Catholic Voices - Make a joyful noise!
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It doesn’t matter what you sound like, just sing to God with the voice God gave you
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The Light of Grace is Always Shining
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Poet Chris Anderson speaks of the Examen in this way: “The light of grace is always shining, it’s always pouring down, through it’s refracted and scattered and easy to miss, and so one way to pray is to look back on the moments of our day and recall when we saw the light breaking through.”
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 MoreGrandpa's for Fight Night
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“What? Oh, yeah, no problem mija.” He says as the phone rings. I would not sit on his lap that night, I never did on fight nights. “Phil here.” he answered the phone. “Uh huh, uh huh.” He grunted as he jot down a few words and numbers.
Read MoreBeauty: God's Handwriting
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Poet John O’Donohue defined beauty as “that in the presence of which we feel more alive”. But not only that, beauty is a connection, that when we experience it, we feel a sense of love, the presence of God’s love.
Read MoreHow a Cradle Protestant Became A Catholic
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“What’s holding you back?” she asked over a turkey sandwich.
“I not sure if I believe in Transubstantiation.” I said solemnly over a sip of tomato soup.
“Ha!” she laughed, her mouth open, revealing the unchewed bite of sandwich in the side of her cheek. “That’s not it!” she said loudly drawing a few looks from the other patrons at the bistro.
Read MoreWeight Will Not Be Ignored
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He seemed to enjoy the presence it gave him, the space he took up, in our lives and in the world, as he used his size to frighten his wife, his children and anyone else who encountered him.
He would not be ignored.
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 MoreThe Healing Power of a Small, Good Thing
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Curled up with the book one evening, I listened to the sounds of my husband opening drawers and stirring pots in the kitchen. My soon to be 7-year-old, came over for a snuggle. He grasped the book from my hands as he curled into my lap. I had just started the first story and my son read to me in his little voice sounding not unlike a Peanuts character. I stroked his hair as he rubbed his foot against mine.
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 MoreMy Anointing in Westminster Abbey
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Hushed whispers echoed around me as tourists watched through the bars of Islip Chapel in Westminster Abbey where I knelt before an Anglican priest inside. Her words of prayer dropped on me like love.
Read MoreFinding Inspiration #1
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I love sharing where I have been finding inspiration. These posts might become a habit as I share some of the ins and outs of my daily life with you.
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 MoreA Secret Gift
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It is rare that I’ll remember a sweet memory associated with my father. Most of my memories of him are intertwined with fear and anxiety. And yet...
Read MoreLearning Grace from a Homeboy
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God and the maintenance man: my reflection on finding grace in an unexpected place.
Read MoreWhy I taught my kids to call our homeless neighbors 'Peace Men'
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Why I taught my kids to call our homeless neighbors 'Peace Men'
In these women and men I see my sister, myself, my God.
Comfort in Repetition
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The night I found out my childhood friend, committed suicide, I listened to Iron & Wine’s song The Trapeze Swinger on repeat--for hours.
Read MoreYayoi Kusama: Living One Dot at a Time
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Even as a Seattle Art Museum member it took me a few months to secure tickets for the Yayoi Kusama, Infinite Mirrors exhibit.
Did you get tickets? Have you gone yet? friends would ask.
The hype was palpable.
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.
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