Category: Ordinary Time

Empathy, Compassion, and Love Like the Trinity

Empathy, Compassion, and Love Like the Trinity

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This post is not about snow.

Our elderly neighbor, Miss H., waved from her mailbox across the street. We decided to stop over real quick before heading out to the grocery store.

“It’s going to snow tonight!” my 5 year old informed her with a smile on her face.

Miss H.’s eyes wrinkled, “Oh,” she said, “I don’t like the snow much. It’s difficult for me to get out for my mail.” She shifted her weight on her cane. My kids, undeterred, regaled her with stories about their favorite snow day activities.

Continue reading “Empathy, Compassion, and Love Like the Trinity” →

That Song is Heretical – Should Catholics Listen to “Christian Music”?

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5 Steps to Help Catholics Discern Whether to Listen to Christian Music.

My husband walked into the living room, stood there for a minute, then interrupted me mid-lip-sync with, “That song is heretical.”

Dude. Thank you for ruining my Jeremy Camp dance party.

I loved the tune, and the words flowed, so I had cranked up “Same Power” to help make the cooking and sweeping and more pleasant.

Hey, it’s Christian music. Better than all the pop garbage I could be listening to. How bad can it be?

As I stood there, staring at my husband with open mouth, wrinkled forehead and upturned palms, I reluctantly realized: he had a good point. Continue reading “That Song is Heretical – Should Catholics Listen to “Christian Music”?” →

Behold the Lamb of God: My Favorite Part of Mass

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“Look, Mom,” my 6yo Son, Hero, whisper-exclaims as he snuggles into my arm, “It’s your favorite part of Mass!”

The priest elevates the host, proclaiming, “Behold the Lamb of God! Behold him who takes away the sins of the world.”

That part of Mass gets me every time. Continue reading “Behold the Lamb of God: My Favorite Part of Mass” →

#MyMassTakeaway: A Thorn in My Side

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Today’s the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Find the Mass Readings here: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 8, 2018 Continue reading “#MyMassTakeaway: A Thorn in My Side” →

A Charism of Hospitality and Unbelievable Apple Crisp Muffins

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A recipe for the best muffins ever, and a reflection on charisms to go with it.

Well, we did it.

We made the big move. Thankfully, we had a plethora of family and friends available to help us over the weekend.

On Saturday, everyone got together at our old apartment and helped us load the moving truck. You should have seen it, we got the job done in 2 hours. I couldn’t believe how quickly it went.

Then on Sunday, we hit the early Mass, and a caravan of cars made the drive to our rental house. We unloaded the truck, put everything in the right rooms, and even assembled beds and got furniture set up.

By the end of the day, our house felt like home. Continue reading “A Charism of Hospitality and Unbelievable Apple Crisp Muffins” →

Finding Jesus in a Springtime Walk

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A meditation on discovering God through nature.

I pull the laces tight on my sneakers and stretch my legs for a springtime walk in the woods.

As I follow the dirt path, hard packed by many feet before me, I keep my eyes fixed downward to avoid tripping.

My focus is on the path before me. Bumps and twists fill my view. Rocks crop up out of the ground, threatening to stub my toes. Continue reading “Finding Jesus in a Springtime Walk” →

Life is sacred in its living. We don’t need to do great things to show the world God’s love. All we need to do is live the life God gave us. The life of service to our spouse and kids. The life of sweeping floors and paying bills and wiping noses and saying “I love you” with every word and deed. The life of a family.

Life is Sacred in its Living

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Life is sacred in its creation.

It’s sacred from the moment it springs into existence. The very moment a human sperm fertilizes a human egg, and God blesses it with the gift of a soul.

Life is sacred in its vulnerability. It’s sacred while at the mercy of its mother for 9 months in the womb. It’s sacred in the helplessness of old age. And in the beautiful needs of illness and disability.

Life is sacred when it needs protection.

The least of these stir up our love and compassion. They exude unspoken pleas for protection. We fight for their rights.

But our fight doesn’t end there.

Life is also sacred in its living. Continue reading “Life is Sacred in its Living” →

Why do we call God "Father?" Exploring the Catholic Church's teaching on God's paternal and maternal qualities, and clarifying the use of gender-based titles.

Is God our Mother?

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Why do we call God “Father?” Exploring the Catholic Church’s teaching on God’s paternal and maternal qualities, and clarifying the use of gender-based titles.

Can we call God, “Our Mother?” I mean, after all, we call Him “Father” even though we know God is neither male nor female. So what’s the big deal with replacing one title for another?

If you’re new to my blog, I’ll have you know: I’m Catholic. Strictly Catholic. I adhere to all the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, even the ones I may not fully understand.

As a Catholic, I believe that God reveals Truth to us in three ways:

  • Sacred Scripture
  • Tradition
  • The Magisterium (official teachings of the Church).

And it’s there I turned to find the answer to this question. Continue reading “Is God our Mother?” →

Send a flood of prayer.

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We’re all familiar with the Noah story. People were wicked. God sent a flood to destroy them. Then He promised never to destroy the earth by flood again.

Why the sudden change of heart? We look around today, and it seems like wickedness still abounds. Every news outlet is filled with stories of hate and hurt and tragedy. Why doesn’t God send another flood? Why doesn’t He just take out all the bad guys?

God, what were You thinking when You made that covenant? Continue reading “Send a flood of prayer.” →

A Mountain Meditation: practicing Catholic mindfulness

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A mindfulness-based meditation, exploring and appreciating the beauty of God’s creation.

What do you see?

I see the hills bumping up against the sky. They’re crowned with trees. A vibrant red dominates the leaves, but it’s softened by warm yellows and oranges. A hint of green still remains here and there, a remnant of the fading summer.

I see the paths cut through the foliage. Cleared away to make room for roads and power lines and buildings. Evidence of civilization. But I wonder what it was like in its original state. A wild sort of order. The chaotic beauty that God created it to be. Continue reading “A Mountain Meditation: practicing Catholic mindfulness” →