“My sheep know my voice and they follow me (John 10:27).” I read that line a long time ago, proclaimed in the week after we celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday. But it has stayed with me for weeks. I know His voice and I’m supposed to follow it. So, why do I so often follow my… [Read More]
What You Should Give Up for Lent, Based on Your Personality Type
Lent is just 9 days away (eeep!), and while you may not have discerned what to add and/or delete from your life for those 40-ish days, it’s most certainly on your mind. And if it wasn’t on your mind, it is now after reading that sentence! You’re welcome. As a just-for-fun, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously way to prepare… [Read More]
You, Too, Can Discern the Will of God (Review of Fr. Mike Schmitz and Peter Kreeft)
A little over a year ago, I reviewed a book about discernment, decision-making, and the will of God by a non-Catholic Bible scholar and teacher, Gary Friesen. I haven’t run out of things to discern in the meantime, though, so this year, I decided to share some Catholic advice. In the spirit of teaching to… [Read More]
Something Greater Than Ourselves
In a little less than 2 weeks, on October 11, Bishop Joe Vasquez will celebrate Mass at the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, and to give thanks for the first year anniversary of the Shrine. What might inspire us to go? What might… [Read More]
An Open Letter to Sr. Simone Campbell (of the Nuns on the Bus)
This blog is in response to an interview aired by the radio program On Being, hosted by Krista Tippett, on June 11, 2015. I invite you to listen to the interview before reading this post, and would especially point your attention to the unedited version of the interview. The time stamps I’ve included are from the… [Read More]
The Advent of Our Mission
I spent this Thanksgiving looking into our country from the outside, since right now I’m doing a bit of traveling in South America. So naturally, I had to explain to lots of curious friends and strangers what exactly we were celebrating last Thursday. And being the typical American that I am, I had to research… [Read More]
Discernment Demands Wisdom (Review: Decision Making & the Will of God)
I put considerable time into thinking about the decisions I make. I’m pretty indecisive by nature, so I have things like the two-minute rule 1 and the alphabet rule 2 to keep me from being paralyzed by too many choices. Lately, I’ve been considering some of life’s most important choices. My friends and I talk… [Read More]
A Response to “Why Nuns Don’t Have Mid-Life Crises”
I probably watch more YouTube videos than I should, and I probably also think about nuns more than your average YouTube video viewer. I love it when those sides of me unite, though. In my wandering about the Internet, I stumbled across a delightful video from a TEDx talk at Virginia Tech, “Why Nuns Don’t… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Cold Feet
Confession: I’m terrified of getting cold feet. This fear can be applied both literally and figuratively, since my base temperature is that of a small lizard, and I have so much anxiety, that were I to use my powers for good, I could probably generate enough energy to run a small city. So, yeah cold… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Wedding Fever
Confession: I have been dreaming about my wedding since I was in middle school. Every slumber party I can remember had talk about wedding dresses, church weddings versus beach weddings, and how possible it really was that one of us could marry someone from N’SYNC. I assumed I would get married around the age of… [Read More]
Discernment As It Should Be
I was born into a wonderful catholic family with two amazing parents and the blessing of four siblings. My parents did a wonderful job in instilling the faith in me, showing me the gift of wonder and awe from a very early age. Looking back on my childhood, there is never a moment where Jesus… [Read More]
From Presumption to Discernment
Think about this statement: “We do not know what He is doing.” Is that true or false? Consider this, the more we seek, the more we find (Mt. 7:7), and the more we come to know Him. That quoted statement, then, is false! How often, though, can you say that you know what Jesus is… [Read More]
Priesthood and the Crucifixion
Do you remember the Pilgrimage of Prayer? In the last week, I have “stopped, looked, and listened.” It is beautiful when you and I can share with one other the fruits of our contemplation, the fruits and thoughts of our prayer. The Order of Preachers (nicknamed the Dominicans) uses that phrase to describe their vocation,… [Read More]
The Pro’s and Con of Dating A Catholic Man
Dating in the secular world is interesting, to put it mildly. It also happens to be confusing, messy, disordered and sometimes scary. I say this because I’ve done it. Because I’ve done it, I have had all too much practice having awkward conversations about why I go to mass as much as possible, why I… [Read More]
On Being Prophetic Under Pressure
As I was sitting in daily mass on Tuesday at St Catherine of Sienna in South Austin, the priest began to talk about the prophet Jeremiah. We’ve been hearing from Jeremiah during daily mass for quite some days now. The priest said that one of the main roles of a prophet was to give us… [Read More]
Media Discernment and You
I have a love/hate relationship with the media. I am Catholic and I am committed to my faith, but I work with many non-Catholics and with Catholics who are seeking direction. Being a good evangelist means I have to keep track of what’s going on outside the Catholic bubble, to follow the Bible’s advice to… [Read More]
9 Things To Do When Needing Direction
It happens to all of us. Life is moving along swimmingly until it hits. “It” might be something thrown at us from the outside—a layoff, your child’s crisis, or realizing that all of the graduate programs you’ve applied to waitlisted you—or it can be internal—realizing that you’re not happy in your job/career, finishing college without… [Read More]
