The Holy Spirit has been hitting me over the head with this verse for a couple of weeks. I was in the middle of a talk and took a sharp turn off my outline to quote it without thought. I cracked open the soul-changing Unbound to find it in the first couple of chapters. A priest […]
Monday Morning with the Saints {no. 40 – St. Colette}
Christian suffering is one of those mysteries I don’t fully understand – the whole idea of joy amid pain is abstract and soulfully deep and it’s especially hard to live. I’ve been there myself a time or two. My father’s illness and passing, hopelessly low lows in our marriage, anxiety and depression. No sir, suffering is […]
Monday Morning with the Saints {no. 39 Bl. Basil Hopko}
So the whole idea of “prison” might seem a little strong for our purposes, but as a loose analogy, it works. Because though I’ve never felt imprisoned in my life, there have been times when I felt trapped. Stuck. As a wife, as a mother, as just me. There’s that moment when we realize that […]
Monday Morning with the Saints {no. 38 – St. Bonaventure}
A friend of mine recently pointed out that she didn’t have any “extracurriculars.” No blog. No part time work. No side business. “I’m just a mom,” she said almost insecurely. “Should I be doing something else?” I don’t think being a mama is “just” anything, but that’s another post. Conversely, I’ve lately heard from those […]
MMWS {No. 37 – St. Theresa of Avila}
I can whip through the dishes without too much strife. Bowls, plates, funky shaped kid cups are no challenge because loading is just grown-up Tetris. I find space where there was none and can work some serious magic. It’s…fun? No. That’s too far. The psychological mountain comes when I gaze across the counter at the mess […]
Monday Morning with the Saints {no. 36 – Pope St. JPII}
The only proper attitude to have is love… Which means it’s fine to disagree, but not dig up old hurts. Which means it’s ok to feel hurt, but not to dishonor our husbands with our speech. Which means that we’re empowered to go beyond ourselves to see them experience a little bit of peace and relief. […]
Monday Morning with the Saints {no. 35 – the Little Flower}
The world shouts too many demands. Be skinny! Be sexy! Spend more! Upgrade! Work out! Slim down! Eat this! Envy that… And to the world, I’ll never be enough. I won’t be skinny enough, graceful enough, rich enough, fast enough, hip enough. The world doesn’t take me as I am, it sees only what […]
Monday Morning with the Saints {no. 34 – St. Madeleine Sophie Barat}
I say so much more to my family with my life and how I spend it – my reactions, my goals, the little things that occupy my time – than my speech could touch. And I suppose St. Madeleine’s wisdom here is another perfect examination of conscience. How do my friends, my husband, my children react to […]
Monday Morning with the Saints {no. 33 – St. Jane de Chantal}
Her words alone give me peace. We’re all busy and tasked with the great call of GOD’S WILL, and I’m intimidated by so many thing he asks of me. I have a to-do list a mile long from a grocery run to writing and conducting interviews. It’s all happening RIGHT NOW and the calendar blocks are […]
Monday Morning with the Saints {no. 31 – St. Maximilian Kolbe}
There is safety in Mary. Certainty. Hope. We can offer ourselves as handmaids to the Queen of Heaven because she always points to the work her Son asks. “Why put her in the middle? Why can’t I go to Jesus directly?” You can. You should. But know it’s not only acceptable to go through Mary to […]
