Home By Another Way
by Kelly Dolin in Faith on Thursday, January 05, 2012 8:44 PM
In my work in The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, I am preparing to celebrate epiphany. In the atrium, we will ponder the long journey of the wise men; we will talk about the fact that they fell prostrate in the presence of their savior; we will read about how they returned to their country by a different way.
They returned to their country by a different way.
They had had an epiphany. We will say the word. We will define it - “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential... READ MORE
Merry Christmas, Baby
by Gina Loehr in Faith on Sunday, December 25, 2011 12:00 AM
I just can’t help it. Whenever someone says “The Infant Jesus” I immediately picture the dusty porcelain statue of the Infant of Prague with a chip missing from his nose in the back of church.
Robed in a white silk dress, wearing a crown full of fake jewels and holding a baby sized scepter, he is the picture of piety and delicacy. He’s not for cuddling or cooing; he’s not even for touching. He’s just for admiring from afar.
Stale images like this take up too much space in my stifled religious imagination.... READ MORE
Eyes On Your Own Nativity
by Kelly Dolin in Faith on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 3:00 PM
I recently gleaned some useful Christmas advice from a combox here at Faith and Family Live!. Commenter StephC was responding to a mother who is where most of us have been at one time or another: Overwhelmed. Tired, out of steam, even hopeless—and riding the Polar Express full speed into That Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
Steph’s advice? Keep your eyes on your own nativity. As we enter the final days of preparation for the great feast of Christmas, we would all do well to take this to heart.
... READ MOREWhom Do We Seek?
by Rachel Balducci in Faith on Sunday, December 18, 2011 4:52 PM
I lost Henry the other day.
We were on our way home from grocery shopping and I remembered that I needed to pick up something at a clothing shop for my son’s birthday. We popped in, I didn’t even load the baby in a stroller, so we could grab the item and get.
About five minutes into our trip a friend walked by, and in the thirty seconds it took me to say hello and hope to see you soon, Henry disappeared. I looked away from my friend’s face and he was nowhere to be found.
Of course during those nanoseconds... READ MORE
Peace Be With Me
by Kate Wicker in Faith on Wednesday, December 07, 2011 2:53 PM
“Oh, the noise! Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! That’s one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!” Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
Mr. Grinch, you and me both.
It may very well be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the nosiest. All is not calm, as much as I had hoped it would be. All is not quiet. There’s so much busyness even though I’m militant about keeping organized and say no to multiple holiday events. Nor do I have unrealistic expectations. My house... READ MORE
The End Is Near
by Daria Sockey in Faith on Sunday, December 04, 2011 9:14 PM
Back in the early 80s there was a certain amount of worry, due to the cold war, nuclear proliferation, and believe it or not—“global cooling” theories—that the world might soon come to an end.
I recall from that era a gallows humor cartoon in the New Yorker depicting an upper crust cocktail party. A woman in pearls and evening gown was saying, “Of course the world will probably come to an end in our lifetime. But really, darling, let’s keep our sense of humor about it.”
Not a bad sentiment for Advent,... READ MORE
On Our Way to Advent
by Daria Sockey in Faith on Wednesday, November 09, 2011 10:30 AM
Cooler nights and shorter days remind me that Advent will be here in no time, and we have to get ready for it.
No, I’m not talking about making out lists, checking them twice against the listings on BlackFriday.com. No such thoughts are permitted this early on. But I want to figure out my Advent spiritual practices ahead of time, before my brain gets taken over by cookies, cards, crafts,carols, and sale flyers.
So I’m looking over the current crop of devotional aids for Advent. Some geared more... READ MORE
Sunday Morning Scramble
by Kate Wicker in Faith on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 3:50 PM
Any parent knows Mass with defiant toddlers, wiggly preschoolers, and teething babies can be anything but peaceful.
Yet, even though celebrating Mass with little ones underfoot may sometimes leave something to be desired, you are being spiritually fed. And so are your children.
“[Baptism] places an indelible mark on the soul and opens the child to receive spiritual graces,” explains Melanie Bettinelli, a mom of two young daughters who’s expecting a baby in July. “Spiritually, children are already... READ MORE
Grace Does Not Depend on Us
by Kelly Dolin in Faith on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 5:48 PM
Here’s a question recently posed by a visiting priest: Which two sacraments can be received again and again and again? The answer, of course, is the Eucharist and confession. The anointing of the sick and Holy Matrimony can be received more than once, but not over and over and over again.
I just loved Betty Duffy’s piece about confession. I love the sacrament of confession. So many people find it intimidating or see it as a liturgical rap on the knuckles, but, gosh, it’s just pure grace. That being... READ MORE
I Worry So
by Rachel Balducci in Faith on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 6:53 PM
Henry is sitting in my bathroom on the counter. He has filled the sink with water and is using my lotion cap as a small cylindrical sailboat.
I was about to dry my hair when he climbed up next to me. So my immediate reaction is to unplug my hairdryer and moved it out of the way.
I decide to stand in my bedroom to dry my hair. That way Henry can keep playing in his ocean of adventure while I watch from a safe distance. But as I stand at my mirror I can’t shake the feeling that there is danger lurking... READ MORE
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