My spiritual director asked me, “What is one word that you want to be to the Church?” I responded, without hesitation, “JOY!” He smiled and
Even though fear and death have gripped the world in the last few months, Jesus offers all of us the gift of joy today. As
Each year, as the Christmas season approaches, I find myself caught up in sweet surrender to the mystery of the incarnation. I am overwhelmed with
I have never been on a silent retreat before. I asked my husband if I could go to one for five days. He laughed and
To all my friends and loyal readers, At 88 years of age, it is with much joy and sadness that I offer you my farewell
Life can be difficult at times, but all things considered, it’s lovely to be human. Thanks be to God, we were all given such an
I have prayed the 23rd Psalm quite often. It is one of my favorite Psalms because it hearkens to Jesus’ own description of Himself as
Recently I listened to a YouTube talk by Dr. David Jeremiah, a non-Catholic Christian, on the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall by Nehemiah. I never
I recently participated in a training course for the International Federation for Family Development, where families met from all over Europe and a couple from
Jesus constantly told us, “I have come to bring joy”: If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have
Loneliness can be distressing and deeply painful. I know. I have experienced it often. We all experience loneliness at times in our lives. People we
Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song. (Pope John Paul II) Despair is a word, which
There is a certain mysterious and mystical quality to the unfolding of the events of life when seen through the eyes of one who lives
How often have you heard that phrase “God helps those who help themselves”? I’ve heard it many times and I’ve used it many times. Technically,
People suffer—good people and bad people. When the so-called good people suffer, many of us look at the so-called bad people thriving and complain. Scripture
Often people wonder how someone can find fulfillment as a consecrated religious without having a family, being a wife or husband, a mother or a father.
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Christmas brings a
After roughly three years of public ministry, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain and revealed His glory to them. They had spent
In Part I, we discussed a common misunderstanding of suffering among many Catholics. We looked at a specific type of suffering involving persecution. Now let’s
In fact, everything that exists and moves in the Church – the sacraments, doctrine, institutions – draws its strength from Christ’s Resurrection. (Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa,
The local Charismatic group were celebrating forty years since their foundation and were preparing a special Mass for that purpose. The readings, the psalms, and
In 1964 a young man named Jean Vanier visited an asylum for the disabled at the invitation of a priest friend, who was a chaplain
