Lent begins tomorrow! Ready or not, the season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is upon us. Are you ready? Or not? I am mostly ready. God has given me a very personal invitation to spend more time in prayer, so that is going to be my focus. And with my ongoing struggle with Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune disease that attacks my Thyroid) and the various symptoms that accompany it, I am also going to pay closer attention to my diet by…
With Lent less than one week away, many of us are taking time to decide how we want to spend this prayerful and penitential season. What prayers will we say? How will we fast or sacrifice? Where will we give alms? One of my favorite Lenten practices is finding a new spiritual book to read. When we read spiritual books, we are inspired to grow in holiness, and our insights into the Catholic faith are deepened. Spiritual books can include…
As I sit in the Eucharistic Adoration chapel, I am graced with this very visual meditation of the life of Christ. As if the very heartbeat of Christ in the monstrance isn’t enough, today I also get to praise and adore the infant Jesus, who the shepherds worshiped and who the magi traveled far to find, honor, and present gifts fit for a King. There He is before me. In my prayer, I recall how I waited and watched for Him…
Originally written last Lent, I thought I would share it here for #WorthRevisitWednesday! It is always a good time to ponder the Lord’s mercy, patience, and love! +++ In this Year of Mercy, I wonder how I experience God’s mercy. It is difficult to wrap my head around something so profoundly miraculous, because often, I feel so unworthy of it. But as I ponder the Scriptures, I cannot deny the reality of God’s mercy. Pope Francis explains it well when…
Last Sunday’s Gospel about the Woman at the Well (John 4:5-42) is very common during the season of Lent, and over the years, it has become one of my favorites. Several years ago, I attended a women’s retreat, and an image of the Woman at the Well was the focal point. A small holy card was taped onto our retreat journals. Large posters with the image on it surrounded our meeting room. And every time I gazed upon it, I saw myself….
This was originally posted during Holy Week 2011. I thought it might be helpful to repost it earlier in the Lenten season in case we are already waiting for Lent to be over. Perhaps we are even tempted to give up. The Lord is inviting us into the desert to be with Him, to remain close to Him, and to one day share in His glory for all eternity. We can do this! We can do this with joy! +++ This is…
It was January 1, and I was gung-ho to begin my New Year’s resolution. My plan was to start a rigorous elimination diet in the hope of feeling better. I purchased ingredients to make healthy meals, and I set aside time to cook for the week. I knew it was going to be hard, but I reached a tipping point in my chronic illness and knew I had to try more drastic measures. After a week, I started to regain…
This was first posted on March 2, 2015. It some ways it surprises me that this is still so applicable to my life, and in other ways, it does not surprise me at all. Life is funny that way. Our struggle—our cross—may take a lifetime of carrying, and yet how often do I just wait for it to disappear? Sure, our cross might look differently from year to year, decade to decade, but often it is the one way God has invited us…
The swirl of thoughts left me weary. What should my focus be? What should my days look like? What is my purpose? The lack of answers, or my fear of failure, left me paralyzed. My present brokenness was all I seemed to know, and despite the pain, it was surprisingly comfortable. And yet, the small flicker of hope deep within my heart convinced me there is a better way. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall…
Well, today is my 40th birthday! I don’t have a profoundly deep post all planned out. Life lately has been a bit too zooming fast for me to think ahead, let alone ponder. I know that sounds like an excuse, but it also is reality. Lent has not been slow and reflective, not with a trip to Florida right in the middle of it! Which is why I am embracing these last three weeks as best as I can. What I…