When I started attending meetings of the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites, my husband teased, “Are you going to make low-fat caramels again?” His joke actually has some merit–there is truly a healthy sweetness associated with The Blessed Mother and her special love for the monks of Mount Carmel! The beautiful mountain that rises up […]
Why did God make us all so darn different?! Wouldn’t it be easier if we were more alike? We tend to look at the world as if that were the reality anyway. If you have a problem with lying, you will always wonder if other people are lying. If you love strawberry shortcake you assume […]
The word “May” comes from the Latin word “Maia,” meaning “good mother.” The 5th month of the year is truly a celebration both for our Heavenly Mother and for motherhood itself! This entire month is dedicated to Mary, perhaps because this is the season for flowers. Mary has many titles including the “Mystical Rose…Cause of […]
How awesome is God’s mercy! Only a God of Love would extend mercy to sinners like us. Since the beginning of time, humans have ignored, disobeyed or turned cruelly against our Creator and Lord. Sometimes, these sins have happened right after God makes His presence known in a spectacular manner. Imagine being there when God […]
Palm Sunday—King or Servant? He is the Glorious Servant King! Change is a challenge isn’t it? Let me tell you about our donkey and horse by way of example. Three weeks ago, we changed the morning routine in our barnyard asking the horse and donkey to exit their stalls from the other side of the […]
St. Joseph, Worker and Husband –Solemnity March 19 During the month of March we celebrate the life of St. Joseph, the patron saint of workers and patron saint of a happy death. As I was thinking about this I overheard a teenager say, “Work? I’m allergic to it!” The value of “work” has seen a […]
When my son, Peter, was 14 we visited St. Bernadette’s Church in Albuquerque, NM. He reported feeling an overwhelming sense of peace and “presence” as he sat in the pew. His experience seems consistent with all the reports associated with Our Lady of Lourdes, and the young girl who saw her. Bernadette was 14 when […]
A long time ago a poor family prepared to celebrate Christmas. There was no money for a Christmas tree or special decorations because the father of the house was out of work. There wasn’t even enough money to pay the heat bills and it was a cold winter that year. Still the mother said, “Children […]
The wind is howling and the temperature is dropping here in New Mexico. I just want to be inside, curled up with a cup of hot chocolate. Early in the winter season, I find myself longing for more sunshine. At this time of year in Germany and the Netherlands, the feast of St. Martin of […]
Oct. 22 is now the official feast day for Bl. John Paul in Rome and throughout Poland. Feast days for “Blesseds” are not universally inserted into the general calendar however. The date was chosen because it is the anniversary of John Paul’s inauguration as Pope in 1978. The Suffering Servant Pope Blessed John Paul II […]
Our mother in heaven is the quintessential mother…she wants to rescue us, her children from the darkness in our lives. And her special prayer—the rosary—is like a rope dangling down from heaven. In fact, Michelangelo painted it just that way! In his Last Judgment painting, two souls hold onto rosary beads. They are pulled into […]
I always remember the feast day of the archangels because of the numbers: 9-29. My son Peter was born on 12-29, so I guess the symmetry of the numbers is a handy device for my memory. But I didn’t really think about the importance of these angels until I met an exorcist. Father Mottet passes […]
My friend was shaking when she told me her story: “We got the call in the early morning. My son was on his way to work, riding his motorcycle. He collided with a deer on the highway and skidded on a totally mangled bike for 30 feet. When I heard he was lying there, bloody […]
