Our Guardian Angels
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October 2 is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Read my reflection on Guardian Angels and how I’ve experienced my own in this essay for Catholic News Service’s Faith Alive series.
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Anticipating Pentecost: ‘Veni Sancte Spiritus’
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The first time I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit, I was four years old.
Read MoreLamentation: The Weight of Grief
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There is no way to prepare for the visceral images of six life-sized terracotta sculptures mourning over Christ’s body. The grief is palpable as viewers find themselves nearly frightened of the masterpiece. This grief is not quiet.
Read MoreA guided meditation on Christ’s last words
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Holy Week invites us to walk through the sufferings of Christ. Christ said very little when he was betrayed. He did not attempt to defend himself, but “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”
Read MoreA Familiar Comfort From Our Lady of Guadalupe
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Read how Our Lady of Guadalupe connects me to my past and my future.
Read MoreThree Advent Traditions to Slow You Down
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Advent, the four-week period preceding Christmas, starts Dec. 2 and is a time to slow down as we wait in hopeful expectation for Christ’s coming. It’s a time to take stock of what’s important in our lives, casting away extra commitments and wasted energy we’ve added throughout the year.
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How to Intentionally Plan a Day of Rest
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“After a busy week, not just my body, but my soul cries out for rest—a Sabbath. Just as God took a day of rest after six days of creation, he invites us to set apart, to make holy, a day for rest.”
Read MoreHoly Week: The Week We Live at Church
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Spiritual writer, Kathleen Norris, in her book, "The Cloister Walk," shares her Holy Week schedule. It includes morning prayers, choir rehearsal, evening liturgy services but what I really noticed, was right smack in the middle of her afternoons, she wrote "NAP!!!" Yes, in capital letters and extra exclamation points.
Read MoreMy Gift To A King
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I think of their gifts for Christ: gold, a symbol of kingship; frankincense, a symbol of his priesthood; and myrrh, an embalming oil, a reminder of his death to come. A baby born to die.
“What gift would I give Jesus?” I wonder.
Read MoreMy Soul Rejoices Through the Darkness
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'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' is a somber sounding hymn, made more solemn in the darkened church, lit only with candles as we wait for Christ's birth.
Read MoreOur Lady of Guadalupe and the Joy of Knowing Her Son
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Imagine the delight of my devout Native-Mexican mother-in-law when her sixth child, my husband, was born on December 12, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Read MoreSt. Thérèse of Lisieux: Inspiring Us to Share Our Faith Stories
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“I will send down a shower of roses; I want to spend my Heaven doing good on earth.” St. Thérèse’s feast day is October 1st! Here’s what her faith story might mean for yours.
Read MoreMy Virtual Camino: Celebrating the Feast of St. James in My Own Backyard
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When I started attending St. James Cathedral in Seattle 11 years ago, I said to a friend, “St. James? Which one is he again?”
“He’s one of the Sons of Thunder!” she said, a little too loudly with a sort of spirited superhero look on her face.
I nearly spit out the double tall vanilla latte I was sipping, doubling over with laughter. “Sons of Thunder?” I asked.
Read MorePentecost: The Soul’s Most Welcome Guest
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Scripture says that at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit enabled the Apostles to speak in other languages, previously unknown to them. Native speakers heard the stories of kindness, peace, love, and redemption in their own languages.
Read MoreBagpipes on Palm Sunday
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We gathered in the school gym across from the Cathedral as we do every year on this day. The children are giddy as we pick out our palm fronds to wave. Parishioners without the obstruction of pews, are socializing with friends and family. The gym is full of electricity as we look forward to joining the processional across the street and into the church
Read MoreAdvent: Making My Home Cozy
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I pull out the boxes of Christmas decorations from the basement the day after Thanksgiving. My stomach is still full from the night before. It will be another day before we set up the Christmas decorations yet already I feel stuffed, in my clothes, in my home, in my life. The tree will take up much needed real estate in my already tiny front room. I groan thinking of a full month of feeling claustrophic in my house.
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