Category: Daily Reflections
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Now I Begin
The human tendency toward frustration with ourselves is nothing new. Consider the writings of Venrable Bruno Lanteri and the latin words that seem to be trending for Catholics these days, Nunc Coepi.
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When I Cried, the Lilies Took Over
The Creator of the Universe made it all and called it “good.” He knows what we can and cannot do and built in extra help for when we can’t. Creation shows us how.
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Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty was a character who seemed to have little hope. We chose four images of hope to pray with this Holy Week from Pope France’s Catechesis on Hope.
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Direct Our Hearts Aright
“May the working of your mercy, O Lord, we pray, direct our hearts aright, for without your grace we cannot find favor in your sight.” (Collect for Mass, Saturday March 16, 2024) Discernment During Prayer; a side note I am going to do something a little different in this post.…
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Because You Have a Crack in Your Foundation
I recently went to Atlanta with my daughter who was hired for a film project that did not go according to plan. We were heading home after several rainy days in a hotel waiting on news of where and when we needed to be on set which changed constantly. We were…
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Just Hang On
Less than a year ago we were in a state of loss and tragedy. There was a great deal of darkness in our lives on many levels. We are still grieving the losses but light has finally entered in and the hope we desperately clung to has bloomed into a…
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Listen, Ponder, Trust
I was reading the story of Samuel and Hannah in today’s readings (1 Samuel 1:24-28 and 1 Sam 2:1-8 as our Psalm) and thinking about Hannah. She waited her whole life for a baby and was told she never would have one. God gave her one despite the non-believers that…
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The White Star
Looking through lenses of faith during the Feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary makes it easy to see the Holy Spirit at work in the little moments.
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God, My Tesla
Overcoming My Mistakes: 99% God vs1% Me My Spiritual Director and I love to hash out a metaphor for the spiritual life. She was telling me that when she was in grad school, her professor walked into the room and drew a huge “99%” on the white board. Then a…
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God the Investor
As I recover from major surgery, I decided to pull out a draft from last fall that I particularly like because although it isn’t timely to the season of Easter, it is always relevant to the way we are stewarding the gifts God has given us to build His Kingdom.…
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Where is God waiting for YOU?
Where is God connecting the dots of your life? I am finding my faith and writing are starting to intersect with drawing and painting! Comment with your answer!
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The Four Degrees of Love: Part 3
As this is a continuation of a study group we did on the the article from Soul Shepherding entitled (and linked here) Four Degrees of Love (Bernard of Clairvaux) I recommend you take a look at my previous two posts for parts one and two. I tried to keep these…
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Stop Abiding at the Altar of Disappointment
If you want the world to be better, stop abiding at the altar of disappointment.
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The Four Degrees of Love: Part 2
Only a humbled heart can experience gratitude because gratitude it directed to something outside of our own doing.
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Your Role in the Play
From central casting agency. You have been cast in our upcoming production for the following role: “Immigrant.” This is a leading role and an essential character to the story. Immigrant: role description and back story You are journeying to a great destination that will provide you with freedom and peace.…
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Yearning for the Stable Moon
Last night we ventured out as a small group of friends to an area nearby on a mountain where the Vanderbilt Observatory is tucked at the top of a clearing. Saturday nights once a month, the famous Bluebird Cafe offers live music with some of the originals and best singer/songwriters…
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John 6:66
If you are new here, welcome! Let me explain that I have a few kinds of posts. Some are funny stories. Some are personal reflections, and the third are recaps of my weekly prayer group reflections. Whenever my group meets to pray with the upcoming Sunday gospel (we are Roman…
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Strengthened By Brokeness
I recently hit a bit of darkness in my spiritual life when I went through several important changes in the late spring/early summer. They were all challenging to say the least, but God is faithful and He led me one step at a time through those dark woods. My friend,…
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Time Adds Beauty
It’s never too late. Just before COVID hit I found a book at the library in preparation for our trip to England. I didn’t realize that this book was about to open a new world to me, not just in travel, not just in history, but in illustration. Susan Branch…
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A Big Bowl Of Spaghetti
Being in the world or of the world? It’s like a big bowl of spaghetti. So how do we know?
