Reflections
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Summoning Your Saint Posse
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When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, he gave us a vibrant metaphor for the Christian life. In many ways, we are all Frodo. We are all on a mission, called to take up our cross and wage war against evil and darkness. We’ve each been given a task only we can complete,…
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Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round
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in ReflectionsI love this time of year. As cliche as it is, there’s something about January that invites us to revel in possibility. There is so much potential and limitless opportunity. Unfortunately, too often I choose “all of the above.” And it’s not long before I’m an overwhelmed, stressed-out mess, resentful of my mile-long to-do list…
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The Christmas Jerk
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in ReflectionsDo you know the underrated villain of the Christmas story? No, not King Herod. He’s definitely the worst, but he also hogs the limelight. I’m referring to the innkeeper. “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for…
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Jiggety Jig
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in ReflectionsLet’s talk about jigs. Not the lively dance with leaping movements, but rather the device for guiding a tool or for holding machine work in place. The older I get, the more I appreciate that the Church has liturgical seasons. I’ve come to think of them as jigs that keep us on track spiritually. And this world has no…
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The Thing About Gifts
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in ReflectionsYou don’t need to put a gift in a box and wrap it in fancy paper for it to be a gift. It’s still a thoughtful and generous gesture of love or appreciation. But the wrappings add mystery, magic, and a key ingredient that makes it truly special: anticipation. Anticipation is one of two things we’ve…
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An Invitation to Be Quiet
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in ReflectionsA prayer for my Sweet 16 daughter, Lucy, who celebrates her birthday on the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 💙 Take heart, dear one. The world you were born into is loud, unkind, and crude. It will cast judgments on you and cancel you quickly. You are right to be afraid. Danger looms around each dark…
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Jolly Old St. Nick
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St. Nicholas is in my “Saint Posse,” the name I’ve given the group of patron saints I feel especially close to and inspired by. It is thought that Nicholas may be the patron saint of more causes than any other saint, including children, sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, brewers, pawnbrokers, toymakers, unmarried people, students, and…
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My Buff Husband
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in ReflectionsRecently Jason wrote about God’s Gym, and I’d love to share my two cents on this same topic. Simply put: My husband is spiritually buff. He put the reps in, day after day after day after day. It’s a bare minimum of 60 minutes in his prayer chair, showing up often in the dark. No…
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God’s Gym
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in ReflectionsThe old joke states, “Never ask God for patience because He’ll give you opportunities to practice.” We laugh because it’s true. That’s the comedy. The tragedy is when we follow this terrible advice. I mean, it would be ridiculous to say, “Don’t tell a trainer you want to build muscle, because he might start asking…
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Ghosts In The Road
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in ReflectionsIt was like driving through a sea of black ink. The trip back to our hotel from the Lamar Valley was harrowing. It being Yellowstone, the specter of animals hanging out on the road is always a possibility. We’d reveled in the wildlife of the North American Serengeti, but now the sun was gone and…