How sharing in the Body of Christ can lighten your sufferings
Have you ever found yourself before the Blessed Sacrament feeling like nobody but Jesus could understand what you were going through or be able to offer any useful assistance? American…
Memento mori: A good motto for preparing to give birth
Preparing for labor and birth has reminded me of the ancient Latin and monastic saying: memento mori, remembering your death. As I wait through the last weeks of pregnancy with…
The book that taught me ‘everything is grace’
When life smoothly sails along and everything seems to be going according to plan, it is easy to fall into the temptation that we are blessed and open to God’s…
Lord, where is your abundance?
One of the best things about reading the Acts of the Apostles is that it feels relatable — especially when life takes our quaint little idols of comfort, independence and…
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…
When I’m stretched beyond my limits
Before my son was born and then for some time after while we were still in the hospital, my husband and I binged “Survivor.” On the show, contestants all have…
My lifelong friendship with a family of saints
They say that saints often befriend us, that they find us rather than the other way around. I’ve found it to be true in my own life, particularly in regard…
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…
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…
Seeing the need behind the hurt
“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the…