We Are All Called to Lives of Holiness
In our attempts to convince the world of the rightness and goodness of our message, we often forget to be completely honest about the difficulties on the path to holiness. We forget saints had very dark nights and arduous climbs while at times tangibly experiencing the immense joy of God. We often focus too much …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Being Honest About When NFP is a Cross"
I know I haven't been writing much on the blog these past few months. First, I hope you are all having a very blessed Easter season. Life has been crazy between homeschool, grad school, my husband's illness, book ideas, and my now broken fibula, so I had to trim  back and blogging was cut temporarily. …
Continue reading "Hoping to Blog More Soon and Facebook Writer’s Page to Follow"
During Advent every year I try to imagine what it was like for the people of Israel as they waited for the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham, David, and the prophets. We live in a time after the Paschal Mystery, but we do still wait for Christ in the Second Coming. We approach Christmas …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Christmas-The Light in the Darkness"
Image: Wiki Commons There is an adage in our culture that is prevalent in movies, books, even daily conversations. It is: "People never change." It is even quite common for Catholics to make this statement. If this is true, then we are all in trouble. Scripture and our Faith tell us otherwise. People deeply attached …
God is rather gratuitous in the beauty He bestows upon Creation. This is evident in crystal clear rivers descending into roaring waterfalls, the sun gently rising over the ocean, the quiet of sunset over snow covered peaks, misty trees golden by early morning light, and it is most profoundly seen in the eyes of our …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Beauty Reflects God’s Love for Us"
In our desire to convince people of the rightness of our position in certain matters, we can unwittingly lead people to believe that the spiritual life is meant to be easy. Far too often, we build things up with high and false expectations that damage the people we are trying to help. Instead of being …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Easing the Loneliness of Stay-at-Home Moms"
I have been in active ministry for over ten years. I've had occasional breaks as my vocation has required, but I've worked with a variety of people and priests over those years. In all of my time serving in the parish and local community I have observed--as Pope Francis has said many times--that gossip is …
Continue reading "We Need to Stop Gossiping About Our Priests"
The topic of silence has grown in popularity on social media in recent months. This is especially true in light of the various pieces written on Cardinal Sarah’s brilliant book, The Strength of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise. Silence is an important topic. We are inundated with noise. This noise is not only an assault on …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Silence in Advent Prepares Us for the Joy of Christmas"
It is fitting that my daughter came to me on a dark November night. It is the month the Church remembers the dead and prays ardently for the poor souls in Purgatory. The days are cold while the trees shake off the last remnants of autumnal glory to enter into the silent deep of winter. November …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: Responding to the Painful Reality of Death"
I wish that I could say that I have submitted and relinquished my will entirely to God. I can’t say that, yet. I’ve spent more days sitting beside my husband in hospital rooms than I care to count. Hospital visits are a monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly occurrence for us. I have had to stand by …
Continue reading "Catholic Exchange: What Does It Mean to Want to Be a Saint"
Swimming the Depths 