Granted, the pregnancy hormones may be working overtime, but Cate’s lesson on Holy Orders this morning left me in tears.It was so beautiful. “Holy Orders is the sacrament by which men become priests. A priest is a man not like other men. He belongs to God alone. The Sacrament of Holy Orders is very special because only a priest can unite with … [Read more...]
Not Exactly My Planned Penance
I know that we’re supposed to be open to God’s will throughout the 40 days of Lent. I know this; it’s Spiritual Theology 101.Crafty Father that He is, though, He has sent me a penance I didn’t anticipate but evidently needed—and it’s a penance that concerns walking.As in, by mid-afternoon I often can’t. (I think it’s sciatic nerve thing, though my … [Read more...]
The Shortcut
I’m sure you’ve all experienced this. You’re herding your children back from Communion and one of them cuts into the wrong pew. Most kids look confused for a second, and then hastily beat a retreat when they realize the tall folks there don’t look familiar.Angela did this today. On our way back she mistakenly entered the pew 2 rows ahead of … [Read more...]
A Treatise on Pickles, Patience and Bread
Part IIRead Part I here.By the time the loaves of bread had risen to the tops of the pans and had baked in the oven to a crusty brown, the afternoon was almost gone. “They’re beautiful,” Mother said, as Ginnie cautiously took the pans from the oven.“They’re done.” Ginnie gave a vast sigh of relief. “But it takes a lot of time.”When I finally found … [Read more...]
A Treatise on Pickles, Patience and Bread
These days, it’s not the spilt glasses of milk that make me cry. It’s the shattered jars of pickles.I’m pregnant. I need those pickles.Yet somehow, when I pulled that 1-gallon glass jar off the shelf at Sam’s Club and placed it in my cart, I just knew that it was an accident waiting to happen. Call it my mother’s intuition; call it my destiny; call … [Read more...]
Feeling Social Saturday
The Lenten EditionDo you want to talk about what you’re doing for Lent?Or would you prefer to keep that a secret?Hey, I am all about helping one another along the path of sanctity…and that’s what Lent is for, of course—growing in holiness and drawing closer to Our Lord. There is a world of good that we can do with our penances, if only we focus on … [Read more...]
Six Days to Go and Counting
It’s almost Lent.Do you know where your favorite spiritual books are?The following is from one of my very favorite tomes, The Three Ages of the Interior Life. For some reason, when I picked it up this morning, it fell open to the section on “retarded souls.”Or maybe—just maybe—I looked for this section myself.In any case, here are the words that … [Read more...]
O Happy Fault
The Story of My ConversionPart I (In the Beginning) ;Part II (The Age of Reason) ;Part III (Ages 11-14);Part IV (“Hitting Bottom” Prologue);Part IV (“Hitting Bottom”) Part V (Free at Last))Part VI: On Seeking Balance and Seeing Benjamin Button (Twice)Warning: The following post contains a multitude of quotes from the movie The Curious Case of … [Read more...]
Giving Thanks for Small Graces
Angela woke me at 4:30 this morning.“I had an accident.” Wearily I slid out of my bed and followed her bare little body into the hall. I turned to go into her bedroom—how hard it is to change sheets when one is half asleep!—when Angela whispered, “No, not in my bed. Over here!”She pointed to the bathroom floor. Evidently she hadn’t been able to … [Read more...]
And a Sword Your Heart Shall Pierce
The following is an abridged version of a post that was originally published on January 27, 2007. The events that inspired the Feast of Candlemas (celebrated liturgically on February 2nd) are those of the Fourth Joyful Mystery: the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple and the Purification of Our Lady.The scenes are rich with imagery and ripe for … [Read more...]
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