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Blank Puzzles
Last week in prayer, our group was given the gift of one of M’s prayerful reflections. She carries her cross better than anyone I know, and it’s a big one. Mother Teresa said when we suffer we are so close to Jesus he can kiss us, and we all agree…
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The Rock: Blunder or Buoyant?
Is Peter written in order to teach us how to be faithful in our humanity? Through blunders and dives, the faith of this buoyant fisherman is the foundation Jesus chose to build his church.
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Who Said That?
A friend sent me a picture of a poster she made, which hangs on her frige. It deliniates the voice of God and the voice of Satan. Many times, when we are faced with making a decision, we are instantly snared with the anxiety of the possible outcomes. Asserting control…
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Three Chords 🎵 and the Truth; Friend of Franciscan Uses Music to Heal
What do a musician, St Francis and a Native American have in common? It takes three chords and the truth to tell this story.
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To Live Well
If I knew that I had only a few years left to live, I imagine that I would spend a great deal of that time making those years about who I am in the world. Doing my best to extend my health and my body, I might eat better and…
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That Thing I Do?
Want to make someone’s day? This is an easy way to do it.
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The Weightlessness of Time
When you really love a soul and feel the joy sublime You never really feel the heavy weight of time You only feel the rush of days that hurry past your heart The spending of the moment like a spinning whirring dart Whether parent, friend or child, you always know…
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Our Hope is in God Alone — The Simple Catholic
A friend’s reminder that we need not fear.
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“Reclaiming Love” and the Neglected Part of Ourselves
Here is a book that is based on the teachings of Pope John Paul the Great and Theology of the Body. Fr Martin takes these teachings to a practical level and delves into the WHOLE human and how we love.
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A Million Tiny Pieces
On a beautiful early autumn afternoon I jumped into my car, on to the next errand. I shut the door and suddently heard a sound that was similar to a bag of gravel dumping out in the back of my car. I looked into the rear view mirror and suddenly…
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Brother Francis presents The Kingdom!
“But the Knights remained at their post. For that is what Knights do…continually protect the Kingdom they love.”
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Sanitize Your Soul
Always treat your soul with the same caution you treat your body during the pandemic.
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Care-isms
When we were little, my dad gave us a chance to earn money around Christmas time so that we could buy gifts for others. He called them “Christmas Bucks” and even drew out little dollar bills with funny little pictures on them, cut them out in the shape of monopoly…
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Grammy Gabs
Lots of people say Grammy (my mom) is like Mary Poppins, or Auntie Mame, but to her daughters she is more like the guy running the roller coaster ride at the park who loves to say “Buckle up!” and watch as your face takes on a look that lands somewhere…
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Ask Yourself…
The other day, after a deluge of personal bad news (even after the bad News on TV and in the media), my heart was moved to pity when my husband asked for maybe the 10th time that day “What’s wrong?” With anxiety raining down around us, I confess I have…
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Con-Soul
Con (with ) Soul (Invaluable individual spirit)…walking with someone without trying to “fix” them. That is to console…
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If My People Who are Called
I was having a conversation with a friend today about our shared sadness for our hurting world. Neither of us felt we knew what to do, “but,” she stated, “I know the answer is Jesus.” Shortly after, this little slip of paper fell onto the counter from a little pile…
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I Showed Up
This week’s prayer group called us to focus on those who have been entrusted to our care, and the case of a selfless young woman.
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Why the Rosary is the Spiritual Vaccine for the Pandemic
By: Megan Naumovski If you look up synonyms for PANDEMIC, you find at least 40 different words of which only a small handful seem at all connotative … Why the Rosary is the Spiritual Vaccine for the Pandemic
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A Pandemic Love Letter
God is restoring something in you during these days of change…what is it? I decided to write a love letter to God, thanking Him for these challenging times. I will review it in six months and see what I am leaning about my relationship with God, myself and others. Dear…
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How to Increase Our Trust in Times of Desperation
A text popped up on my phone the other night, “Jesus, I trust in you.” One of my bestie’s pics popped up with her name. “Everything ok?” I texted back. The response was not surprising, that anxieties are mounting. Sometimes, all we can do is muster a short act of…
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Why You Won’t Need a Cap and Gown for Morality 101
Why our fragile freedom means every moment is a new moral question.
