Mishmash

Recently, I traveled out-of-town to a major American city. Fortunately, there was a Catholic Church within walking distance from my hotel. One morning, I arrived just as Mass was starting and slipped into a side pew. I was struck by two things. First, the incredible beauty of the church. The painted ceilings, marble columns, and […]

Bursting Through

When Christ was born over 2,000 years ago, He came bursting through the thin veil that separates Heaven and Earth. God designed the two realities to be separate, yet out of tremendous love for us, He intervened and sent His Son into our reality to save us from the mess we had created here on Earth. Well, […]

Beautiful Tapestry

If you ever have the privilege of going to Rome and visiting the many ancient Catholic churches, you will often see incredibly beautiful tapestries hanging from the walls.  Usually, these tapestries depict some scene from Scripture. These amazing tapestries were painstakingly made by hand with countless strands of thread. When they are all woven together, […]

Seek the Church

The Catholic Church is the source of Christ’s truth. While you may not always understand or agree with that truth, it is the truth nonetheless. Because it is of God, the truth has, by its very nature, a healing and comforting aspect to it. Although sometimes difficult, the truth will always lead you to the […]

The Path

Life after my divorce was so uncertain and disorienting. So much had changed. Most of the familiar routines, people, and traditions disappeared. My life felt awkward, almost alien. It really was as if I had been dropped onto Mars. I spent most of my energy numbly fumbling around trying to make sense of the my new life’s landscape. I […]

Squirm

I have a cat. When my kids were younger, they used to love to dangle a string over the cat’s head to make her jump and twirl. They used to say the cat was “dancing.” It looked more like “squirming” to me. I was never really sure if the cat enjoyed this or not. Frankly, […]

Tranquility

“I hope she rots in Hell!” I screamed at God at the top of my lungs as I drove to work. I had just gotten done listening to my former spouse’s rationale on how our divorce would actually be “good for the kids.” I was so angry and hurt over the pain and distress I […]

You Are Loved

“You are loved. Do you hear me? YOU ARE LOVED!” were the words the priest said emphatically. This was the central theme of the three-day mission led by this priest in my parish. He was so convinced of this truth, and was trying to convince everyone else who attended, that he actually had buttons made […]

It’s Alive!

As a kid, I can remember watching the old Frankenstein movie, starring Boris Karloff. The part where Frankenstein came to life and sat up with screams of “It’s alive!” from the mad scientist always scared my socks off. Not only was Frankenstein scary looking, his actually coming to life seemed very implausible. It was always […]

Long Haul

“This generation is always looking for a quick fix.” spilled out of my mouth as I was sharing some parenting challenge with a friend. I was smug in my surety that I was different–that I was older and wiser. But the truth is, I’m really not. In fact, I think most people, no matter their […]