becoming a Superhero
Happy Feast of All Saints from St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Bernard of Clairveaux! 🥳. Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Technically, St Bernard wasn’t a dog — but technically a St. Bernard is a dog (though, technically St. Bernards aren’t light brown) — but I think this costume qualifies for our All Saint’s party celebration, wouldn’t you agree?😂. (Give me a break, people, I’m just trying to get through the days over here.) Yes, Catholics do crazy things like have All Saints parties to commemorate the heroes that have gone before us — we call them “saints”. We do even crazier things, like dress up like St. Lucy and…
-
The Crisis of Fatherhood & Healing the Wounds
Can we talk about fatherhood for a minute? When I think of the word “father”, I think of the unsung heroes in our midst.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 The men who do the good, even when it’s inconvenient or at great personal sacrifice. I think of men who discipline out of love, but are also quick to recognize the good in others and to offer encouragement. When I think of “father”, I think of men who use their strength to love and protect — never to harm. I think of men determined to be more than just “one of the boys” — and strive to be men of God, first and foremost. I think…