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Truth
Originally posted on Reflections from the Pew: Surely it is foolishness That to be fulfilled I must empty myself That to be esteemed I must humbly serve others That to taste the nectar of freedom I must be wholly obedient So it is for those who are perishing The wise…
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Get Your Ash On
Ash Wednesday may be the beginning of a season of penance and fasting in the church, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have joy! In the end, no matter how we choose to go about prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we must every day take stock of the tremendous blessings…
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The Vice of Acedia and Our Use of the Media, Part 1 – SpiritualDirection.com
SPIRITUALDIRECTION- explores Catholic spiritual direction advice and how a deeper relationship with the spiritual aspect of being human being based on the wisdom’s of the Bible, Church and the saints and angels. — Read on spiritualdirection.com/2020/02/24/the-vice-of-acedia-and-our-use-of-the-media-part-1
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The Lamb, The Angels & Knock
Upon visiting the Shrine at Knock last fall, I was blessed with the mystical image of the chapel.
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The Last Antiphon
O Come Emmanuel!! The Birth of Jesus. In those days a decree went out from Caesar August us that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from…
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O Come! King of all Nations!
My brother-in-law makes these beautiful nativity scenes out of old mint tins. None of them are the same. Each has a unique posturing of the Holy Family. The tiny gestures of hands, tilted heads, and open arms all pray in me a most profound peace and worship of the newborn…
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O Come! Day 2!
God is the giver of the law; let us revisit these laws of the Ten Commandments today. Instructions for living a life that pleases God…right at our fingertips.
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The O Antiphons Day 1
Today begins the O Antiphons…join me in rejoicing in these ancient titles of Our God!
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A Letter of Support and Hopefulness to Pope Francis — The Simple Catholic
Dear Pope Francis, God bless you and your priesthood, dear Holy Father. For it is in this mysterious gift the papacy rests in your hands, stirs in your heart, and witnesses with your life. Providence has brought you to us. I am always grateful for Providence. I am a spiritual…
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Mr Tom’s Gift of Transportation
Sitting at the booth next to me at the annual Christmas Bazaar, we engaged in warm and friendly chatter. He and she had grandchildren that were in my kids’ grades and the kids were all friends. I would see them when I worked in the parish office at the front…
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What I am, My Church Will Be: An Examination of Conscience for the Laity
What I am, My Church Will Be: An Examination of Conscience for the Laity What I am, My Church Will Be: An Examination of Conscience for the Laity — Read on thesimplecatholic.blog/2019/11/21/universal-call-to-holiness/
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One Word of Hope
Sometimes it only takes a word of hope to help someone else. And sometimes, an image of hope and love can speak a thousand…
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Three Virtues I have Learned From Ohio State Fans
Here in Music City, we get over 14 million visitors a year, many of which hope to grab that coveted ticket to the Bluebird, drink a beer at Tootsie’s, or walk the hallowed halls of The Ryman. Ironically, questions about visiting these places often rank second to the all-time number…
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Three Worthy Reactions from the Man in the Tree
Zacchaeus, which means “clean, pure” in Hebrew, may not have seemed to be aptly named to those who knew him. He was a small man with big greed; like most tax collectors during the time of Christ, he was most likely despised for extorting money from people thereby making himself…
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Dear Christine…
I realized later that I was saying good-bye to a part of myself that had been “free” to spend my time as I pleased, but moreover, I was grieving the time I had wasted by spending it on things that didn’t matter at all. Dear Christine, Congratulations on having your…
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My Weakness Is His Strength
There is a place in our being, in the spiritual realm of our humanity, where our conscience collides with our expectations. It is a place where the light coming into our hearts, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, shows us the highest standard of what God has in mind for our…
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Gentle Heart
An chapel outpouring for the ones who think they can’t, they aren’t or they won’t.
