Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
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“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,/ prone to leave the God I love.”
This line from the hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” rings true to me.
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The Year We All Became Bird Watchers: Writer Brian Doyle Finds God in the Birds
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This year, we all became bird-watchers from our windows, on those long walks we found ourselves on more frequently and when we learned we really didn't have anything better to do than to sit and stare at a body of water.
Pandemic Parenting Requires Families to Adapt to New Narratives
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Is it just me or does every mother feel as if we are just winging it? Motherhood is the ultimate "on the job training." We read all the books, ask advice from more "seasoned" mothers than us, but nothing could have prepared us for mothering this year. There isn't an issue of "What to Expect When Parenting Through a Pandemic."
Read MoreAll Souls’ Day: Reflections, traditions and prayers
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If you were to walk past my parish on your dark and damp walk on the evening of Nov. 2 in years past, you would have heard the strains of Mozart’s Requiem drifting outward from the bronze doors of St. James Cathedral, Seattle.
Read MoreFinding and Keeping Faith During a Pandemic
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I wrote about finding encouragement during the pandemic from St. Paul and some ways to keep connected to Christ during a pandemic.
Read MorePatience: Catholics are people who wait — and people who love
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We are waiting. Waiting for what? We don’t really know.
We used to wait in line, on hold, in traffic. We waited with anticipation for dinner with friends, our cousin’s wedding or that big vacation. Now, waiting for a routine cleaning at the dentist office sounds like a luxury.
Read MoreSt. Joan of Arc's mission as portrayed by artist Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel
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Wrote about Joan of Arc with Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel’s exquisite panels as illustrations to her life story.
Read More"Fear of the Lord" is about Love
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The term "fear of the Lord" conjures up images of a person quaking in their boots or falling prostrate to the ground. Surprisingly, this gift of the Holy Spirit is neither of those things.
Read MoreAsh Wednesday: Making the Lenten Journey as a Family
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Incorporating children into the Lenten journey can be difficult for parents. I know it was for me, until one year, when I was at a loss, I decided to ask my sons what they wanted to do for Lent.
Read MoreAn unlikely location for a lesson on the Holy Spirit: In the back of a taxi
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The back of a cab seems an unlikely place to get a lesson on the Holy Spirit, but that’s what happened one evening after a girl’s night out with two of my Catholic friends.
Read MoreGerrit Van Honthorst's 'Adoration of the Child'
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The "Adoration of the Child" is depicted in this 17th-century painting by Dutch artist Gerard van Honthorst. In "Adoration of the Child," light is reflected off the faces of those gazing at the Christ Child.
Read my reflection on this art piece for Catholic News Service’s Faith Alive series
Read MoreAdvent meditation: Dreaming with St. Joseph
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You speak to us in dreams. Sometimes it is the only occasion you find us still and quiet. Quiet enough to hear your voice. Still enough to grab our attention.
You whisper to us throughout the day, reminding us you are present and that you delight in us. But we cannot hear you.
Read MoreOur Guardian Angels
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October 2 is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Read my reflection on Guardian Angels and how I’ve experienced my own in this essay for Catholic News Service’s Faith Alive series.
Read MoreAnticipating Pentecost: ‘Veni Sancte Spiritus’
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The first time I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit, I was four years old.
Read MoreA guided meditation on Christ’s last words
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Holy Week invites us to walk through the sufferings of Christ. Christ said very little when he was betrayed. He did not attempt to defend himself, but “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”
Read MoreA Familiar Comfort From Our Lady of Guadalupe
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Read how Our Lady of Guadalupe connects me to my past and my future.
Read MoreThree Advent Traditions to Slow You Down
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Advent, the four-week period preceding Christmas, starts Dec. 2 and is a time to slow down as we wait in hopeful expectation for Christ’s coming. It’s a time to take stock of what’s important in our lives, casting away extra commitments and wasted energy we’ve added throughout the year.
Read MoreEngaged Couples: Pray Together with the Bible
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As engaged couples prepare themselves for marriage, they look for advice for a rich and loving union. The best advice for engaged couples comes from Pope Francis himself in his apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”).
Read MoreHoly Week: The Week We Live at Church
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Spiritual writer, Kathleen Norris, in her book, "The Cloister Walk," shares her Holy Week schedule. It includes morning prayers, choir rehearsal, evening liturgy services but what I really noticed, was right smack in the middle of her afternoons, she wrote "NAP!!!" Yes, in capital letters and extra exclamation points.
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