Category: Faith

new covenant, divine mercy, lamb of god, eucharist

The New Covenant Brings the Lamb of God

The readings for Holy Thursday clearly illustrate Jesus’ intent concerning worship for the Catholic Church. We see the Old Covenant fulfilled and that the New Covenant brings an entirely new reality. The first reading, from Exodus provides a glimpse into the Jewish tradition of Passover – a practice Jesus would have participated in with His family. The LORD said to Moses...

modesty

Modesty and Shades of Gray

Vastly differing opinions come to mind as we contemplate modesty and the proper way to dress. While there are no shades of gray when in comes to morality, there is certainly some flexibility when seeking the moral course in modesty. Some room for diversity in how clothing appears remains. In seeking this middle ground, I think of something my mother...

veil, designs by birgit

Is A Chapel Veil or Mantilla
Mandatory for Catholic Women?

Almost seven years ago, I ventured into the hot topic of veiling. As I quickly found, there is quite the cyber skirmish going on concerning this topic as well as the issue of what constitutes modesty. As with many devotions and other disciplines, discussion can get quite contentious. In my post, Devotion: Lifting the Veil…Onto My Head, I shared what...

bipolar disorder

Promises to Theresa:
A Teen and Bipolar Disorder

A teen diagnosis of bipolar disorder creates quite a volatile ‘coming of age’. When young Theresa, the main character in the novel Promises to Theresa by Marianne Komek, exhibits the first symptoms of bipolar disorder, she dismisses them as simply the result of too many responsibilities. After she discovers this condition also caused her mother’s erratic behavior throughout her childhood,...

evil, dark, goodness, light

Thanking God for the Wicked

In the meditation for day 20 in “A Year With the Church Fathers“, we are asked the question, Why doesn’t God just get rid of the wicked now and let the righteous live in peace? As we are exposed to more and more news of evil around the world, this question seems particularly pertinent. We hear some version of this...

temptation of christ, temptation

Temptation, Gratification, and Dependence on God

Today is Ash Wednesday and we begin our Lenten journey. These forty days offer a beautiful opportunity to apply the principle of spring-cleaning to our spiritual life. During the gloomy days of winter, many cobwebs gathered, yet the light of spring exposes all that was previously hidden in darkness. This Lenten Season provides a time to refocus our dependence on...

lie, fingers crossed

When Receiving the Eucharist Becomes a Lie

Faithfully practicing Catholics often recoil at the contradictory nature of public figures’ actions and their claims of being Catholic. Especially when they continue their scandalous behavior and yet, present themselves for Holy Communion. How can, for example, the Speaker of the House claim to be faithfully Catholic, regularly receive the Eucharist, and yet vigorously fight for the right to abortion?...

tolerance, hell

Tolerating Ourselves Right Into Hell

Wake up people! We are on our way to hell! Tolerance has become the word of the century. Lest we be accused of being intolerant, we stay silent on the most obnoxious topics. There is an all out war raging against what is good, right, and just. Yet we sit in our pews weekly (weakly) and listen to the Word,...