Spiritual Warfare 101: prayers of protection
Before our biggest little people scurry out the door on school mornings, there is a prayer we gather to pray as a family apart from the morning offering and the basic “love you, be safe.” We started...
View ArticleWeapons for battle: the use of sacramentals (holy water, blessed salt,...
Maybe the thought of doing spiritual battle against demonic forces conjures up Hollywood images from The Exorcist, with an outstretched crucifix and dramatic exchanges of liquids, both holy and not....
View ArticleInto the desert that is your actual life
Lent is upon us. A cursory social media scroll reveals the imminence of this penitential season, even as the shamrocks and easter eggs lining my supermarket shelves insist otherwise. “Nothing to see...
View ArticleWhen the devil gets you down (and why Christians need to talk about him)
The most annoying thing about the Devil – aside from the “rebellion against God and all that is good and holy” part – is that, for the most part, he is invisible. His fingerprints are all over this...
View ArticleDrowning in plain sight
I was texting with a friend yesterday and was honored to be trusted with a little piece of her story, a little glimpse of the heavy burden she is carrying right now. As our brief exchange came to a...
View ArticleLet him wash your feet
Today Lent is over, but Easter has not yet arrived. We enter into the Triduum, the holiest part of the Christian year, the 3 day climax of the liturgical season that bridges the impossible gap between...
View ArticleMake America *good* again (with Mary)
Lately (as in the past 6 months or so) I’ve been feeling nudged?shoved?pushed? to start praying a daily rosary as a family. I have a whole laundry list of reasons why this is a terrible idea, but then...
View ArticleA mom who prays is a mom who stays (sane)
Sometimes I write posts for myself which is vv old school blogger of me, if you stop and think about it. Online journaling. But this is one such post, a reminder that hey, self, you need to up your...
View ArticleWhen prayer is hard
You’re the God of the hills and valleys, and I am not alone. I promise this isn’t another reflection on the difficulties of real estate or the minor aches and pains of pregnancy. Pinky swear. I’m...
View ArticleI must confess: building a habit of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
When I was a Catholic kid growing up, like most Catholic kids I’ve ever known, I hated going to confession. I hated the sinking feeling in my stomach as I stood in line, palms sweating and heart...
View ArticleWhat’s a faithful Catholic to do?
There is a tremendous – and warranted – outcry of rage and betrayal in the Church right now. I’m not talking about the usual suspects in the media and the voices coming from the cafeteria line, either....
View ArticleDisillusionment with the Church
Remember believing in Santa? Shhhh, my kids still do. Maybe that’s a bad analogy. Maybe you never believed in Santa. What about this: maybe you believed your mom or your dad to be invincible. Kind of...
View ArticleThe despair of comparison and letting God in
Do you ever take your eyes off your own paper just for a minute, maybe not every day, but every so often? What do you see when you look around? I don’t necessarily mean on social media, but let’s start...
View ArticleThe space between
Lately I’ve been making use of a previously overlooked and formerly unavailable slot of time in my life: the very early morning. I was lamenting to my best friend at the beginning of January my very...
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