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The Battlefield
The chasm that separates Heaven and the Netherworld as described in today’s gospel is not the same as the one that is lessened on this battlefield of good and evil The civil war within ourselves must be waged every day. Put on your armor.
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The Lavishing
Prodigal: characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure; lavish Eyelids drooping Wednesday night, I read the next day’s gospel in the book “The Better Part” by Father John Bartunek LC, our group’s chosen read this year. The word for the next day’s gospel that jumped out at me was LAVISH. Describing…
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The Obedient Override
When we were little kids, my dad used to sing us a bedtime song. He would pull out his guitar and sing “Puff the Magic Dragon” and we thought he was a rock star. As I became a teenager, he would remind me it was time to get to bed…
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Three Stages to the Christian Life
…the spiritual journey for the Catholic-Christian is composed of three steps being the interior, religious, and spiritual.
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2019 Draft Picks From a Late August Dream Team
2019 Draft Picks From a Late August Dream Team 2019 Draft Picks From a Late August Dream Team — Read on thesimplecatholic.blog/2019/08/08/2019-draft-picks-from-a-late-august-dream-team/ Thanks @thesimplecatholic.blog for the fun collaboration!
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Scientific Dog #1 And Why Being a Chorus Member Counts Too
Everyone matters in this world. Even the Scientific dogs.
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Blessed by Balloons?
One of the first things I did when I got my own place as a young adult was throw a big theme-party. I love party-planning and making people feel special with little details and creative decor, so I rented the club house, picked up some dry-ice and colored light bulbs,…
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The Baby In Blue
Born on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, this youngest child of ten came with a special promise.
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Don’t Speak Your Fear
This week’s “soul lesson” is brought to you by many revelations through person experiences and conversations over the past week. I encapsulate what I believe I am supposed to have learned.
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The Measure of Love
“The measure of love is to love without measure…” The latest “soul lesson” for me can be encapsulated best by these cute measuring spoons received as the parting gift at a friend’s bridal shower, aptly called “The Measure of Love”. I have heard both St Augustine of Hippo and St…
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Graduating: Cat-Screeching 101
These past few weeks have been busy with a college and a high school graduation in our family. It’s been filled with family visits, and missing those who couldn’t traverse the ups and downs of the hills of life (and route 65) to be with us during this momentous month.…
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Get Out Of The Way
We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. –Romans 8:28 While juggling graduations, women’s retreats, surprise visitors and more, I worried. I worried about everyone. I didn’t want anyone to feel overwhelmed, overextended or anxious. So, I stepped in. In order…
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The Face of the Other
“The decision for good or evil begins with our eyes, when we choose whether or not to look at the face of the other…The other is the custodian of my own dignity…But we can only succeed in looking at others in a manner that respects their personal dignity if we…
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Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
“Doubting Thomas.” Aren’t we all at some point a “Doubting Thomas?” I am sure that the beautiful things St Thomas did while accompanying Jesus in his ministry as an apostle would much outshine the one part of scripture that seems to have pigeon-holed him into being just a doubter, but…
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Dad’s Easter Blessing
Easter this year was the most perfect, glorious day. Our plan was church followed by a lovely meal and precious moments before our almost-college grad and his sweetheart were headed back to school. A stubborn eye infection, nasty medicine, and a migraine kept the joy at…
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Good Friday
“The cross represents all of the love of God, which is greater than our iniquities and our betrayals. In the cross we see the monstrosity of a man, when he allows evil to guide him; but we also see the immensity of the mercy of God, who does not treat…
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Fighting For the Wrong Side
Life in “Music City” is amazing. There is so much music, art and joy here in Nashville. One of my favorite things about “Music City” that you won’t hear about on the radio (except for maybe K-LOVE because it’s here too) is that there are so many huge beautiful churches…
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Beam me down, Scotty
In the old Star Trek series, “Scotty” was the engineer in charge of the ship. He was the man you went to when you wanted to be zapped down onto the planet where your energy source was hidden (that was usually spewing molten lava or had aliens with bad make-up)…
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Vanity of Vanities
