Lenten Adventures
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Tuesday, March 06, 2012
I was going to give up sugar in my tea for Lent.
A hot sweet strong cup each morning is one of my daily pleasures, and I thought sacrificing it would be just enough penance in a life that is, day-to-day, already pretty tough.
But on Tuesday before Lent started, the day I posted this, it suddenly came to me that denying my sweet tooth was not enough. Instead, here was my resolution: to stop feeling... READ MORE
He Comforts the Brokenhearted
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 28
Today’s readings remind us of the ever present comfort our Lord provides us during difficult times. Psalm 34 says, “When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them.The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.”
How comforting are these words! Most of us have had our spirits crushed. We have known... READ MORE
Be Holy
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 27
“The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.”
It’s so inspiring to read about the lives of the saints and of the holy men and women of the Bible. A common theme seems to be their ability to give up everything to follow Christ—to endure hard times and extreme suffering and live a radical... READ MORE
Repent and Believe
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, February 26
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.
In today’s Gospel the Son of God is driven into the desert by a Spirit and is tempted. We know that Jesus is fully God and fully human, the GOD-man. So here he allows the spirit to drive him into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus accepts God’s will to go into the desert and be tempted for forty days knowing that it is part of the divine... READ MORE
Ups and Downs
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Wednesday, March 02, 2011
As part of training for his new job, my brother had to take a cold-weather survival skills training course.
Among other things, it involved his being outside overnight in single-digit temperatures.
“I have never been so cold and hungry in my life,” he says. He told me about pacing the beach at 2am, trying to keep warm, wanting to quit but having no choice but to keep going and make it through the... READ MORE
The Most Real Thing Ever
Posted by Lynn Wehner in Faith on Friday, December 17, 2010
Our week following Gaudete Sunday — a week celebrating joy. Yet many people I love are suffering, trying to see through to the other side of their pain and experience even a glimpse of the joy that is intended to mark this third week of Advent. This quote in Magnificat this week has stayed with me:
“We are not asked to put our faith in words alone, but in all the signs that Jesus worked and works... READ MORE
The Right Words To Say
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Years ago, just before our first anniversary, Paul and I found out we were having a baby. All the usual range of emotions kicked in—a few days of panic due to our lack of money and jobs!—and very soon we settled on pure elation. A baby to love!
Just before the 12-week “safety” mark, we found out we had miscarried. We were devastated.
I remember soon after that talking with someone who offered her... READ MORE
Obedience Is The Heart's Leap
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Monday, April 26, 2010
Big doings in Catholic Washington on Saturday!
At the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, they celebrated the first solemn high pontifical mass there in 45 years!
The occasion was the 5th anniversary of Benedict XVI’s pontificate, and the mass was in the extraordinary form.
Everything about the mass is said to have been beautiful, but people are raving about Bishop Slattery’s homily. “The best... READ MORE
The Only Story
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Wednesday, March 31, 2010
There is only one story.
My dad, who is a storyteller himself, has been saying that for as long as I can remember. I don’t think he came up with the idea, but he loves it and repeats it often. There’s one story. Only one.
He means the story we remember this week: the Savior of the world, God’s own Son sent to earth out of His love. Betrayed, beaten, and hung on a tree, soul violently ripped from body... READ MORE
Stations of the Cross
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, March 25, 2010
It seems a little odd to pick out a “favorite” Station of the Cross. And yet, I wonder how many of us have one. Do you have a particular station that speaks to you in a profound way?
I was reflecting on this earlier, out of the blue, remembering that growing up I always loved coming to the station where Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. I suspect that as a young girl, I liked the thought of this (presumably)... READ MORE
