What Our Lady of Sorrows can teach us about the heart of women
A few months ago while tucked into a coffee shop booth with my best friend, I found myself filling her in on the sweetness and sorrow of the previous month….
In pursuit of moderation
As we neared the end of Lent, my mind was haunted by something a priest had said at the beginning of the liturgical season: “You should spend some time thinking…
How to keep faithful after Lent is over
Easter is such a glorious day in the life of the Church that it’s celebrated for eight whole days. In my house, the octave of Easter is synonymous with “dessert…
Reflecting on the Eucharist with Caravaggio
The stripping away, the silence, and the solemnity of Lent all serve to awaken our hearts that have, over the course of a year, grown tepid and sleepy. We are…
Praying with the Seven Sorrows of Mary
I was raised Southern Baptist, with an aversion to the Catholic faith. When I met and fell in love with a Catholic Marine, I was as horrified as my parents….
What it means to pray with your eyes closed
From the beginning of Christmas until the end of the Easter season, Catholics commemorate Jesus’ life in the liturgy. At Lent we enter a period of waiting, marked by daily…
Fasting: Uniting our bodies and hearts to Christ in our daily lives
If I’m being honest, when I think about fasting, I’m probably more likely to think in terms of dieting rather than spiritual discipline. It wasn’t until I tried to implement…
Living ‘memento mori’ without falling into anxiety
Regardless of whether we have had to experience great loss in our lives, death is a reality that none of us, no matter how little we think about it, will…
Tired of cheese pizza on Fridays? Here are 7 Lenten meatless recipes
For years, the fish fry at our parish took care of cooking for me on Friday nights during Lent. Our family would pray Stations of the Cross and then head…
Almsgiving isn’t meant to be comfortable
Let me start by saying this: I live a very comfortable life. Despite all the things I could do if I had more money, my needs are taken care of,…