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! (Ecc 1) I used to think these words were Shakespeare’s, and even then, their truth rattled my ears. Now knowing that these words are from the book of Ecclesiastes, they are even more sobering. Indicating perhaps meaningless time and effort we waste…
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Prayer Vs Meditation
As we prepare to enter into silence for the weekend on our annual Spiritual Exercises–a powerful spiritual experience for everyone who attends–we begin to peel away at the thick layers of our daily lives that have been dipped in the glue of social media and applied in layers around our…
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All That I Have Is Yours
HEB 6:10-20 Brothers and sisters:God is not unjust so as to overlook your workand the love you have demonstrated for his nameby having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagernessfor the fulfillment of hope until the end,so that you…
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The Star Precedes
Traveling home for the holidays has always been a debate in our family. On the one hand, we can’t imagine not being with loving grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family members during the holidays. On the other hand, everyone ends up feeling disappointed because it wasn’t enough time together, or it…
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Encountering Resolutions: The Best of 2018
Celebrating the New Year has always meant a stream of old movies or opening a new book, and of course, getting organized. I guess the best thing about New Year’s is the sense of personal renewal we all feel, making resolutions to better people; physically, financially, and personally. I also…
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Make Haste Not Bustle
Looking up “haste” on thesarus.com , (“extreme speed, hurry”) I noticed an almost perfectly divided list of 43 synonyms that have nearly as many negative connotations as positive. I was thinking about “haste” as I reflected on this upcoming gospel reading for the fourth Sunday in Advent, and I have…
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Watching Verses Waiting
Rounding the second Sunday of Advent, and on the beautiful feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, we held our annual Advent By Candlelight. These evenings of reflection for women during seasons of Advent (and Lent) provide women with a peace-filled fellowship in an elegant, candle-lit atmosphere. Fr Peter Hopkins,…
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Why Wait? Advent and Austen
When I think of Advent, the word “waiting” comes to mind. As we light the first two purple candles this past Sunday and this coming Sunday, we anticipate Christ’s return to his people in a time of preparation and hope. The readings of the church these past few weeks seem…
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Spiritual Muscle Memory
As a dancer, my daughter spends hours each day developing what is called “muscle memory”. Her muscles are being trained to engage together for a specific reactive form that becomes a skill which plays out on a stage as art. Requiring thousands of hours of strengthening particular muscles so they…
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Master, Guest or Servant?
Luke 14:15-24 ’Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. In today’s gospel, a man prepared a great banquet and sent his servants out to gather the attendees. With a multitude of practical excuses, they declined. Enraged by the lackluster response, the master…
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What Do You Want?
Christmas is no where in sight but can be seen everywhere. Next to the pumpkins and ghosts in the stores, are Christmas trees, snowmen, and candy cane decor. Some people shop for others all year to get the “perfect” gift. It’s been interesting to see how, as our kids have grown,…
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These Belong To You
I once read a beautiful story about a woman who was very attractive. She received many compliments during her days. Graciously, she took each compliment and imagined it was a lovely rose. She envisioned putting each complimenting “flower” to her nose, luxuriating in its sweet scent. Next, she added the…
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Vacancy
My First Understanding of Vacancy; A Happy Memory Four girls ages 8-19 stuffed into a car, bags packed with swimsuits and excitement, round the West Virginia turnpike while counting mile markers on the road until the next mountain tunnel on the trip tic; three tunnels means progress. The static on…
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The Dry Erase Board
Preparing for a presentation this week, I uncovered an old dry erase board in the garage. I thought if I could get it clean, I could use it for a screen for our power point presentation, as there was no blank area of wall or place in the meeting room…
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Gratitude – The Way Back From The Desert of Discontentment
One of my favorite bloggers. A great post! via Gratitude – The Way Back From The Desert of Discontentment
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Mercy In The City
Preparing the calendar of events for our women’s section this year, I shared with our Director of Religious Education, Erin, that I felt the Holy Spirit calling us to focus more on Mission during Lent. I met up with an amazing group of young missionaries this summer, acting the part…
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Dreams of a Warrior
via Dreams of a Warrior My Sister’s blog…a faith so simple, by someone so beautiful.
