From fasting to feasting: Are you doing it right?
When it comes to Lent, Catholics are professionals. From ashes on our foreheads to Lenten sacrifices, we know what’s expected and how to enter in. But when Lent is over…
An unlikely image of beauty: The Pietà
At the close of the 15th century, Michelangelo carved two figures out of what he claimed was the most perfect block of Carrara marble. The statue, which depicts the Virgin…
Meeting Christ in the desert: A reflection on intimacy amid loneliness
The first time I saw a desert, I was absolutely captivated by its beauty. In my head, I had built it up to be a wasteland, and I expected it…
Suffering is a vessel of grace
“In order to purify a soul, Jesus uses whatever instruments he likes. My soul underwent a complete abandonment on the part of creatures; often my best intentions were misinterpreted by…
Meditation in a sisters’ graveyard
Just down the street from my Cincinnati home is a Franciscan convent. I walk there frequently, spying into the frost-laden community garden, feeling the wind that rushes over my head…
Lent is about more than just you
Every year when Lent rolls around and I start thinking about what my Lenten sacrifice should be, I get a little anxious. I want to come up with the perfect…
A moment of gratitude
If there was ever a time for the world to hit the reset button in our lives, Lent seems to be the most appropriate time. And this year, in the…
Standing at the foot of another’s cross
As Christians we should look toward the image of the crucifixion as the most perfect example of the sacrificial love from which to learn. It is, as St. Maximillian Kolbe…
In what do we put our worth?
There was a lingering darkness in my life that established its presence years before I even recognized it. My inner turmoil and grief would rear its ugly face, especially at…
My agony in the garden
My heart skipped a beat when I saw the missed voicemail on my phone. Excusing myself from a meeting, I stepped out into the stairwell and listened to the message…