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Caution: Fog Ahead: Reduce Speed and Put on Lights
Six states. Four schools. Three days. Two worn out people. One thousand miles. I have been blessed to have a mother/son adventure with both of my boys to investigate colleges. This summer, it was JD’s turn and he was honing in on schools that were “driving-distance”. We have always taken…
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Bloggers Support Bloggers Award
I want to thank Valerie Cullers for nominating me for this award! I love to read Valerie’s conversational posts about situations in her life that have lead to inspirational revelations or “life lessons”. They are entertaining and meaningful and pair up perfectly with a cup of coffee, like chatting with a…
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We All Fruit
“Give me a word, any word, and I will show you the root of that word is Greek” How about, Macedonian? The movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (2002) is a family favorite in our home for good reason. I am pretty sure someone had a spy-robot-fly-on-the-wall that filmed our…
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Five Loaves, Two Fish, and Twenty Bucks
The Girls Are Back in Town Woot! We were able to meet today! I am so happy. How I have missed my sisters-in-Christ. Summer is nearly over and has wreaked its havoc on our team schedule, but many good things have happened among us this summer and the Holy Spirit…
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Mediocre Matinee
Quiet, somber, and thoughtful. That’s how we all walked out of the movie “The Passion of The Christ”. It was one of those movies that people still talk about, because it moves your spirit, changes your heart, and sticks in your mind. People are still talking about the way that…
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Pigeon-holed
“I killed my brother” He was a large man who walked slowly behind me as we made our way down the hall to my office. Since I was in charge of creating “intake” profiles for potential clients, I invited him to sit down and began the interview process. As we…
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God Said No
Cradle Catholic I am a cradle Catholic, which means I was brought up in the church; but for many Catholics this is a catch phrase for “I don’t’ know what I am doing here” or “My mom made me come“. Until I became a young adult, I fit into this…
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Candlelight Events
Elegant and Contemplative When we lived near Toledo, my dear friend Susan masterfully put together “Candlelight” events for Lent and Advent, in which women would come together for a night of prayerful meditation and a formation talk/presentation. Designed around fellowship and homemade desserts, these beautiful candlelit evenings grew to be…
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Choices
On a recent trip for a family vacation, we met up with some special friends and spent some quality time together near the beach. One of the things people do when they go to a beach resort is order an expensive frothy drink with a cute little umbrella and some…
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FROG
My mother-in-law was a beautiful, faith-filled woman who loved and served her family well. When my husband and I were getting ready to be married, I proclaimed a caveat: “I can’t be just like her. She is one of a kind. I am not that good!” But when her health…
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Planting Seeds
We switched up some roles in this week’s Encounter With Christ, and I handed over my beloved pen in an exercise of attempting to be fully present to the Holy Spirit and get some “Cross” training (+) for our sisters in Christ, always working on our leadership skills. Thanks to…
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By The Shade of the Joshua Tree
One of my favorite family vacations with our kids was a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona that included driving to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona. It was an amazing trip filled with scenery that changed by the minute and seemed to be from another planet. One particular species of…
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I Think I Will Just Be Happy Today
I am reading Perfectly Yourself: Discovering God’s Dream For You by Matthew Kelly, and I am storing up nuggets of wisdom like a squirrel storing nuts for winter. Summertime means less solitude and time for prayer in my life, so too less time to write. But with each change of season…
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13 Reasons Why You Should Watch Joe Verses The Volcano Instead
My kids forewarned me that a new season of “13 Reasons Why” just came out on Netflix, knowing how I felt when this series originally came out. The schools and youth groups were sending texts and emails warning us that this suicidal story aimed at youth audiences was a talking…
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Cheap Thrills
I woke up with a song in my head this morning. That isn’t unusual for me, especially because the song was from Pitch Perfect 3, one of many of the songs from the Pitch Perfect movies. I am not crazy about some of the humor in these movies, but having…
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Bump, Set, Spike
One time I was asked as a parent to take my turn as a line judge for my daughter’s very heated volleyball game. Their team had played so well and not scored, and of course the shot of the day came on my shift, and I happened to miss it…
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Entrust, Intercede and Commend
I love the Acts of the Apostles. Reading this part of the Bible really gives you a feel for the struggles of the newborn church as she establishes the teachings and traditions given straight from Christ, establishes leadership and a needed hierarchy, and sets the example of what it looks…
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One In Twenty Million
Walking down the streets of New York City for hours on end, I noticed so many faces; all strange and new, different and complex. Sitting on the subway was my favorite for people-viewing. Most everyone seemed to be numbing themselves with buds in their ears and a phone screen in…
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The Presence of Evil Doesn’t Mean the Absence of God
I drafted this article in the wake of the horrific Stoneman Douglas shooting in Florida, and for some reason I kept it in draft because so many souls are hurting and looking for answers, and God wants us to know He will never forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Since first drafting…
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Who We Are
Originally posted on A Faith So Simple: This one hit hard. And so close to home. Because it is the community where my husband grew up, where our extended family still lives. Because our son is an officer in an adjacent community. And our nephew (soon to become an officer)…
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A Man of Few Words
“Have you heard from JD?” My husband texted from an empty parking lot yesterday. Our son, “JD” had been on a faith retreat and naturally had not been on his phone much. We just needed to know when and where to pick him up that afternoon, but had only received…
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HAPPY FEAST DAY BLOG!
Today is the feast day of Saint John Bosco! I named this blog “Boscoworld” because at the time I started this blog, my oldest son, who was preparing for confirmation in the Catholic Church, and under great guidance by the Holy Spirit, chose this saint for his confirmation saint. Ironically,…
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Little Girl, Get Up
Today’s gospel Mark, 5:21-43, includes the amazing story of Jairus, a synagogue official, whose daughter is ill and near death, and as Jesus heads over to see his little girl, another woman (who has been sick her whole life) touches Jesus and is healed. By the time Jesus gets to…
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Trees Do Bend
The wind was beginning to stir when we arrived for our silent retreat. As we collected in the beautiful chapel at the retreat center to pray, I looked outside the windows at the incredible view of the woods in the hilly countryside of western middle Tennessee. The same woods where…
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Silence is GOLDEN
I came across this quote today: “I consider it no less a virtue to know how to keep silence at the proper time than to speak well. It seems to me that man ought to have a neck as long as a crane’s, so that each of his words may…
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The First Hail Mary
When we lived in Ohio, my sisters and parents were always offering to help with my kids and I was so grateful for not just the support, but the love my kids have always had around them. One of my favorite things each year is when my sister, Mimi, would…
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Advent-ageous Prayer
This Advent, our “Advent By Candlelight” evening of reflection for women included a formation talk entitled “Let Yourself Be Loved”. We included advent calendar bookmarks with scriptures for each day of December leading to Christmas about God’s love for us. Letting ourselves be loved sounds pretty easy. But sometimes humans…
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The Hand Writing on the Wall
Wow; for some reason today’s reading from Daniel really took my breath away. Maybe it is because I had never read it before or it didn’t seem familiar to me, even though I know the story of Daniel. We always associate Daniel with the lion’s den, and coming out alive…
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Spiritual Communion
As a follow up from yesterday’s post; here is a prayer for spiritual communion. My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You…
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The Temple
Having a “business meeting” (the “busy-ness” of God is always good!) we did not have our Encounter With Christ, but my daily meditation on the church’s readings were fruitful and offered a new glimpse into where I needed to move next in my quest for spiritual growth. The first reading…
The Domestic Church of Bosco 